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 marketing goods.
2.	Critically analyse the extended marketing mix and its role in positioning a service firm in a target market.
3.	Communicate outputs from analyses of service marketing situations.

Alterations as a result of student feedback

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:	AT2: Case Study Analysis	See the MyLO site for the due date	20 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	AT1: Workshop Activities	See the MyLO site for the due date	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 3:	AT3: Service Audit	Week 13	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: AT2: Case Study Analysis

Task Description:

The aim of this group task is to use your understanding of services marketing theories to analyse a case study situation, determine appropriate solutions, and answer the questions asked. There are TWO (2) parts to this task.

The first is an oral presentation delivered in a workshop by all group members. Students must develop their presentation in terms of addressing an audience. A total of 15 marks is available (10 marks for group presentation content, and 5 marks for each individual’s performance).

The second part is a summary report of your case study analysis, and the solutions provided. A total of 5 marks is available.

Task Length:

Oral presentation: 15 minutes + 5 minutes for audience questions. Summary report: between 1.5 and 2 A4 pages, 1.5 spacing.

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Demonstrate knowledge of case study content.	LO1
2	Application of services marketing theories to answer case study questions.	LO2
3	Logical organisation of presentation materials.	LO3
4	Clear articulation and engaging delivery of content.	LO3
5	Ability to handle audience questions.	LO3
6	Within time limit.	LO3

Assessment Task 2: AT1: Workshop Activities

Task Description:

Both on-campus and online students will complete assessment tasks as part of the workshop program. Tasks include individual multiple choice (MC) quizzes done online, and group application activities completed during the allocated workshop times. Further details will be provided on MyLO.

There will be 5 MC quizzes throughout the Semester, each worth 4 marks for a total of 20 marks.

There will be 4 assessed group application activities throughout the Semester, each worth 5 marks for a total of 20 marks.

Task Length:

Multiple Choice Quizzes - 20 minutes per quiz. Application activities - this will vary depending on the type of task.

Due Date:

See the MyLO site for the due date

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain the differences between goods and services.	LO1
2	Describe customer behaviour in service encounters.	LO1
3	Analyse elements of the extended marketing mix and their strategic role in positioning.	LO2
4	Analyse a service firm’s creation and delivery of a service offering.	LO2
5	Analyse market segments and competitive positions in service contexts.	LO2
6	Communicate outputs from analyses of service marketing situations.	LO3
7	Clearly explains personal contribution to the task.	LO3

Assessment Task 3: AT3: Service Audit

Task Description:

This individual assessment task is designed to test your application of services marketing theories to a real-life service organisation of which you have been a customer. Specifically, you will:

Choose a service firm with which you have interacted, and a service offering that you are familiar with purchasing.

Drawing on your personal knowledge of this service firm and experience(s) with their service offering(s), develop a detailed Blueprint of the firm’s service delivery process.

Using service marketing theories, critically analyse how the service firm has strategically developed the extended elements of their marketing mix (people, processes and physical evidence), and discuss how effectively they have been integrated with the traditional elements of the marketing mix (product, price, placement and promotion) to support positioning and appeal to the target market. Using your Blueprint to support analysis, highlight the particular areas that represent strengths of the service delivery, and potentially weak areas where service failures may occur.

Based on your analysis, propose and justify THREE (3) recommendations for how the service firm could improve the customer experience, and overall quality of the service offering and delivery process. Your recommendations must be logical, applicable, and supported by evidence (e.g., photos, recall of your experience, and references to theory).

Please note you are not permitted to interview staff or customers. All information used for this assessment task should come from your own personal knowledge and experience with the service firm and its offerings, and secondary research.

Task Length:

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

Due Date:

Week 13

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Introduce the purpose of the audit, your chosen service firm, the nature of its service offerings, target market and positioning.	LO1
2	Develop a Blueprint of the service delivery process.	LO1
3	Analyse elements of the extended marketing mix using relevant service marketing theories.	LO2
4	Identify where in the service delivery process strengths and weaknesses occur that may impact customer satisfaction.	LO2
5	Outline THREE (3) recommendations o how the service firm could improve the customer experience, and overall quality of their service.	LO2
6	Communicate outputs from analyses of service marketing situations.	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.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

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

Wirtz, J 2022, Essentials of Services Marketing, 4th edn, Pearson Australia, NSW.