Services Marketing
Minor Assessment Project Guidelines
AY 2015 2016 Term 2
BSc in Business Administration
Course Services Marketing UG6014
Module Leader Jesús Boix
Percentage of Final Grade Given 40%
Assessment 1 Duration/Length Weighting Timing
Group Project (2-4) people 4-6000 words 10% Week 6
Group Presentation 20 minutes 5% Week 6
Individual Content of Group Report 1000 words 25% Week 6
Objectives
The assignment has been designed to marry the theoretical analysis and practical application of the
concepts of ‘SERVICES MARKETING’.
Project Description
Each group will undertake the design of a service concept for a new company (Newco). Please choose any
sector, Fashion, Sports, IT, Healthcare, Supermarkets etc…
The successful completion of this project requires collection of primary data, by visiting real services of the
chosen sector. This will aid the student in understanding the different aspects to take in consideration at
the time of developing the service plan. Direct references should be shown and related to the positioning
strategy of the brand.
Please use the structure below to construct the content of your report.
BRAND AND BRAND POSITIONING: The students must define the USP (Unique selling proposition). Brand
positioning should be developed and compared with selected real market competitors. In order to defend
the chosen positioning, students should develop a competitor analysis and client segmentation.
a. Identify and define chosen service and its USP, explain what problems it resolves for the
clients.
b. Develop a competitor analysis and client segmentation in order to defend Newco´s
positioning
c. Develop a positioning graph against competitors.
SERVICE ENVIRONMENT: This section should be used to clearly define how the service environment will be
constructed. Students should be base their decisions following the positioning, competitor analysis and
client segmentation exercise in previous section.
d. Clearly define the service and how the service will be developed.
e. Special focus on quality control and client satisfaction strategies
f. Compare and contrast 4Ps of porter for the service provided.
SERVICE ANALYSIS: Develop Business Plan Canvas (see annex 1) for the chosen service plan. Please answer
all the questions within each quadrant. (See online references). Put special focus on the following topics;
a. How does the brand promote its value proposition through core and supplementary
services?
b. Identify what are the key services that take relevance at the time of promoting satisfactory
user experience.
c. How does operations in service marketing enhance productivity and improve customer
satisfaction.
d. Define strategies for management to implement innovation within the service.
Individual reports should focus on the adaptation of the chosen service to online channel. The student
should define an online strategy and should identify and analyse the critical aspects the Newco should
take in consideration at the time of promoting its UPS and positioning through the online channels.
Format of the Project:
This is a group project. Groups should be made up of 2 to 4 participants. Groups can be chosen at your
convenience and should be submitted to the course lecturer with the subject of your project. In the event
that groups cannot be amicably selected the course lecturer will select groups, even amongst those groups
already decided. The course lecturer reserves the right to select groups without recourse or debate.
The project should be prepared as a neatly typed Word document (Times New Roman 12 points), with
double spacing and page numbering, and it should be presented in a folder.
The written project are expected to consist of approximately 1000 words per student (not counting tables
or inserts, introduction and conclusions). The individual work should consist of one service evaluation and
should cover sections numbered 1 to 3 from the above. The individual work should be clearly indicated.
Tables or work/data taken from other sources maybe included in an appendix.
All sources must be referenced in the text and a full bibliography must be provided (including visited
websites) in the Harvard style.
Students are reminded to use valid and peer-reviewed references to support their work. Websites
should only be used if they represent an established source and only for facts and figures. Students
should make the most of academic and practitioner books and articles.
All projects will be discussed in class in a power point presentation of no more than 20 minutes. The
presentation should be a summary of your work.
Deadline(s):
Written work: 28 February 2016
Oral presentations: WEEK 6
Submission details will be posted on your local Portal
Reference Books:
? Lovelock, Christopher & Jocken Wirtz. (2009) Services marketing: people, technology, strategy
? (Latest Edition), Publisher: Prentice Hall Sixth Edition
? Bruhn, Manfred and Georgi, Domink, (2006) Services Marketing: Managing the Service Value Chain.
(2006) Pearson Education Limited, Essex
? Gilmore, Audrey (203) Services Marketing and Management. (2003) Sage Publications Limited,
London
? Hoffman, Douglas K & Bateson, John E G Mason, (2006) Services Marketing: Concepts, Strategies
and Cases (2006) 3rd edition. Thomson South-Western Higher Education,
? Palmer, Adrian (2005) Principles of Services Marketing4th Edition. McGraw-Hill education,
Maidenhead
? Zeithaml V and Bitner M, (2008) Services Marketing, McGraw Hill
? Roger Kerin, Robert Peterson, Strategic Marketing Problems: Cases and Comments (11th Edition)
Publisher: Prentice Hall; 11 edition (September 30, 2006),
Online References
? Business Model Generation:
https://archive.org/stream/bplans_Business_Model_Generation/Business_Model_Generation
GENERAL MARKING CRITERIA (UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES)
Excellent work:
70%
Above
satisfactory work:
60% – 69%
Satisfactory:
50 – 59%
Below satisfactory
work:
40% – 49%
Failure:
Below 40%
Relevance Excellent knowledge
and understanding of
material and an
imaginative sense of
its relevance across a
range of issues, and
context or policy
situation; excellent
use of course material
and other relevant
information to support
argument
Very good use of
course material and
other information;
well-chosen to
support arguments
relevant to question
Competent use of
course materials
and other
information to
support most
arguments
Some use of
appropriate course
materials and
experience to support
arguments; capacity to
identify relevance, but
may be rather
narrowly
focused and miss out
important areas
Little or no sign
of relevance
Content Independent and
creative, and
demonstrates clear
thinking; ability to
analyse and critically
evaluate material
Good knowledge
and understanding
of the material,
across a broad
spectrum, combined
with an ability to
evaluate, analyse
and reflect on key
issues
Reasonable
knowledge of the
material and ability
to draw upon more
than one source
for ideas; uses key
themes well.
Adequate
understanding and
use of course and
other relevant
material; mostly
descriptive, but with
some grasp of key
course themes and
issues and a capacity
to discuss these in
context
Very limited
knowledge and
understanding
and the issues
involved
Depth A sensitive
awareness of
conflicting
arguments and ideas
and of their
provenance. Clear
grasp of implications.
Well organised use
of most of the major
points with an ability
to draw upon them
creatively and
critically; awareness
of conflicting
arguments and
ideas and attempt to
address them in
context
Capacity to
grapple with
conflicting
arguments and
ideas; beginning to
draw together and
synthesise ideas
and perspectives
from a range of
theory
Some attempt to
address the conflicting
arguments and ideas
from the course, some
signs
of an attempt to take
an evaluative,
analytical and critical
stance; some
appropriate use of
concepts, but with
only limited evidence
of independent
thinking
Lack of
awareness of
conflicting
arguments and
ides
Structure Excellent
organisation of
material; clear, logical
flow of argument;
good sign-posting
throughout
Good, clear
framework and
reasoned argument
with evidence of
careful thought
Sensible use of
major points
integrated into the
answer; logical
flow of ideas is
apparent
Framework is
apparent with an
introduction, argument
and conclusion, but
the logical flow and
coherence is not
always consistent and
may be difficult to
follow
Little or no
evidence of
planned
structure and
organisation
?
ANNEX 1