The Marketing of Services MK 311
J. E. Cairnes School of
Business & Economics
The Marketing of Services
MK 311
- Course Outline -
Objective
Despite economic recession, Ireland remains a service economy. The
significance of services has been highlighted with the negative impact of
sectors such as construction and banking on global economies. This course
outlines the unique features of services and examines how services
marketing differ from product marketing. Service encounter frameworks are
explored, and the elements of the marketing mix are examined from a
services perspective.
Name
Lecturer(s)
Times
Office
Ext
Mr. Mark
McCole
E-mail
marketing@nuigalway.ie
Day
Time
Venue
Lecture
Tuesday
3-4pm
UC 102, Aras Ui Cathail
Lecture
Wednesday
4-5pm
UC 102, Aras Ui Cathail
Knowledge Based Outcomes:
Overall
Learning
Outcomes
On completion of this course, you should understand:
 The nature of services and their distinguishing characteristics
 The criticality of the service encounter and service failure
 The traditional and contemporary options for service delivery
 The behaviour of service consumers & customer relationships
 The role of the service employee in service delivery
 The importance of service quality, and methods used to measure quality
 The role of pricing, planning and communications in service marketing
strategy
Skills Based Outcomes;
You will have developed the ability to:
 Critically evaluate theoretical concepts and paradigms
 Apply concepts of theatre and drama to service delivery
 Search for academic literature in the James Hardiman Library and online
 Interact with online media for course material and assessments
 Manage time schedules and meet deadlines.
 Discuss issues in a group.
Format
Programme(s)
This course comprises two one-hour lectures per week across 12 weeks.
3BC (B. Comm), OA (Visiting), EM (Erasmus)
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The Marketing of Services MK 311
The final grade will be calculated as follows:
 Continuous Assessment 30%
 Written Examination
70%
Continuous Assessment: 30%
Details of continuous assessment will be provided in class.
Written Examination: 70%
All candidates are required to complete a written examination. The exam will
be two hours in duration and candidates will be required to answer three
questions. All questions will carry equal marks. Candidates must pass the
written examination to be awarded marks for assignments/class
participation.
Assessment
Note: A minimum of 35% is required in the final written examination before
marks for continuous assessment can be included in the determination of
the overall mark for the subject.
Credit weighting:
5 ECT
Lecture hours:
22
Assignment work and independent study:
101
Examination:
2
Total Student Effort:
125 Hours
Required Reading:
Palmer, Adrian (2011) Principles of Services Marketing (6th edition), London:
McGraw-Hill.
Workload
Course
Readings
Reading Schedule:
Students are expected to read all course material assigned in advance of class.
Date
Discussion / Readings
Part 1: Introduction
September 6 & 7
Ch 1 Course Introduction - What is services marketing?
Part 1 Outcomes: You will understand…
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What is meant by the term services?
The distinguishing characteristics of services
Differences between the marketing of goods and services
The extended marketing mix for services
Part 2: Service Encounters and Services and the Internet
Sept 13 & 14
Ch 2 The service encounter
Sept 20 & 21
Ch 3 Service effectiveness and efficiency in the Internet age
Ch 4 Making services available to consumers
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Part 2 Outcomes: You will understand …
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Issues and problems arising from producing ‘live’ services
The nature of the producer-consumer encounter
Conceptual frameworks for analysing the service encounter
The role of other customers in the service encounter
Services failure and service recovery
Conceptual difficulties in measuring productivity for inseparable services
The role of the internet in service delivery
Accessibility as a feature of service delivery
The role of intermediaries in the co-production of services
Part 3: Understanding Consumers and Developing New Services
Sept 27 & 28
Ch 5 Understanding services buyer behaviour
Ch 6 Relationships, partnerships and networks
Oct 4 & 5
Ch 7 Innovation and new service development
Ch 8 Developing Service brands
Part 3 Outcomes: You will understand …
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Processes by which consumers initiate, carry out, and conclude the consumption of a service
The effects of intangibility on the perceptions of risk in the buying process
Decision-making units and their effects on services buying
Bases for segmenting consumer markets
Reasons for the development of buyer-seller relationships
Methods used by companies for developing relationships
Limitations to the development of relationship marketing
Life cycles of services, from launch to growth, to eventual maturity and decline
Services branding strategy
Part 4: Services Marketing Strategy
Oct 11 & 12
Ch 9 Service quality
Oct 18 & 19
Ch 10 Engaging employees in service delivery
Oct 25 & 26
Ch 11 The pricing of services
Ch 12 Yield management: matching capacity with demand
Nov 1 & 2
Ch 13 Managing communications
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Part 4 Outcomes: You will understand…
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Major paradigms for the study of service quality
Methods used to set standards for service quality
Tools for researching consumers’ expectations of service quality
The contribution of employee performance to service quality
Internal marketing as an integration of marketing and HRM practices
Key issues in the recruitment, motivation, training and control of service staff
Pricing strategies and tactics used in service firms
Price bundling and pricing constraints in services
The nature of variable customer demand
Yield management techniques which allow maximum returns when demand is variable
The need for service companies to build and maintain their reputation through communication
The extended promotional mix for services
The importance of front line employees and word-of-mouth in promoting services
Part 5: Gong Global
Nov 8 & 9
Ch 14 Globalized services marketing
Nov 15 & 16
TBC
Nov 22 & 23
Course Review
Part 5 Outcomes: You will understand …
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The nature of international trade in services and the reasons for its development
Methods used by service firms to assess the attractiveness of overseas development
The development of marketing plans that are sympathetic to local market needs
Market entry strategies, including the need to balance risk and control
Course Material
A course web is available at http://blackboard.nuigalway.ie
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