Required Textbook
Valarie A. Zeithaml and Mary Jo Bitner (2000), Services Marketing: Integrating Customer Focus Across the Firm, Second Edition, New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies.

Recommended Book
William Strunk and E. B. White (1979), The Elements of Style, Third Edition, New York, NY: MacMillan Publishing Co. (This is not required, but is an excellent little book for improving your writing skills.)

Course Description
Why study services marketing? The U.S., as well as much of the world economy, is dominated by services. In the U.S., approximately 75% of the labor force, 70% of the GNP, 45% of an average family's budget, and 32% of exports are accounted for by services. Yet, business school courses traditionally have focused on the manufacturing sector of the economy. This course is designed for those students who may be interested in working in service industries and will address the distinct needs and problems of service organizations in the area of marketing.

The primary theme of the course is that service organizations (e.g., banks, educational institutions, hospitals, hotels, professional services, transportation companies) require a distinctive approach to marketing strategy, both in its development and execution. The course will build on ideas from other marketing courses (i.e., BUS 321) to make them specifically applicable in service industry settings. A second theme of the course focuses on the role of service in manufacturing businesses. This course will suggest ways that firms in the manufactured goods sector might use "service" as a primary source of competitive advantage.

This course won't enable you to step directly into the role of Vice-President of Marketing at Bank of America. It will, however, help you gain an understanding of services marketing issues and provide you with a good foundation for other marketing classes and future business endeavors.

Course Conduct
Class will be a combination of instructor lectures, interactive class discussions, and in-class activities. You will be required to complete assigned readings prior to class sessions during which those readings are examined. Assignments are due in class at the beginning of class of the specified due date.

Class Attendance
As is the case in most businesses, your attendance and promptness is expected. Coming to class late or leaving early is not acceptable behavior. A relatively large percentage of your grade will depend upon you being present during class. If you miss class for any reason, you will be responsible for any material covered, assignments given, or dates changed. Studies have shown that students who attend class regularly and participate fully find assignments and exams to be much easier and more meaningful, and (surprise!) tend to get better grades than those who do not attend class regularly.

Most in-class activities are designed in such a way that they cannot be "made up" outside of class. In rare instances, students may have to miss class for a valid, university-sanctioned reason (as specified in the BGSU student handbook). (An absence is considered "official" when the student is: (a) participating in an approved field trip or other official BGSU activity (e.g., athletics, debate, music, theater arts); (b) confirmed under doctor’s orders; or (c) granted a leave of absence from BGSU for reasonable cause by an academic dean.) Except for medical emergencies, which will require proper documentation, all other absences must be approved by the instructor prior to the class session that will be missed. Alternative assignments will be given only for instructor-approved absences.

Late Work
My experience with teaching university students suggests that, on average, 10 to 15 percent of the class will attempt to turn in assignments later than the time specified. Many reasons are given for late work (e.g., flat tires, printer problems, illness, oversleeping, etc.). No matter what the reason, the bottom line is that either (a) the work was completed and turned in when required or (b) the assignment was not completed and turned in when required.

As specified earlier, assignments are due in class at the beginning of class on the specified due date. There is NO PROVISION for late work on any assignment. I strongly suggest that you plan and schedule your work early (and not wait until the "last minute"). I also strongly recommend having backup systems in place so that you can have all work completed on schedule. Having your work completed on schedule is a key to early success in your business career. A major complaint of employers is that business faculty do not instill a responsibility in students to have work done on time. Thus, I would suggest that you start now to develop good work habits for meeting deadlines.

NOTE: Late submissions are not accepted. Partial credit will NOT be given for late work. NOTE: Late submissions are not accepted. Partial credit will NOT be given for late work. NOTE: Late submissions are not accepted. Partial credit will NOT be given for late work.

