SYLLABUS

MANAGING FOR SERVICE EXCELLENCE

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit” - Aristotle

Semester/Year: Fall 2023

Course Code: MANA3010
Class Location: G104
Class meeting time(s): Tuesday & Thursday (9am-12pm)
Instructor and Teaching Assistant (T.A.) Information
Instructor: Dr. Jenny Le
Office: CBM Office
Hours: Tuesday & Thursday (12pm – 1pm)
Email: dung.ltp@vinuni.edu.vn
Teaching Assistant: MSc. Nguyen Le Thao Huong
Office: CBM Office
Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday (2pm – 4pm)
Email: huong.nlt@vinuni.edu.vn

1. Course Description
Services are different than manufactured goods in terms of how each is produced, purchased, and
perceived. Service firms require a distinctive approach to marketing and management. Most business
school marketing courses focus on the manufacturing sector of the economy. In this class, you will be
exposed to a way of thinking about marketing that is grounded by a service-dominant paradigm and that
focuses on identifying, analyzing, and enhancing the service experience. You will learn analytical
approaches and gain knowledge needed to develop and implement service excellence strategies across
industries. You will learn how to study consumer behavior for services. You will learn frameworks for
service experience design and management. You will learn to create and map service processes, assess
and deliver service quality, and diagnose and enhance service branding and marketing-communications
strategies.
Credits: 3
Required: This is a core requirement for students taking Marketing major
Prerequisite: Service Operations Management

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Rationale: Services dominate the world economy. Approximately 85 percent of the labor force, and 50
percent of the average family’s budget are accounted for by services. Even for traditional manufacturers
like GE and IBM, services comprise a growing portion of their product line; moreover, these companies
increasingly view their goods as artifacts that enable customer experiences. For service firms such as
Four Seasons and FedEx, excellence in service experience management drives success.

2. Course Learning Objectives

By accomplishing the course, students can:
(1) Understand the strategic challenges involved in marketing and managing services by analyzing
the elements of the service marketing mix, which includes the traditional 4Ps plus the physical
environment, processes, and people involved in service relationships;
(2) Evaluate the sources of competitive advantage in service businesses by developing a diagnostic
toolkit for customer-experience and service-marketing analysis to support decision-making;
(3) Appreciate the intertwined role of service personnel and customers with respect to service design
and delivery to become a more perceptive and effective leader;
(4) Learn to manage key issues for service organizations such as service-system design, service
failure and recovery, and the overlap in marketing, operations management, and human resource
systems;
(5) Build workplace skills such as critical thinking, cooperation, teamwork, time management,
ethical judgment, and written and oral communication through team projects and presentations.

3. Format and Procedures

- Teaching/ Learning methods: The recommended class size is no more than 30 students. We will use
an active, experiential learning model whereby we are co-producers of our shared knowledge. My role
as instructor is to guide; you are responsible for your own learning process and outcomes. We will use a
variety of learning tools, including lectures, discussion, in-class exercises, readings, multi-media
presentations, guest speakers, case studies, and a group project.
- Procedures: Attendance, participation, and respect for others is the behavioral standard for this
course.
- Course Logistics: Laptop and other note-taking devices are accepted. Mobile phones are prohibited
during class hours.

4. Instructor Assumptions
No matter how well prepared the lesson plan is and how well you are prepared for class, I do not always
expect you to know the new material and content fully and equally. I understand that students have
different styles for thinking and learning along with different capacities for comprehending, acquiring

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and storing new information and converting this to knowledge. Secondly, information overload may
lead to a full brain due to lack of planning and time management on the part of the learner. My
suggestion, therefore, is to avoid study workload imbalance that may contribute to late night or
cramming, and ultimately lead to fatigue and counter productivity in the classroom. A few ways to
maximize your learning efficiency is by developing good study habits in establishing study buddies,
time management techniques and proactive communication practices with each other and the instructor.
Below are a few more general assumptions:
1. Students are encouraged to think critically and demonstrate abstract thinking consistent with
undergraduate study and are encouraged to integrate their professional and personal experiences
and all work.
2. All written assignments and papers are due prior to class meeting and should be written in a
professional and articulate manner free from typos and punctuation errors.
3. Find time to reflect in your study groups: Talk, write, read, slow down.
4. As an instructor, I strive to adopt a student-centric, Socratic teaching methodology where I ask
many open-ended and probing questions as a follow up to your answers and I expect you to give
thoughtful responses to your peers and my questions.
5. Practice self-compassion: Slow learning is learning. Your pace is yours. Practice mindful
breathing and kind self-talk—this attitude and personal approach will help you see what’s in
front of you and make more effective choices. As an instructor, I expect all students to be
courteous and supportive of each other in and outside of classroom.
6. Enlist support: seek the help of a trusted peer. If you need help, ask. If you want to help tutor
your teammates, offer your support as a peer mentor.

