module specification

The services economy accounts for about three-quarters of GDP and employment in developed economies and it becomes essential for students to have an in-depth understanding of the subject of Services Marketing. In this module students are introduced to a range of services marketing concepts, models, techniques and online activities applicable to service organisations.

The module aims to:
• Provide an understanding of the theoretical foundations and practical application of services marketing in the private and public sectors
• Provide an understanding of contemporary issues in services marketing
• Enhance the transferability of students’ developing marketing competences across organisational, national and sector boundaries
• Develop students’ academic writing and communication skills, including oral presentation
• Promote students’ interpersonal skills, including working with others and encourage self-assessment and reflection

•The role of services in the global economy
- Why services marketing matters? The growth in services marketing
• Fundamentals of services marketing management
• Marketing challenges posed by services; powerful forces that influence services marketing
• Characteristics of services and services encounter: challenges and prospects
• Creating and delivering the service experience and extended marketing mix for services
• E-services
• Service innovation strategy and process
• Managing new service development (NSD) process, service blueprinting
• Yield management: managing demand and capacity
• Conceptualising and applying the service quality process
• Service failure and recovery
• Managing relationships and building loyalty in service organisations
• Developing services brands
• Internationalising services
• Corporate social responsibility and ethical issues in service organisations

The module will be taught over a 15 week period and consist of 1.5 hour lectures and 1.5 hour seminars each week. Students will come to this module both with a developed body of marketing knowledge and in many cases, well-rounded communication skills and the module therefore seeks to broaden students’ understanding of marketing practices and contextualise their knowledge.

Lectures will focus on key issues, concepts and models of services marketing and their application to real life situations. Seminars serve to anchor knowledge imparted in the lectures and provides a forum for a better understanding of lectures through small group discussions, videos, case study/journal article analysis and presentations; where possible guest lecturers from service organisations shall be incorporated in the teaching. Students should individually and/or in their respective teams, prepare all assignments well in advance of the date on which materials will be covered. It is mandatory for students to hand in a completed service diary.

The use of WebLearn facilities is central to the delivery of the module handbook, case studies, journal articles, external web links and student feedback. Students will also be encouraged to use blogs and social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn to share their views of recent developments in the of area services marketing.

Activity week 7 will be used to promote creative ideas and activities, e.g. exercise on service encounter/creation and delivery, business games, application of services marketing simulation packages, invitation of guest lecturers from service organisations, creating a platform for business networking and future student employment opportunities.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
1. Identify and apply relevant marketing concepts and models available to service organisations
2. Critically analyse the key factors influencing value creation in service delivery
3. Develop appropriate services marketing strategies, plans and activities to a range of business contexts
4.  Research and write a report of marketing practices in a service organisation, with appropriate data gathering and analysis

The module is assessed by two components:-

• A group presentation and supporting materials on a service sector (40% weighting) presented in class in weeks 10-11.
• An individual assignment which will typically include an examination of a case study requiring students to seek, handle and interpret information and to think critically and produce solutions. The work will require the student to communicate effectively by articulating their understanding and ideas on the subject within a defined problem setting (60% weighting). To be handed in by day one of week 15.

Group presentation

The aim of this assessment is to encourage students to examine a sector in the service industry and analyse the service marketing issues affecting one of the organisations in that sector, e.g. Education, Financial services, Leisure, Not for profit/charity, Professional services, Retail, Telecomms, Travel.
The elements that form this assessment include:

• A definition of a chosen sector by size and competitive structure, and identifying the major strategic grouping(s) of the sector selected for study.
• Assessment of the opportunities and threats facing the sector/grouping using original and coherent analysis based on properly referenced sources.
• Select ONE of the existing players (major or otherwise) and
  a. identify that organisation’s key strategic service marketing issues for the next 5 years, drawing on foregoing analysis.
  b. briefly demonstrate the relationship between any one of these issues and some relevant theoretical principles of services marketing, taken from any reliable and appropriately referenced source.

The assessment also enables students to acquire the skills of working with others from diverse cultural and educational backgrounds. Students should work in groups of 4-5 for the oral presentation. Each presentation will be marked out of 40%. Each presentation should consist of 15 slides and last 15 minutes. Students are also required to submit their slides on the day of the presentation. It is mandatory for students to complete and submit a group declaration form.

