Course coordinator
Dr Ursula Bougoure
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Business School
Service and relationship marketing management explores the unique challenges and opportunities in service-dominant economies and the successful management of business relationships to enhance value creation with customers. In this course students will learn how to apply service and relationship marketing theory and frameworks to solve service related problems and evaluate current business practices.
Services are deeds, processes, and performances provided by firms and individuals to create customer experiences. Services dominate the Australian economy, employing approximately 75% of the working population. As consumers, we purchase services every day – be they banking, supermarkets, hospitality, travel agents, medical services, transportation, or education. Retailers are one of the largest segments in the service sector as many are retailing services (e.g. hair salons, insurance, dry cleaning, dog grooming) that offer service in selling a product or good. The emphasis in the course is on service universals rather than on any particular industry. However, concepts are illustrated using readings, cases, assignments, examples, and exercises in pure service, high tech, and manufacturing industries.ﾠ
The course is designed around a conceptual framework called the Gaps Model of Service Quality that is used in companies around the world to understand service problems and organize for solving them. The course provides a progressive learning experience beginning with customer expectations and then discussing four company-side gaps that result in problems in service delivery. Lastly, this course focus on how organisations can manage customers and improve customer trust, commitment and loyalty towards the service organisation.
Course requirements
Assumed background
It is assumed that students will have a basic knowledge of the principles of marketing.ﾠ
Before attempting this course, students are advised that it is important to complete the appropriate prerequisite course(s) listed on the front of this course profile. No responsibility will be accepted by the School of Business, the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law or The University of Queensland for poor student performance occurring in courses where the appropriate prerequisite(s) has/have not been completed, for any reason whatsoever.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
MKTG2501
Course contact
Course staff
Lecturer
Dr Ursula Bougoure
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Please note: Teaching staff doﾠnotﾠhave access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:
Full name
Student ID
Course Code
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to develop students’ understanding of services and relationship marketing by introducing discussing and analysing relevant theories and concepts that are important to services organisations.ﾠ
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Develop an understanding of existing services marketing theories and the challenges involved in marketing and managing services.
LO2.
Evaluate critical aspects of a service encounter from both the customers' and managers' perspective.
LO3.
Work with a team to develop and present a service blueprint, analysing the service process for a given company.
LO4.
Understand the fundamentals and the metrics used in a Relationship Marketing strategy.
LO5.
Apply services and relationship marketing learnings to a case study.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Service Evaluation Critique | 30% Individual; 1,500 words |
23/08/2024 2:00 pm |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation | Service Blueprint | 30% Individual |
20/09/2024 2:00 pm |
| Presentation |
Case Study Analysis
|
40% Group |
14/10/2024 9:00 am |
Assessment details
Service Evaluation Critique
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 30% Individual; 1,500 words
- Due date
23/08/2024 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02
Task description
The purpose of this critique is to identify sources of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction with services.
During the first 4 weeks of this semester, you must evaluate five service encounter experiences.
After evaluating five service encounters, you are to write a paper that analyses the worst service encounter.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit via Blackboard
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Service Blueprint
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 30% Individual
- Due date
20/09/2024 2:00 pm
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02
Task description
Students must prepare a blueprint for a service provider (to be defined in week 5).
Guidelines and Template will be provided on blackboard.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Guidelines and information will be provided on Blackboard
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Case Study Analysis
- Team or group-based
- In-person
- Mode
- Activity/ Performance
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 40% Group
- Due date
14/10/2024 9:00 am
- Other conditions
- Peer assessed.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Important characteristics of a manager are the ability to identify, analyse, evaluate, and solve complex problems. To simulate this real world environment, students are to apply services and relationship marketing theory to analyse and solve a particular marketing case. The case study format below will be adopted in analysing the case.