5. Course Requirements
The course assignments are aligned with the specified learning outcomes such as those skills,
knowledge, attitudes and values that have been defined and specified earlier. All work submitted must
be original with the proper sources cited where appropriate. The requirements of VinUniversity’s Code
of Academic Integrity apply in this course. Homework readings and assignments are due at the
beginning of the class in hard copy or as electronic submissions as specified. Makeup quizzes will not be
given, and late assignments will lose points (5%/day).
5.1. Class attendance, participation and etiquette policies: Please come to class prepared, on time and
ready to participate as this course will be highly interactive in the lecture.
Class attendance is required for all CBM students in this course. The instructor can check students’
attendance using different methods (e.g., checklist or quizzes in every session). Students are only
allowed to miss a maximum of 20% of class hours. Above this limitation, students become “persistent
absentees” and will automatically fail the course unless there are exceptional circumstances to be
considered.

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Absence procedure: In case of absence above the limitation of 20%, students must inform the instructor
and/or teaching assistants as soon as possible with the reason for the absence and valid evidence/proof.
The instructor will assess a student request for absence case-by-case based on the evidence/proof
provided by the student and make the final decision of granting an authorization of absence.
Exceptional circumstances for absence: Students are expected to attend at least 80% class hours of the
course in which they are enrolled, except the following circumstances:
• Where an absence from university class is recommended by a health professional as part of a
student’s rehabilitation from a medical or emotional issue.
• The death or terminal illness or funeral of a close relative, only if the instructor is satisfied that
the circumstances are truly exceptional.
• Out of curriculum programs such as field trips, student competitions, internship/job interviews
operating at a high standard of achievement, only if the instructor is satisfied that the
circumstances are truly exceptional.
Where there are exceptional and unforeseen circumstances that fall outside of the above, the instructor
agrees to consult with the Dean/vice-dean prior to any authorization being given to the student.
Valid evidence/proof for absence: Students must provide valid evidence/proof for their request of
absence. The evidence should be in written form for further investigation if necessary. For example,
• Medical evidence in case of illness (e.g., doctor prescriptions, appointment cards, etc.)
• Certification of student attendance in extra-curriculum programs (e.g., field trip program and
certification of student participation, competition registration/invitation, interview invitation,
etc.)
(*) NOTE: In case of doubt, the instructor may request the student to provide more written evidence
with (possibly) certifications of relevant parties.
5.2. Course materials:
(1) Wirtz, J., & Lovelock, C. (2021). Services marketing: People, technology, strategy. World
Scientific. (Available at VinUni library)
(2) Kotler, P., Bowen, J., Makens, J., & Baloglu, S., (2017). Marketing for hospitality and tourism.
UK.: Pearson Education Limited.
(3) Other HBR case studies, journal articles and readings recommended by the lecturer.

6. Grading Procedures
Grades for the 3-credit course based on a combination of individual assessment and group assessment
items (see table below).

Assignment Assessment % CLO1 CLO2 CLO3 CLO4 CLO5

method Weighting

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Review quizzes Individual 20 X
Class engagement X X X X X
(involvement in group
Individual 20
discussion/debate, Q&A,
canvas discussion board)
Case memo Individual 20 X X X
Group consulting project Group 40 X X X X X
Total 100%
Bonus point 10%
(*) with conditions
Review quizzes (see Appendix 2 for the marking rubric)
In lieu of mid-term and final exams, you will take short quizzes every week in a piecemeal manner (per
each module). These non-cumulative quizzes (multiple choice, true/false and short answer format) focus
on your conceptual understanding and application of class material.
Class engagement (see Appendix 3 for the marking rubric)
Participating and contributing to class discussions is all the more important in creating an intimate
learning environment. Overall, class engagement will comprise of:
• attendance: There will be no penalty for missing classes up to twice; no need to email TAs
regarding them. In case of excused absences (above 2 allowed absences), send TA an email (and
copy me) to get approval.
• in-class discussion/debate (30%): In most classes, there will be a topic/question for you to
discuss and debate. You are expected to also follow the SEE principle (Make a Statement, Give
Explanations and Provide an Example) when representing group opinion and debating.
• Q&A quality (40%): It is expected that you ask questions to elaborate further the lecture and
provide answers for questions from the lecturer/ TA as well.

