MAR302 - SERVICES MARKETING

Unit Guide

Trimester 2 2023
 MAR302 – SERVICES MARKETING
TRIMESTER 2 2023

CONTACTS
Nguyễn Thị Mai Trang
Unit Instructor trangntm@ueh.edu.vn

Nguyễn Trường An
Program Administrator 17 Pham Ngoc Thach Street, District 3, HCM City
Phone: 08 54465555

About Services Marketing (MAR302)

UNIT OVERVIEW

The unit focuses on the unique challenges of marketing and managing services and delivering
quality service to customers. The attraction, retention, and building of strong customer relationships
through quality service and services are at the heart of the course content. The course is equally
applicable to organizations whose core product is service (e.g., banks, transportation companies,
hotels, hospitals, educational institutions, professional services, telecommunication, etc.) and to
organizations that depend on service excellence for competitive advantage (e.g., high technology
manufacturers, auto motive, industrial products, etc.).
The basic concepts covered in the unit include: the difference between marketing services versus
products; the role of the service encounter; the key drivers of service quality; the customer’s role in
service creation; service design and innovation; going beyond service to create customer
experiences; technology’ s impact on services; managing customer service expectations; and
customer service metrics.

PRE-REQUISITES

Principles of Marketing, Consumer Behavior, and Marketing Research

Assessment Information

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UNIT LEARNING OUTCOMES

The table below outlines the unit learning outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. Upon completion of this
unit, students will be able to:

Gain an understanding of the distinct challenges faced by the managers of service firms
1.
compared to goods firms
2. Understand the unique challenges involved in marketing and managing services
3. Identify differences between marketing in services and manufacturing organizations
Identify and analyze the various components of the "services marketing mix"--the original
4.
4Ps plus the physical environment, processes, and people
5. Compare the distinct problems faced when moving across service industries
Understand and discuss key issues required in managing customer satisfaction and service
6.
quality
Appreciate the role of employees (and often customers) in service delivery, customer
7.
satisfaction, and service recovery.
Understand and utilize techniques and frameworks that allow management of processes in
8.
service firms more effectively

PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES

In line with its focus on assuring students’ skills in unit learning outcomes 1-7 above, this unit is also
responsible for introducing/developing/assuring the following program-level learning outcomes
(PLOs):

Knowledge & Application

1. Solid understanding and competency of appropriate application of business discipline-specific
knowledge.
Communication
2. Competency in professional written and oral communication suited to multiple audiences and
contexts.
Teamwork
3.
Effective collaboration in teamwork or other tasks in organizational settings.
Critical thinking
4.
Critical thinking through appropriate observing, analysing and reasoning, etc.
Problem solving
5.
Effective and constructive problem solving.
Ethics
6.
An ethical perspective, including an understanding of the ethical responsibilities of organizations.
7. Cultural Diversity
A global mindset, including an understanding of the different business settings, the ability to identify
foreign market potentials, to diagnose cross-cultural communication problems and propose

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appropriate solutions.

ASSESSMENT SUMMARY

VALUE
ASSESSMENT ITEM DUE DATE LEARNING OUTCOMES
(%)
1. Mid-term exam (individual) Session 10 15% ULO1-5
2. Group assignment TBA 15% ULO5-8
3. Class presentation 15% ULO1-7
4. Case study 5% ULO1-8
5. Final exam (individual) TBA 50% ULO4-7

Final marks and grades are subject to confirmation by the School Assessment Committees which
may scale, modify or otherwise amend the marks and grades for the unit, as may be required by
University policies.

 Note: To successfully complete this unit, students must:

 Achieve a minimum of 50 marks;
 Complete all assessment items; and
 Attend 80 per cent of class time. See attendance requirements in the section of class policies
and rules below.

Assessment 1: Mid-term exam (15%)

Due: Session 10
Length: 60-minute exam.

The exam will consist of multiple choice questions.

Assessment 2: Group Assignment (15%)

Due: Session 20

 Students will work in self-selected groups of four (or five) to complete a 10-15 page final
report by analyzing service quality of one service firm doing business in Vietnam. Students
should utilize the concepts and frameworks covered in course material in the written report.
All groups will be required to give a presentation in class highlighting the important points
of the report. Students also submit evaluations of each group members’ contributions to the
final project.
 The group assignment will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
 Report: To be 15 to 20 pages long of double-spaced text, 12 font type required. You will
need to cite any resources used for the project. The paper must cover services marketing
concepts as they relate to the services you are discussing.

