Request full copy

Service Operations Management, 6th edition

Published by Pearson (August 28, 2025) © 2026

  • Robert Johnston Warwick Business School, Warwick University
  • Michael Shulver Bath School of Management
  • Nigel Slack Warwick Business School, Warwick University
  • Alan Betts Warwick Business School

eTextbook

from£28.99

Features

  • Get instant access to your eTextbook
  • Search, highlight, and add notes
  • Create personalised flashcards
£65.99

  • A print text (hardcover or paperback)
  • Free shipping

Title overview

Address real-world organisational challenges by applying the principles of Service Operations Management

Service Operations Management, 6th edition provides an understanding of how service performance can be improved in organisations. It features tools and techniques throughout, along with examples from a wide variety of international businesses.

Hallmark features of this title

Cases and examples from around the world

  • Illustrated with examples of a wide variety of types of service, from Metro Bank to Médecins Sans Frontières, from Apple to Aldi, from Costa coffee machines to Cubitts eyewear, hospitals to hotels, and more.
  • End-of-chapter case studies strengthen students' understanding of essential concepts and how these are applied.

Practical and relevant tools

  • Features a suite of frameworks, tools and techniques to equip students to better analyse existing operations and to deal with challenges.

Takes learning further

  • "Counterpoint" sections provide criticisms of conventional theory or practice, helping to foster a more balanced discussion.

Relevant to students and professionals

  • Ideal to build on knowledge of the basic OM principles, or as a handbook for use in service organisations.

"The leading Service Operations book, which we have used for 9 years. Excellent range of theory, very accessible to all student levels and extremely applicable within the global business world."

Andrew Parker, Associate Professor and former Senior Industrial Operations Practitioner, University of Birmingham

"A highly readable text with invaluable insights into modern service operations. It covers cutting-edge technologies, emphasises sustainability, and illustrates key concepts though real-world examples. An essential resource for students and managers."

Dr Marina Papalexi, Senior Lecturer in Operations and Project Management, Manchester Metropolitan University

"Everyone should understand what services are. We exist in them, for them and we are them. This book brings this to life through case study, theory and application."

Professor Liz Breen, Professor of Health Service Operations, School of Pharmacy & Medical Sciences, University of Bradford

New and updated features of this title

  • Updated: Thoroughly revised material now includes the impacts of new innovative technologies on service provision, clearer explanations for teaching with, and consideration of the environmental and sustainability impact of operations across many topics in the book.
  • New cases: New end-of-chapter case studies include a Malaysian conference centre business and its response to a strategic performance crisis, shared services in the UK supermarket giant Tesco, and performance management in the Swiss Hotel sector.
  • Updated: Significantly improved chapters include Service Strategy, which has a new structure, and People in the Service Operation, which now considers employee resilience. The Service Concept and Customer Relationships chapters are also expanded, and both feature new 'running' case studies.
  • New: 49 new case examples and worked examples within chapters, which show the diverse and international nature of service operations issues and activities.
  • Updated: 26 case examples from the 5th edition have received updates.
  • New: Rewritten exercises at the end of chapters, with guidance on the use of generative AI in learning.

Digital features

Features of Pearson eTextbook for the 6th Edition

Service Operations Management is a leading text on the subject and provides an understanding of how service performance can be improved in organisations, alongside tools and techniques, and cases from a wide variety of international businesses.

Extend learning beyond the classroom with Pearson eTextbook – an easy-to-use digital textbook.

Optimise study time

  • Find it fast. Enhanced search makes it easy to find a key term or topic to study. Students can also search for interactive content such as videos, images, and any notes they've created.
  • Get organised and get results. Students can customise how they study and add their own notes, bookmarks, and highlights directly in their eTextbook.
  • Reinforce and revise learning. Students can create their own or use pre-built flashcards to support recall and exam preparation.

Meet students where they are

  • Study on or offline. With the Pearson+ mobile app, you and your students can access your eTextbook anytime, anywhere.
  • Listen anywhere. Learners can listen to the audio version of their eTextbook, making learning even more flexible.
  • NEW translation feature - users can select a word, phrase, or passage and translate it to a language of their choosing (over 100 languages).

Find out more about Pearson eTextbooks.

Table of contents

Preface

Part One: Framing service operations

  1. Introduction to service operations
  2. The world of service
  3. Service strategy
  4. The service concept

Part Two: Service people

  1. Customer relationships
  2. Service quality
  3. Designing customer experience
  4. People in the service operation
  5. Service culture

Part Three: Delivering service

  1. Service supply networks
  2. Designing the service process
  3. Managing service performance
  4. Service resources and capacity

Part Four: Improving service operations

  1. Service innovation
  2. Service improvement
  3. Learning from problems
  4. Learning from other operations

Glossary

Index

Author bios

Robert Johnston was Professor of Operations Management at Warwick Business School. Robert also served on the editorial boards of ten leading journals and was an Honorary Fellow of the European Operations Management Association and a Vice President of the Institute of Customer Service.

Michael Shulver has lectured on Service Operations Management at Bath School of Management, Warwick Business School and Birmingham Business School. At Birmingham Michael designed and set up the world's first accredited wholly online MBA Programme.

Nigel Slack is Emeritus Professor of Operations Management and Strategy at Warwick Business School, an Honorary Professor at Bath University and 'Honorary Fellow of the European Operations Management Association'. Nigel is a consultant, researcher and teacher with experience in financial services, oil and gas, utilities, retail, professional services, general services, aerospace, FMCG and engineering manufacturing.

Alan Betts founded HT2 Limited, a pioneering learning software company, which he led to win the Queen’s Award for Innovation. Alan has worked Warwick Business School and the University of San Diego.

Need help?Get in touch

Pearson eText

Extend learning beyond the classroom. Pearson eText is an easy-to-use digital textbook. It lets students customise how they study and learn with enhanced search and the ability to create flashcards, highlight and add notes all in one place. The mobile app lets students learn wherever life takes them, offline or online.

Video
Play
Privacy and cookies
By watching, you agree Pearson can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable upon changing cookie preferences. Disabling cookies may affect video functionality. More info...

Video transcript (PDF | 16KB) 

Pearson eTextbook: What’s on the inside just might surprise you

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s the same with your students. Meet each one right where they are with an engaging, interactive, personalized learning experience that goes beyond the textbook to fit any schedule, any budget, and any lifestyle.