ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to a discussion of the specificity of the functioning of service enterprises. The authors discuss the following issues: the essence of services and service activity, processes occurring in service activity, service quality management and determinants of a quality cost structure in service enterprises. The section focusing on quality management presents selected concepts of quality improvement in service enterprises, quality management systems, methods of service quality measurements and service quality management tools. Reading this chapter, the reader will learn what constitutes the essence of services, what processes take place in service enterprises, and will organise the knowledge of service quality management and the factors determining a quality cost structure.