• For the Canvas discussion board component (30%), I will post questions related to your reading
or class topics to encourage elaboration of thought and exchange of ideas throughout the
semester. You are expected to provide your opinion following the SEE principle (Make a
Statement, Give Explanations and Provide an Example).

• Bonus points (you can get up to 100% of class engagement): You will earn points for each entry
on Canvas discussion board or social media. If you have any interesting articles, news, video
clips, or ads related to service excellence that you want to share, use Canvas discussion board
and/or make a post on Facebook/Instagram/Linkedin/TikTok, etc. with #ServiceExellenceCourse
and #Vinuni hashtag.

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Case memo (see Appendix 4 for the marking rubric)
This course features several cases that we will discuss in class. The main objective of the case
assignment is to develop your skills in analyzing situations and presenting well-supported, persuasive
recommendations based on your new knowledge of service experience management and marketing. You
are asked to submit a two-page memo for three of all included cases (financial and other analyses can
be attached as exhibits in addition to the two-page memo). If you submit a memo for more than three
cases, your three best grades will be counted, and bonus points could be applied (up to 10% of this
component). You are expected to be ready to discuss all cases, even if you choose not to hand in a memo
for one of them.
In these memos, start by outlining your recommendations. Then detail your rationale. Make clear
arguments and back them up with relevant course concepts, frameworks, and research. Use your new
knowledge. Your case memos will be evaluated on your ability to use your new knowledge to support
your analysis - merely arriving at a “right” solution is not enough. Memos should use one-inch margins,
12-point font, single or 1.5-line spacing, and follow this basic format:

To: The Board of Directors or President or …

From: Your name
Recommendations:
Rationale:

Group consulting project (see Appendix 1 for the detailed guidelines and marking rubric)
The objectives of the team consulting project are to translate theory into practice by applying course
concepts and frameworks to an actual organization; and, to strengthen written and presentation skills
while demonstrating your knowledge of service experience management and marketing. Toward this
end, you will form a three- or four-person team that will choose a service organization for which to
conduct analyses of service-marketing strategies and tactics. Because of the nature of the analytical
tools, you will learn to use, it is advisable that you select an organization that has a physical presence,
e.g., hospital, restaurant, auto service station, retail store, winery (why not?), hotel, etc. You might select
an organization without a physical presence if the firm instead has a virtual presence (a website) or if the
service is in development.
Your analyses will include an evaluation of the firm’s customers, service promise/concept, and service-
marketing strategies - in particular, the 3Ps of the extended service-marketing mix and marketing-
communications program. The payoff to your analyses is identification of both best practices and areas
for improvement, and detailed, well-supported recommendations for future changes. Your suggested
service strategies and tactics should be grounded in your analyses and justified by relevant concepts,

