General Information
Target Audience
The class is intended for students interested in developing their management and leadership skills for service firms. We consider applications in various industries such as healthcare, travel/leisure, retail, consulting, and personal service. Students interested in taking leadership roles within service firms or management consulting positions addressing service operations would benefit from the course.
Format
Intensive two-week.
Course Mission
- Ability to analyze how new service processes are designed to match market demand.
- Ability to analyze services with regards to their ability to deliver on promises.
- Ability to (re)design services to meet customer needs.
- Facility with tools to assist in determining appropriate service capacity.
- Facility with discrete event simulation to provide insight into process behavior and improvement.
Course Scope
This course examines approaches for achieving operational competitiveness in service organizations. We consider a service organization one in which the customer is involved, actively or passively, in the production process, and we strive to understand and leverage the role customers play in the process.
We will approach services from the viewpoint of managing their operations. Operational efficiency and competitiveness are critical for success in service organizations. Students will learn how best to design, manage, and improve service organizations in multiple service industries. This course addresses both strategic and tactical decision making. We will learn how to effectively organize work, analyze and improve operating practices, optimally allocate resources, and identify and overcome key challenges in the ability of service firms to deliver on their promises.
Much of the discussion will focus on case studies. To analyze these cases, students will need to draw on concepts introduced in operations, technology management, consumer behavior, marketing, and strategy. We will apply traditional operations management concepts such as service capacity, server utilization, throughput, and system wait time. While these concepts are covered in your basic operations management course, we will tailor these for use in services.
Evaluation and Grade Distribution
| Component | Due Date | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Class Participation | Ongoing | 20% |
| Group Case Write-Ups | Various | 30% |
| Individual Assignments | Various | 10% |
| Take-Home Final Exam | 1 week after final class | 40% |
Required Resources
Course package consisting of cases and readings.