Goods are those tangible products that consumers can physically possess. Services are intangible products involving ___1___ that can not be physically possessed. Take an automobile for example; when a consumer purchases a car, he takes ownership of a physical item. But the ___2___ associated with the purchase is the service. The basic concept of services is to satisfy customers’ needs. In other words, the seller must provide the right service for the right people at the right place and at the right time. The seller must also communicate with consumers to make them aware of the services available to them. To understand the question of services, it is necessary to___3___. Services have four basic characteristics: Intangibility, inseparability of provision and consumption, perishability and diversity. Intangibility stems from the fact that services are performances. They can not be seen, touched, tasted or smelled, nor can they be possessed. Related to intangibility, is inseparability of production and consumption. Services are normally produced at the same time they are consumed. Because ____4____occur at the same time, services are also characterized by perishability. Finally, because most services are___5___, they are diversified. That’s to say, there are maybe variation from one service to another or from day to day.

　　答案：

　　a deed, a performance, or maintenance

　　warranty

　　make clear the characteristics of services

　　provision and consumption

　　labor intensive