This is the third edition of a very successful book written by one of the leading writers and researchers in services marketing and management. Alongside the  greater emphasis on the relationship approach to services marketing, the new edition provides a thorough update to include up to date research from the services marketing and relationship marketing field. New material on service recovery is included along with an in depth discussion of the basic ground rules and objectives of marketing. Grönroos develops a market-oriented management approach and shows how the competitive advantage of a company can be built upon customer relationships. The text is based on international research and is geared to the Nordic School of marketing thought which is based on the notion that marketing decisions cannot be separated from overall management and the management of other business functions.