Case Summary and Problem Statement: Brief summary of the case is provided. The background information mentions key reasons for the problem. Problems are stated in terms that are actionable by the decision-maker for the analysis. A good problem definition keeps the case analysis tightly structured because everything discussed after this point must be related to the problem(s) stated in this section.
Problem Analysis: Problems are dissected to analyse key factors.
Alternatives and Evaluation of Alternatives: Arguments are provided for and against each alternative.
Course of Action Recommendation and Justification: Develop the most effective, efficient, and feasible combination of alternatives to solve the problems within boundaries of the firm's objectives.
Writing quality, Communication Style, and Literacy: All required sections are included, and each is effectively organised. Students proofread their papers and no grammatical errors exist. Report has no punctuation, spelling, or capitalisation errors.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Your slide deck is due to be submitted to Blackboard by Week 12, Monday at 9am.
Your tutor will allocate your actual presentation during your tutorial in either week 12 or 13.
Submit your presentation slide deck to the A3 folder on Blackboard.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Additional learning resources information
It is expected that you are able to use the library resources to their fullest. In particular, you should be conversant with the online databases (Business Source Premier and PsycInfo will be most helpful for this course). If you are not currently confident in your skills in this area, please attend one of the library-sponsored sessions on information retrieval.
You should familiarise yourself with the relevant periodical section of the library. Journals recommended for your study in Services and Relationship Marketing include:
- Journal of Marketing
- Journal of Marketing Research
- Journal of Consumer Research
- Marketing Science
- Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
- Journal of Retailingﾠ
- Journal of Service Research
- Harvard Business Review
- California Management Review
- Journal of Services Marketing
- Journal of Service Theory and Practice
- Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 |
Lecture |
Introduction to Services Marketing Text book chapters 1 and 2 Learning outcomes: L01 |
Week 2 |
Tutorial |
Introduction & Assessment Overview Learning outcomes: L01 |
Lecture |
Service Encounters Textbook chapters 3 and 4 Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Week 3 |
Tutorial |
Customer expectations and Service encounters Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Lecture |
Customer Journey Textbook chapter 5 Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Week 4 |
Tutorial |
Service Quality Ekka Public Holiday Wednesday 16 August - please attend alternate tutorial this week only. Learning outcomes: L01 |
Lecture |
Service Recovery Textbook chapter 7 Royal Queensland Show Public Holiday - Wednesday 14 Aug 2024 - Check Blackboard for announcements about affected classes. Learning outcomes: L01 |
|
Week 5 |
Tutorial |
Customer journey & Insights Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
Lecture |
Service Innovation & Design Textbook chapter 8 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
|
Week 6 |
Tutorial |
Service Blueprint Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Lecture |
Service Standards and the Servicescape Chapters 9 and 10 Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
|
Week 7 |
Tutorial |
Physical evidence & Servicescape Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Lecture |
Delivering Service Performance Textbook chapters 11, 12 and 13 Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Week 8 |
Tutorial |
Service / customer roles Learning outcomes: L02 |
Lecture |
Managing Service Promises Textbook chapters 14 and 15 Learning outcomes: L01 |
|
Week 9 |
Tutorial |
Managing Service Promises Learning outcomes: L02 |
Lecture |
How to solve case studies Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Mid Sem break |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
In-Semester Break |
Week 10 |
Tutorial |
How to analyse case studies Learning outcomes: L05 |
Lecture |
Building relationships Textbook chapter 6 Learning outcomes: L01, L02 |
|
Week 11 |
Tutorial |
Building relationships Learning outcomes: L04, L05 |
Lecture |
Customer Loyalty and CLV Learning outcomes: L04, L05 |
|
Week 12 |
Tutorial |
In class Presentations Learning outcomes: L04, L05 |
Lecture |
Focus on AI & A3 Q&A Learning outcomes: L04, L05 |
|
Week 13 |
Tutorial |
A3 Presentations Learning outcomes: L04, L05 |
Lecture |
A3 Presentations No Lecture this week. Learning outcomes: L04, L05 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.