SERVICES AND RELATIONSHIP MARKETING - 2022/3

Module Overview

Welcome to one of the most evolving topics in the marketing literature. This module commences with introducing the principles of services marketing. The services sector, such as telecommunications, financial services, hospitality, transportation services, healthcare, and professional services, accounts for over three-quarters of GDP and employment in most developed countries. In light of the growing importance of services in local and global economies, it becomes crucial to study and understand the functionality of service offerings. This module will explore the distinctive characteristics of services and explain how these characteristics affect the marketing approaches used by firms – including challenges involved in controlling service quality and managing customer experience.

The module also covers the principles of relationship marketing combined with the meaning and application of services and relationship marketing across different service contexts. Additionally, the module focuses on real-world business scenarios providing students with an opportunity to examine management decision-making and enhances a wide range of study skills, such as independent research, analytical skills, as well as critical thinking. 

Module provider

Surrey Business School

Module Leader

HEIRATI Nima (SBS)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

n/a

Module content

Indicative contents of the module include:

• Models and approaches to services and relationship marketing


• Consumer decision-making process


• Positioning core and supplementary services


• Service quality and customer experience 


• Designing and managing service processes


• Building and managing long-term customer relationships


• Managing customer complaints and misbehaviour


• Managing business relationships

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

   

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy of this module is aimed at allowing students to gradually build up their knowledge and understanding of services and relationship marketing and is designed to allow students to evidence their achievement of the learning outcomes. For each assessment component, students will be working in a consultant mindset by synthesizing and applying services and relationship marketing principles to real-world companies. Managerial implications need to be provided to show how a company can improve its services and relationship marketing strategy elements, with supporting evidence from theory and research in the relevant field. Both assessments components support students to achieve all module learning outcomes. The assessment components comprise an individual presentation and an online exam:

1. 
   Individual presentation (50%) – 5 slides and 5 minutes presentation
   


2. 
   Online exam (50%)
   

 

Feedback

Formative Assessment

A detailed marking scheme is provided for students during their first seminar together with the assessment details. This allows students to identify what is expected of them. The marking scheme outlines the percentage figures for each assessment component. This is also essential as it allows for consistency in the marking process.

• 
  During the seminars, requirements of the individual presentation and online exam and the feedback process will be explained.
  


• 
  As the seminars are built around topic-specific group exercises, students do not only benefit from lecture’s feedback but also receive peer evaluations.
  


• 
  A Q&A and feedback session is provided for each assessment component.
  


• 
  Students will be provided with initial feedback on what went well and not so well on Surrey Learn.
  

 

Summative Assessment

Detailed feedback will be provided for the individual presentation. Feedback is provided by the marker on the University [official] Feedback sheet, and uploaded to Surrey Learn with a final mark and a breakdown of marks using a marketing grid with five marking criteria with detailed descriptors for each mark point for each of five marking criteria. The grid is detailed and structured to show the breakdown of marks in each band for each criterion. All students will be able to check the detailed marking grid against the marks they scored for each part of the assignment, and see what the higher-level descriptor is for achieving marks above [and below] the marks they were awarded.

Module aims

• Provide students with knowledge of fundamental concepts and frameworks widely used in services and relationship marketing.
• Enable students (as future managers) to synthesis and apply key elements of both services and relationship marketing strategies that help businesses across different contexts gain competitive advantage.
• Examine and critically analyse typical customer journeys and make strategic marketing decisions to improve customer experience by application of effective services and relationship marketing strategies.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

On-demand Captured Lectures. There will be 11 weeks of on-demand captured lectures. Captured lectures are equivalent to one-hour face-to-face lectures. In each week, the basic concepts and theories of the textbook will be introduced, in addition to the materials that go beyond the textbook and are relevant to the module’s assessments. Students must watch recorded lectures before attending live lectures and seminars.

 

Face-to-Face Lectures. There will be one-hour face-to-face lecture each week to complement on-demand captured lectures focusing on the application of services and relationship marketing principles. Development of subject-specific and cognitive skills are introduced in lectures and further developed through suggested reading and consolidated using case study material and other examples. In this module, theory and practice go together.

 

Fact-to-Face Seminars. There will be one-hour seminar each week following the lecture. Seminars intend to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the topic area and to make sure that students can apply learned concepts to practice. To achieve this goal, a mixture of case studies and exercises will be used. Preparation and active participation in seminars will be expected.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MANM435

Other information

N/A

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2022/3 academic year.