During the semester there will be five individual written assignments; each student is required to do three. (All students must complete the complaint letter assignment.  The remaining two assignments will be determined in negotiation with other team members.)  The purpose of these "application exercises" is to give you an opportunity to apply concepts learned during the semester. Each of these assignments will involve application of critical analysis and effective writing skills. The five individual assignments include:

Company Complaint Letter & Response Analysis. (required) Each student will be required to write a letter of complaint to an organization from which the student has received less-than-satisfactory experience with the company's service offering. Near the end of the semester you will turn in the letter, a copy of the company's response, and your own written analysis of their response or the lack thereof.

Service Encounter Journal and Paper. For the first part of this assignment each student will record 10 Ajournal@ entries concerning service encounters that they experience during the first few weeks of the semester. A form is provided for the journal in both Word and WordPerfect formats. The second part of this assignment involves writing a paper analyzing your experiences.

Service Watch. Students will be required to find ("watch for") one article in the current business press that addresses services marketing issues. The assignment involves writing a short paper discussing how this article relates three services marketing concepts examined in the course and a presentation of your findings to the class.

Case Analysis. During the semester we will discuss various marketing cases, most of which are noted in the syllabus. Active student participation in the case discussions is essential to the learning process. All students will be expected to be prepared for and contribute to the case discussion. However, in order for students to be guaranteed an opportunity to contribute to the discussion, each student will be assigned to be on a "panel of experts" for a particular case. Those on the panel will be graded on oral participation and will be required to turn in a written summary of the case.

Service Blueprint. Students choosing this assignment will be required to construct a detailed service blueprint for a particular service provider and present it to the class. The assignment will also involve writing a short paper discussing how the blueprint might be used to improve marketing and operations in the organization.

In these assignments you may be required to share, time permitting, the information from these assignments with your classmates. Thus, as you write these assignments, you should consider the audience for your paper to be your peers--that is, fellow students who are just beginning to learn about and understand services marketing concepts.

Each assignment should be word-processed, double-spaced, and printed using no larger than 12-point type.  Concise, clear writing in each of these assignments is expected.  As such, you will not receive extra credit for proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc., but will receive a poor evaluation of the assignment if these areas are found to be lacking.

Each assignment will be due in class at the beginning of class on the assigned due date. If you have any questions about any of these assignments, please come see me. It is your responsibility to seek clarification on any assignment you do not understand.  Writing quality will be assessed using the guidelines specified by BGSU.

I have put together a tentative rubric for each of the five assignments listed above.  That is, I have an evaluation sheet that I use in evaluating each assignment.  To gain access to the form that I use for each assignment, click on the assignments listed below and the hyperlinked WordPerfect file should contain the evaluation form for each assignment.  (For some reason this is NOT working yet!)

Company Complaint Letter and Response Analysis

Objective

To provide you with the opportunity to provide feedback to a service firm, as well as help you understand and evaluate the customer service and "recovery" aspects of a specific firm.

Directions

You are to write a letter to any company from whom you, in your opinion, have received bad or at least less-than-satisfactory service during the first few weeks of the semester. You do not have to be extremely upset; it may be simply that the firm did not supply service that met your expectations. (Note: This could be an experience that is captured in your service encounter journal.)  At the end of the semester you will be required to analyze the company=s response (or lack thereof) to your letter.

Requirements

Complaint Letter. (10 points) After your less-than-satisfactory service, you are to obtain the name and address of the appropriate person to whom to complain (this may take some research!) and write a formal letter of complaint. In the letter, you should describe your poor experience and, if appropriate, you may also suggest an action the company could take to appropriately "recover" in this situation. (Do not state in the letter that you are doing this as a class project.) In order to give the company a chance to respond before the end of the semester, the letter should be mailed by September 23. and a copy turned in the next class (September 26).  The letter will be reviewed and returned to you for inclusion in your written analysis.

Register the Complaint. (5 points) As part of the complaint process, you are to register your complaint online with the following web site: http://www.ecomplaints.com. (You may select another online complaint site with prior approval from the instructor.)  A printed copy of your registered complaint, also due on September 26, should be attached to the copy of the complaint letter you turn in to the instructor.

