Course Outline "Service Marketing Management (B 05)"

Lecturer:

Prof. Dr. Jerome Christia (Coastal Carolina University)

Course Objectives

The intent of this course is to introduce, discuss, and analyze several topics important to service businesses. Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

Understand the unique challenges involved in marketing and managing services.
Identify differences between marketing in service versus manufacturing organizations and understand how "service" can be a competitive advantage in manufacturing organizations.
Identify and analyze the various components of the "services marketing mix" (three additional P's) as well as key issues required in managing service quality.
Appreciate the role of employees (and often customers) in service delivery, customer satisfaction, and service recovery.
Appreciate other key issues in service businesses, such as managing supply and demand, the overlap in marketing/operations/human resource systems, and relationship management.
Build upon important workplace skills (e.g., cooperation, teamwork, meeting deadlines, report writing through active learning activities and other classroom exercises).
Perform a marketing audit on a service based organization

Course Description

Analysis of marketing problems of business firms and other types of organizations through readings and case studies. Attention focuses on the influence of the marketplace and the marketing environment on marketing decision making; the determination of the organization's products, prices, channels, and communication strategies; and the organization's system for planning and controlling its marketing effort. Special attention is focused on the marketing of services.

Why study services marketing? Much of the world economy, is dominated by services. In the U.S., approximately 80% of the labor force and 78% of the GDP is accounted for by services. Yet traditionally, business school courses have focused on the manufacturing sector of the economy. This course is especially designed for those students who may be interested in working in service industries and in addressing the distinct needs and challenges of managing services and delivering quality service to customers. The primary theme of the course is that service organizations (e.g., banks, transportation companies, hotels, hospitals, educational institutions, professional services) require a distinctive approach to marketing strategy – both in its development and execution. The course will build and expand on ideas from other marketing courses to make them specifically applicable to service industry settings. Also, a second theme of the course focuses on the role of service in businesses with tangible products. Currently, many firms in the manufactured goods sector see service as the basis for attaining a sustained competitive advantage.

Teaching Methods

Interactive seminar discussions, case study analysis, computer simulation, service audit.

Prerequisites

Formal:

Full-time student of Business Administration (M.A.) at RheinAhrCampus.

Content:

As the entire course will be taught in English, students need to be able to communicate in English (CEFR Level B2 recommended).

Exam Registration (QIS)

Prüfungsanmeldung:
bis Ende 1. Halbsemester:
bis Ende 2. Halbsemester:	X
individuelle Anmeldung bis:	(Datum)

Assessment

2 exams (40%), 4 assignments (20%), 1 final (group) project) 40%. Regular attendance and active participation required.

Textbook:

Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm, Valarie A Zeithaml, Mary Jo Bitner, and Dwayne Gremler, 5th Edition, McGraw-Hill.

Note:

Please read the detailed course description is available in myStudy as it contains important information on teaching policies, course requirements and other relevant issues.

Bewertung

Die Prüfungsleistung ist erbracht und ECTS-Punkte werden zuerkannt, wenn Prüfungsleistungen zu zwei verschiedenen Kurseinheiten des Gesamtmoduls bestanden worden sind.

Die Prüfungsleistung für diese Kurseinheit geht zur Hälfte in die Prüfungsleistung für das Gesamtmodul ein.