Complete Syllabus of Services Marketing | MKT 690 | MBS 4th semester

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 48

Course Objectives:

This course aims to develop students’ understanding of the strategic issues related to marketing of services.

Course Description:

The unique nature of services requires a different marketing approach and strategy than that traditionally used for marketing goods. Through this course students are expected to learn the nature of services and service marketing; measurement of the service customer’s expectation and perception; service quality; and management of the service product mix. By the end of this course, students should be able to understand the importance of services and service marketing; demonstrate a detailed understanding of the service quality management issues; and develop their analytical perspectives on management of the service marketing mix management.

Course Details:

Unit 1: Introduction to Service and Service Marketing LH 12

Meaning of service. Perspectives on services. Nature of service products and its management challenges. Services marketing: concept and nature. Reasons for the development of service marketing. Importance of service marketing to a firm. The service marketing mix (7Ps). The services marketing triangle: external, internal and interactive marketing in services.

Unit 2: Customers’ Expectations and Perceptions of Services LH 6

Customer’s expectations: concept, levels of customers’ expectations and zone of tolerance. Customers’ perceptions: concept, areas of perception, customer satisfaction determinants.

Unit 3: Service Quality and Encounter Management LH 12

Service Quality: Approaches to service quality – traditional and contemporary approaches. Dimensions of service quality. The service quality gaps model: reasons for the gaps and possible strategies to reduce the gaps. Measurement of service quality: The SERVQUAL instrument. Service Encounter: Concepts and types of encounter. Service encounter and customer participation. Areas of service failures. Service failures and customers’ complaints. Service recovery: concept and strategies. Service guarantees: importance and types.

Unit 4: Service Marketing Mix Management LH 18

Service product management: new service development – new service development process. Branding and positioning of a service product. Service distribution: distribution options and strategic decisions. Service pricing: The uniqueness of service pricing. Approaches to service pricing. Service promotions: IMC for services. Promotion strategies in services. People: managing internal people (employee) – service vision, mission and culture. The service profit chain. Managing external people (customers) – customer care and customer participation in services. Process: Types of service processing. The service process matrix. Physical evidences and services capes: concepts and role of physical evidences. Types of service capes. Services capes’ impact on customers and employee.

References:

Zeithamel, Valerie, Mary Jo Bitner, Dwayne Grembler and Ajay Pandit, Services Marketing, MeGraw Hill India.

Bhattacharjee C, Services Marketing, Excel Books India.

Apte, Govind, Services Marketing, Oxford University Press.