Praise Letter. (5 points) In addition to your less-than-satisfactory service experience, you are likely to have a good service experience during the semester. For this part of the assignment, you are to write to a service company to praise the person (or persons) who provided you with a good service experience. In the letter, you should describe your pleasant experience and, if appropriate, mention the individual(s) by name. As with the complaint letter, you are to obtain the name and address of the appropriate person to whom to address the letter. (Do not state in the letter that you are doing this as a class project.) You have until November 21 to write this letter; however, the company’s "response" to the letter will not be part of your "analysis" (discussed below).

Analysis of Company's Response. (80 points) After you have sent your letter, wait for a response from the organization. Near the end of the semester, you will turn in (1) a copy of your letter to the firm, (2) a copy of the response letter from the firm, if there is any, and (3) a brief description of any other response from the firm related to your letter (response by telephone, E-mail, or any other form). If there is no response, just include your letter and a note that there was no response of any kind.

You are also to include a short (3-4 pages, double-spaced) paper analyzing the situation that led to your complaint, the nature of your complaint, what you expected the firm to do in response to your complaint, and how you now feel toward the organization. Also, if the firm did respond, you should (1) describe what the response was and (2) discuss the adequacy of the firm=s response (in your opinion as a consumer). If they did not respond, you should (1) discuss why you think you did not receive a response and (2) write a letter to yourself (on behalf of the company) that addresses what you believe the firm should have done and discuss why this would be an adequate response. (Note: What they should have done may not be exactly what you expected or wanted them to do.)  Finally, you should conclude your paper with a discussion of what you learned from this experience.

Concise, clear writing in both the letter and your paper is expected. As such, you will not receive extra credit for proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc., but will receive a poor evaluation of the assignment if these areas are found to be lacking.

Due Date

The first part of this assignment (the complaint letter) is due at the beginning of class on September 26. The praise letter is due at the beginning of class on November 21.  (Any of these three parts of the assignment can be turned in early.) Your analysis of the company=s response is due at the beginning of class on December 7.

Service Encounter Journal

Objective

To become more aware of critical aspects of the service encounter from a customer=s perspective.

Directions

We all have a number of such encounters each week, including (but not limited to) restaurants, banks, airlines, dry cleaners, doctors, dentists, libraries, photographers, tutors, travel agencies, theaters, pest control agencies, phone companies, automotive mechanics, insurance companies, attorneys, accountants, and copy centers. You are to keep a "journal" of your service encounter experiences. The purpose of the journal is to identify sources of customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction with services.

Requirements

Journal entries. (30 points) You are asked to complete 10 journal entry forms.  Each entry will correspond to one service encounter that you have during the semester. Your journal may be written (if you have neat, clear, legible handwriting) or typed. If you desire, you can use your favorite word processor to set up a file with the questions from the entry form. You can then enter descriptions of the service encounters as you experience them.  A form is provided for the journal in both Word and WordPerfect formats. ( One blank copy is also included below.)  Be sure to completely answer the questions on the journal entry form. If you make copies of the form and need more room to answer the questions, you may write on the back of the entry form or attach a page to the form. Your inclusion of the important details of the service encounter will help you in writing your service encounter paper.

Try to record an assortment of types of encounters from a variety of service industries (i.e., don=t do all restaurants) as well as some that you find satisfying and some that are very dissatisfying. The best way to complete your journal is to fill a form out immediately following a particular incident. Try to write up a couple of service encounters per week, beginning immediately. If you try to do your entries from memory, or do too many at one time, the quality of the entries will suffer.

Due Date

The 10 journal entries are due September 19.

(The other portion of this assignment, the service encounter paper, is described below.)

Service Encounter Journal Paper

Objective

To evaluate critical aspects of two distinct service encounters from your own perspective as a customer and as a services marketer.

Directions

The purpose of the service encounter paper is to analyze the service encounters from a customer's point-of-view. This paper (6 pages, double-spaced) will consist of two parts: First, you will write about the organization (from your journal) that provided you with the worst service of any organization you encountered; and, second, you will write about an organization that is doing an excellent overall job of services marketing.