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models, and research discussed in class and in course readings.
Project Deliverables: You are asked to conduct four analyses and produce one document for each. Your
team will also be selected to present your analysis, findings, and recommendations for one of the
deliverables throughout the course. The associated document for when your team presents can be a
detailed hybrid (reading) PPT deck or a written memo. The deck should contain sufficient elaboration of
ideas and sources such that someone who did not attend the presentation could understand your analysis
and recommendations from the deck alone.
1) Customer and Concept Analysis (20% of group project grade)
Objectives and Overview: To introduce you to market analysis for services, the identification of
customers’ needs and wants, and the assessment of the service promise and service concept.
Process:
➢ Identify and analyze target market(s). Interview management and staff, and use organizational
documents or secondary data sources to determine from the service’s perspective who the market
is (or should be), as well as what customers’ needs and wants are. Next, use appropriate
marketing research tools discussed in class (e.g., observational research, interviews, focus
groups, surveys, content analysis of online reviews) to determine whether the market is right for
the organization and what motivates customers to choose this service (the “whys for buys”). Are
the organization’s and customers’ perspectives aligned? If not, what are the gaps?
➢ Identify and analyze the service promise and service concept from the organization’s
perspective. Are the promise and concept well articulated, understood, and aligned? How does
the firm satisfy customers’ needs? How is customer value created (are managers and staff clear
on this?)? How are essential customer problems solved by core and supporting services?
➢ Evaluate the alignment of the organization’s target market and this market’s needs and wants
with the service promise and service concept (this evaluation may change during the course of
the consulting project as you apply other analytic tools). If the alignment is solid, explain why
this is so. If there appears to be misalignment, identify problems and ways in which customer
needs and wants are not being met. What recommendations do you have for the firm in terms of
target-market strategy and/or the service promise and concept? For example, based on your
customer analysis, should the service promise and/or concept be changed, and if so, how?
Customer - Concept presentation (to be submitted before presentation date): Prepare a presentation to
management that explains your research methods, analysis, findings, conclusions, and
recommendations. Attach relevant data (e.g., interview transcripts or online consumer comments) and
analyses as appendices. Assess the methods you used, what you were able to learn from these methods,

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what information you needed but were unable to get, what you would do differently in a next round of
data collection - and why. Close with ideas for the organization’s target-market strategy and customer-
concept alignment.
Your presentation should be 5-7 slides, excluding appendices and references. Cite your sources.
Length of Customer - Concept presentation: No more than 5 minutes.
Q&A: 5-10 minutes/ group
2) Service-as-Theater Analysis (20% of group project grade)
Objectives and Overview: To provide you with a new perspective and tools for service and customer-
experience analysis using the service-as-theater (S-A-T) framework.
Process:
➢ Attend performances of the service. As members of the audience, document and evaluate
performance elements, including the plot; actors and their roles, scripts, and costumes; scenery,
music, etc. Analyze audience roles; how is the audience integrated into the performance? Could
this be done better to support co-production? How would you rate the performance? Is the
narrative clear? Does the story reflect an experience that fits the target audience and service
concept? Are the different parts mutually supportive or do some elements distract the audience’s
and actors’ attention from effective service co-production?
➢ To support your analyses, produce a short video or digital-picture montage. You should obtain
consent to film/photograph the service stage from someone with the authority to grant such
permission at the organization you’re studying. A sample consent form is available on Bb.
The S-A-T presentation (to be submitted before presentation date): Prepare a presentation to
management that describes the S-A-T framework and how it is used to analyze the service experience.
Present your findings and provide suggestions for how the performance could be improved to enhance
the service experience. In an appendix or attached file, include the images used in your analysis, as well
as descriptions of each scene/photograph and what insights each provides.
Your presentation should be 5-7 slides, excluding appendices and references. Cite your sources.
Length of SAT presentation: No more than 5 minutes.
Q&A: 5-10 minutes/ group
3) Service Blueprinting Project (20% of group project grade)
Objectives and Overview: To develop an understanding of the complexities of service innovation and
the utility of the blueprinting tool for service design, modification, and enhancement.

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Process: Analyze the service experience in terms of critical processes. You probably will need to see the
back-of-house and to speak with support personnel to understand processes from their point of view.
Develop a service blueprint(s) of processes that are important to service delivery. Anchor your blueprint
and analysis with the service promise and concept - and customers’ needs and wants. Make sure
blueprinting elements are complete. Identify intended experiential outcomes, key process-design
elements, fail points and/or bottlenecks in the service system, and points for process improvement.
Based on your analysis, identify ways to mitigate problems as well as opportunities to enhance
important service processes in support of the service promise and experience.
The Blueprint presentation (to be submitted before presentation date): Prepare a presentation to
management that explains the blueprint tool and how it can be used for service design. Describe the
blueprint you produced and the key elements, processes, and problems in the service system. Suggest
solutions to address problem areas or to enhance the intended experience at different stages in the
process. Align recommendations with prior analyses (e.g., customer and concept).
Your presentation should be 5-7 slides, excluding appendices and references. Cite your sources.
Length of Blueprint presentation: No more than 5 minutes.
Q&A: 5-10 minutes/ group
4) Service Marketing Communication proposal (20% of group project grade)
Objectives and Overview: To evaluate how a service symbolizes its promise and communicates this to
customers to attract attention, develop intended meanings, and compel action.
Process: Using communications models we examine in class and based on prior analyses, evaluate the
messages and media the service uses. You might analyze web sites, brochures, promotions, social
media, advertisements, etc. Are these appropriate for accomplishing communications objectives? What
would be more appropriate and at what cost? What kinds of consumer-generated media (e.g., videos,
blogs, online communities) involve the organization? How should these be managed? How well are the
organization’s marketing communications designed to overcome the challenge of service intangibility
and to convey the intended experience? What could be done better to reinforce the brand and to
communicate the service promise? Is the organization using the right communications tools? How well
is the message integrated across media? You might consider interviews with target consumers to see
how they interpret the organization’s messages.
Marketing-Communications Strategy presentation (to be submitted before presentation date): Prepare a
presentation that explains the challenges service marketers face when designing a communications
strategy and relate this to the communications that you analyzed. Describe your analysis and make
recommendations for how the organization can improve its communications strategy. Anchor your ideas