Individual assignment

Students will be provided with a case study on the marketing practices of a service organisation. The assessment requires students to think critically and decide what are the key issues pertaining to the case and how they can best be addressed. It is mandatory for students to submit a completed service diary.

The individual report weighs 60% (3,500 word limit).

Further details on assessments will be included in the module handbook.

Core text:
-Lovelock, C. and Wirtz, J. (2011) Services Marketing: Global Edition, 7th Edition, Pearson.

Recommended reading:
-Bruhn, M. and Georgi, D. (2006) Services Marketing: Managing the Service Value Chain, 1st  Edition,
Prentice Hall.
-GrÖnroos, C. (2007), Service Management and Marketing, 3rd Edition, John Wiley and Sons.
-Hoffman, K. and Bateson, J. (2010) Services Marketing: Concepts, Strategies and Cases, 4th Edition, South Western, Cengage Learning.
-Kasper, H., van Helsdingen, P. and Gabbott, M. (2006) Services Marketing Management: A Strategic
Perspective, 2nd Edition, John Wiley and Sons.
-Lee, K. and Carter, S. (2009) Global Marketing Management, 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press.
-Lovelock, C., Wirtz, J., and Chew, P. (2013) Essentials of Services Marketing, 2nd Edition, Pearson.
-McDonald, M., Frow. P., and Payne, A. (2011) Marketing Plans for Services: A Complete Guide, 3rd Edition, Wiley.
-Palmer, A. (2014) Principles of Services Marketing, 7th Edition, McGraw-Hill.
-Zeithaml, V., Bitner, M.J. and Gremler (2012) Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm, 5th Edition, McGraw-Hill.

Selected journal articles (A list of more than 80 journal articles will be included in module booklet):
-Avlonitis, G. & Indounas K. (2005) “Pricing objectives and pricing methods in the service sector”,
Journal of Services Marketing, 19(1), 47-57.
-Bitner, M., Ostrom, A. and Morgan, F. (2008) “Service blueprinting: a practical technique for service innovation”, California Management Review, 50(3), 66-94.
-Boulding, W. Staelin, R., Whret, M. and Johnston, W.J. (2005) “A customer relationship management roadmap: what is known, potential pitfalls, and where to go”, Journal of Marketing, 69(40, 155-166.
-Forbes, L., Kelly, S. and Hoffman, K. (2005) “Typologies of e-commerce retail failures and recovery strategies”, Journal of Services Marketing, 19(5), 280-292.
-Javalgi, R., and White, D.S. (2002) “Strategic challenges for the marketing of services Internationally”, International Marketing Review, 19(6), 563-581.
-Lovelock, C.H. & Gummesson, E. (2004) “Whither services marketing? In search of a new paradigm and fresh perspectives”, Journal of Service Research, 7(1), 20-41.
-Mortimer, K (2000) “Are services advertised differently?”, Journal of Marketing Communications, 6, 121-134.
- Pullman, M.E. and Thompson, G. (2003) “Strategies for integrating capacity with demand in service networks”, Journal of Service Research, 5(3), 169-183.
-Stevens, E. and Dimitriadis, S. (2005) “Managing the new service development Process: towards a systematic model”, European Journal of Marketing, 39(1/2), 175-198.
-William, R. and Dargel, M. (2004) “From servicescape to cyberscape”, Marketing Intelligence and
Planning, 22(3), 310-320.
-Zeithaml, V.A., Parasuraman, A. and Malhotra, A. (2002) “Service quality delivery  through websites: a
critical review of extant knowledge”, Academy of Marketing Science Journal, 30(4), 362-374.

Journals (Available online via Athens/Emerald):
Journal of Services Marketing, Journal of Services Research, Managing Service Quality, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Services Marketing Quarterly, Journal of Voluntary and Non Profit Marketing, Journal of Database Marketing, Journal of Marketing, European Journal of Marketing, Harvard Business Review.
Reports (Available online via Athens/ Emerald): Mintel, Market Intelligence, Key Notes