Grading
Students have various expectations of what their class experience should be, as well as how much effort they believe they should put into a class. However, as the instructor, I have expectations as to what students should be able to do to demonstrate certain proficiencies in the material covered this semester. Unlike most services, you will need to meet MY expectations in order to receive the desired outcome that you prefer. Generally speaking, however, you should expect the effort you are willing to put into the class will be related to the grade you will receive. My experience in teaching this class leads me to believe that, for most students, the quality of your work related to this class increases as the time spent in activities related to this class increases. Grades (based on my interpretation of what they are supposed to indicate) will be awarded as follows:

Grade of "A" (You have a thorough understanding of the subject and throughout the semester you have displayed a mastery of the material.)

To receive a grade of "A" you will be expected to demonstrate a mastery of all of the components of the course. That is, your grade will be based on (1) the two exams (300 points in all), (2) three individual assignments (300 points), (3) your class participation (50 points), and (4) the active learning assignments (usually completed during class time) during the semester (50 points). You will need to consistently do "A" quality work on all of these components, meaning that you need to accumulate at least 630 points (90% of 700 points), in order to achieve this grade.

Grade of "B" (You have a good understanding of the subject as evidenced consistently in class.)

To receive a grade of "B" you will be expected to demonstrate a good understanding of most of the components of the course. Your grade will be based on (1) the two exams (300 points in all), (2) three individual assignments (300 points), (3) your class participation (50 points), and (4) the active learning assignments (usually completed during class time) during the semester (50 points). You will need to consistently do "B" quality work on these components, meaning that you need to accumulate at least 574 points (82% of 700 points), in order to achieve this grade.

Grade of "C" (You have a solid overall understanding of the subject.)

To receive a grade of "C" you will be expected to demonstrate solid overall understanding of the issues discussed in this course. Your grade will be based on (1) the two exams (300 points in all), (2) three individual assignments (300 points), (3) your class participation (50 points), and (4) the active learning assignments (usually completed during class time) during the semester (50 points). You will need to consistently do solid "C" quality work on all of these components, meaning that you need to accumulate at least 518 points (74% of 700 points), in order to achieve this grade.

Grade of "D" (You know more about the subject than before you started the class.)

Although I assume that no student sets out to receive a grade of "D," for various reasons (e.g., other priorities, overwhelming work schedules, and/or poor time management skills) some students do not put a sufficient amount of effort into this class. Thus, s/he may not demonstrate a solid understanding of course concepts on a consistent basis. However, all students' grades are based on (1) the two exams (300 points), (2) three individual assignments (300 points), (3) class participation (50 points), and (4) the active learning assignments during the semester (50 points). To avoid failing the course, you will need to accumulate at least 462 points (66% of 700 points).

Course Requirements
You will be expected to participate in several different activities in this course. Your final grade is based on a portfolio of work which assesses your effort and understanding using a variety of learning methods. In particular, your grade in this class will (tentatively) be determined based upon the components listed in the following paragraphs. Students should keep track of their own points throughout the semester. A detailed break-down of each category is provided on the Point Portfolio page of the syllabus to help you monitor your progress.

Exams
Two exams will be given in this class. The exams will cover material from the textbook, active learning assignments, and in-class discussions. Exams will be essay. Due to copying and scheduling considerations, any request to change an exam time for a valid reason must be approved by the instructor at least two weeks in advance. All students will be expected to take the exams at the following scheduled times:

Students who do not take an exam at the scheduled time and have not made prior arrangements will be required to take an alternate (comprehensive) exam on Friday, December 22, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Generally speaking, makeup exams tend to be more difficult than the regularly scheduled exams.

I will do my best to return your exams to you within a couple of (class) days. I will not discuss individual exam scores or questions in the classroom. I will only discuss questions on a particular student's exam after the student has submitted, in writing or via E-mail, a statement describing why the score on a particular question (or questions) should be re-evaluated. After the exam has been returned to the class, you will have three class days to turn in a written appeal if you disagree with my evaluation of a particular question or questions.