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with your prior analyses.
Your presentation should be 5-7 slides, excluding appendices and references. Cite your sources and
provide examples of the marcom you evaluated, if possible.
Length of Marketing-communication strategy presentation: No more than 5 minutes.
Q&A: 5-10 minutes/ group
5) Group consulting project presentation (20% of group project grade)
Objectives and Overview: To evaluate how your team develop an appropriate, logical, and applicable
service improvement suggestions for the selected company based on reliable and sound analysis.
Process:
➢ Develop a ‘tag-line’ or ‘slogan’ that effectively captures the essence of your service
improvement proposal
➢ Significantly edit, rework and improve your previous submitted components (consumer-concept
analysis, SAT analysis, blueprinting and marketing communication strategy)
➢ Create a coherent story and engaging flow of your project presentation
➢ Provide additional data, supporting information and evidence to strengthen your suggestions
Final consulting project presentation (to be submitted before the final class presentation): Frame your
presentation as if you were reporting your consulting project outcomes to management. It is also
expected that you could make significant improvements on previous works (consumer-concept analysis,
SAT analysis, blueprinting and marketing communication strategy) based on previous Q&A and
feedback. I will re-grade deliverables that are significantly improved and that show solid evidence of
learning and new knowledge of service experience management and marketing.
Ideally, your team should consider sharing your project outcomes with the management of your selected
company and convince them to implement your recommendations. You will get bonus points up to 10%
of group project grade if you get positive feedback from the management team (evidence provided).
Your presentation will be scored by your classmates, who will serve as a proxy board of directors to
evaluate your presentation in terms of conceptual application, analytic excellence, value of strategic
recommendations, knowledge transfer, and professionalism. The winning team will receive a special
“People choice award”.
Length of group presentation: No more than 15 minutes. All group members must present their parts.
Q&A: 5-10 minutes/ group

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7. Academic Integrity
Each student in this course is expected to follow the VinUniversity Code of Academic Integrity.
Students must submit their own work for receiving academic credit in this course. In the case of group
assignments or projects, students must follow the instructions for co-operative work provided by
faculty.
Students are encouraged to study together and to discuss information and concepts covered in the lecture
and the sections with other students. However, no student may copy all or part of the work done by
someone else. If copying occurs, both the student who copied work from another student and the student
who gave material to be copied will both automatically receive a zero for the assignment. Students may
also receive a failing grade for the course and face further disciplinary action. Students may not copy
information from online sources, books, articles, any other public or private source, and submit it as
your own work. When using someone else’s work to support students 'work, students must cite the
appropriate reference. If students use someone else’s work without properly citing it, it is
considered Plagiarism. All submitted materials at VinUniversity are subject to Plagiarism check
using Turnitin. The penalties for plagiarism are the same as those for copying.
During examinations, students must do their own work. Talking or discussion is not permitted during the
examinations. Students may not compare papers or answers, copy from others, or collaborate in any
way. If students fail to follow these rules, students will receive an automatic failure in the exam.
Students may also receive a failing grade for the course and face further disciplinary action.

8. Accommodations for students with disabilities

If you have a disability-related need for reasonable academic adjustments in this course, provide
(Instructor, TA, Course Coordinator) with an accommodation letter from Student Affairs. Students must
declare the need for accommodations at least give two weeks’ ahead of time or within the first two class
meetings.

