The service sector consists of the "soft" parts of the economy, i.e. activities where people offer their knowledge and time to improve productivity, performance, potential, and sustainability. The basic characteristic of this sector is the production of services instead of end products. Services (also known as "intangible goods") include attention, advice, experience, and discussion. The production of information is generally also regarded as a service, but some economists now attribute it to a fourth sector, the quaternary sector.
The tertiary sector of industry involves the provision of services to other businesses as well as final consumers. Services may involve the transport, distribution and sale of goods from producer to a consumer, as may happen in wholesaling and retailing, or may involve the provision of a service, such as in pest control or entertainment. The goods may be transformed in the process of providing the service, as happens in the restaurant industry. However, the focus is on people interacting with people and serving the customer rather than transforming physical goods.
For the last 30 years, there has been a substantial shift from the primary and secondary sectors to the tertiary sector in industrialised countries. This shift is called tertiarisation. The tertiary sector is now the largest sector of the economy in the Western world, and is also the fastest-growing sector.
Another example is the banking industry, which has gone through enormous changes in recent years. Using information and communication technology, banks have vastly reduced the number of staff they need. Many banks and building societies have merged to form much “leaner” businesses capable of extracting more profit from a wider customer base.
For example, public utilities are often considered part of the tertiary sector as they provide services to people, while creating the utility's infrastructure is often considered part of the secondary sector, even though the same business may be involved in both aspects of the operation.
In order to classify a business as a service, it is necessary to use classification systems such as the United Nations's International Standard Industrial Classification standard, the United States' Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code system and its new replacement, the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS), and similar systems in the EU and elsewhere. These governmental classification systems have a first-level hierarchy that reflects whether the economic goods are tangible or intangible.
For purposes of finance and market research, market-based classification systems such as the Global Industry Classification Standard and the Industry Classification Benchmark are used to classify businesses that participate in the service sector. Unlike governmental classification systems, the first level of market-based classification systems divides the economy into functionally related markets or industries. The second or third level of these hierarchies then reflects whether goods or services are produced.
Historically, manufacturing tended to be more open to international trade and competition than services. However, with dramatic cost reduction and speed and reliability improvements in the transportation of people and the communication of information, the service sector now includes some of the most intensive international competition, despite residual protectionism.
Since the quality of most services depends largely on the quality of the individuals providing the services, it is true that "people costs" are a high component of service costs. Whereas a manufacturer may use technology, simplification, and other techniques to lower the cost of goods sold, the service provider often faces an unrelenting pattern of increasing costs.
Differentiation is often difficult. For example, how does one choose one investment adviser over another, since they often seem to provide identical services? Charging a premium for services is usually an option only for the most established firms, who charge extra based upon brand recognition.
+Service output in 2010 (Nominal) | ! Rank | ! Country | ! Output in billions of US$ |
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+Service output in 2010 (PPP) | ! Rank | ! Country | ! Output in billions of US$ |
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Category:Industrial organization Sector, 3
ar:صناعة الخدمات ca:Sector terciari et:Teenindus es:Sector servicios eu:Hirugarren sektore fr:Secteur tertiaire gv:Yn trass rheynnag (tarmaynys) gl:Sector terciario id:Sektor ekonomi tersier lt:Trečiasis ūkio sektorius ja:第三次産業 pt:Setor terciário ru:Третичный сектор экономики simple:Service sector fi:Palvelusektori sv:Tjänsteföretag th:ภาคเศรษฐกิจขั้นที่ 3 uk:Третинний сектор економіки zh:第三产业This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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