CECOS University of IT & Emerging Sciences

Department of Management Sciences

BBA (Honors) Program

Course Code: Credit Hours: 3

Semester: 8 Major: Elective
Course Name: Service Marketing
Pre Requisite: Marketing
Course Description: Services marketing is a sub field of marketing and service
sector is covering a major portion of world’s economy. Common examples of
services marketing are found in telecommunications, air travel, health care,
financial services, all types of hospitality services, car rental services, education,
trade, media public utilities and professional services. Service marketing is a new
phenomenon in the domain of marketing. At the start services were considered
as a support to the production and marketing of goods. With the passage of time
service sector started to grow and appeared as a significant employer and
contributor to nations' GDPs, and marketing experts significantly thought of
services as a separate discipline. Research on the concept gave rise to multiple
theories like the product-service spectrum, relationship marketing, franchising of
services, customer retention, and others. Now the service sector is prevailed
everywhere in the world.
1. Course Objective: The course enables the students to explore issues and practices in
the field of services.
The course enables the students to discover new developments and opportunities in
the field of services marketing. The course makes the students learn the characteristics of
services which make them different from that of goods. The course will enable the
students to learn techniques to minimize the gaps between service provider and customer.
The course will help the students to develop managerial thinking and sharpen their
knowledge of customized services. The course helps out the students to learn how to
develop long term relations with customers while providing diverse services. The course
discusses different models along with real life examples which make the students able to
think practically
Course Learning Outcomes: After completing this course students will be able to:
1. After reading the course students will be able to find out a drop of services in every
segment.
2. The students will have a clear differentiation
3. of pure services and hybrid services Students will learn significance of the pre- and
post-purchase process for services
4. Students will be equipped with the skills of understanding how to provide quality
services while taking into account the variable aspect of services.
5. Learn how service providers can use internal marketing, its significance, and its
payoff in developing a customer-focused service culture.
6. Learn to develop customer value package, develop brand loyalty, and retain
customers.
7. Learn to develop the right services cape and enhance its impact for customer retention
 and profitability.
8. Learn to develop competitive advantage by a firm and related marketing strategies to
sustain that advantage.
9. Be trained to know which dimensions of services serve as the best performance
measures.

Week Topics / Material to be covered

1 Marketing, The difference between product marketing and service
marketing. Concept of Services? Defining the Essence of a Service.
The Marketing Challenges Posed by Services. The difference
between product marketing and service marketing. The traditional
differences between product and services. Distinguishing
Characteristics of Services. Four Categories Of Services

2 What is service marketing mix? Elements of The Services Marketing Mix:

“7Ps” vs. the Traditional “4Ps”
3&4 Customer involvement in service processes - Managing the service encounter.
• Where Does the Customer Fit in a Service Organization?
• High-Contact and Low-Contact Services
• Categorising Service Processes
• Managing Service Encounters
• The Purchase Process for Services
• Perceived Risks in Purchasing and Using Services
• Factors that Influence Customer Expectations of Services
• Maslow's hierarchy to characterize needs.
• Components of Customer Expectations
• Intangible Attributes, Variability, and Quality Control Problems Make
Services Hard to Evaluate
• How Product Attributes Affect Ease of Evaluation
• Customer Satisfaction is Central to the Marketing Concept

5 • Customer Expectations of Services

• Components of Customer Expectations
• Intangible Attributes, Variability, and Quality Control Problems Make
Services Hard to Evaluate
• How Product Attributes Affect Ease of Evaluation
• Customer Satisfaction is Central to the Marketing Concept

6&7 Positioning Services in Competitive Markets. Focus Strategies for

Services. Market Segmentation. Service Attributes and Levels.
8 Positioning Distinguishes a Brand from its Competitors. Developing an
Effective Positioning Strategy. Using Positioning Maps to Analyze
Competitive Strategy. Changing Competitive Positioning

9 Reserved for Mid Term Examination

10 & 11 Creating the Service Product. Service Planning: Matching Opportunities to

Key Steps in Resources. Service Design Involves Matching Marketing Concept
with Operations Concept. Understanding the Components of the
Augmented Service Product. Components of Augmented Services. Core
Products and Supplementary Services. What Should Be the Core and
Supplementary Elements of Our Service Product?
12 The Flower of Service
Facilitating Supplementary Services
Enhancing Supplementary Services
Branding Service Products and Experiences

13 & 14
New Service Development. A Hierarchy of New Service Categories.
Physical Goods as Source of Service Ideas
Creating Services as Substitutes for Owning and/or Using Goods.
Service Development through Delivery Options. Success Factors in New
Service Development
Designing the Communications Mix
for Services
 COMMUNICATION SERVICES PRESENTS BOTH CHALLENGES AND
OPPORTUNITIES
Setting Clear Objectives: Checklist for Marketing Communications Planning
(“5 Ws”)
Common Educational and Promotional Objectives in Service Settings

15 This week is reserved for the following events.

Visit to Industry.
Lecture by guest speaker
16 Promoting Services and Educating
 Customers. Role of Marketing Communications
 Specific Roles of Marketing Communications
 Promote Contributions of Service Personnel
 Facilitate Customer Involvement in Production
 Stimulate or Dampen Demand to Match Capacity
 Integrating Marketing Communications

17  Challenges of Services Communications

 Overcoming Problems of Intangibility
 Advertising Strategies for Overcoming Intangibility
 Marketing Communications Planning
 The “5 Ws” Model
 Target Audience: 3 Broad Categories
 Educational and Promotional Objectives in Service Settings

 The Marketing Communications Mix

 Service Blue Print

18
Reserved for Final Examination.

19 Reserved for paper checking and result declaration.

Methodology:
o Lecture
o Guest speaker from relevant field / industry
o Visit of students to industry
o Videos
 o Presentations
o Group discussions

Material:
1. Books:

Strategic Management: An integrated approach (2008) 8th Edition, Houghton

Mifflin by Hill, C. W. L. & Jones, G. R.
2. Reference Books:
Strategic Management: Creating Competitive Advantages (2013)7th Edition,
McGraw-Hill International Edition, Dess, G. G., Lumpkin, G. T., Eisner, A. B.,
McNamara, G.
3. Relevant websites:
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4. Research Papers:
Porter, M. E. 1996. What is strategy? Harvard Business Review 74 (6):61-
78. Powell, T. C. 2003. Varieties of competitive parities. Strategic
Management Journal,
Assessment:
Assessment Method Weightage Remarks
Quizzes 12.5 % Total four quizzes two each before and after midterm
examination.
Assignments / 12.5 % Total four assignments two each before and after midterm
Presentations examination.
Mid Term Examination 25.0 % Midterm will be conducted after eight weeks.
Final Term Examination 50.0 % Final term will be conducted after sixteen weeks.

List and brief description of assignments / industry tour / case studies

Activity Brief Description
Assignment 1
Assignment 2
Assignment 3
Assignment 4
Industry Tour
Case Study 1
Case Study 2
Signature of the Teacher date:

Signature of the Chairman date: