Strategies for services development

The services sector has been in a strong process of expansion in the second half of the 20^th century, especially in developed countries, under the influence of factors such as: the changes in what and how is produced, urbanization, the increase in income and leisure levels for the population etc. At the same time, the contents and factors of development have evolved from economic growth to sustainable development, the focus shifting from the quantitative to the qualitative aspects of this extremely complex phenomenon, and the need to conceive and implement development strategies has become a sine qua non condition both on a macroeconomic and on a microeconomic level.

In this context, the current work supplies future specialists, as well as all other interested parties, with knowledge on setting the bases of development strategies for the services sector, the SWOT analysis of the Romanian economy and of the tertiary sector, the strategic objectives and actions for the sustainable development of services in our country, the local development programs and their sources of finance.

Among the priority domains of the services sector, we can note transports and tourism, which is why special attention is given to the policies and programs of development for these branches.

A special place in the economy of the paper is held by the issues of marketing strategies in services, sustainable development strategies for services and the new perspectives in the sustainable development of services: the concepts of slow living and of the green economy.

At the end of each chapter, there is a section with an applicative character, containing questions and reflection topics, problems, case studies, projects or scenarios which help in the better understanding of the way in which the subjects treated have a correspondent in the economic reality and practice.