The aims of the module are to:

Provide students with an understanding of the contemporary importance of services and the implications of service logic on policy and strategy;

Enable students to understand the operational principles and practices through which services are delivered and supported;

Introduce students to the key service concepts including value; servitization and service dominant logic.

(LO1) Understand the differences between services and business processes.

(LO2) Understand the basic principles of service delivery.

(LO3) Understand the basic principles of service support.

(LO4) Understand and be able to challenge key theoretical concepts in service management such as SDL, Value and Servitization.

(LO5) Be aware of wider social and environmental consequences of service management.

(S1) Problem solving skills

(S2) Commercial awareness

(S3) Organisational skills

(S4) Communication skills

(S5) Lifelong learning skills

Teaching Method 1 - Lecture
Description: Lectures will be in a mixed delivery format including presented material, class discussions and exercises.
Attendance Recorded: Yes

Introduction to service management:

Definitions and the nature of services; increasing importance of services; the people dimension; attitudes of staff; customers and managers.

Service processes:

Service design; process mapping and business process re-engineering; process improvement.

Service operations: delivery

Longer-term management of operational services; capacity and demand management, ensuring that peaks in demand are predicted and managed cost-effectively; matching of capacity and demand; service level management; availability and continuity management; service cost management.

Service operations: support

Covers incident and problems management through which customer issues are reported, rectified and then prevented from reoccurring. Change management processes through which service upgrades are planned and managed.

Value and cost management:

Delivering services effectively and efficiently; different perspectives on value : from value chains to value-in-use; the impact of Service Dominant Logic (SDL) on value delivery with its pre-eminent focus on customer perceptions of value; value co-creation through service delivery; managing costs without compromising value.

Supply chain perspectives on services:

Sub-contracting and outsourcing of services; service agreements and service level management; supplier relationship management and business relationship management.

Public and third sector services:

An examination of the challenges facing the public and third sectors in managing services. Drawing on contemporary research, service concepts and principles are considered in the light of real examples in which service managers are faced with increased demands, but with reduced budgets.

Extended services and future trends:

Effects of sustainability and broader stakeholder groups on service management; environmental and social impacts from services; trends in service demands a nd development in delivery technology.