Requirements

Worst service. (40 points) In the first part of the paper, write about the organization from your journal that provided you with the worst service of any organization you encountered and wrote about in your journal. Based on your reading of the textbook and issues we have discussed in class, diagnose what went wrong in the encounter. That is, what is the real cause of the problem? Then, recommend the most important actions management should take to improve service. Be specific in your recommendations (e.g., suggesting that employees "need more training" is not a particularly enlightening or useful recommendation). Use concepts from the class to support your discussion and suggestions. Be selective and focus on the most important issues, as this part of the paper is limited to three pages. A good paper will describe the problem(s) based on the journal input and present a specific, logical plan for improvement.

Best service. (30 points) In the second part of the paper, write about an organization from your journal that is doing an excellent overall job of services marketing. Again, base your analysis on the textbook and class discussions. Demonstrate your knowledge of services marketing concepts by discussing what this organization does that makes it successful. This part of the paper is similarly limited to three pages.

The grading criteria used for evaluating your paper include your ability to relate material from readings and lectures to your paper, your ability to diagnose probable causes of problems and match them with appropriate solutions, depth and substance of your observations, persuasiveness of your observations, and the quality of writing. (You may find the recommended book, The Elements of Style, helpful in improving your writing of the paper.)

Due Date

Your service encounter paper is due on September 28. You should turn in both the paper and your ten journal entries at this time. (Your journal entries should be included as an appendix to your paper.)

Service Watch Assignment

Objective

To have you identify three key concepts examined in the course that relate to services marketing and discuss the implications for services marketing practitioners.

Directions

Examples of the services marketing principles covered in this course can be found in many business and academic publications. Your assignment is to seek out a current (published after January 1, 2000) article that addresses marketing issues for a service business (or the service element of a "goods" business) related to our class discussions. You may choose any relevant current event or discussion (from WSJ, Fortune, Newsweek, Business Week, or other publications) you feel is relevant for discussion in a services marketing course. An article found on the Internet is not acceptable unless it was originally published in the traditional way--and the original version of the article should be used for this assignment. (Articles that were previously discussed in class are not acceptable.)

Requirements

Written assignment. (75 points) This assignment requires you to write a short paper (4-5 pages, double-spaced) which should include:

(1) a brief summary of the key point(s) of the article.

(2) a discussion of how this article relates to three key concepts examined in this course and the implications for services marketing practitioners (no more than one concept that has been discussed by another student in a previous service watch should be included).

(3) your personal evaluation of and reaction to the article, based upon the marketing perspective you have gained during this course. Be honest in giving your evaluation.

(4) a clean, nice-looking photo-copy of the entire article (not the original copy) on 82 x 11" paper.

(5) a separate sheet of paper, attached to the copy of the article, that identifies:

    - your name

    - the complete citation of where this article was published, including:

        a. author's full name (or names)
        b. name of periodical
        c. title of the article
        d. date of publication
        e. volume number
        f. issue number (if applicable)
        g. page numbers

A key evaluation criteria will be how well you clearly identify the concepts you are discussing and explain the implications for services management for a firm in this industry.

Presentation. (25 points) In addition to the written portion of this assignment, students also will be asked to make a 3-4 minute presentation that provides a summary of the key point(s) of the article and a discussion of the how this article relates to three key services marketing concepts examined in this course. Two to four PowerPoint overheads that summarize the key points being made would be appropriate.  You will need to create this in "IBM" format, as the equipment in the classroom is not able to read "Mac" files.  (Click here for an example of a PowerPoint file for an Service Watch presentation.)

Due Date

A sign-up sheet will be circulated to allow students to select the class session in which their Service Watch assignment is due. The paper is due at the beginning of class on the day for which the student has signed up. In order to get full credit for the assignment, students must be in class and available to briefly discuss the article at any point in class on that day.  (Click on Presentation Schedule to verify the day for which you signed up.)

Case Analysis

Objective

To be able to extend "book knowledge" into the "real" world by analyzing a marketing situation for a given services company.

