STH/ENT/CTR 451
Service Management
Spring 2015
On-line Course
Instructor:
Dr. Yu-Chin (Jerrie) Hsieh
Office Hours:
Mondays & Wednesdays: 10 am-11pm; noon-2pm
or by appointment (please email the instructor to make an appointment)
Office: Bryan 472
Email: y_hsieh@uncg.edu
Required Text:
Principles of Service Marketing and Management, Christopher Lovelock &
Lauren Wright, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall, ISBN: 0-13-040467-5
Technical Assistant:
If you have problem logging into Canvas, please contact UNCG IT at (336)
256-8324, http://its.uncg.edu/Help/
http://its.uncg.edu/services/service/Canvas-learn
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The primary purpose of this course is to introduce the concept of service management. Topics
include the nature and characteristics of service, marketing implications of product intangibility,
customer loyalty, achievement of total customer satisfaction, and service quality improvements.
The second purpose of this course is to help you discover your entrepreneurial potential and inspire
your interest in starting your own business. We will dedicate the first four weeks of the semester to
the introduction of entrepreneurship.
Topics include:
 The meaning and concept of entrepreneurship: What is it, and what do entrepreneurs do?
 Recognizing opportunities and exploring innovative solutions
 Identifying your passion.
 The elements of a business plan
Guided by these two purposes, this course focuses on how superior service positively affects the
growth and success of an innovative and entrepreneurial business, including the development of
marketing strategies and service blueprints for small, midsize, and large business operations.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of the course, the students should be able to:
1. Analyze what dimensions of entrepreneurship apply to starting or growing a service industry
venture.
2. Summarize the unique challenges involved in managing and marketing services.
3. Explain differences between marketing a service versus manufacturing a product.
4. Distinguish various components of the service marketing mix as well as key issues
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required in controlling service quality.
5. Discuss the role of employees and customers in service delivery, customer satisfaction,
relationship building, customer loyalty, and service recovery.
6. Evaluate how services management contributes to self-employment success.
7. Apply service marketing concepts to develop marketing strategies and techniques to
promote the new businesses.
8. Adapt service auditing to monitor and enhance service quality in their own businesses.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS


On-line class lectures and notes
Readings from text and other documents posted to Canvas.
RESEARCH SUPPORT
If you need help with identifying journal/magazine/newspaper articles or other related information
for your assignments, please contact Mr. Steve Cramer, the UNCG Business Librarian,
(smcramer@uncg.edu). Please also check this link for useful information regarding industry,
market, trade magazines http://uncg.libguides.com/ent300.
GRADING
Resume Assignment
Interested industry research
Local entrepreneur interview assignment
My business venture proposal
Short survey
Weekly On-line Quiz
On-line Exam (Exam 1 & Exam 2)
Service Encounters Journal Project
Reflection Paper
Final Project
Total Possible Points
10 points x 1 = 10 points
30 points x 1 = 30 points
50 points x 1 = 50 points
60 points x 1 = 60 points
5 points x 1 = 5 points
10 points x 8 (ch1-8) + 20 points x 2 (ch
9,10) = 120 points
80 points x 2 = 160 points
30 points x 4 journals + 50 points x1
summary = 170 points
40 points x 2= 80 points
100 points
785 points *
Note: 785 points do NOT include extra points.
Extra Points (optional):
You have the following three opportunities to earn extra points during the semester.
 Entrepreneurial Propensity Surveys (Extra 5 Points):
Take Propensity Surveys: week 1 (pre-test) & week 15 (post-test) (Extra 5 points)
ENTREPRENEURIAL PROPENSITY SCALE
The purpose of this survey is to see if your propensity to be an entrepreneur has gone up
after taking this course. Please take the Entrepreneurial Propensity Survey during the first
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week (Week 1) and during last week (Week 15) of the class. You MUST take BOTH
surveys to be eligible to earn the extra 5 points.
Survey link: https://uncg.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_cO3o3IOra7jvBNX
If you are taking this survey for more than one class, be sure to check all the classes you are
in so you don’t have to take it more than once at the beginning and end of the semester. You
MUST put your name on the survey. There is no right or wrong answers.

Quiz 1 (extra 5 points): Quiz questions are from the course syllabus & “instructions for
taking this online course.” The purpose of this extra 5 point quiz is to help you get familiar
with the format of an online quiz.

