Unit Outline

The service industry is increasingly identified as contributing to worldwide business growth and is seen as a critical source of employment. Furthermore, the provision of services is playing an increasingly important role in the marketing strategies of goods manufacturing companies, because B2B manufacturers seek to differentiate their offerings by including significant value-adding service components. However, services possess unique characteristics, justifying the consideration of whether traditional marketing management concepts and models need to be adapted to better account for service-dominant economies, and for the successful marketing of services. This unit focuses on developing your knowledge of the specific characteristics of services, and how to manage and market them. This unit will help you to create and manage relationships with customers to deliver superior services. It will focus on the processes underpinning the creation and delivery of high-quality services, the extended services marketing mix, and managing internal marketing within service firms. This unit also examines the service environment, and managing capacity and demand to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to market service firms. This unit will integrate the necessary knowledge and skills to market service firms.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1.	Explain the specific characteristics of service offerings and markets and discuss how marketing services differs from goods.
2.	Critically analyse the extended marketing mix to manage to position a service firm in a target market.
3.	Suggest different strategic options collaboratively to improve customer performance in service firms.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

No alterations have been made to the unit design and delivery in 2024.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Case analysis	See the MyLO site for the due date	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Service audit	See the MyLO site for the due date	50 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	Workshop-Based Assessments	Refer to Assessment Description	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Case analysis

Task Description:

The case study analysis presentation will assess students’ ability to analyse a case, marshal their thoughts and ideas and communicate them via an oral presentation. The aim of case study analysis presentation is to apply theory to solve the case and answer the case questions. For each case study, two groups will be involved: presenters and reviewers. Face to face students:
Students must develop their presentation in terms of addressing an audience. This is to be done in groups of 4 which will be established by the end of the second week of semester by the lecturer. The lecturer allocates students to different groups and releases the group list on MyLO by the end of the second week. Students will not be permitted to change groups.
Students will be briefed in workshop about the content and format of this assessment task. Groups must submit their PPT slides and minute of meetings to the lecturer prior to the presentation. However, students will be marked individually based on their ability to answer case questions and lead the discussion/question section. Other student groups are expected to ask questions to the presenting group. Asking questions to the presenting group will be a part of your workshop participation marks.
Distance Students:
From weeks 5 to12 groups will be assigned to do the case presentation. Presenting groups must post their answers to the questions in the allocated case. Each group member can select one of the allocated questions to their group through the initial meeting with group members. The answers for each question should be 200 to 250 words. Once you have posted your answers you will be able to see the answers of other students. Other student groups are expected to ask questions to the presenting group. Asking questions to the presenting group will be a part of your workshop participation marks.
Peer-review:
Each student will evaluate the contributions of their group members (not themselves) in Week 12 using a Peer Assessment Tool on the unit MyLo site. Each group member will be required to complete and submit a Peer Assessment form. Distance students will be required to submit a soft-copy of their peer assessment forms to assignment box in MyLO. No marks will
be allocated unless all members submit a peer assessment form. A Peer Assessment form, including criteria for assessment, will be available on the MyLO site.
To assist in assessing the contribution of each of group member, brief minutes should be made for each group meeting, noting who was assigned what task and if completed. Further, individual group members should keep a journal detailing all the activities undertaken in relation to their project. It is important that each member of the group records their activities and contribution to the project on a regular basis in a journal. If there are any complaints or disputes about the performance of a group member, the lecturer can request that an individual submit his/her journal. The journal is not for marking purposes, it is only used if any dispute arises.

Task Length:

Face to face students: 15 minutes presentation and 5 minutes Q&A. These are firm times and groups going over or under time will be penalised. Distance Students: Distance students will prepare their presentation and also submit 200 to 250 words

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain the differences between goods and services.	LO1
2	Explain how the characteristics of services affect the marketing of services and service firms.	LO1
3	Describe customer behaviour in service encounters.	LO1
4	Explain and analyse the marketing mix in service industries.	LO2
5	Outline service innovation and service delivery channels.	LO2
6	Critically analyse a service firm’s creation and delivery of a service.	LO2
7	Critically analyse problems in managing capacity and demand in services.	LO2
8	Analyse market segments and competitive positions in service contexts.	LO2
9	Explain the gaps that can occur in the firm’s effort to manage service quality, and strategies for building ongoing relationships.	LO3
10	Identify and discuss the different strategic options for building customer lifetime value.	LO3
11	Manage the process of service recovery and complaint handling.	LO3