9. Inclusivity Statement
VinUniversity supports an inclusive learning environment that acknowledges, seeks to understand, and
respects the differences among individuals, and welcomes diversity as a source of our individual and
collective strength. Students and instructors in this class are expected to respect differences and
demonstrate diligence in understanding how other peoples' perspectives and behaviors may be different
from their own. Adapted from the inclusivity statement at Cornell University, found here
https://teaching.cornell.edu/resource/getting-started-constructing-syllabus.

10. Class Schedule*

Please use this link to see the updated class schedule.
*This schedule is subject to change.

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 APPENDIX 1: RUBRIC FOR GROUP CONSULTING PROJECT (Weighting: 40%)
Semester / Year Fall 2023
Assessment Task GROUP CONSULTING PRESENTATION
Excellent
(5 marks)
Excellent analysis of customers’ needs and
wants, service promise and service concept
20% based on reliable and convincing data,
Consumer- including primary data collected by the
concept analysis team.
Oral presentation was highly professional
and WOW.
All references are well cited and formatted.
(5 marks)
Excellent analysis of service experiences,
with engaging video or digital-picture
20% montage.
SAT analysis Creative and applicable suggestions to
enhance the service experience provided.
Oral presentation was highly professional
and WOW.
All references are well cited and formatted.
(5 marks)
Excellent design and explanations of service
blueprint, with key elements, processes, and
problems in the service system.
Creative and applicable suggestions to
20% Blueprinting
enhance the service experience provided.
Oral presentation was highly professional
and WOW.
All references are well cited and formatted.
Good
(4 marks)
Very good analysis of customers’ needs and
wants, service promise and service concept
based on reliable data, including primary data
collected by the team.
Oral presentation was professional.
Most references are well cited and formatted.
(4 marks)
Very good analysis of service experiences,
with relevant video or digital-picture
montage.
Relatively novel and applicable suggestions
to enhance the service experience provided.
Oral presentation was professional.
Most references are well cited and formatted.
(4 marks)
Very good design and explanations of service
blueprint, with almost key elements,
processes, and problems in the service
system.
Relatively novel and applicable suggestions
to enhance the service experience provided.
Oral presentation was professional.
Most references are well cited and formatted.
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Satisfactory
(3 marks)
Adequate analysis of customers’ needs and
wants, service promise and service concept
based on data collected by the team from
various sources.
(3 marks)
Adequate analysis of service experiences,
with some relevant video or digital-picture
montage.
Applicable suggestions to enhance the service
experience provided.
Oral presentation was not as professional as it
should be (some note reading, lack of eye-
contact). Appropriate referencing.
(3 marks)
Adequate design and explanations of service
blueprint, with some key elements, processes,
and problems in the service system.
Applicable suggestions to enhance the service
experience provided.
Oral presentation was not as professional as it
should be (some note reading, lack of eye-
contact). Appropriate referencing.
Unsatisfactory
(0 - 2 marks)
Inadequate analysis of customers’ needs
and wants, service promise and service
concept; no primary data collected by the
team.
(0 - 2 marks)
Inadequate analysis of service
experiences, with some relevant video or
digital-picture montage.
Inapplicable suggestions to enhance the
service experience provided.
Oral presentation was incompetent.
Most references are NOT cited and well
formatted.
(0 - 2 marks)
Inadequate design and explanations of
service blueprint, with some key
elements, processes, and problems in the
service system.
Inapplicable suggestions to enhance the
service experience provided.
Oral presentation was incompetent. Most
references are NOT cited and well
formatted.
 (5 marks)
Excellent analysis of challenges the
company faces when designing and
Marketing – implementing a communication strategy.
20% Communication Creative, applicable and cost-effective
Strategy suggestions to improve the company’s
communication strategy provided.
Oral presentation was highly professional
and WOW.
All references are well cited and formatted.
(5 marks)
Consulting project is excellent in terms of
logics, conceptual application, analytics,
value of strategic recommendations.
Oral presentation was highly professional
and WOW.
Final
20% All references are well cited and formatted.
presentation
Asking very sharp questions to challenge
the solution provided by other groups.
Provide excellent answers (with evidence
and examples) to address all questions.
(4 marks)
Very good analysis of challenges the
company faces when designing and
implementing a communication strategy.
Relatively novel and applicable cost-effective
suggestions to improve the company’s
communication strategy provided.
Oral presentation was professional.
Most references are well cited and formatted.
(4 marks)
Consulting project is well done in terms of
logics, conceptual application, analytics,
value of strategic recommendations.
Oral presentation was professional.
Most references are well cited and formatted.
Asking good questions to challenge the
solution provided by other groups.
Provide good answers to address all
questions.
(3 marks)
Adequate analysis of challenges the company
faces when designing and implementing a
communication strategy.
Applicable suggestions to improve the
company’s communication
Oral presentation was not as professional as it
should be (some note reading, lack of eye-
contact). Appropriate referencing.
(3 marks)
Consulting project is satisfactory in terms of
logics, conceptual application, analytics,
value of strategic recommendations.
Oral presentation was not as professional as it
should be (some note reading, lack of eye-
contact). Appropriate referencing.
Asking relevant questions to challenge the
solution provided by other groups.
Provide satisfactory answers to address all
questions.
(0 - 2 marks)
Inadequate analysis of challenges the
company faces when designing and
implementing a communication strategy.
Inapplicable suggestions to improve the
company’s communication
Oral presentation was incompetent.
Most references are NOT cited and well
formatted.
(0 - 2 marks)
Consulting project is unsatisfactory in
terms of logics, conceptual application,
analytics, value of strategic
recommendations.
Oral presentation was incompetent.
Most references are NOT cited and well
formatted.
Asking irrelevant questions
Provide insufficient answers to address all
questions.

