OVERVIEW

MKTG207 has been designed to provide you with an introduction to the field of services marketing. This unit has been designed to build upon the knowledge and skills you acquired from studying introduction to marketing We are all consumers of services. We use services daily when we study at university, do our banking, visit our favourite café/restaurant, go the doctor, get our hair cut, use our phone, and go to the shops for some retail therapy. Despite this commonality, we know that as consumers of services, we are different from one another. We buy different brands, visit different banks, prefer different restaurants, and wear different clothes.  Our evaluations of each service encounter are unique and change on every purchase occasion as we are influenced by our own prior experiences, our perceptions, as well as the people, and information that surrounds us. With this state of flux, how can we construct coherent marketing strategies to target consumers in the service sector effectively?

In this class we will try to learn how and why service consumers behave the way that they do. We will study theories from marketing and psychology and to attempt to use these theories to predict how consumers will respond to different service marketing activities. We will learn how and why the marketing of services is different to selling physical goods. How important it is to create strong, and enduring relationships with service customers. How challenging it is to manage what is effectively an ephemeral, “happening” experience (ie. A service) and how the effective delivery of a service starts within the organisation (ie. With its employees and organisational culture). You will have the opportunity to apply this theory through the analysis of a variety of real-world examples directed at amplifying your understanding of how services marketing concepts are used.

This is a 3 credit point unit.

Details of Assessment

Assessed Coursework 10%

Due Friday 12^th May, week 9, 7pm AEST.

Submission of one typed one page response worth 10% in total. Topics are set for weeks 2,3,4,5,6,7 inclusive (as well as week 11 and 12). It is the students choice as to which one of the weekly submissions selected from week 2,3,4,5,6,7 inclusive to submit for marking.

Each week you are required to type a maximum 1 page response to the set question for that week PRIOR to your tutorial. You will be required to bring it to class for discussion. The schedule for this, and the set topic questions are outlined in the "Unit Schedule" and are titled "Assessments due for discussion" each week. You will be able to choose one write-up to submit for marking in week 9.

You are required to read each of the set case studies, or journal articles in the teaching schedule. Your analysis should be supported throughout with the services marketing theory you are being asked to discuss. For each write up, you must support your answer using at least one additional journal article that you have found yourself.

Content from selected weekly write ups will be reflected in components of the exam questions. Preparation of these on a weekly basis will enhance your preparation for the exam. Note: It is a requirement that you come to class prepared and with the set work completed. Any student attending the tutorial unprepared, and without their one page solution write up to discuss in class will be asked to exit the classroom. The reason for this is that tutorial structure is based on participation and dialogue amongst all members. The assumption that students are prepared, and expected to engage and participate in the discussion of the subject matter. This is to the benefit of each individual and to the whole of the class.

You must correctly reference the article both in-text as an in-text citation using the Harvard author date method, as well as at the end of your solution by including a full reference to the article.

•  You are required to answer each set question in paragraph form.

•  Harvard Referencing is required.

•  Weekly responses are to be formatted as follows; one single A4 page (strict page limit but EXCLUDES references), size 12 times new roman font, 1.5 line spacing, normal margins, registered student name, and student ID number printed at top of page along with topic title of submission.

•  You will choose one of your write ups to submit for marking. Submission is via iLearn and turnitin.

•  No extensions will be granted.  Students who have not submitted the task prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task, except for cases in which an application for disruption of studies is made and approved.

•  Please bring a duplicate copy of your solution to class in preparation for class discussion.

The set questions are outlined in the presentation schedule contained in the UNIT SCHEDULE in this outline where the tasks are listed by week.

Investigative research report 50%

Due Monday 22^nd May, week 11 by 7pm AEST.

The topic is as follows:

"Social media has revolutionized the consumer brand experience. Examine consumers’ motivations for use of Snapchat versus Instagram for content."

Marking rubric available via iLearn

Students are required to complete a major group report during the course. In order to support the development of your report, class activities have been built in to the

weekly course schedule.

Your report will address the following content;

1. Industry background: Using industry research define and describe the nature of each of the social media platforms. Provide a very brief background on its development and success.

2. Marketing objectives: Using journal article research to compare and contrast the marketing purpose/positioning, objectives and motives of the platforms from the perspective of its users (brands, and consumers).

