SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                              Washington, DC 20547



                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                       Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                       the Securities Exchange Act of 1934



       Date of Report (date of earliest event reported): December 26, 1997



                            THE SERVICEMASTER COMPANY
           (Exact name of registrant as specified in its certificate)

                (Successor to ServiceMaster Limited Partnership)


                       Commission File Number: ___________




     Delaware                     One ServiceMaster Way      36-3858106
                                  Downers Grove, IL 60515

(State or other jurisdiction      (Address of principal      (I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation or organization) executive office)          Identification No.)







Registrant's telephone number, including area code:            (630)  271-1300







Item 5.           Other Events

Registrant as the Successor to ServiceMaster Limited Partnership

Pursuant to the plan previously announced by ServiceMaster  Limited Partnership,
a  Delaware   limited   partnership,   to  convert  the  parent  entity  in  the
ServiceMaster  enterprise from  partnership form to corporate form at the end of
1997, The ServiceMaster Company, a Delaware corporation (the "Corporation"), has
become the entity which has succeeded to  ServiceMaster  Limited  Partnership as
such parent  entity.  The effective date and time of the conversion was December
26, 1997 at 11:59 P.M., Eastern Standard Time (the "Effective Time").

At the Effective Time, holders of limited partner units of ServiceMaster Limited
Partnership  became  holders of the same number of shares of common stock of the
Corporation.

Certificates  for  partnership  units are deemed to represent the same number of
corporate shares and there is no requirement for any exchange of certificates.

The shares of common stock of the  Corporation  will trade on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol "SVM".

The shares of common stock of the  Corporation  are deemed to be registered with
the  Securities  and Exchange  Commission  under section 12(b) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934 as amended (the  "Exchange  Act") by operation of paragraph
(a) of Reg. Section 240.12g-3 of the rules and regulations as promulgated by the
Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act.

The  Corporation  will file  reports  on the same forms and its shares of common
stock will be subject to the  provisions of sections 14 and 16 of the Act to the
same extent as its predecessor entity.


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Item 7.           Financial  Statements and Exhibits

                  Financial Statements:

                  None

                  Exhibits:

                  1.       Amended and Restated  Certificate of Incorporation of
                           The ServiceMaster Company as filed with the Secretary
                           of State,  State of Delaware,  on November 6, 1997 is
                           incorporated  by  reference  to Exhibit 1 to the Form
                           8-K filed by  ServiceMaster  Limited  Partnership  on
                           December 23, 1997.

                  2.       Bylaws of The  ServiceMaster  Company  as  adopted on
                           November  3, 1997 is  incorporated  by  reference  to
                           Exhibit  2 to the  Form 8-K  filed  by  ServiceMaster
                           Limited Partnership on December 23, 1997.

                  3.       Shareholder     Rights    Agreement    between    The
                           ServiceMaster   Company  and  the  Harris  Trust  and
                           Savings  Bank as  adopted  on  December  12,  1997 is
                           incorporated  by  reference  to Exhibit 3 to the Form
                           8-K filed by  ServiceMaster  Limited  Partnership  on
                           December 23, 1997.

                  4.       The    ServiceMaster    Company:    Certificate    of
                           Designation,   Preferences   and   Rights  of  Junior
                           Participating    Preferred   Stock,   Series   A   is
                           incorporated  by  reference  to Exhibit 4 to the Form
                           8-K filed by  ServiceMaster  Limited  Partnership  on
                           December 23, 1997.

                  5.       Merger and  Reorganization  Agreement  as amended and
                           restated  on  October  3,  1997  is  incorporated  by
                           reference  to  Exhibit  5 to the  Form  8-K  filed by
                           ServiceMaster  Limited  Partnership  on December  23,
                           1997.




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                                            Signature

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

                                     THE SERVICEMASTER COMPANY
                                            (Registrant)


                                     By:  /s/ Vernon T. Squires
                                          Sr. Vice President and General Counsel

Dated:  December  29, 1997






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