MBA7172 - Services Marketing

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Systematically understand and appraise the important and evolving nature of the services marketing environment.
Critically analyse the competitive marketing situation and apply it for the environment (including international environment) in which service providers operate.
Analyse, construct and communicate effectively supported marketing decisions based around the various elements of the extended services marketing mix.

Content:

Services dominate the expanding world economy as never before and technology continues to evolve in dramatic ways. This module aims to provide a comprehensive insight into key areas of services marketing including developments that will impact on the future of marketing activity. The areas included within this are:
• Managing the customer interface;
• Positioning services in competitive markets;
• Implementing profitable service strategies;
• Developing pricing and distribution strategies for services;
• Balancing service supply and demand;
• Managing relationships and building loyalty;
• Complaint handling and service recovery.

Learning and Teaching Information:

This module will be delivered as face-to-face 2.5-hour teaching sessions, combining lectures and seminars. The course is designed to provide students with the requisite e-learning resources to enable them to progress through independent guided study; formative e-assessments will need to be completed by specific deadlines during the duration of the course – every week, the lecturer will set a specific task for the cohort, which can be done and assessed electronically. Further tutorial advice will be given to students on a weekly basis in line with their performance. The lecturer will also handle questions/queries posted by students on the discussion forum or sent via e-mail.

Lectures
Hours: 10
Intended Group size: Whole cohort

Seminars/tutorials
Hours: 14
Intended group size: Whole cohort

Guided independent study
Hours: 176

Further details relating to assessment
Business case studies are one of the most commonly used methods of teaching and assessment in postgraduate business-related disciplines, which allow students to explore complex business phenomena and practise the application of theories and analytical techniques in a real business situation.