According to Dictionary.com, service is defined as ‘an act of
helpful activity; the supplying of utilities or commodities; the providing of
accommodation and activities required by the public; or the supplying of public
communication and transportation.’[Dictionary.com, s.v.
‘service,’ http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/service (accessed February
12, 2012).] Numerous academic definitions of service can be found in the
literature. The consensus is that performing an action that results in a benefit
for an entity essentially defines a service, and the value of the service
largely depends on what, when, where, and how the process of relevant service
activities gets executed.