3. Discussion: Using qualitative research, conduct 10 semi-structured in-depth interviews with active daily users of your social media platforms. These interviews should be approximately 30-45 minutes each. Provide a few sentences characterising each participant (gender, age, country of origin and residence, frequency of use of platform(s), main reason(s) for use of platform(s). Transcribe interviewer and interviewee verbatim from the interviews. Retain word document copies of your transcripts for submission to your marker along with your report - this is mandatory. You will also be asked to submit your NVIVO file via email to the unit convenor with your coding of data. Analyse the data using the software NVIVO and develop and apply a coding framework to analyse you data. Provide a table reporting your coding framework.

Using journal article research combined with your qualitative research, examine and explore in depth the following issues. Note your qualitative interviews should examine your participants general use of the platforms with a view to understanding how and why consumers use these platforms for brand related content. The verbatim from your interviews must be included in your analysis as this forms your research evidence. You should aim to report detailed quotes from your interviews which represent and support the point that you are trying to make. This section will blend the theory that you have reviewed with your verbatim quotes from participants.

In your discussion you should aim to explore the following issues both theoretically and through your interviews;

• What types of brands do they follow (hedonic vs utilitarian)?
• What did they think and feel about the brands they follow before seeing them on Snapchat and Instagram?
• How has exposure to these brands via these two platforms changed how their think and feel about their brands?
• Has this impacted their connection to the brand, or their loyalty?

4. Managerial implications: In light of your qualitative analysis, discuss the implications for brand management. How should brands handle their social media platform content and activity? In what way can they best engage consumers in each social media platform?

5.Conclusion: Summary of your findings

NOTE BRIEF:

Group Assessment will comprise an individual mark. You will have three members per group. Each group members contribution will be weighted using a peer group scoring method upon submission of the report. This will be moderated by the Tutor who will discuss group contribution and performance with each member. Each member they will receive an individual mark based on the final mark awarded. For example if your group is given an final report score of 50/60 for the report, and group member 1’s contribution is weighted by each of his/her three group peers as 8/10, 6/10, 9/10 (23/3 = 7.7). Group member 1 would receive a score of 0.77 x 50 or a final mark for the report of 38.5/60. Final mark awarded is moderated by the Tutor as discussed above.

This is an assessment based on scholarly research (e.g., journal articles (peer reviewed or otherwise), scholarly book chapters, research monographs, research handbooks etc), theory and critical evaluation, analysis and synthesis (not mere description). The reports upper word limit is 3,500 words. There is no minimum word limit. The upper word limit is strict. NB. The word limit does not include; title page/cover page, sub-headings, reference list (Note - it does include intext citations), or the appendix.

• A minimum of 10+ scholarly articles is deemed to be absolutely necessary to understand this area and this should be used as a guide.

• Full Harvard author-date referencing is required (in-text citations, and reference list).

• Excess words beyond the strict word limit will not be read or marked.

No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for disruption of studies is made and approved. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.

Submit softcopy to the plagiarism detection system ‘Turnitin’ VIA iLearn before the deadline. One group member will be responsible for the submission of the report, and distribution of the marked report back to group members.

Please make sure that you are submitting to the correct dropbox.

Please note the following:

• Your soft copy must include a title Page with full official student name (last name in CAPITALS), student ID number, tutors name, tutorial day, tutorial time and tutorial room number. It must also include your reference list. Please name your file as follows: Surname_Tutor_Final Essay.doc
• Report should be formatted as follows; size 12 times new roman font, 1.5 line spacing, regular margins, headings in capitals and bold, sub-headings in upper and lower case and bold italics.
• Reports will be marked electronically via GradeMark on Turnitin using iLearn, annotated with comments from the marker and your grades will be available for viewing on the Grades link via iLearn approximately 2-3 weeks after submission. An announcement will be made on iLearn when assignments have been marked.

Final Examination

This 3 hour examination is worth 40% of your course assessment.

The weighting of your final exam is as follows:

You are expected to clearly demonstrate knowledge from the following sources in your final exam;

• All Chapters from the textbook outlined in the Learning activities schedule,
• The material discussed during lectures
• The material discussed during tutorials including the set weekly readings
• A general knowledge of the material discussed in your individual weekly one page write ups and your group report.
• Your weekly tutorial class discussions will be of benefit in preparing for the exam.

