BUSI3211: Service Operations Management

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• The design and delivery of services to provide an appropriate level of customer service is an important and challenging issue for many organisations. This module aims to develop students' knowledge and understanding of the key issues and factors relating to how organisations can deliver services to achieve competitive advantage through customer satisfaction.
• Further aims are:
• to provide a comprehensive and critical introduction to the main theoretical and managerial issues relating to the service concept, customer management and the design and delivery of services.
• to encourage students to think critically and deeply about service design and delivery and how these relate to customer perceptions, expectations, emotions, satisfaction, future behaviour, social justice, employee well-being and sustainability.
• to enable students to understand and apply different ideas, theories and concepts relating to service operations management.

• Content covered in this module includes:
• the nature of services and the service concept
• the importance of service design and delivery
• the challenges for the achievement of excellence in service delivery
• services as processes
• service design
• human factors in service delivery and the impact of ethical leadership and fairness in the workplace
• the role of technology: e-services and technology based services
• managing customer expectations, perceptions and satisfaction
• measuring, controlling and managing service delivery
• the management of service capacity
• supply chain factors
• dealing with service problems and failures
• service innovation
• achieving and sustaining excellence in service delivery
• growth strategies for service organisations

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of the module students will have an advanced knowledge and understanding of:
• the nature of services and service outcomes in terms of customer experiences
• the critical importance of services for organisational success and the world economy
• the key strategic and tactical challenges in service operations management
• the different types of services and how this impacts on service operations management approaches and techniques
• the service concept and how this affects customer experience, satisfaction, value of service and emotions
• customer types, the benefits of retaining good customers and the development of relationships
• customer satisfaction, influences on expectations and perceptions and how these can be managed
• the management of supply chain networks for service delivery
• design of the servicescape and service process
• how human factors, including employee well-being, impact on service delivery and customer experiences and satisfaction
• the importance of ethical leadership and fairness in the workplace for service delivery
• the importance of balancing resources to demand and capacity management
• the role of technology in developing services and customer experience
• the operationalisation of service quality and measurement issues for monitoring the quality of service delivery
• approaches to the improvement of service delivery.

Subject-specific Skills:

• By the end of the module students should be able to:
• understand the nature of services and the service concept
• understand and explain the importance of service design and delivery
• critically analyse key factors in service design
• identify and prioritise key areas for advanced design of service processes
• critically analyse factors for the achievement of excellence in service delivery
• understand and explain the key influences of human factors on service delivery
• understand and explain the key influences of the role of technology in service design and delivery
• critically analyse factors impacting on customer expectations, perceptions and satisfaction
• explain and identify suitable approaches for the measurement of service quality and customer satisfaction
• identify and prioritise key actions for dealing with service problems and failures
• critically analyse supply chain factors for service delivery
• explain and identify suitable approaches to service innovation
• understand and explain the importance of service capacity management
• identify and suggest key growth strategies for service organisations
• be able to use the service concept to evaluate the level of organisational alignment and to identify opportunities for the development of new service concepts to drive innovation and strategic advantage.

Key Skills:

• Effective written communication skills
• Planning, organising and time management skills
• Problem solving and analytical skills
• The ability to use initiative
• Advanced computer literacy skills.

• Learning will be based on knowledge transfer from lectures, seminars, group work and personal study; investigation of cases and real world organisations which will underpin the seminars will encourage students to develop awareness of cultural differences and apply these to development of their skills in managing themselves and others in such contexts.
• Students will be expected to prepare for lectures through identified readings, and prepare for seminars through case study preparation and other exercises.
• Summative assessment is by means of an individual written assignment. The summative assignment will require students to provide an in-depth analysis of some aspect of service delivery of a service organization. Students will need to demonstrate their understanding of the relevant theoretical concepts covered in class, and critically assess the specific managerial challenges for the delivery of service performance.
• Formative assessment will provide students with the opportunity to prepare and develop analytical and critical skills for the summative assessment.

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