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International Business Administration

Service Operations Management

Exam number: 3094

Semester: from 1st semester

Duration of the module: One semester

Form of the module (i.e. obligatory, elective etc.): Elective

Frequency of module offer: Each winter semester; last time winter semester 2015/2016

Prerequisites: Successfull completion of module Production & Operations Management would be an advantage

Applicability of module for other study programmes:
Obligatory or elective in other study programmes. For further information check regulations of the study programme.

Person responsible for module: Prof. Dr. Irena Okhrin

Name of the professor: Prof. Dr. Irena Okhrin

Language of teaching: English

ECTS-Credits (based on the workload): 6

Workload and its composition (self-study, contact time):
Contact time (Lecture, tutorial etc.) 45 h; self-study: 135 h

Contact hours (per week in semester): 3

Methods and duration of examination:
Successful completion of the exam (90 min) and successful preparation of a term paper worth 12 pages (as well as presentation of the results of work)

Emphasis of the grade for the final grade: Please check regulations of the study programme

Aim of the module (expected learning outcomes and competencies to be acquired):
Services are playing an ever-increasing role in the world economy. Service processes involve high customer interaction, information intensive products and the requirement for real time responsiveness to a wide variety of customer demands. Designing, implementing and maintaining these processes in a competitive environment requires service-oriented organizations to have a new level of competence. Furthermore, the operating activities of service firms differ significantly from those of manufacturing firms. Service organizations present unique competitive challenges due to the intangibility of the service product, the inherent variability in the service delivery system, and the simultaneous nature of production and consumption. This course will explore both theoretical issues and practical applications of operations management in service firms.

Contents of the module:
1. The Role of Services in an Economy
2. Service Strategy
3. New Service Development
4. Service Quality
5. The Service Encounter
6. Service Facility Location
7. Forecasting Demand for Services
8. Managing Capacity and Demand
9. Managing Waiting Lines
10. Service Supply Relationships
11. Growth and Globalization of Services

Teaching and learning methods:
Lecture, group work, Harvard Business School case studies, presentations

Literature (compulsory reading, recommended literature):
J.A. Fitzsimmons, M.J. Fitzsimmons, Service Management: Operations, Strategy, Information Technology, 2011, 7e, McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Harvard Business School Articles and Cases.

Further information:
Registration in Moodle Viadrina required.