Required Textbook

The textbook to accompany this unit is:

Lovelock, C. H., Patterson, P.G. and Walker, R.H., Services Marketing: An Asia-Pacific and Australian Perspective (6th Edition), Sydney: Pearson Education Australia, 2014.

Copies of older editions are available in library in the reserve section.

Please note that old editions of this text do exist. You are welcome to use these, however you will need to cross-check the content of older versions with the 6^th edition of the text on a weekly basis to ensure that you are reading the correct material. Cases in the old versions are different.

Writing Skills

The major assessment for this unit revolves around writing a research report. This report allows students to develop their research and writing skills.

With regard to the development of writing skills students are advised to read the following resource copies of which will be made available in class. These are also available in the library.

Burton, L. 2010. An Interactive Approach to Writing Essays and Research Reports in Psychology, John Wiley & Sons, Australia

This source also covers information on topics such as; writing style, critical thinking, report writing, referencing, structure, and plagiarism.

Researching Skills - Journals

In addition to the required textbook for this Unit, you should familiarise yourself with the relevant periodical section of the library. Journals recommended for your study in marketing include:

• Journal of Marketing
• Journal of Consumer Research
• International Journal of Research in Marketing
• Harvard Business Review
• Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science
• Journal of Services Research
• Journal of Services Marketing

You can access these resources through the Library home page. Under ‘research’ select search for ‘journals’ and type the name of the journal.

Recommended Research Databases

You should also familiarize yourself with key research databases available for access through the library. Databases recommended for your study in marketing include:

• Ebscohost:
  • Academic Search Elite
  • Business Source Premier
• Wiley Interscience
• Passport (Industry Reports)
• Google Scholar (only when logged in via the Macquarie University website)

The timetable for classes can be found on the University web site at: https://timetables.mq.edu.au.

Technology used and required

• This unit requires access to standard information and communication technologies such as a personal computer and internet access.
• Students are required to familiarise themselves with iLearn (https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/). iLearn will be used to post course material, announcements, student grades and as a means of communication between staff members and students.
• Students are expected to check their university email account and contact the teaching staff through it. 
• All important announcements will be made on iLearn and you are expected to view the announcements page of the course website at least once per week

In order to pass this unit successfully, students need to engage in the weekly reading tasks, participate actively in class, and achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher in the unit.

Session 2:

The Service Economy. Chapter: 1

Course overview. Report briefing.

Assessed coursework: In class online activity: Define and discuss services. Choose one example of a retail service marketed via instagram and compare this to its marketing via traditional advertising platforms. What are the similarities and or differences in marketing? Does this blur the boundaries between a service and a good?

Set reading –read prior to class: LOVELOCK: Classifying services to gain strategic marketing insights

Session 3:

Behaviour, Culture & Service Encounters

Chapter: 2

Assessed coursework: Prepare prior to class: Does customer empowerment compromise service standards? Choose one service example and discuss.

Set reading –read prior to class: KOTZE: Students as co-producers of higher education

Set reading – read prior to class: DELUCCHI: A postmodern explanation of student consumerism

Session 4: Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality

Chapter 12

Assessed coursework: In class online activity: Research current bank satisfaction scores. What is satisfaction and what do these scores mean in light of your understanding of consumer loyalty?

Set reading read prior to class: JONES: Why satisfied customers defect

Session 5:

Managing Customer Service & Managing Customer Relationships

Chapter 11 and 13

Assessed coursework: In-class online activity. Access Snapchat app and select one brand. What are brands trying to achieve via the use of this platform? Discuss in light of customer engagement and the consumer brand experience.

Session 6: Customer Complaints and Service Recovery

Chapter 14

Assessed coursework: Prepare prior to class: Define and discuss negative brand/service relationships? What are the outcomes of such relationships for brand management? Illustrate using an online hate brand community.

Set reading – read prior to class: FOURNIER "Relating badly to brands"

http://bbr2015.brandrelationships.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2015/04/Fournier- Alvarez_JCP2013_Relating-Badly-to-Brands.pdf

Extension reading: HARRIS: Exploring service sabotage

Session 7:

Specialist lecture session: Market research in services

Chapter NA

Assessed coursework: In-class activity : Imagine that you are a market researcher. You have been asked to develop measures of customer engagement within social media platforms. What is engagement and how would you measure it? Choose one social  media platform.

