I encourage you to contact me any time if you have questions or concerns about any aspect of this course.  Feel free to drop by during office hours, or make an appointment.  The best way to reach me at other times is via Campus Cruiser Email (re279304@mail.ncwc.edu).  I will usually respond within the same day.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
This course allows students to evaluate marketing in service industries and/or organizations with a strong service component.  Students will be able to expand on ideas from their marketing courses to make the concepts specifically applicable to service industry settings.

PREREQUISITES:
MKT 205 and BSS 190 and 191

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
The intent of this course is to introduce, discuss, and analyze several topics important to service businesses.  After completing this course, students should be able to:

• Understand the unique challenges involved in marketing and managing services.
• Identify differences between marketing in service versus manufacturing organizations and understand how “service” can be a competitive advantage in manufacturing organizations.
• Identify and analyze the various components of the “services marketing mix” (three additional P’s) as well as key issues required in managing service quality.
• Appreciate the role of employees (and often customers) in service delivery, customer satisfaction, and service recovery.
• Appreciate other key issues in service businesses, such as managing supply and demand, the overlap in marketing/operations/human resource systems, and relationship management.
• Build upon important workplace skills (e.g., cooperation, teamwork, meeting deadlines, report writing) through active learning activities and other classroom exercises.
• Become better, more aware, and maybe less naive services consumers.
• Enjoy themselves while accomplishing all of the above.
• Learn the responsibility of cooperating and working within a team to complete a project for the duration of the semester.

Additionally, the course assignments are designed to continue to improve students’ verbal, written, and thinking skills in preparing them for positions in the business world. 

Why study services marketing?  The U.S., as well as much of the world economy, is dominated by services.  In the U.S. approximately 75% of the labor force, 70% of the GNP, 45% of an average family’s budget, and 32% of exports are accounted for by services.  Yet, business school courses traditionally have focused on the manufacturing sector of the economy.  This course is designed for those students who may be interested in working in service industries and will address the distinct needs and problems of service organizations in the area of marketing.

The primary theme of the course is that service organizations (e.g., banks, educational institutions, hospitals, hotels, professional services, transportation companies) require a distinctive approach to marketing strategy, both in its development and execution.  The course will build on marketing concepts from other courses (i.e., MKT 205) to make them specifically applicable in service industry settings.  A second theme of the course focuses on the role of service in manufacturing businesses.  This course will suggest ways that firms in the manufactured goods sector might use “service” as a primary source of competitive advantage.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:
Zeithaml, V.A.,  Bitner, M.J. and D D. Gremler, (2006), Services Marketing: Integrated Customer Focus Across the Firm, Fourth Edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin 2006.  Textbook is required for all classes. You should have read Chapter 1 from the text prior to the first class meeting.

METHODOLOGY:
Although the lecture method will be utilized, class discussion, peer learning, and student participation will be the primary tools for learning. Students are expected to actively participate in team assignments, presentations, and a variety of writing and research assignments. Please bring your textbook to all classes, as we will refer to the text often.

REQUIRED WORK AND COURSE EVALUATION:
Exams, weekly assignments, and a semester long group project with a written and oral presentation component will be required in this class. Specifically, required work is as follows:

1. EXAMS:
A major requirement in this course is that students read the assigned text in preparation for each class and prepare to discuss the chapters.  I recommend that you approach chapter headings as “questions” to be answered.  There will be a Midterm Exam and a Final Exam.  The  exams will in all likelihood include objective questions, discussion questions and essay questions that will be based on material presented in the text, video cases, class discussions/exercises, and take-home assignments.  Therefore, make sure to take detailed notes during class.

2. PARTICIPATION IN WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS:
Assignments will include in-class assignments pertaining to reading assignments, short writing assignments, video cases, case studies and quizzes.

Learning should be an interactive process and student involvement is essential. Class participation is necessary for three reasons: (1) it further develops students’ oral communication skills; (2) it provides feedback to indicate whether the instructor has properly communicated the material; and (3) it increases the quality of the class. Your comments and questions are encouraged. I expect that you will read the assigned material prior to each class.

3. PROJECT:
You will be assigned to a team to complete a semester long project. Specifically, each group will develop a Services Marketing Project of an approved company/product. A required project format will be provided to you.  A written component and an oral presentation component will be required.