In-Class Participation
To assist in your understanding of services marketing issues, you are encouraged to contribute to in-class discussions. Your participation and interaction with other students will be a major component of the class instruction. Part of your class participation will also be based upon your ability to recognize contemporary services issues. You are encouraged to examine current issues and to bring in articles for class discussion. In so doing you should be prepared to describe the relevance of the article to marketing.

Active Learning Assignments.  From time to time we will have in-class active learning activities. For these activities teams will be assigned, and as a team you will be required to complete a particular activity. Active student participation in these assignments is essential to the learning process. Each active learning assignment is worth 4-7 points. You must be present in class on the day of the assignment in order to receive any credit for that assignment. Thus, if you are not present in class for a particular active learning assignment, you will receive 0 points. These activities may include mini-case analyses, exercises, "marketing consulting" projects, analyses of collected materials, or small group discussions. Your enthusiasm and cooperation in participating in these activities will assist in your understanding of the marketing topics we will cover.

Quizzes.  Sometimes students need an incentive to prepare in advance for class (e.g., read the text book) and arrive for class on-time. Thus, from time to time, I may give unannounced quizzes (usually 2-5 points) on the assigned reading material. My intent is to encourage you to keep up on your reading assignments and to see if you are synthesizing the material. The most likely time for a quiz will be the beginning of class. If you are not in class at the time of the quiz, you will receive zero points.

Other Important Information
Success-Oriented Course.  MKT 405 is a success-oriented course. My desire is that all students in the class meet their individual learning (and grade) goals. However, this does not mean that you can avoid working hard in this class. What this does mean is that all students who do well in the class will be rewarded accordingly. That is, the grade distribution will not be adjusted to make sure it fits a bell-shaped curve--thus, you are not in direct competition with your classmates. Also, you will have many assignments to help you demonstrate your understanding of the material we cover in class. The exam points comprise only a portion of your grade because in the business world other skills are as important as knowledge. You are given other assignments (besides exams) to encourage the development of these skills, as well.

Study Time.  Most college courses require students to spend a significant amount of time outside of class in individual study time. A general guideline is that at least two hours should be spent studying outside of class for every one hour spent in class. Actual in-class meeting time is short in college courses because students are expected to work independently outside of class in order to meet the course requirements. My experience suggests that students who regularly spend this amount of time each week in preparing for this class tend to do very well, assuming they make effective use of their time.

Class Pace.  Much time is allocated in this class for small group discussion and in-class activities. As a result, not as much time is spent in the traditional lecture format. In order to cover the course material, lectures are organized to cover the material at a fairly quick pace. It is, therefore, essential that you (a) keep up with the assigned readings, (b) budget your time wisely in order to complete all of your assignments, and (c) seek clarification on any material that you do not understand. If I start going too fast in my lectures, let me know. It is my desire that you understand the material.

Flexibility.  A tentative schedule for the entire semester is included in this syllabus. Although much thought was put into the course schedule listed in the syllabus, the schedule is tentative and subject to change as necessary because of the availability of support materials and adaptation to specific needs of the class. Occasional departures from the schedule, such as additional readings, assignments, and activities, may be announced in class during the semester. Such announcements will take priority over the printed schedule. It is the student's responsibility to be in class and keep up-to-date on whatever changes are made in the schedule.

Evaluation of Assignments.  Several individual assignments are assigned in this course. Specific guidelines are provided and will need to be followed. These assignments will also be graded for grammar. Students should expect to do well if all of the instructions are followed. However, if only some of the instructions are followed, then only some of the possible points will be awarded. Active learning team assignments will also be evaluated based on how well the instructions are followed.

Active Learning Activities.  Active learning methods are frequently used in this class. This means you will be part of a group in which you will work together to complete a number of assignments. It has been repeatedly demonstrated that active learning results in higher grades, increased critical thinking skills, positive relationships, deeper level understanding, and much more. In addition, student evaluations of such classes show that most students enjoy the active role they play in the class, have fun in the process, learn more, take responsibility for their own learning and the learning of others, and develop meaningful friendships which encourage them in their studies and in their personal lives.