Set reading – read prior to class: DESHPANDE: Paradigms lost reliability/validity and critical incident technique

Session 8: Managing People for Service Advantage

Chapter 9

Class activity: Group report time

Session 9:

Developing Service Products, Experience management, and the digital environment

Chapter 4

Class activity: Group report draft to be brought to class for feedback

Session 10:

Positioning Services in Competitive Markets

Chapter 3

Class activity: Group report peer working time

Session 11:

Integrated Communications

Chapter 8

2 page assessment due for discussion: To what extent is brand meaning socially constructed amongst customers?

Set reading – read prior to class: HENNIG-THURAU: The impact of new media on customer relationships

Session 12: Crafting the service environment

Chapter 10

Class activity: Examine Bitners Model of the Servicescape provided by your tutor. Map the servicescape elements for a) an online brand and then b) a physical brand mapping. Do certain elements dominate in these platforms?

Session 13:

Exam revision/overview and tutor/unit evaluations

NA

WRITING SKILLS

Writing the Introduction

The introduction outlines the topic that you are going to address, states the purpose of the paper and outlines the main points you will argue. It is typically only a few paragraphs long and is designed to capture the readers interest and attention. Tips on writing an introduction are provided next:

• Keep it short – one or two paragraphs
• It sets the framework
• It is a roadmap for the reader – it tells them what you are reviewing, why you are reviewing it and how you intend to proceed with your arguments
• Ensure that you do not use first person language i.e. “i will argue...”. You should only use third person language “Research evidence indicates that” or “In this essay it will be argued that...”
• Your argument should be based on the research evidence that you have read and not on your personal opinion

Organising the Information to Start Writing

Now that you have an outline of what it is that you need to write about and how you will structure your report, you now need to start the writing process. Organising your information throughout is essential. Some tips are provided next:

• Keep similar points or concepts close together. You may use one paragraph or a few paragraphs to explain related ideas
• Only present one broad concept per paragraph and try not to introduce many new ideas into that paragraph.
• Once you have finished discussing related concepts use a linking paragraph to move to the next concept.
• Ensure that your paragraphs build logically upon each other.

Paraphrasing

Why is referencing important? Referencing is important for two main reasons. Firstly it allows you to acknowledge the source of the information that you have included in your work. Whenever you use someone else’s ideas in your report, you must in-text cite their work. Secondly, in-text citations within your report allow the reader to identify the original source of the idea.

Referencing therefore ensures that you do not commit plagiarism. Plagiarism is the copying of other authors ideas and passing them off as your own. It Is something to be avoided as it is equivalent to cheating. Plagiarism will lead to a grade of zero. We use Turnitin to assist us in the process of identifying plagiarism.

In order to avoid plagiarism you need to undertake paraphrasing. This means rewriting the original idea in your own words to explain the idea. Think about the following example. The original sentence taken from Bowden (2010) said:  

"Similar to satisfaction, delight may also be influenced by the customer’s anticipatory expectations. That is, in highly hedonic service contexts where customers have high anticipatory expectations shaped by strong brand equity and strong word of mouth recommendation, the customer may expect to be delighted."

It is not appropriate to simply change a few words in every sentence and then place an in-text citation at the end of the sentence. You would be guilty of plagiarising if you wrote:

In highly hedonic service contexts here there is strong brand equity and strong word of mouth recommendation, delight, like satisfaction can be influenced by the customer’s anticipatory expectations (Bowden, 2010).

In order to avoid plagiarism you need to put the ideas into your own words and cite the original author of the idea:

Bowden (2010) found that the nature of the service context strongly influenced customer’s expectations of the service delivered. Where customers’ a priori expectations were considered to be high and where brand equity played a significant role in shaping these expectations, customers expected to feel delighted by the service.

Practice your paraphrasing skills with the following pointers:

• Read an original paragraph from one of your journal articles
• Take notes on the key points made
• Now express these points in your own words
• Compare your rewritten paragraph to the original authors – check that the meaning is retained, but ensure that the way you have expressed your paragraph is sufficiently different
• Acknowledge the author of the idea in your rewritten version by indicating the authors surname and the year of the articles publication

In-Text Citations

An in-text citation is an acknowledgement of the sources that you have used in your report. In an in-text citation you write the authors surname and the year that the article was published in. We use the Harvard author-date convention of referencing and in text citations. This is a specific style as illustrated below.

