DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is physical evidence, and why have we devoted an entire chapter to it in a marketing text?
Physical evidence is the environment in which the service is delivered and where the firm and the
customer interact and any tangible commodities that facilitate performance or communication of the
service. Physical evidence includes the servicescape, a term used to describe the physical facility
2. Describe and give an example of how servicescapes play each of the following roles: package,
facilitator, socializer, and differentiator.
By discussing each of these roles, students will see even more clearly the marketing impact of the
servicescape. This question works well as a lead-in to a more structured lecture/discussion of the
theoretical model shown in Figure 10.1. Descriptions for the roles and examples are as follows:
Package: As a “package” the servicescape helps to establish the image of the service
Facilitator. The servicescape also serves as a facilitator for those who must perform actions
Socializer. The way the servicescape is designed can help both customers and employees to
3. Imagine that you own an independent copying and printing shop (similar to FedEx Kinko’s). In
which cell would you locate your business in the typology of servicescapes shown in Table 10.3?
What are the implications for designing your physical facility?
This question allows students to apply their knowledge of the typology of service organizations to a
specific context. Most students will be familiar with Kinko’s or similar copying and printing services.
4. How can an effective physical evidence strategy help to close provider gap 2? Explain.
Because physical evidence is a form of communication that serves to tangibilize the service in the
customers’ eyes, it is one of the strategies the organization can use to match service design to
The servicescape in particular has a large role to play in closing gap 2. As a “facilitator, the
servicescape can aid or inhibit service production and delivery. Effective design and specification of
5. Why are both customers and employees included in the framework for understanding servicescape
effects on behavior (Figure 10.1)? What types of behaviors are influenced by the servicescape
according to the framework? Think of examples.
This question is intended to help students work further with Figure 10.1 and to see its implications for
marketing. Both customers and employees are included in the framework since in many service
contexts both groups are physically present in the service facility and thus will be affected by its
6. Using your own experiences, give examples of times when you have been affected cognitively,
emotionally, and physiologically by elements of the servicescape (in any service context).
By providing their own examples, students are encouraged to understand and apply the model shown
in Figure 10.1 and the three types of responses as discussed in the text on pp. 298-299. Through the
7. Why is everyone not affected in exactly the same way by the servicescape?
The text discussion indicates that not all individuals respond the same way to the perceived
8. Describe the physical environment of your favorite restaurant in terms of the three categories of
servicescape dimensions: ambient conditions; spatial layout and functionality; and signs, symbols,
and artifacts.
This question makes the abstract servicescape dimensions more concrete through application to a
9. Imagine that you are serving as a consultant to a local health club. How would you advise the health
club to begin the process of developing an effective physical evidence strategy?
This question provides an opportunity for students to apply almost everything they have learned in
this chapter. It can be given as a homework assignment, where students are asked to write a memo to