Aim:

At the end of the course the student will have an understanding of the service economy, the nature of services, assessing business opportunities, segmenting and targeting the market, buyer behaviour, services design, quality management, marketing communications, service delivery, pricing, employee relationship management, customer relationship management and brand management.

Module 1: Service economy and the nature of services.

The service economy, nature of services, characteristics of services, services marketing mix.

Module 2: Assessing business opportunities.

Competitive strategies, marketing research, perceptual mapping, segmenting and targeting the market, preparing a business plan.

Module 4: Buyer behaviour.

Consumer behaviour leading to purchase, consumer experience, post-experience behaviour, Business buying.

Module 5: Understanding customer requirements.

Customers expectations and perceptions of service, customer research, customer defined service standards.

Module 6: Quality management.

Service quality, technical and functional quality, determinants of service quality, gap model, Kano's model.

Module 7: Service design and development.

Challenges to services design, new service development, developing the service blueprint, quality function deployment, service innovations.

Module 8: Marketing communications.

The communications mix, advertising, promotions, personal selling, public relations and publicity, events and experiences, direct marketing, word-of-mouth marketing, Internet marketing, integrated marketing communications

Module 9: Service delivery channels.

Direct channels, franchising, agents and brokers, Internet channels, channel conflict and its resolution, assuring quality and consistency across channels.

Module 10: Service delivery: Physical evidence.

Physical evidence, role of the servicescape, creating the servicescape.

Module 11: Service delivery: Employee roles.

Employee roles in service delivery, matching customer expectations, matching demand with capacity.

Module 12: Service delivery: Customer roles.

Customer co-production, customer roles, service failure and recovery, customer satisfaction and delight.

Module 13: Pricing.

Types of customer value, methods of pricing, prices as indicator of quality, matching price to value.

Module 14: Brand management.

Brand equity, brand consistency, brand audit.

Module 15: Managing performance and growth.

Customer management, balanced score card, strategies for growth.