Services' Marketing

Recommended Prerequisites

Marketing.

Teaching Methods

The teaching methodologies used in this course involve exposition of contents, the viewing and critical discussion of movies exhibiting managerial practices of service organizations, and the discussion of case studies.

Learning Outcomes

Given the economic dominance of service activities in developed countries, the focus will be on the challenges associated with services marketing along with strategies to deal with its specificities. Consequently, students will develop competencies to make a diagnosis and take the actions that will maximize customer satisfaction in service organizations. Despite the focus on the marketing of services, this course discusses topics including, for example, complaint behavior and management, customer retention strategies, customer satisfaction and service quality, that are also relevant for other types of organizations.
Manufacturing organizations also provide services, which are increasingly relevant for the differentiation of their offer. With the knowledge acquired in this course students should be able to deal with the specificities of services, namely through the development of appropriate strategies both in service organizations and manufacturing companies that also provide services.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Part I: Introduction to services and the gaps model of service quality
Part II: Focus on the customer: consumer behavior in services, expectations, satisfaction and service quality
Part III: Understanding customer requirements in services: customer research in services, retaining customers, complaint behavior and complaint management
Part IV: Developing services: blueprinting, service standards, and physical evidence
Part V: Service delivery: managing employees, customers, and demand and capacity.

Head Lecturer(s)

Filipe Jorge Fernandes Coelho

Assessment Methods

Evaluation
Mixed evaluation scheme: 100.0%

Bibliography

Zeithaml, Valarie A.; Bitner, Mary Jo; Gremler, Dwayne D. (2009), Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm, 5th ed., New York, McGraw-Hill
Lovelock, Christopher and Wirtz, Jochen (2007), Services Marketing, 6th ed., Prentice-Hall.