NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
NUS BUSINESS SCHOOL
DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING
Course Outline
BMA5505 - Services Marketing
Instructor:
Office:
Email:
Session:
Professor RAJIV Surendra
BIZ 1 #08-20 (Mochtar Riady Building)
bizsr@nus.edu.sg
Special Term I, 2012/2013
Venue:
Time:
Please refer to online MBA class time table
Please refer to online MBA class time table
Secy.:
Ms. Jothi S. (Email: mktsec@nus.edu.sg)
Office Hour:
By appointment
Course Overview
This course is designed for students interested in understanding services and helping
organizations leverage service for value creation, market differentiation and competitive
advantage. Services, for the purpose of this course, will be interpreted to include all activities
in which a service is provided (possibly including a physical tangible product as part of it).
As statistics go, services account for 70%+ of the GNP in most developed economies. In a
typical year, a majority of the business graduates go to work for service organizations. In the
OECD countries, four out of every five members of the workforce holds a service sector job.
Yet, the business curriculum generally focuses on the manufacturing sector of the economy
and management theories relate largely to manufacturing firms.
Service management presents unique challenges that reflect the fundamental differences
between products and services. For instances, services involve greater intangibility,
variability, consumer participation and so on. These give rise to singular problems in service
design, delivery and control. Successful management of these challenges requires threading
together the functional disciplines of marketing, operations and human resources.
The set of topics covered in the course include:



Understanding and Managing Customer Satisfaction
Understanding of Service Experience – Customer Expectations and Perception of
Services
Understanding Consumer Behavior and Segmentation – Quantitative Tools such as
Perceptual Maps, Conjoint Analysis and Cluster Analysis
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


Analysis of Customer Purchase Process – Customer Activity Cycle: Its Strategic
Implications & Implementation Challenges
Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM)
Segmented Pricing for Services – Usage-based Pricing & Yield Management
To give the participants a broad and varied exposure to the different segments of the service
sector, we have selected cases, mini-cases & in-class exercise/examples spanning the
following service industries:





Telecom
Airlines
Tourism & Hospitality
Banking and Financial Services
Health Care Services
Course Pedagogy & Reading Material
Class sessions will consist of case discussions, in-class exercises, lectures and group
presentations.
Since I use material from several sources, there is NO required textbook for the course.
Reading materials and cases will be distributed in class and will also be available on IVLE
(except for HBSP/UVA/IVEY cases and notes due to copyright restrictions).
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Course Objectives, Expectations & Assessment
Objectives of this course are:

To develop an integrated understanding of the relationship between various aspects of
marketing and management in successful creation and delivery of value added
services; and,

To provide a set of analytical frameworks, concepts and tools for critical thinking
about service and service related activities.
Expectations from Participants:

Come to each class well prepared to be able to discuss the required readings and
assigned cases in detail. For each case discussion in class, write up your analysis and
recommendations beforehand.

Actively participate in lectures and tutorials as much of the learning will come from
discussions during class. Display a name sign in all lectures!

Internalise the concepts covered in the course, and be able to creatively use them in an
applied context. This course is all about understanding and application to the real
world.

‘House Rules’ for everyone to follow:
-
Do not come late for class
Switch off your pager and/or hand phone during class
Do not pack up your notes until class is dismissed
Do not talk while fellow students are presenting or asking questions
Respect everyone’s opinion
Method of Assessment:
During the course, the students will be evaluated based on their performance in each of the
following activities:


Individual Component
o Class Participation
o Quiz I (Mid-term Exam)
o Quiz II (End-term Exam)
55%
5%
20%
30%
Group Component
o Case Analysis Report (15%×3)
45%
[NOTE: There are 4 case reports to be submitted. Best 3 results
will count towards final grade.]
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Brief Outline of Lectures
Session
1
Topics
Duration
Revision of Concepts from Marketing Management (Product-centric
Marketing), Economics & Statistics
6:10 – 7:15
CASE: Baxter (A)
7:35 – 8:35
Importance of Services: Why learn Service Marketing?
8:50 – 9:00
Course Outline & Administrative Matters
Customer Activity Cycle: Concepts
9:00 – 9:30
Recap from Session 1
6:05 – 6:15
Customer Activity Cycle: Strategic Implications & Challenges
6:15 – 7:30
CASE: Autobytel.com
7:50 – 8:50
Customer Satisfaction: Determinants & Measurement
9:05 – 9:30
Recap from Session 2
6:05 – 6:15
CASE: Starbucks (Case Presentation #1)
6:15 – 7:30
Measuring Consumer Perception: Perceptual Map
7:50 – 9:30
Recap from Session 3
6:05 – 6:15
Measuring Consumer Preference: Conjoint Analysis
6:15 – 8:00
In-Class Exercise: Pricing the Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Fund
8:30 – 8:55
CASE: Bancaja
8:55 – 9:30
Revisiting Bancaja CASE
6:05 – 6:30
Tools for Consumer Segmentation: Cluster Analysis
6:30 – 7:30
Tools for Consumer Segmentation: Discriminant Analysis
7:50 – 9:00
CASE: Ontela PicDeck (A) CASELET
9:00 – 9:30
2
3
4
5
4
Session
6
Topics
Duration
Recap from Session 5
6:05 – 6:15
CASE: Fashion Channel (Case Presentation #2)
6:15 – 7:30
Mid-Term Review + In-Class Exercises on Quantitative Tools
8:00 – 9:30
Quiz I (Mid-Term Exam – 1½ hours)
6:05 – 7:35
Customer Lifetime Value with In-Class Exercises
8:00 – 9:30
In-Class Exercises on CLV
6:05 – 8:00
Customer Equity & Firm Valuation
8:30 – 9:30
Customer Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty & Reward Programs
6:05 – 7:20
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8
9
CASE: Cabo San Viejo: Rewarding Loyalty
(Case Presentation #3)
Segmented Pricing for Services I (Usage-Based Pricing)
7:40 – 9:30
Segmented Pricing for Services I (Usage-Based Pricing)
6:05 – 7:05
Virgin Mobile USA CASE
7:05 – 8:15
Segmented Pricing for Services II (Yield Management)
8:40 – 9:30
Segmented Pricing for Services II (Yield Management)
6:05 – 7:30
2-Sided Markets: Pricing Challenges
CASE: Dexit – A Marketing Opportunity (Case Presentation #4)
7:50 – 9:00
Review + Q&A on Segmented Pricing
9:00 – 9:30
Course Wrap-Up
6:05 – 7:35
Quiz II (End-Term – 2½ hours)
8:00 – 9:30
10
11
12
5
Assignment Schedule
Case Presentations & Reports
Session
Date
Assignment
3
to be advised
Report #1 on Starbucks case
6
to be advised
Report #2 on Fashion Channel case
9
to be advised
Report #3 on Cabo San Viejo case
11
to be advised
Report #4 on Dexit case
Session
Date
Assignment
7
to be advised
Quiz 1 (Mid-Term Exam – 1½ hours)
12
to be advised
Quiz 1I (End-Term Exam – 2½ hours)
Exams
NOTE: Both Quiz I & II are CLOSED BOOK, CLOSED NOTES
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