The written component (i.e., each team will hand in the written component to complete the project). This component is limited to the following:

1. Appropriate cover sheet and table of contents (SEE QUALITY OF WORK).
2. A minimum of fifteen pages of text in the appropriate “sentence/project outline form” (the Project Format is provided by the instructor).
3. Two to three pages of figures, tables and diagrams. Do not overload these pages! These must be properly integrated into the text.
4. References (minimum of ten sources).
5. Appendixes

The team presentations of the Services Marketing Project will take place at the end of the semester. Twice during the semester, a team progress report will be due. For the presentation, teams should use Power Point and each team member must participate in the actual presentation. The time should be distributed as equally as possible between members of the team. Dressing professionally at the presentations is expected. Both the professor and the students will evaluate the presentations.  There will also be a team evaluation performed within each team.  Specifically, each team member will evaluate the other team members.

Presentations will be limited to thirty (30) minutes with a few additional minutes for class discussion. Additional specifics will follow in class as the semester progresses.

CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY:
I consider it a professional courtesy and obligation for you to attend class. The college attendance policy states that the instructor may withdraw a student after three hours of absence. Equally important, quizzes, exams and other assignments missed because of being absent CANNOT BE MADE UP.  Please note that there are no distinctions between excused and unexcused absences. University protocol and related accreditation agencies limit the amount of time a student can miss a class and still receive College recognition and credit. If you miss class, you are responsible for obtaining class notes and assignments from another classmate.

Please do not be late for class. It is very disrupting to have students coming into class after we have started. If you have a schedule conflict that regularly prevents you from being punctual, please consider a class change.  Early departure from class will affect your grade.

Poor attendance with regard to group presentations will result in a REDUCTION OF YOUR FINAL GRADE.

DEDUCTIONS:
We all have very busy schedules and it is my responsibility to utilize the time dedicated to each class in a manner that maximized both your and my utility. You can assist me in meeting this obligation by following the instructions laid out for the class. “Quality of Work” specifically discusses this issue (see below). Examples of “deductions” are as follows:

1. Did not follow directions where appropriate.
2. Unprofessional classroom behavior (Administrative Withdrawal for continued misbehavior).
3. Trying to hand in assignments late.
4. Excessive unexcused absences (5) and tardies

QUALITY OF WORK:
I expect written assignments that are free of typographical, grammatical, and spelling errors. I am adamant about this. One of the best ways to proofread is to read your paper aloud. If you are not capable of proofreading your own work, I suggest you get help (e.g., ask a friend to proofread your paper or visit the writing lab on campus). Also incorporate computer-generated graphs, figures, and illustration as appropriate. ALL assignments should:

1. Be either stapled, in a notebook with rings, or in a report cover
2. Include a cover sheet, which clearly displays your name, the course, the date, and the assignment.
3. Use Arial or Times New Roman font with a font size of “12” and,
4. Be double-spaced with one-inch margins with all pages being numbered.

REFERENCES:
All material and information used by you in the project must be referenced! There are no exceptions. Material and information not properly referenced will not be accepted under any conditions!  APA Format must be used.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET USAGE:
It is important that each of you are familiar with using the Internet and computer tools. These skills will be necessary in the workplace-you should be prepared. Therefore, it is each student’s responsibility to:

1. Have access to a computer that has the capability of accessing the Internet, especially, Campus Cruiser.
2. Have access to MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint software (all assignments will be submitted as hard copy).

OTHER CRITICAL NOTES

• Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Support Services (DSS) at 985-5369 as soon as possible to coordinate and implement accommodations in a timely fashion.  The Office of DSS is located in the Student Support Center, Pearsall 188.

• Please use the “Writing Lab” as required for all of your work. The services are free and poorly written papers are not acceptable.
• We have a lot of material to cover. Consequently, you NEED to read the assigned chapters and study the other class materials before the class meets.
• No late work will be accepted and no makeup exams will be given as I am dropping the lowest exam grade for no more than two absences. Note that the Attendance Policy does not differentiate with regard to “excused vs. unexcused” absences. An absence is an absence. However, faculty members are allowed some flexibility.

• If I do approve an absence to take an exam late, the exam must be taken within 24 hours of the original exam.  After that time, a grade of "zero" will be recorded.

• Cell phones, audible pagers and any other electronic device will be turned off during class.  The use of any type of tobacco related products are prohibited in any campus building.

• Any type of headgear worn must be removed during class (i.e., hats, hoods, etc.).

I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REVISE THE SYLLABUS AT ANT TIME DURING THE SEMESTER.