Marking criteria

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Questionnaire/data collection 10
Cover required subjects 30
- Reliability
- Responsiveness
- Empathy
- Assurance
- Tangibility
Complete explanation of all key points 20
Recommendations 10
TOTAL 70

Presentation (to be given last period of class)

Marking criteria-
Presentation style
- maximum length 15 minutes
- must dress in business attire 05
Adequately cover material 20
- Reliability
- Responsiveness
- Empathy
- Assurance
- Tangibility
Use of visuals: Power point, video,
posters, product, handouts, others 05
TOTAL 30

Assessment 3: Class presentation (15%)

 Students are expected to attend all class sessions, complete all assigned readings prior to
class. Attendance will be taken and participation will be evaluated at each class session.
Students are expected to arrive on time and to stay for the duration of the class. Late arrivals
will result in a deduction in class participation points for the day. Please notify the
instructor, preferably by email, prior to the start of class if you will not be in attendance or if
you will need to leave early.
 You will earn 60% for attendance in the discussion sections. The other 40% will be awarded
based on the quality of your contribution to the class discussion.

Assessment 4: Case studies (5%)

 During the semester, we will discuss case studies. In preparation for these, please ensure that
you come in class to the assigned dates having read and analyzed the cases studies. We will
discuss the answers in class. Note, that you will not have additional time in the class to read
the case or answer the questions

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Assessment 5: Final exam (Individual) (50%)

Due: TBA

 The final exam will consist of a two hour closed book exam to be undertaken during the
formal examination period. The exam will cover all lecture materials and relevant textbook
chapters. The format of the exam will be a selection of discussion questions and multiple
choices. More information about the exam format will be given in class closer to the end of
the course.

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Teaching Activities
LEARNING RESOURCES

Textbook Zeithaml, V.A, Bitner, M.J., & Gremler, D.D. (2013). Services Marketing:
Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm (6th International ed.). New York,
NY: McGraw-Hill. [ZBG]

Reference Lovelock, C.H., Patterson, P.G., and Wirtz, J. (2011), Services Marketing: An
Reading Asia-Pacific and Australian Perspective, 5th Edition, NSW, Australia: Pearson
Australia. [LPW]

ONLINE LEARNING RESOURCES

E-library http://search.proquest.com/login
Username: UEHCMC2010
Password: thuvien0810

E-learning http://elearning.isb.edu.vn/

SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES
Session PROGRAM SCHEDULE READINGS & ACTIVITIES

1 Introduction to services ZBG (2013) – Chapter 1

2 The Gaps model of service quality &

ZBG (2013) – Chapters 2 & 4
Customer perceptions of service

3 (Cont.)

Building customer relationships ZBG (2013) – Chapter 6

4

5 Service recovery ZBG (2013) – Chapter 7

6 Case 1: Dr Beckett’s detal office

Service Recovery & Case discussion
(LPW) [All groups]
7 Customer-defined service standards ZBG (2013) – Chapter 9

8 Physical evidence & the servicescape ZBG (2013) – Chapter 10

9 Employees’ roles in service delivery ZBG (2013) – Chapter 11

10 Mid-term test

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11 Case 2: Kiwi Experience (LPW)

Customers’ roles in service delivery
ZBG (2013) – Chapter 12

12 ZBG (2013) – Chapter 13

Managing demand and capacity

13 Integrated service marketing

ZBG (2013) – Chapter 14
communications

14 Pricing of services ZBG (2013) – Chapter 15

15 Group presentation All groups

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General Information & Policy

Referencing
Plagiarism

Student assignments are to contain original content created by the students. Assignments will be
rejected if they include plagiarised content or contain excessive amounts of quoted/cited material
and minimal original content. Students will receive a grade of ZERO (0%) for any assignments
rejected for this reason. Written assignments WILL BE checked by the lecturer with Turnitin.com,
an online plagiarism-checking tool.
Sources

Furthermore, your reference to support your statements must be from a reliable source, such as
textbooks, additional reading materials, and reference books. However, many websites are not
reliable sources. Examples are Wikipedia.org, about.com, and ask.com. If you are not sure if a
reference is acceptable or not, please contact the lecturer.
Referencing & Citation

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) 6th ed., will serve as
the primary reference materials for all students. Therefore, all papers must be submitted in APA
format. The mechanics of student papers and work will be evaluated, as well as the content.

