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.