RUBRIC FOR PEER-EVALUATION

Semester / Year Spring 2023

Assessment Task Self-evaluation/ Peer evaluation rubric (100%)

Excellent Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory

(5 marks) (4 marks) (3 marks) (0 - 2 marks)

Professionalism Show excellent professionalism when Perform good professionalism when Adequate professionalism when Be mostly late, absent in group meeting.
(meeting attendance, collaborating with other team members. collaborating with other team members. collaborating with other team members. Also irresponsive to team
30% punctuality, meeting Always be punctual, present, well-prepared Be mostly punctual, present and well Be always present and somehow engaged communication.
deadlines, and proactive in leading group meetings. engaged in group meetings. in group meetings, sometimes late.
responsiveness) Always complete work before deadlines and Never miss any deadlines. Almost meet all deadlines.
keep group progress in a good pace.

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 (5 marks) (4 marks) (3 marks) (0 - 2 marks)
Make outstanding contributions to the group Make significant contributions to the Make satisfactory contributions to the Make insufficient contribution to the
assignment by delivering high quality work. group assignment by delivering good group assignment by completing work in group assignment.
40% Work quality Provide critical and helpful quality work. time. Do not deliver work in time and often
comments/feedback for other team members Provide comments/feedback for other rely on others’ support in the last
to improve the quality of the group team members to improve the quality of minute.
assignment. the group assignment.
(5 marks) (4 marks) (3 marks) (0 - 2 marks)
Respect and support
30% Always show absolute respect and Always show respect and sometimes Demonstrate enough respect to others. Lack of respect for others.
other group members
permanent support to other members. support others when needed. Never support others.

(*) Note: All group members do not necessarily get similar marks by completing the group assignment together. Peer evaluations will
be employed to adjust individual marks from group marks. Each group member will complete a self-evaluation form and peer-
evaluation forms for others using the three criteria above. The group contribution score will be calculated and:
➢ If this score falls in “unsatisfactory” category, individual mark is equal to 50% of group mark.
➢ If this score falls in “satisfactory” category, individual mark is equal to 80% of group mark.
➢ If this score falls in “good” and “excellent” category, individual mark is equal to 100% of group mark.
➢ The most outstanding team member can get an extra 5% of group mark if being “nominated” by other team members (based
on peer-evaluation and numbers of nominations)

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 APPENDIX 2:
Rubrics to evaluate review quizzes and discussion board engagement on Canvas (20%)
Semester / Year Fall 2023

Assessment Task

Excellent Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory

(5 marks) (4 marks) (3 marks) (0 - 2 marks)