Assessment Task 2: Service audit

Task Description:

This assessment item is designed to test your application of services marketing theory to a real life service organisation of which you have been a customer.
Students must register their choice of service organisation by end of Week Three of the semester on MyLO (information about this process will be provided in Week One of semester). Once this has been approved, you can commence researching your chosen service organisation using ONLY secondary data and participant observation. Please note you are not permitted to interview staff or customers.
Part One of your service audit should contain a critical analysis of your service experience, including discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation’s service delivery. You should select services marketing theories that best underpin your analysis and discussion, therefore selection of the theory is your obligation. You should outline and discuss the issues relating to quality management in this service organisation, the extended marketing mix (i.e., physical evidence, people, process, product, promotion, price and place), and any issues that relate to the involvement of customers in service delivery. Service blueprint should also be developed for the chosen service and included in the audit as a separate section. This section of your report should be 1500 words.
Part Two of your service audit is dedicated to your recommendations. Based on your knowledge of the extended marketing mix, make at least three (3) recommendations as to how your service organisation could improve the customer experience and the overall quality of their service. You should discuss each recommendation separately, and use headings, where necessary. It is very important that your recommendations relate clearly to your critical analysis. Your recommendations must also be logical, applicable, and supported by evidence (e.g., photos, recall of your experience, and references to theory). This section of your report should be 1000 words.

Task Length:

2500 words +/- 10% (excluding references, appendices)

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

50 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain the differences between goods and services.	LO1
2	Explain how the characteristics of services affect the marketing of services and service firms.	LO1
3	Describe customer behaviour in service encounters.	LO1
4	Explain and analyse the marketing mix in service industries.	LO2
5	Outline service innovation and service delivery channels.	LO2
6	Critically analyse a service firm’s creation and delivery of a service.	LO2
7	Critically analyse problems in managing capacity and demand in services.	LO2
8	Analyse market segments and competitive positions in service contexts.	LO2
9	Explain the gaps that can occur in the firm’s effort to manage service quality, and strategies for building ongoing relationships.	LO3
10	Identify and discuss the different strategic options for building customer lifetime value.	LO3
11	Manage the process of service recovery and complaint handling.	LO3

Assessment Task 3: Workshop-Based Assessments

Task Description:

Face to face students: A range of assessment tasks will be completed as part of the workshop program. Tasks include multiple choice tests, short essay questions, service encounter journal, service collage, servicescape observations, service mystery shopping, mind maps, debates, group discussions, short case analysis, application activities etc. Tasks will be completed during the allocated workshop times. Details about these assessment tasks will be provided during the first workshop for the semester (held during week two).

Distance students: Distance students are expected to undertake the same exercises and practices as face to face students. Distance students will participate in online sessions that are run through the “Collaborate Platform” which is a platform provided by university for online workshops. The lecturer/tutor will provide more detail on MyLO and support students in using collaborate to work on the exercises and participate in seminar/workshop sessions through the platform in online workshops. The due date for this task depends on the type of the task. The lecturer informs students about the submission due date of that workshop task.

Your final mark for this assessment item will be an average of your scores for all the workshop activities. If you miss a workshop activity, you will receive zero for that piece of assessment. The overall result for this assessment piece will be announced at the end of semester when all workshops and assessment tasks are completed.

Task Length:

This will vary depending on the type of tasks.

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain the differences between goods and services.	LO1
2	Explain how the characteristics of services affect the marketing of services and service firms.	LO1
3	Describe customer behaviour in service encounters.	LO1
4	Explain and analyse the marketing mix in service industries.	LO2
5	Outline service innovation and service delivery channels.	LO2
6	Critically analyse a service firm’s creation and delivery of a service.	LO2
7	Critically analyse problems in managing capacity and demand in services.	LO2
8	Analyse market segments and competitive positions in service contexts.	LO2
9	Explain the gaps that can occur in the firm’s effort to manage service quality, and strategies for building ongoing relationships.	LO3
10	Identify and discuss the different strategic options for building customer lifetime value.	LO3
11	Manage the process of service recovery and complaint handling.	LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Lovelock, CL, Patterson, PG, & Walker, R 2014, Services marketing: an Asia-Pacific and Australian perspective, 6th edn, Pearson Australia, NSW.