Submission
Assignment cover sheet
 All assignments are required to be submitted with an Assignment Cover Sheet.
 Group assignments are to be submitted with a Group Assignment Cover Sheet as well as a
Peer Evaluation Form depending on the request of unit instructor.
Non-contributing team members can sometimes be an issue with group-work structured assessment.
Individual student group work scores may be adjusted as a result of peer dissatisfaction with a
particular student’s contribution to group work assignments, as reflected in submissions of the
evaluation form.
Note:
 Assignment cover sheets and the evaluation form can be located on MyISB system
 Students are advised to keep a copy of all assignments submitted for marking.

Submission style

Assignments are expected to achieve a professional standard:

 Be typed, one and a half spaced, on A4 paper
 Use a simple clear format, suitable for a report to senior management in a commercial
organisation.

Submission method

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Soft copy: submitted electronically via E-learning system by 11:55 PM on the due date (Suggested
title: Student name_Unitname_Name of Assignment).
Hard copy: submitted to ISB Submission Box at the Reception Area (17 Pham Ngoc Thach) by the
due date.

Late assignment and make-up policy

No late assignments will be accepted unless prior authorisation granted by the Academic Department
based on a Special Consideration Application for assessment task extension.
Students must complete all assessments on the assigned dates including quizzes, mid-term test, and
final exam. If there are extenuating or unforeseen circumstances, students must follow the school’s
policies and procedures accordingly.

Attendance
Students are required to attend a minimum of 80% of all classes (which normally 12/15 sessions).
Other cases equating to an absence:
 Arriving to class late by 15 minutes at the beginning,
 Arriving late by 5 minutes after the break
 Leaving prior to the scheduled end time without the permission of the lecturer
If you are unable to attend any session, please let your lecturer know AND submit a request for
absence form to program administrator prior to the session.

 IMPORTANT: Students will not be allowed to sit in the final examination if violating the
above absence rule.

Electronic device use

 Cell phones will be turned off or switched to vibrate mode before class starts.
 No phone calls or text messaging are allowed inside classroom during class time.
 Portable listening and/or music devices may not be operated in the classroom.
 Headphones and/or ear buds of any type may not be worn while in the classroom whether
operating or not.
 Laptop and other electronic devices are not permitted unless specifically authorised by the
lecturer exclusively for note taking and doing class work.

 IMPORTANT: If you are in violation of these policies you will be excused from class and an
absence will be assessed.

Email etiquette
Your lecturers receive many emails each day. In order to enable them to respond to your emails
appropriately and in a timely fashion, students are asked to follow basic requirements of professional
communication.
Your emails should:

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 Have a concise and descriptive title, including the class and name of the unit you are
enquiring about
 Be clear about the intention of their emails
 Use appropriate tone and language, proof-read what is written in the email before sending it.
Students should also allow 3-4 working days for a response before following up. If the matter is
legitimately urgent, you may indicate “URGENT” in the email subject header.
Make an appointment: If your email request is complex and requires a lengthy response it may be
probably best to make an appointment with your lecturer/instructor to meet in person.

Student behaviour guidelines

Everyone must behave professionally. Students are expected to demonstrate respect for teacher and
fellow students at all times. Behaviour that is disruptive to a positive learning environment reported
to the teacher will result in a warning on the first instance; the second instance might result in a
failing grade along with expulsion from the school.
Unacceptable behaviors can be:
 Cheating on an exam
 Collaborating with others on work to be presented, if contrary to the stated rules of the
course
 Submitting, if contrary to the rules of the course, work previously submitted in another
course
 Knowingly and intentionally assisting another student in any of the above actions, including
assistance in an arrangement whereby work, classroom performance, examination, or other
activity is submitted or performed by a person other than the student under whose name the
work is submitted or performed
 Plagiarising

 IMPORTANT:
 First violation will result in a grade ZERO (0%) for that assignment.
 Second violation will result in a failing course grade.

Disability support services

Students with disabilities are advised that accommodations and services are available at UEH-ISB. It
is the student's responsibility to contact UEH-ISB office and submit appropriate documentation prior
to receiving such services.

Additional information
This unit guide may be revised at the discretion of the Academic Department with approval from
Program Academic Director and School Academic Committee where appropriate.

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