Demonstrate excellent understanding of key
concepts, outstanding ability to apply
knowledge in addressing business
issues/problems.
100% Weekly quizzes
Each answer follows perfectly the SEE
principle (Make a Statement, Give
Explanations and Provide an Example).
Highly relevant information, examples are
selected from reliable sources.
Clear thought given to key concepts and
proficient ability to apply knowledge in
addressing business issues/problems.
Each answer follows the SEE principle
(Make a Statement, Give Explanations and
Provide an Example). Very good
information, examples are provided.
Some thought given to key concepts Insufficient and inadequate answer to the quiz
adequate ability to apply knowledge in question.
addressing business issues/problems.
Students try to provide some information,
examples to support the statement made.

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 APPENDIX 3:
Rubrics to evaluate class engagement (20%)
Semester / Year Spring 2023

Assessment Task

Excellent Very Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory

(5 marks) (4 marks) (3 marks) (0 - 2 marks)

Proactively being engaged in group Being well engaged in group discussion Being engaged in group discussion Insufficient and inadequate engagement in
discussion Presenting thoughtful presentation of group Sharing individual opinion on the given group discussion. Never presenting on behalf
Group of the group
Presenting a very insightful and thoughtful opinion on the given topic/question. topic/question and providing some
30% discussion and
presentation of group opinion on the given Very good information, examples are information, examples to support the
presentation
topic/question. provided. statement made.
Highly relevant information, examples are
selected from reliable sources provided.

(5 marks) (4 marks) (3 marks) (0 - 2 marks)

Asking very sharp questions to challenge the
Q&A lecturer or others
40%
Provide excellent answers (with evidence and
examples) to address given questions.
Asking good questions to challenge the Asking relevant questions to challenge Asking irrelevant questions
lecturer or others the lecturer or others Provide insufficient answers to address given
Provide good answers to address given Provide satisfactory answers to address questions.
questions. given questions.

(5 marks) (4 marks) (3 marks) (0 - 2 marks)

Canvas Very insightful and thoughtful discussion on Insightful and thoughtful discussion on the Relevant discussion on the given Insufficient and inadequate discussion on the
discussion the given topic/question. given topic/question. topic/question. given topic/question
30%
board Each post follows perfectly the SEE Each post follows the SEE principle. Good Students try to provide some
engagement principle. Highly relevant information, information, examples are provided. information, examples to support the
examples are selected from reliable sources. statement made.

(*) You get bonus mark if you initiate new discussion on Canvas and/or on Facebook/Instagram/Linkedin/Tiktok, etc. with
#ServiceExcellenceCourse and #Vinuni hashtags. You can share articles, news, video clips, or ads related to service excellence. The
bonus will be decided based on how viral your posts (number of likes, comments, shares) are. The maximum bonus is for students to
get up to 100% of this assessment.

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 APPENDIX 4: Rubrics to evaluate students’ case memo (20%)
Semester / Year Fall 2023

Assessment Task

Excellent Very Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory

(5 marks) (4 marks) (3 marks) (0 - 2 marks)

All key information presented in a highly
logical and interesting manner making it easy
for the audience to follow and understand the
PRESENTATION content and purpose of the proposal.
20%
QUALITY (*) Oral presentation (if videos are submitted)
was highly professional and WOW.
All references are well cited and formatted.
Almost all key information presented in a
logical manner making it easy for the
audience to follow and understand the
content and purpose of the proposal.
Oral presentation (if videos are submitted)
was professional.
Most references are well cited and
formatted.
Information could be presented in a
more logical manner and as a result the
audience would have found it difficult
to follow at times.
Oral presentation (if videos are
submitted) was not as professional as it
should be (some note reading, lack of
eye-contact).
Appropriate referencing.
Information presented in a poorly
developed and illogical manner which
the audience struggled to follow.
Oral presentation (if videos are
submitted) was incompetent.
Most references are NOT cited and well
formatted.

(5 marks) (4 marks) (3 marks) (0 - 2 marks)

APPLICATION Very clear thought given throughout to case Relatively clear thought given to case Thought given to case analysis and Inadequate case analysis and irrelevant
80% OF THEORY TO
analysis and excellent suggestions provided analysis and good suggestions provided to adequate suggestions provided to suggestions provided to improve
PRACTICE
to improve business performance. improve business performance. improve business performance. business performance.

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