There is no universally agreed definition or composition of business services outside trade negotiations. However, there is a some common denominator that business services comprise of services that are needed to support the functioning of an organization in any industry. These include core and non-core functional areas ranging from professional, technical to business management and administration services.
For the purpose of trade in services negotiations, the SADC Member States adopted the WTO services classification list (Contained in WTO Document MTN.GNS/W/120) which categorize business services into five sub-sectors namely (A) Professional; (B) Computer and computer-related (C) Research and development (R& D); (D) Real estate; (E) Rental or leasing; and (F) Other business services.
Below, are some useful research report/presentations slides that could be useful reading to get a picture and contribution of business services in the SADC region.