Course detail

Service Management

FP-BSMAEAcad. year: 2019/2020

Today, services are the growth engine of developed economies. Service Management takes an operations point of view to look at companies and industries in the service sector. The course will be primarily case based and will include cases from industries and sectors such as retailing, health care, financial services, internet services. Cases will be supplemented with lectures and readings, with some guest lectures and field trips as well.

Language of instruction

English

Number of ECTS credits

5

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Offered to foreign students

Of all faculties

Learning outcomes of the course unit

The course is focused on development of understanding of services in current society and on organizations whose core product is service (e.g. banks, hotels, hospitals) and on organizations which provide services as a complement of their tangible products.

Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of marketing is recommended.

Co-requisites

Not applicable.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The lecturers describing the main principles, methodology and problems are the main part of teaching methods. Seminars mostly support practical understanding of the discussed topics from the lectures.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

During the semester, students will be doing a number of in-class activities involving the application of services concepts. In addition, students will prepare individual project, team project and write final exam. Active participation in in-class activities and other activity-related discussions during class will play a significant role in determining class participation grades.

Course curriculum

1. Importance of Services. Service Classification.
2. Characteristics of services. 7 Ps of the ‘Services Marketing Mix’.
3. 7 Ps of the ‘Services Marketing Mix’- Product.
4. 7 Ps of the ‘Services Marketing Mix’- Price. Place.
5. 7 Ps of the ‘Services Marketing Mix’– Promotion.
6. 7 Ps of the ‘Services Marketing Mix’– People, Process and Physical Evidence.
7. Managing of service quality. Customer loyalty. Service blueprinting.
8. Servitization. Services in industry.
9. Service development and its implementation.
10. Successful service companies.
11. On-line services.
12. Social media in service management.
13. Trends in service management.

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

The objective of this course is to prepare students to understand the unique challenges involved in management and marketing of service and its implications for business.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

Class participation grades will be based on each student's contribution to the class. Students have to prepare two projects (individual and team) and then to pass final exam.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Wilson, A., Zeithaml, V. A., Bitner, M. J., & Gremler, D. D. (2012). Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm (No. 2nd Eu). McGraw Hill. (EN)
Lovelock, Christopher, Paul G. Patterson, and Jochen Wirtz. Services Marketing. Pearson Australia, 2014. (EN)

Recommended reading

Lay, G. (Ed.). (2014). Servitization in Industry. Springer. (EN)
Fischer, T., Gebauer, H., & Fleisch, E. (2012). Service business development: strategies for value creation in manufacturing firms. Cambridge University Press. (EN)
Baines, T., & Lightfoot, H. (2013). Made to serve: how manufacturers can compete through servitization and product service systems. John Wiley & Sons. (EN)

eLearning

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme BAK-Z Bachelor's

    branch BAK-Z , 1. year of study, summer semester, elective

  • Programme BAK-E Bachelor's

    branch BAK-ESBD , 2. year of study, summer semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hours, optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

Syllabus

The course is taught through lectures explaining the basic principles and theory of the discipline. Seminars are focused on practical topics presented in lectures.

Exercise

13 hours, optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

Syllabus

Seminars are focused on practical topics presented in lectures.

E-learning texts

Kanovska. Service Management. 2017 (en)

eLearning