MS3303 Service Quality Management

Part I

Course Duration : One Semester
Credit Units : 3
Level: B3
Medium of Instruction: English
Prerequisite(s) : Nil
Precursors(s) : Nil
Equivalent Course(s) : Nil
Exclusive Course(s) : Nil

Part II

Course Aims:

  • provide a comprehensive understanding of service quality management
  • expose students to the key trends and quality issues of the service industry
  • provide students with the requisite quality knowledge and the corresponding management skills to pursue a career in the service industry such as in banks, retail chains, restaurants, food and beverage operations, casinos, theme venues, and entertainment centres.
Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

No. CILOs Weighting
1 Discuss the major roles in managing service quality in the service industry 10%
2 Critically explore management issues, technology and key trends and developments in the service industry from a quality perspective. 15%
3 Effectively plan and manage service quality by applying multi-disciplinary thinking skills, key concepts and problem-solving tools to create workable solutions to real-world problems in the service industry 25%
4 Evaluate the quality of service systems by applying recent multi-disciplinary analytical tools to increase productivity and enhance service quality. 25%
5 Analyze challenges and competitive forces in order to make improvements to the quality of service. 25%

Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs)
(Indicative of likely activities and tasks designed to facilitate students’ achievement of the CILOs. Final details will be provided to students in their first week of attendance in this course)

CILO No. TLAs Hours/week (if applicable)
1-4 1. Lectures
Concepts and relevant knowledge of managing service operations in the hospitality industry are explained during lectures. 		-
1-4 2. Think-pair-share
Students are asked to pair up to discuss and explore possible solutions to case problems which may be in real-life settings. The lecturer provides instant feedback based on students’ responses. 		-
1,2,4 3. Watching and critiquing video case studies
Videos are shown to highlight service quality scenarios in real-life settings. Follow-up discussions provide students with the opportunity to create and evaluate alternative solutions to problems in the service industry 		-
2,3 4. Problem solving exercises / activities
Students participate in in-class exercises and activities. They are required to exploit the activities by applying their own real-life examples or their own service experiences where relevant. 		-
2,3,5 5. Group discussion & mini case studies
Students work in groups to research and brainstorm the latest issues and trends regarding quality in the service industry. The findings are then prioritised, synthesised and presented to the class. 		-

Constructive Alignment of CILOs and TLAs

 TLA 1 TLA 2 TLA 3 TLA 4 TLA 5 Hours/week
CILO 1 ü ü ü   -
CILO 2 ü ü ü ü  -
CILO 3 ü ü  ü ü -
CILO 4 ü ü ü  ü -
CILO 5     ü -

Assessment Tasks/Activities
(Indicative of likely activities and tasks designed to assess how well the students achieve the CILOs. Final details will be provided to students in their first week of attendance in this course)

CILO No Type of Assessment Tasks/Activities Assessment Details Weighting (if applicable)
1-5 1. Group presentation Students in a group collaborate to formally present the findings of their case studies in which they highlight their skills in being able to analyze and to solve service quality problems. 10%
2-5 2. In-class activities and problem solving exercises Students discuss and brainstorm the causes of service quality problems and possible alternative solutions. They are required to apply the theories and analytical frameworks they learned to these issues. 10%
1-5 3. Reflective learning blog Towards the end of semester students write and reflect upon their learning experiences and challenges. 5%
1-5 4. Research assignments Students work together to conduct a collaborative survey report. It logs all students’ learning processes and activities including their research work into the recent trends of service quality. 20%
1,2,3 5. Mid-term test The mid-term test is designed to assess students’ understanding of the key concepts and subject matter of the course. 15%
1-5 6. Final examination The final examination is designed to assess students’ professional knowledge of managing quality problems and issues in the service industry, as well as the ability to apply the theories and key concepts to solve management problems. 50%

Constructive Alignment of CILOs and Assessment Methods

 AT1 AT2 AT3 AT4 AT5 AT6
CILO 1 ü   ü ü ü ü
CILO 2 ü ü ü ü ü ü
CILO 3 ü ü ü ü   ü
CILO 4 ü ü ü ü   ü
CILO 5 ü ü ü ü   ü


Grading of Student Achievement :Refer to Grading of Courses in the Academic Regulations (Attachment) and to the Explanatory Notes.