Directions

During the semester we will discuss various marketing cases, most of which are noted in the syllabus. Active student participation in the case discussions is essential to the learning process. All students will be expected to be prepared for and contribute to the case discussion. However, those students who choose to do this assignment will be assigned to be on a "panel of experts" for a particular case. Those on the panel will be graded on oral participation and will be required to turn in a written summary of the case.

Requirements

Oral Participation. (30 points) Questions for discussion will be provided before the case is discussed in class. You are expected to be able to address the issues raised in these questions, as well as any other questions that may arise during the in-class discussion. Students must be present in class in order to contribute to the case discussion. Therefore, only those students who are present in class that day will receive credit for discussing the case. Cases cannot be made up at another time, as both the lecture and the in-class discussion on the case are not repeatable. (Therefore, if you are not present for the case for which you were assigned to be a part of the panel and you have not made prior arrangements, you will receive 0 points.)

Written Summary. (70 points) In addition to the panel discussion, a written summary of your analysis will be required, as described below. The written portion of this assignment (4-5 pages, double-spaced) requires you to provide the following:

(1) select and describe what you believe to be the key marketing issue/challenge facing this organization, and justify your choice,

(2) identify and describe four (distinct) possible solutions/alternatives to address this situation (be specific here),

(3) present a brief evaluation of the options, including the pros and cons of each,

(4) suggest which alternative is the best choice (and defend your choice by providing reasons why you chose this option).

I have provided a separate page that includes an outline on how to prepare a case.

Due Date

A sign-up sheet will be circulated to allow students to select the case that they would like to be assigned. The paper is due on the day that case is discussed in class. (Click on Panel of Experts Schedule to verify the case for which you signed up.)

Case Discussion Guidelines
(applies to all students)

During the semester we will discuss various marketing cases, most of which are noted in the syllabus. Active student participation in the case discussions is essential to the learning process. All students will be expected to be prepared for and contribute to the case discussions.  (Click on Preparing a Case for further ideas about how to prepare a case.)

Panel of Experts:

In order to more easily discuss the specifics of each case, each student may choose to be on the "panel of experts" for one particular case. (The case sign-up sheet allows students who choose to do this assignment to select the particular case on which they will become an expert.) Those on the panel will be graded on oral participation and will be required to turn in a written analysis of the case. A set of discussion questions will be provided for each case on the course web site, and those on the panel will have "first crack" at answering the questions. That is, those on the panel will be given priority for in-class discussion of the case (after all, they are the "experts").

Non-panel Students:

As stated above, all students are required to prepare each case, but only the "panel of experts" will be expected to write up an "analysis" of the case. Students who are not on the panel of experts for a particular case will be expected to submit two questions (of substance) on issues related to services marketing as well as their own responses/answers to the questions. These two questions are intended to take the in-class discussion of the case to a deeper level and should focus on services marketing issues/concepts discussed during the semester. Some Anon-panel@ students may be called upon to ask their questions to the panel.

All "non-panel" students will be required to turn in their two questions (as well as their prepared answers) on the class period BEFORE the case is discussed in class. These write-ups, which should be word-processed just like any other assignment, will be worth 4-7 points each and will be treated like the active learning assignments. (Note: I will drop your lowest score among all of the case questions you submit.)

Service Blueprint

Objective

To develop a thorough understanding of service blueprinting by analyzing the service process for a given services company and graphically capturing the process on paper.

Directions

Your assignment is to seek out a local service provider (or, alternately, a "goods" business that has a heavy services component in its business) and develop a service blueprint.  You may choose any business that you feel you can use to map out a blueprint; however, it should be for a specific company and not just a typical firm in the industry.  (If you have any questions about the appropriateness of using this business, please discuss it with me.)  You will probably need to read Chapter 8 of the text book in advance in order to complete this assignment on time.  Students who decide to do this project will be expected to construct a complete, detailed service blueprint for their chosen service provider.

