Editing Tertiary sector of the economy (section)

== Difficulty of definition ==
It is sometimes hard to determine whether a given company is part of the secondary or the tertiary sector. It is not only companies that have been classified as part of a sector in some schemes, since governments and their services (such as the police or military), as well as [[nonprofit organization]]s (such as charities or research associations), can also be seen as part of that sector.<ref name="Lakhe2001">{{cite book|author=R.P. Mohanty & R.R. Lakhe|title=TQM in the Service Sector|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ASwLRRY6vIAC&pg=PT33|access-date=1 May 2013|date=1 January 2001|publisher=Jaico Publishing House|isbn=978-81-7224-953-3|pages=32–33}}</ref>

To classify a business as a service, one can use classification systems such as the [[United Nations]]' [[International Standard Industrial Classification]] standard, the [[United States]]' [[Standard Industrial Classification]] (SIC) code system and its new replacement, the [[North American Industrial Classification System]] (NAICS), the [[Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Community]] (NACE) in the EU and similar systems elsewhere. These governmental classification systems have a first-level of hierarchy that reflects whether the economic goods are tangible or intangible.

For purposes of [[finance]] and [[market research]], [[Market (economics)|market]]-based classification systems such as the [[Global Industry Classification Standard]] and the [[Industry Classification Benchmark]] are used to classify businesses that participate in the service sector. Unlike governmental classification systems, the first level of market-based classification systems divides the economy into functionally related markets or industries. The second or third level of these hierarchies then reflects whether goods or services are produced.