Managing Service Businesses

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2014:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Service businesses are substantially different from manufacturing businesses due to the intangible nature of their “product” or offering. For example, you cannot place a service in inventory to be sold at a later date. It is normally consumed as it is produced (e.g., an hour of legal services), and therefore, it “perishes” if not used immediately. The unique aspects of a service business present a number of distinctive management issues and challenges not found in other businesses. Hence, this course is designed to help you recognize and understand the unique issues and challenges and to provide concepts and tools to management successfully in this context. The course is organized around four major areas: designing the service offering, creating a funding mechanism to ensure it is economically viable, managing customers, and managing employees.

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Develop benchmarks for managing successful service businesses
• Analyse a service business and identify reasons for its success or failure
• Use concepts and tools to improve the performance of a service business
• Identify and evaluate the competitive position of a service business

• Case preparation and discussion (20%)
  • Throughout subject
• Syndicate project (30%)
  • Report (eqivalent of 750 word assessment)
  • Presentation (equivialent of 750 word assessment)
  • Midway through subject
• Final examination (50%)
  • Hurdle requirement
  • 3 hours
  • End of subject

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.