This course seeks to assist you:
1. To appreciate the importance of services marketing in the current business environment
2. To understand the issues and challenges encountered in service marketing
3. To develop the knowledge needed to implement service strategies
4. To understand the importance of customer relationships through quality services
By the end of this course, students should be able to have achieved the objectives set up for this course and have developed the competencies listed above.
Students should have the capacity to understand the importance of developing and implementing quaility service strategies and how best to market them.
The course is structured in 7 main sections:
1. Foundations for Services Marketing
2. Focus on the Customer
3. Understanding Customer Requirements
4. Aligning Service Design and Standards
5. Delivering and Performing Service
6. Managing Service Promises
7. Service and the Bottom Line.
The methodology utilised will be a combination of theory and practise.
The theoretical component will focus on the understanding of the theoretical concepts, theories and applications applied in service marketing and management.
The practical component is developed by student active participation and collaboration during class sessions, class activities, presentations and simulations and is a major requisite for success not only on this course but for success in the world of business.
The Course grade will be based on the following breakdown:
20% Quality participation and involvement in class activities
30% Portfolio of case studies set over 5 weeks from 9th February until the midterms. The grade for the portfolios will become the midterm grade. This is an individual grade
50% Final Practical based assessment set around the midterm and ongoing until final exam week when the final presentation will be made. This is a group grade
Retake Policy: As this course is based on practical experiential learning, there is no re-take for the practical component and students failing that part will be required to re-take another project during the summer vacation. For the portfolio another selection of cases will be set for completion with a maximum grade of 5 obtainable.
In addition to the cases we will be discussing in class, you will be expected to keep up to date with current publications in the field through access to the library intranet and social media.
There is no Required Textbook but I suggest these 2 books for additional reading:
Zeithaml, A, Bitner, M et al (2017) Services Marketing: Integrating Focus Across the Firm. McGraw Hill International Edition
Wirtz, J, Lovelock, S and Chew, P (2017) Essentials of Services Marketing. Pearson