Attend Southern Entrepreneurship in the Arts Conference at EUC, on Feb 21 (Saturday),
2015, 9am-6pm (5 points) and submit a one-page report: “Major Takeaways from the
Conference” (due 11:50pm, Sunday, Feb 22)
More information about the conference is available at: http://seac.uncg.edu/
The conference registration fee is $40 for students. However you are eligible to apply for a
UNCG Stipend to attend the conference for paying only $5.
All you need to do is to fill out the application form (available in Canvas to download) and
return it along with $5.00 cash or check made out to SEAC to Dr. Dianne Welsh
(dhwelsh@uncg.edu), Founder and Co-Chair of the conference, 328 Bryan School before
Feb 16 (Monday). Dr. Welsh’s mailbox is located in Bryan 441.
Your final total points / 785 (points) =☼ %
Note: Your final total points include extra points you earned.
Note: The possible maximum 785 points do NOT include extra points.
Grading Scale
Your
☼
grade By percentage
A+
97% to 100%
A
93% to 97%
A90% to 92%
B+
87% to 89%
B
83% to 86%
B80% to 82%
Your
By points grade
761.45
C+
730.05
C
706.5
C682.95
D+
651.55
D
628
DF
☼
By percentage
77% to 79%
73% to 76%
70% to 72%
67% to 69%
63% to 66%
60% to 62 %
Below 60%
By points
604.45
573.05
549.5
525.95
494.55
471
Below 471
Students are responsible for checking their grades on Canvas frequently. Please e-mail your
instructor as soon as you find any questions regarding your grades. No grade change request will be
accepted after a grade had been posted for two weeks.
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Resume Assignment (10 points):
Submit a most current resume. Your resume must include at least the following information (not
limited to):
1. Your name , address, phone number, email address
2. Your educational background (e.g. Major, Minor, expected graduation date[e.g. May 2016])
3. Your work experience (e.g., O.Henry Hotel, Front Desk, June 2013- Dec 2014)
4. Student Organization Involvement (if any, e.g., UNCG Spanish Club, President, Jan 204Dec 2014)
5. Community service (If any, e.g. Newcomer School, volunteer, Dec 20, 2014)
6. Awards (if any) (If any, e.g. Dean’s List, 2013 & 2014)
Interested Industry/Business Research (30 points):
Identify a business or industry that you feel passionate about. Attempt to identify a business or
industry in which you are likely to consider starting a business if, in fact, that is your goal. Find at
least three trade journals, periodicals, and/or magazines devoted to that field. From articles in these
periodicals, determine those attributes and variables that seem relevant for success in the respective
business or industry. Why is this likely?
Local Entrepreneur Interview Assignment (50 points):
Students will find a local entrepreneur in their chosen field or passion. Conduct a face-to-face
interview with a practicing entrepreneur (this person should not be a relative, and the business he or
she founded must be at least two years old) and write a paper that outlines your findings.
The purpose of this paper is to interview an entrepreneur in order to develop insights into the world
of entrepreneurship. Take the information gathered from the interview and reflect upon the
challenges and the rewards of being an entrepreneur.
My Business Venture Proposal (60 points):
Write a report that proposes the business venture you are interested in pursuing. Your report should
address the following issues (but is not limited to these).
Describe your business idea, including:
(a)
What is the business? (e.g., what kind of products or services do you anticipate offering?)
(b)
Who are the customers?
(c)
Why will your business succeed? What is your competitive advantage? (Why will people be
interested in buying your product or service?)
(d)
Where will it work? Describe the demographics of your proposed location(s), and provide
justification.
(e)
Why do you believe this business idea is so attractive?
(f)
Estimate how much capital you need in order to start this business. Please justify how you
arrived at these numbers.
(g)
Where do you plan to seek the funding to start your business?
(h)
When can you expect to receive a return on your investment? Please provide justification.
Short Survey (5 points):
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Please answer the following questions honestly. There are no right or wrong answers. You will
receive 5 points for answering all of the questions.
Canvas Weekly On-Line Quizzes (120 Points):
There will be 11 on-line weekly quizzes during the semester, including one extra 5-point quiz (Quiz
1). The purpose of Quiz 1 (extra 5 points) on the first week is to help you get familiar with the
format of on-line quizzes for this course. Each quiz is worth 10 points (except Quiz Ch 9 and Quiz
Ch 10: 20 points for each, since there is no Exam 3 after chapter 8). The quizzes are based upon the
lecture power point presentations, textbook, and assigned articles. All weekly quiz questions are
available at the beginning of the semester and are due at 11:50 pm on Sundays. This will allow you
to finish weekly course requirements ahead of the schedule if you want. If you miss the time block,
you won’t be able to re-take it. Be sure to complete each on-line quiz before due time.
On-Line Quiz Guidelines
 You will have only 1 opportunity to take the quiz within the available time.
 The quizzes are open book but they are timed (10 minutes per quiz), so you will need to
have a fairly good grasp of the material in order to achieve a satisfactory grade.
 Each quiz has 10 multiple-choice questions except for Quizzes Ch 9 & Ch 10 (20 questions,
20 minutes).
 Quiz questions are from the textbook, lecture power point slides, or the assigned article for
that week.
 The grade is available for review at the time you complete the quiz.
 The questions will appear one at time. If you skip the question, you will not be able to return.
 As soon as you “submit” the quiz, you will be able to view results with correct answers and
your quiz score as well. On-line quizzes will NOT be available for you to review before the
exam. If you need to keep the results for review, you can print them before the on-line quiz
is due (11:50pm, Sunday).
 Please email your instructor immediately if any technical problem occurs while taking the
on-line quiz.
 If you have problem logging into Canvas, you will need to contact UNCG IT at
(336) 256-8324, http://its.uncg.edu/Help/
 Murphy’s Law: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” Do not wait until the last
minute to take the on-line quiz.
On-Line Exams (160 points):
Two (2) on-line exams will be given during the semester on scheduled dates. Each on-line exam has
a time window. If you miss the time window, you miss the exam. The on-line exam link will
disappear automatically at 11:50pm on the Sunday of the exam week. It is very important to take the
on-line exam in an internet environment without any interruption. I strongly recommend you to use
UNCG computer lab to take the on-line exam. Students are responsible for the consequence of
interrupted exam. No make-up exam request will be granted due to miss the exam window or the
internet disconnection in the middle of the exam. Each exam has 40 multiple-choice questions. You
will have 45 minutes to complete the exam. Do not wait until the last minute to take the exam.
Should any technical problem arise, you are less likely to get them solved at the end of the
examination time block.
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Things to Know Before Taking a Quiz/Exam in Canvas
Once the exam is opened, you must complete it at that time. You may NOT start the exam, save
your answers, leave the exam for an extended period of time, and then come back later to finish the
exam.
For technical assistance during business hours (Monday-Friday, 7am-10pm, Sunday, 1pm-10pm),
call UNCG IT at (336)256-8324. http://its.uncg.edu/Help/
To take a quiz/exam:
1. Select the quiz /exam under “Quizzes” in the left menu. If your instructor has the quiz link
available in “Modules” page, you may access the quiz from there as well.
2. When you are ready to start taking the quiz, click on the “Take the Quiz” button.
3. Once you open the quiz , the timer starts. The timer will continue to run whether you are
logged in to the quiz or not. If you lose your internet connection, try to log back in as quickly as
possible to resume the quiz. You should use a wired (“plugged in”) internet connection when taking
an exam/quiz in Canvas.
4. Once you complete the quiz, click on the “Submit Quiz” button. You can see the score
immediately upon completion. For subjective results questions, such as an essay question,
scores will be posted later as your professor grades them. They will show up as a 0 on your score
until graded.
5. Use Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome when taking a quiz/exam in Canvas.
Don’t use Internet Explorer or Safari. There are compatibility issues between IE and Canvas.
6. Make sure you start the exam far enough in advance of the due date time so you receive the full
amount of allowed time. Canvas will automatically submit the exam on the due date time.
Reflection Papers (80 points)
The purpose of the reflection paper is for you to be able to give your opinions and relate it to your
understanding of service management such as customer relationship management, service
encounters, front and back stage, technologies in services, and 8 Ps, etc. Your reflection paper
should be no more than 3 pages (excluding the cover page).
