Guiding readers through each stage in the design and implementation of service operations, this book combines lively examples that are easy to relate to with clearly explained theory. Readers are introduced to the main differences between managing services to managing products and given a concise induction into the core principles of operations management. The text then maps out each consecutive stage in the life of a service, from the initial business proposal for a new service, through market research practices, to the development and implementation of a service and concludes with the termination and disposal of a service.