Instructions for Service Management Assessment

Instructions for candidates
 

1.Student ID Number 
Please complete page 1 of this document with your student ID number. Read all the following instructions carefully before starting the assessment. 

2.Assessment Format 
This is an open book assessment which can be submitted at any time within the permitted 48 hours assessment window. The examiners will be expecting answers similar to those produced under examination conditions, not long essays.  Full references and bibliographies are not therefore expected, unless specified in the assessment instructions. Please use in-text citations to indicate source material where appropriate.

3.Academic Integrity Statement for Remote Assessments

By submitting this assessment you confirm that this is your original work and that you have not enlisted the help of others at any point. You understand that this assessment is undertaken without invigilation, and that you have not communicated with anyone concerning this assessment before the deadline for submission. Deliberate academic misconduct is taken very seriously by the Department and may lead to severe penalties. Please refer to our Assessment Offence policy for further information.

4.Word Limit
The word limit is 1000 words per question.  

5.Assessment Window
This assessment was released at 10 AM on Thursday, 8th July 2021. The window for completion of this assessment is 48 hours. The assessment is expected to take 2 hours (or more if identified in a Study Support Plan). 

6.Deadline
The deadline for submission of this assessment is 10 AM on Saturday, 10th July 2021. 

Assessment Instructions

Answer 2 questions only
The total number of questions is 4
All questions carry equal marks
Cross through/delete any material you do not wish to be considered
No credit will be given for additional questions attempted
CLEARLY indicate which parts of the question you are answering

Questions

Question 1
a)What strategies can service companies use to manage fluctuations in demand and capacity? Use examples, where relevant, to develop your answer. (40 marks)

b) Explain how service providers can organise their queuing configurations, to minimise wait times. (30 marks)

c) Is all wait time negative? Explain how waiting can be a positive experience for customers, using examples to expand your answer. (30 marks)

Question 2 
The Flower of Service model differentiates between facilitating and enhancing supplementary services. 

a)Explain the model and how it relates to the service offering of a hotel or restaurant.    (60 marks)

b)What are the managerial implications of the model that make it less appropriate for use in the public sector? (40 marks) 

Question 3 
a)What is service quality and how does it differ from customer satisfaction? (40 marks)

b)What is the difference between hard and soft measures of service quality? (10 marks)

c)Identify and expand upon the 5 dimensions of service quality as defined in the SERVQUAL model, using examples to support your answer. (40 marks) 

d)List 3 advantages of blueprinting for services (10 marks)

Question 4
Using the wheel of loyalty model, define the steps service companies can take to improve customer loyalty? Your answer should consider, with examples, how service marketers use the additional 3 Ps within the extended marketing mix to build loyalty (100 marks)