Robins, F.2011-10-172011-10-172010Proceedings of 27th Annual EAMSA (Euro-Asia Management Studies Association) Conference, held in Dehli, India 10-13 November 2010: pp.1-17http://hdl.handle.net/2440/66811This paper has two objectives. One is to focus attention on the weakness of our textbook concept of 'services', which are still defined in a way which differentiates them from 'products'. The second is to examine how well outsourced business processes, in particular, fit this conventional textbook wisdom. The author finds our textbook model in need of repair. Outsourced business processes are found to fit the conventional textbook model in some cases but, equally, not in other cases. So the author prefers to forget about distinguishing 'services' from 'products' and judges that their marketing, in particular, would benefit from them being treated similarly. The author argues for making 'buyer benefit', rather than 'service', the prime focus of marketing thinking.enCopyright status unknownServicesServices MarketingBusiness Process OutsourcingMarketingConference paper002010270432424