Are you desirous of business IT services? If so, go over to Sky Computer Services on Overland Avenue in Los Angeles. Looking for a small, charming hotel? The Orchid 'O' Hotel on South Flower Street would be more than happy to make your acquaintance. Maybe you have some goods that need to be boxed and shipped. Mosey on over to Paper Mart on Alexander Street, the self-proclaimed largest and most complete packaging store in Los Angeles. The list is endless, and a valid indicator of the growing prominence of the burgeoning service-based economy.

Also known as the tertiary sector of industry, the service sector is one of the primary industrial categories of a urbanized economy; the others are manufacturing and agriculture.

The tertiary sector involves providing services to businesspersons as well as consumers. It might involve the distribution of goods from producer to a business, or the proffering of a business service, such as in the aforementioned packaging company. The chief focus is on person-to-person interaction, with service as the primary goal, rather than producing physical items.

An incomplete list of Los Angeles' business service economy industries includes insurance, tourism, banking, retail, education, news media, consulting, hospitals, real estate and restaurants. Productivity is a big watchword in the measurement of exactly how efficacious a service delivery establishment is.

Economist posit that the service sector is wealth consuming, as opposed to manufacturing, which is wealth producing. Services are not physical products, rendering it difficult for potential customers to grasp exactly what they will be getting and what value it will retain. Some services, such as business consulting and investment firms, actually offer no definite guarantee of the value for funds invested.

Since there is no physical product to measure, business service quality is calculated by the merit of the individuals providing the services. Though a manufacturer utilizes technology and other techniques to generate goods, a business service provider must count on his or her employees to give solid customer service.