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Semester 1

Service Management in an International Context (BUST10142)

Subject

Business Studies

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

3

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Visiting students must have completed at least 4 Business courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses.

Course Summary

Service Management will introduce students to the key concepts of the service-dominant logic of business on an international scale. Focusing on themes such as co-production, service leadership and service competition, the course will familiarise students with current academic theories, while frequent guest speakers will emphasise how these are applied in practice across the private, public and Third sector and across developed and emerging countries. With over 75% of employment in the service sector, the course is an essential asset for anyone planning a career in service industries, with relevance for consulting, retail, healthcare, hospitality, the arts, or financial services. The course also introduces the role of services in development, drawing from truly global case studies.

Course Description

This course will explore the nature of services management and the distinctive challenges that it poses both for managers in this sector and for management theory. The sector (comprising both private and public sector services) covers such industries as finance and banking, accounting, consultancy, the arts and the media, retail, utilities, health-care and public services, tourism and hospitality, and leisure. It now comprises around 75% of employment in the developed world and 35-50% (and increasing quickly) in the developing world. Additionally 'service' has also been a key element of the profit equation for manufacturing firms. This makes understanding the nature of the service sector and the distinctive nature of its challenges essential for newly qualified graduates if they are going to have a strong position in the employment market. Moreover, service management presents distinctive challenges that contest much traditional management theory and provide an exciting new perspective on it for students. In the contemporary world, an understanding of service management is vital for the well-rounded management graduate. This course will enable students to understand the distinctive nature of services management and of value creation in service delivery, to consider the key challenges for service managers in the sector and the skills that they require to address them, and to explore a range of approaches to successful service management for service businesses. It will directly address the employability of our undergraduates in this vital sector of national and global economies and equip them with the knowledge to function as effective managers in these sectors. This will be achieved by a mix of lecture inputs, visiting speakers, case study and experiential exercises, and course assessment intended to focus the student on applying service management theories and techniques to the real world. Topics to be covered will include the nature of the service sector and its role in national and global economies, the co-creation of value in service delivery, co-production and the role of the consumer in service delivery, designing effective services, strategic and marketing management in service businesses, the role of service staff in the service encounter, the impact of digital technology on service delivery, and evaluating quality and performance in service delivery.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%

view the timetable and further details for this course