Requirements

Service Blueprint. (45 points) This assignment is expected to allow you to demonstrate your understanding of the blueprint concepts from class and ability to apply them in looking at a particular service provider. You may need to visit the business you have chosen in order to complete this part of the assignment. Your task is to create a complete blueprint of the service and then present it to the class. Each blueprint should include the components listed in Chapter 8 and discussed in class. You are expected to share your blueprinting expertise with the class so that your classmates may benefit from the insight you have gained.

Written Assignment. (45 points) In addition to the actual blueprint, you will also write a short paper (3-4 pages, double-spaced) that addresses the following issues:

(1) describe why you selected this organization to blueprint;

(2) identify and describe three potential bottlenecks/failpoints in the service delivery process;

(3) suggest possible solutions/alternatives to address these (potential) problem areas;

(4) discuss how a service blueprint might be used in each of the following areas in this organization: marketing, human resource management, and operations;

(5) discuss what you learned from this experience.

Presentation. (10 points) In addition to the written portion of this assignment, students will also be asked to share their knowledge with the rest of the class.  In particular, a 1-2 minute presentation should be made that provides a summary of the blueprint highlights (i.e., key aspects of the service delivery process) and includes an overhead (or overheads) of the actual blueprint.

Due Date

Your service blueprint and paper are due at the beginning of class on October 10. You should turn in both the blueprint and the paper and will be expected to be present to share your blueprint with the class.

Class Participation Score

Since I consider you to be a co-producer in this service, this semester I am going to provide you with the opportunity to evaluate your own class participation and assign yourself a class participation score. At the end of the semester you will submit a one-page paper as justification for the grade you believe you deserve for class participation. The due date for this paper is December 12. If I do not receive a paper, I will assign a score of zero and assume that adequately reflects your participation.

The scheme listed below provides a guideline for assigning your score. Keep in mind that class participation can really only be realized when students share their views with the class or in their teams.  Merely showing up for class does not qualify for good class participation; you should be actively involved in helping to contribute to everyone's learning experience.  When you submit your paper you should explicitly state your suggested percentage (from 100% to 0%) at the beginning and then proceed to provide support for that score. I suggest you keep track of days/topics when you believe you take an especially active leadership role in class discussion. At several points during this semester you will be asked to co-produce the service and add value to the class, so you may include those times in your discussion. You should not include any assignments where your oral participation in the activity is graded separately (e.g., your case discussions if you were a "panel expert," your service watch, or your service blueprint). I reserve the right to adjust your proposed class participation score if I deem it necessary.

Scale                                   Description

100%      An outstanding leader in class discussions. Always prepared and has worked out an analysis of assigned readings. A frequent initiator of class discussion. Follows the flow of class discussion and builds upon others' ideas.  Excels in interacting with class fellows in a professional manner. Comments are focused and integrative, demonstrate preparation, and indicate active listening.  In addition to content understanding and integration, creativity is regularly displayed through the student's own insights and interest in course content is repeated demonstrated through curiosity and enthusiasm in the classroom.

90%       A consistent leader in class discussions. Almost always prepared to discuss assigned topic in class. A regular initiator of class discussion. Interacts with class fellows in a professional manner. Comments demonstrate preparation and indicate active listening.  Creativity is sometimes displayed through the student's insights and interest in course content is demonstrated through curiosity and enthusiasm in the classroom.

80%       Quality participation based on sound preparation. Regularly responds to instructor=s comments and questions. Also responds to comments of class mates. Occasionally takes the lead in class discussion. Often volunteers illustrations about the subjects being discussed.

70%       Occasional contributions to class based on solid preparation. Occasionally responds to the remarks of the instructor and/or class mates. Rarely volunteers to begin a discussion.

60%       Answers questions posed by the instructor. Responds to other students in active learning assignments when required to do so.

50%       Answers questions from the instructor if explicitly asked. Otherwise, does not take part.

40%       Shows up regularly to class but takes no part in classroom discussion.

0%       Completely avoids any attempt to contribute to classroom discussion.

Service Encounter

                                                                                  Journal Entry: ____

MKT 405 Main Page  |  MKT 405 Syllabus   |  MKT 405 Schedule  |  Dwayne Gremler's Home Page