Service Encounters Journal & A 2-page paper entitled “Lessons Learned from My Service
Encounters Journal” (170 points)
Beginning from the 5th week, you are required to submit a service encounter journal per week.
Recall the service encounters you had during the week (service encounters could happen anywhere,
where your role is a customer, a service receiver. It can happen when you go to a bank, a hospital, a
super cut store, a supermarket, a gas station, a post office, a library, calling your credit card
company, or your cellar phone company, etc). Pick one that impressed you the most (either a
positive or negative experience) for your journal entry. Each journal entry is worth 30 points. You
should use the standard journal entry form (available on Canvas) and record factual information
(indicate where, when, and describe what happened), as well as your perceptions of each service
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experience. Your journal should be comprehensive, detailed, and organized in a consistent manner.
A standard journal entry form is available on Canvas.
After you complete your 4 journal entries, prepare a two-page conclusion section titled “Lessons
Learned from My Service Encounters Journal.” Discuss in these two pages the most important
insights you gained about service quality from your experience by keeping a service diary. This 2page paper is worth 50 points.
Service Encounter Journals Project Grading Criteria: Grading criteria include the organization,
comprehensiveness, and depth of your diary entries, the depth of your interpretations, the quality of
writing, and evidence of learning as reflected in the diary and lessons section. You MUST relate
your experience to the concepts you learned from the textbook (Not limited to the chapter of the
week), for example, customer loyalty, service recovery, 8 Ps, technologies, high-contact service,
low-contact service, service process, service system, waiting time, expectations & zone of tolerance,
value, etc.
Final Project: Service Analysis and Redesign (100 points):
This project gives you the opportunity to evaluate a service entity (e.g., a small business [you can
evaluate the small business owned by the entrepreneur you interviewed], a company, an
organization) and redesign an existing service based on your newly acquired services marketing
expertise. You will establish a marketing plan for this service entity.
For this project, you MUST visit the service entity, observe its service procedures, gather relevant
information (i.e. marketing strategies) from the company web site, owner, manager, or employees
and write a paper. The minimum length of this paper (excluding the blueprint) is 4 pages (but
not limited to that), 12-point font size, Times New Roman font style, double spaced with 1-inch
margins (see Canvas for details).
HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR ASSIGNMENTS ONLINE?
Since this is an online course, you will submit all your assignments (resume, reflection papers,
service encounter journals, and the final project) online via the course Canvas. You will need to type
your assignment first and save it as a word file. Submit your assignment as an attachment.
See “How do I upload my file for assignment submission”
http://guides.instructure.com/s/2204/m/4212/l/54353 for details.
All assignments are due at 11:50pm, Sundays. Be sure to submit your assignment on-line before the
due time. Canvas on-line assignment submission system will not allow any late submission.
CLASS COM MUNICATION
Each student is required to obtain a valid UNCG email account for class communication during the
semester. If you have not set up your UNCG email account, please contact the UNCG Computing
Help Desk by phone at 336-256-TECH (8324) or by sending e-mail to 6-tech@uncg.edu.
See more information at http://accounts.uncg.edu/
CANVAS
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Since this is an on-line class, Canvas will be used throughout the semester. Audio/Non-Audio
lectures, student grades, assignments, relevant forms, and other important information will be
provided through this software. On-line quizzes, exams, and assignment submission will be
performed via Canvas. Students are expected to check Canvas frequently and are responsible for the
information provided through this software. Everyone officially registered for this class has been
added to Canvas automatically. To log into Canvas, please go to:
https://idp.uncg.edu/idp/Authn/UserPassword
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
All policies and procedures of this course follow those stated in the publication University
Regulations concerning attendance, nondiscrimination policy, academic regulations and procedures,
student rights and student conduct, among others. Students must abide by the Honor Code of the
University of North Carolina Greensboro on all assignments and examinations related to this course.
See more information at http://studentconduct.uncg.edu/policy/academicintegrity
SPECIAL STUDENTS
If any member of the class feels that he/she has a disability and needs special accommodations of
any nature, I will work with you and the Office of Disability Services to provide reasonable
accommodations to ensure that you have a fair opportunity to perform in this class. Please advise
me as soon as possible of such disability and the desired accommodations. Please also contact the
Office of Disability Services (ODS) at 336-334-5440 for further assistance. See more information at
http://ods.dept.uncg.edu
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