EBUS634 Service Operations Management

You will choose a service organisation that has been in the news, and use any of the tools, models or techniques we have discussed, to analyse a service (or services) provided by this organisation to shed light on why the organisation may have experienced the reported issues, and how it may address them.

Your assignment will review the existing literature on the tools, models or techniques you choose.  You should use the key papers, but then in your literature review go beyond the key papers, to find more recent discussions on those topics.

Your task:

• You will review an existing service that has been in the (UK) news (cited)

• You may pick an example we have covered, or choose one yourself

• You will profile this service using tools, models or techniques you have learned about

• Discuss the company’s options for addressing issues identified in the news, without compromising profitability.

• Consider the pros and cons of options you identify

• You must focus on service operations!!

• The purpose is to demonstrate that you understand key conceptual principles and can interpret them for a real-world example.  

For those seeking higher marks, I recommend that you also include a discussion on ONE advanced service topic, such as Lean Service or Service Dominant Logic OR discuss relevant material from the last 2 weeks, such as service innovation, service value, or (if your service is a public sector service) specific public sector challenges your service faces.

The required structure (and suggested word count):

· Introduction (500)

o Introduce the subject.  Tell the reader what your paper is about, simply explain what your chosen service is, summarising some of the issues it faces, and referencing at least one article in the media on problems faced by that organisation.  

o Tell the reader which analysis tools you are going to apply to this organisation

o Provide a one sentence summary of something very interesting you have found out about this organisation’s operations that makes the reader want to read the rest of your paper!!

· Literature (1250)

o Substantial section that identifies and discusses the key original articles along with a number of recent academic papers relevant to your analysis and discussion.

o Make sure you have a sub-section for each analysis technique you have used (e.g. volume-variety matrix, service blueprinting, lean service).  

o Make sure you have a very short introduction that tells the reader what to expect.  Which topics are you going to discuss.

o Tip:  Try to avoid introducing too many topics.  Depth is better than breadth. Show that you have read widely and understood academic papers.

· Analysis and discussion (1000)

o In this section you will use diagrams and/or tables firstly to describe your service organisation (e.g. a 4V’s diagram, a Volume-variety diagram with one or more plots showing the services your organisation offers)

o You will describe in detail operations issues you have found in your search of the media (citing your media sources) and discuss these against existing academic knowledge you identified in your literature review.  What are the implications for your organisation?  What could it do differently to tackle issues you have identified?

· Conclusions (250)

o Short summary and reflections of your key points.  

o What do you want the reader to remember from your assignment?

o At least 10 academic papers from quality academic journals.

o Additional references from non-academic sources for any sources you have used to tell the reader about the company you discuss.

The report MUST NOT exceed 3000 words (excluding front sheet, tables or diagrams copied from academic sources, appendices and references).  Penalties apply where this limit is exceeded.

We will discuss this assignment in both weeks 5 and 6.  Please ensure you attend.   This is an individual assignment, and the report must be all your own work.  You must submit an electronic copy only, through TurnitIn.