AT1: Group presentation

There are two parts to this presentation. Part one – Students in a group are free to choose any three contemporary issues or phenomena in the hospitality industry and identify the reasons for the emergence of the issues. Part two – Students are allocated one of the key topics (e.g. restaurant operations) for which they have to identify management problems and possible alternative solutions.

Letter Grade Grade Point Grade Definitions  
A+
A
A- 		4.3
4.0
3.7 		Excellent: Strong evidence of knowing how to apply the key concepts of managing services in a real life setting. High engagement in the assigned activities and excellent presentation skills. Able to apply effective communication and reflective learning skills to pursue new knowledge and acquire new skills proactively to achieve lifelong learning and employability.
B+
B
B- 		3.3
3.0
2.7 		Good: Evidence of knowing how to apply the key concepts of managing services to real life cases. Active participation and engagement in the assigned activities and good presentation skills. Able to apply good communication and reflective learning skills to pursue new knowledge and acquire new skills proactively to achieve lifelong learning and employability.
C+
C
C- 		2.3
2.0
1.7 		Adequate: Some evidence of knowing how to apply the key concepts of managing services to real life cases. Participation and engagement in the assigned activities and adequate presentation skills. Able to apply adequate communication and reflective learning skills to pursue new knowledge and acquire new skills to achieve lifelong learning and employability.
D 1.0 Marginal: Sufficient familiarity with the subject matter to enable the student to progress without repeating the assessment. Low participation and engagement in the assigned activities and fair presentation skills. Able to apply marginal level of communication and reflective learning skills to pursue new knowledge and acquire new skills to achieve lifelong learning and employability.
F 0.0 Failure: Little or no evidence of familiarity with the subject matter. No or low participation and engagement in the assigned activities and poor presentation skills. No evidence of demonstrating communication and reflective learning skills to pursue new knowledge and new skills to achieve lifelong learning and employability.


AT2: In-class activities and problem-solving exercises

Letter Grade Grade Point Grade Definitions  
A+
A
A- 		4.3
4.0
3.7 		Excellent: Strong evidence of showing familiarity with key concepts and definitions. Clearly and correctly structures most critical points and makes important contributions to the assigned questions or problems. Critically discusses issues and draws most relevant implications to apply daily life examples of service experiences. Critical problem solving skills and excellent presentation skills are expected.
B+
B
B- 		3.3
3.0
2.7 		Good: Evidence of showing familiarity with key concepts and definitions. Clearly and correctly state some critical points and contributions of the assigned questions or problems. Critically discuss issues and draw some relevant implications to apply daily life examples of service experiences. Critical problem solving skills and good presentation skills are expected.
C+
C
C- 		2.3
2.0
1.7 		Adequate: Evidence of showing adequate review of literature and key concepts. Understanding of the subject, ability to develop solutions to simple and basic problems in the assigned questions and problems.
D 1.0 Marginal: State a few critical points and marginal contributions of the assigned questions and problems.
F 0.0 Failure: State no critical points and no contributions of the assigned questions and problems.


AT3: Reflective learning blog

Letter Grade Grade Point Grade Definitions  
A+
A
A- 		4.3
4.0
3.7 		Excellent: Strong evidence of developing an awareness of learning objectives and processes as well as the ability to reflect on learning progress.
B+
B
B- 		3.3
3.0
2.7 		Good: Evidence of developing an awareness of learning objectives and processes as well as the ability to reflect on learning progress.
C+
C
C- 		2.3
2.0
1.7 		Adequate: Some evidence of developing an awareness of learning objectives and processes as well as the ability to reflect on learning progress.
D 1.0 Marginal: Sufficient organization of their learning which marginally enable the student to progress without repeating the assignment.
F 0.0 Failure: Little or no evidence of ability to organize the learning and overall understanding of what the class is all about.


