The characteristics that formally distinguish services from goods are intangibility, inseparability, ____________ and perishability.

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The prompt asks to identify the missing characteristic that, along with intangibility, inseparability, and perishability, formally distinguishes services from goods.
Option a: 'benefits' — This is too vague and not a standard formal characteristic used in the services marketing framework. Benefits can apply to both goods and services and do not specifically capture the service distinctive traits.
Option b: 'homogeneity' — This would imply that services are uniform and identical, which is the opposite of what is taught about services. In reality, services are often variable and depend on who provides them and when, which is inconsistent with the typical theory.
Option c: 'tangibility' — Tangibility is the opposite of intangibility. Since services are defined by their intangibility, this option contradicts the core distinction and is therefore incorrect.
Option d: 'heterogeneity' — This aligns with the established framework: services are often heterogeneous, meaning they vary from one service encounter to another due to human involvement and varying conditions. This characteristic is recognized as a formal distinction in the services marketing literature, complementing intangibility, inseparability, and perishability.
Putting it together, the set of four formal characteristics becomes intangibility, inseparability, heterogeneity, and perishability, with heterogeneity being the correct missing term here.

MCD2050 - T1 - 2025 Week 10 Quiz

The characteristics that formally distinguish services from goods are intangibility, inseparability, ____________ and perishability.

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