TO5044 - Service Industries Marketing

Credit points:	03
Year:	2010
Student Contribution Band:	Band 3
Administered by:	School of Business

The theme of the subject is that services (hospitality, tourism, financial, telecommunication, professional services, and not-for-profit services etc.) possess several unique characteristics that require a distinctive approach to the marketing planning process - both in its development and execution. Understanding consumer behaviour in the services context is critical before examining approaches to improve service quality, increase and maintain customer satisfaction levels, generate customer loyalty, and creating a healthy service culture within the firm. Defining the target market and service positioning strategy underlies the development of the 'Services Marketing Mix' (the traditional 4 Ps plus people, processes, and physical evidence). With service industries having a strong people and employee component (the fifth "p" of the marketing mix), time is devoted to examining successful internal marketing and relationship management approaches, in addition to the more traditional customer-focused external marketing. Handling customer complaints and managing service recovery is central to services marketing. Through engaging in the subject, students will develop skills and knowledge to enable them to analyse and evaluate an array of real-world service case studies and develop a services marketing plan.

Learning Outcomes

• devise a service marketing strategy (including target market, positioning & 7Ps) to deliver value to customers and a sustainable competitive advantage to the service firm;
• analyse and evaluate causes of service failure and complaint behaviour and devise appropriate service recovery strategies;
• prepare students to deal with the crucial role of service encounters and managing customer relationships in high and low contact service industries;
• analyse and evaluate the differences between services and goods marketing and the impact on service marketing strategy development (7Ps) and implementation;
• analyse and evaluate an array of factors that influence consumer behaviour and the impact on customer perception of service quality and satisfaction in the services context.

Graduate Qualities

• The ability to adapt knowledge to new situations;
• The ability to define and to solve problems in at least one discipline area;
• The ability to think critically, to analyse and evaluate claims, evidence and arguments, and to reason and deploy evidence clearly and logically;
• The ability to deploy critically evaluated information to practical ends;
• The ability to find and access information using appropriate media and technologies;
• The ability to evaluate that information;
• The ability to select and organise information and to communicate it accurately, cogently, coherently, creatively and ethically;
• The acquisition of coherent and disciplined sets of skills, knowledge, values and professional ethics from at least one discipline area;
• The ability to reflect on and evaluate learning, and to learn independently in a self directed manner;
• The ability to read complex and demanding texts accurately, critically and insightfully;
• The ability to speak and write clearly, coherently and creatively;
• The ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences;
• The ability to lead, manage and contribute effectively to teams;
• The ability to work with people of different gender, age, ethnicity, culture, religion and political persuasion;
• The ability to work individually and independently;
• The ability to use online technologies effectively and ethically.

Inadmissible Subject Combinations:

TO3044 TO6044 TO2044 BX3041

Availabilities
Cairns, Internal, Study Period 2
Census Date 26-Aug-2010
Coord/Lect:	Dr Janelle Rose.
Contact hours:	39 hours workshops/Seminars
Assessment:	end of semester exam (35% - 50%); quizzes or tests (10% - 15%); assignments (35% - 50%).

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.