AT4: Research assignments

Letter Grade Grade Point Grade Definitions  
A+
A
A- 		4.3
4.0
3.7 		Excellent: Strong evidence of knowing how to apply the key concepts of managing services into real life setting. High participation and engagement in the assigned activities and excellent presentation skills. Able to apply effective communication and reflective learning skills to pursue new knowledge and acquire new skills proactively to achieve lifelong learning and employability.
B+
B
B- 		3.3
3.0
2.7 		Good: Evidence of knowing how to apply the key concepts of managing services into real life case studies. Active participation and engagement in the assigned activities and good presentation skills. Able to apply good communication and reflective learning skills to pursue new knowledge and acquire new skills proactively to achieve lifelong learning and employability.
C+
C
C- 		2.3
2.0
1.7 		Adequate: Some evidence of knowing how to apply the key concepts of managing services into real life case studies. Participation and engagement in the assigned activities and adequate presentation skills. Able to apply adequate communication and reflective learning skills to pursue new knowledge and acquire new skills to achieve lifelong learning and employability.
D 1.0 Marginal: Sufficient familiarity with the subject matter to enable the student to progress without repeating the assessment. Low participation and engagement in the assigned activities and fair presentation skills. Able to apply marginal level of communication and reflective learning skills to pursue new knowledge and acquire new skills to achieve lifelong learning and employability.
F 0.0 Failure: Little or no evidence of familiarity with the subject matter. No or low participation and engagement in the assigned activities and poor presentation skills. No evidence to demonstrate communication and reflective learning skills to pursue new knowledge and new skills to achieve lifelong learning and employability.


AT5: Mid-term test

Letter Grade Grade Point Grade Definitions  
A+
A
A- 		4.3
4.0
3.7 		Excellent: Strong evidence of understanding the key concepts and definitions of the learned subject; capacity to analyse and synthesize; superior grasp of subject matter; evidence of extensive knowledge base.
B+
B
B- 		3.3
3.0
2.7 		Good: Evidence of grasp of subject, some evidence of critical capacity and analytic ability; reasonable understanding of issues; evidence of familiarity with literature.
C+
C
C- 		2.3
2.0
1.7 		Adequate: Student who is profiting from the university experience; understanding of the subject; ability to show some evidence of familiarity with literature.
D 1.0 Marginal: Sufficient familiarity with the subject matter to enable the student to progress further.
F 0.0 Failure: Little evidence of familiarity with the subject matter; limited or irrelevant use of literature.

AT6: Written examination

Letter Grade

Grade Point

Grade Definitions

 

A+
A
A-

4.3
4.0
3.7

Excellent:

Strong evidence of original thinking; good organization, capacity to analyse and synthesize; superior grasp of subject matter; evidence of extensive knowledge base.

B+
B
B-

3.3
3.0
2.7

Good:

Evidence of grasp of subject, some evidence of critical capacity and analytic ability; reasonable understanding of issues; evidence of familiarity with literature.

C+
C
C-

2.3
2.0
1.7

Adequate:

Student who is profiting from the university experience; understanding of the subject; ability to develop solutions to simple problems in the material.

D

1.0

Marginal:

Sufficient familiarity with the subject matter to enable the student to progress without repeating the course.

F

0.0

Failure:

Little evidence of familiarity with the subject matter; weakness in critical and analytic skills; limited or irrelevant use of literature.

I

Incomplete

A grade of incomplete may be granted (1) where there are extenuating circumstances that have prevented a student from completing required work, or attending the examination; (2) at the discretion of the Assessment Panel. Where an "I" grade is assigned, the Assessment Panel will approve a schedule for the completion of work, or a supplementary examination. An "I" grade will be converted into a "F" grade four weeks after the "I" grade is first reported to the Academic Regulations and Records Office, unless an alternative grade has been assigned.

Part III

Keyword Syllabus:

Fundamental Concepts of Quality

Definition of quality. Dimensions of quality. Cost of quality. Motivation for quality. Management philosophy of quality gurus, e.g. Deming, Juran and Crosby.

Approaches and Tools

Basic tools (the “Magnificent Seven”). New seven tools. Quick and simple statistical techniques. Basic SPC tools.

Tools and Techniques for Improving Service Quality

Service gaps analysis. QFD Quality function deployment. SERVQUAL and its applications. Service Recovery. Taguchi method.

Models for Continuous Improvement

Interpretation ISO9000 in Service Industries. The Japanese Quality Revolution. Six-sigma.

Related Links
Department of Management Sciences