The citation can be placed at the start of a sentence, or at the end of a sentence where you have used another author’s ideas.

At the end of a sentence the in-text citation is placed in parentheses and is separated by a comma:

The study concluded that delight was not an important determinant of customer loyalty (Bowden, 2010).

At the start of a sentence, the author’s name becomes a part of the sentence itself:

Bowden (2010) found that delight was not an important determinant of customer loyalty.

If there are three or more author’s of the article you have read you simply cite the first authors name and then add the words et al. This is a latin abbreviation for “and others.” A full stop must be included after the “al.”.An example of this is as follows:

The study concluded that delight was not an important determinant of customer loyalty (Bowden et al. 2010).

Quotations are a special case of citation. Quotations used in essays should be short and limited to one or two sentences in length. It is advisable to limit the number of quotations that you use to around 5 per essay. Quotations should be placed inside quotation marks and cited using the authors name, year of publication and the page from which the quotation came from.

“Delight may be influenced by the customer’s anticipatory expectations. That is, in highly hedonic service contexts where customers have high anticipatory expectations shaped by strong brand equity and strong word of mouth recommendation, the customer may expect to be delighted” (Bowden, 2010, p. 13).

You should always try to read original sources rather than relying on the summaries that other authors have provided you with. However sometimes you may need to include a secondary source in your in text referencing. Citing a secondary source requires you to acknowledge two sets of authors – that is, the authors of the article you are reading (primary source) and the original source which you have not read (secondary source). For example:   

Delight is defined as a distinct and separate evaluative response to the satisfaction response (Oliver et al. 1997 cited in Bowden, 2010).

In the reference list (to be discussed next) you would only include the article that you have actually read. So using the above example you would only include Bowden, 2010.

Concluding

The conclusion summarises your main points. You should not introduce any new material in the conclusion that have not already been discussed. In the conclusion you describe the answers to the research topic that was set.

The information above was adapted from the following text which is in the reserve section of the library and which is also available for purchase from the Co-op Bookshop on campus: Burton, L. 2010. An Interactive Approach to Writing Essays and Research Reports in Psychology, John Wiley & Sons, Australia

Reference List – Journal articles & Books

A reference list provides the reader of your essay with full publication details of all of the sources that you have used in your essay. Like the in text citations, a reference list allows the reader to identify where you have obtained your information from and to retrieve it if necessary. A reference list only includes those sources you have actually cited in-text. It does not include sources you have simply read but have not used in your essay. Reference lists should be compiled in alphabetical order.

Journal articles are your primary source of material for this essay task. A journal article reference includes the following, author’s surname, first name initial, year of publication, title of publication, journal title from which the publication came, volume of journal, issue number of journal and page references for the article. An example is provided next:    

Bowden, J., 2009. Customer Engagement: A Framework for Assessing Customer-Brand Relationships. The Case of the Restaurant Industry. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 18 (6), 574-596.

It is important that each of these elements in the reference are presented exactly as above. This includes ensuring that the journal title is in italics; that a full stop and a comma follows the authors initial; that a full stop follows the title of the article; that the issue number is in brackets etc.

You may wish to use the referencing convention for Harvard Author-Date as presented in the above. This style is based on that of McMillan, K. and Weyers, J., 2010. How to Write Essays & Assignments, United Kingdom: Pearson Education.

ALTERNATIVELY you may wish to refer to the Macquarie University Referencing resource website (Monash University, University of Queensland, University of Leeds, University of Western Cape):

http://www.library.mq.edu.au/research/referencing.html

For further information on referencing and essay writing it is highly recommended that you obtain a copy of one of the following texts from the reserve section of the library or from the Co-Op Bookshop.

Burton, L. 2010. An Interactive Approach to Writing Essays and Research Reports in Psychology, John Wiley & Sons, Australia

McMillan, K. and Weyers, J., 2010. How to Write Essays & Assignments, United Kingdom: Pearson Education.

This unit draws its case studies and brand examples from an international context. Sustainability is discussed within the context of not for profit firms and their brand positioning.  

MKTG207 builds on material introduced in previous marketing units. In doing so, the unit has a dual focus. The first objective is to develop students' skills in using theoretical research in marketing to develop a sound knowledge of the complexities of services marketing consumer behaviour. The second objective is to introduce students to the practice of services marketing and familiarise them with marketing strategies which are designed to more effectively target consumers.