University of Modern Sciences (UMS)
College of Business Administration
Course: Service Service Oparationss Management Code: MNGT 444
Semester: Fall 2013-14 Maximum Marks: 100 (10%)
Student ID First Name Family Name
QUIZ-1
Q.NO.1: Define the concept ‘Service’ and share your experience for any service you received recently/so far?
More often a service has been described as an act, a process and a performance. Examples of services include: tourism, banking, hospitality, hairdressing, transport and so many more. In other case services has been described as economic activities that create ‘added value’ and provides benefits for customer (consumers or organizations). Most commonly in all cases services have been considered intangible (immaterial). Their characteristics create a list of challenges for the marketing manager because he is forced to clearly communicate to the potential customers the benefits therein by drawing ideas and imagery that can be tangible.
Q.NO.2: What is Service Operations Management (SOM) and what is the importance of Service Operations Management for any Organization?
Organizations mainly focus on cost reduction, which could be achieved through ways including the perfection of management structures, initiation of good decision-making processes, and application of effective supply chains. All this contribute to the improvement of product quality or the perceptions that customers have on products or services. Good management is believed make an organization achieve most of its goals and objective.
The field of Service Operations management in the management of organization affairs deals with design, redesign and overseeing the important Service Operations of the business in the course of production of goods as well as services. Its contribution is important in enhancing the role and responsibility of the organization towards efficiency in business Service Operations with respect to use of minimum possible resources in the most effective manner to effectively meet the requirements of the clients (Tompkins & Harmelink, 2010). The success of the organization in this regard depends on the competence of the management to implement sound design in Service Operations management in all its aspects of business Service Operations. Efficient design should facilitate for a smooth management of the entire process that are responsible for the conversion of inputs (materials, labor, energy), to respective outputs (goods and services) (Pooler & Pooler, 2007).
Appropriate design in the production system of any organization is a vital determinant of the overall performance in that organization. Consequently, for the organization to make an effective contribution to the successful delivery of services and production of goods, the management must address their duty in implementing and updating a comprehensive as well as sufficiently detailed design of all Service Operations (Tompkins & Harmelink, 2010).
The focus of the organizations Service Operation management is effective resource and activity management in order to meet an effective production of products and delivery of services and therefore benefiting all stakeholders of the business. Efficiency with this respect is a cornerstone to a sustainable competitive edge of the organization (Tompkins & Harmelink, 2010). Through appropriate design in Service Operations, therefore, the management is put in the best position to facilitate efficient management of people, equipments, materials as well as the information resources that are vital in the process of production of goods as well as delivery of services to the clients. Business processes must also adopt appropriate design which facilitates the actual production of the goods.
Effective Service operation management strategies and skills are essential to the success or failure of a business (Craig, 2009). A business manager’s responsibilities are overseeing and coordinating business operations, marketing, strategizing, sourcing finances, creating a unique company culture and ensuring that the business fully complies with state rules and regulations. Effective business management entails many things and to be a successful business manager, one ought to understand the wider dimensions into which the particular business draws.
Operating a business organization effectively involves a lot of activities and many tasks. These cover all things from running the building that houses the business, maintaining the stock and organizing the finances to effectively communicate with clients, promoting the business and dealing with the staff. Coordinating all these activities and making sure that all of them work in harmony is what effective business management is all about (Moore & Kevin 1991). Management can be defined as the art of making effective use of resources to achieve goals and objectives. It involves careful planning, coordination and implementation of all aspects of an organization’s operations in such a manner that the aspirations and aims of an organization are promoted. Thus effective management strategies enable one to identify the purpose for which a business organization operates.
Effective business management also involves effective conflict resolution at workplaces. Conflicts, differences in opinions and clash of interests occur in every organization be it a family, company or government. Usually conflicts happen for various reasons and involve different people and these may be drawn from different departments within an organization (Moore & Kevin 1991). Successful managers need highly articulate skills to manage conflicts and enable them take advantage of the conflicts to create good organizational relationships. Conflict resolution is closely related to customer satisfaction. No company can be in business if it doesn’t have customers and as such no management practice can succeed if it overlooks the organization’s customer care practices.
Effective business managers always ensure that everybody working in their organizations understand the importance of customers and their services. Majority of business organizations have a customer care department that is mandated with the duty of overseeing that customers are treated in the best of their interests. Efficient customer satisfaction practices not only contribute to increased business in terms of retaining customers but also act as a tape for gauging the level of the manager’s success in selling the image of a company (Keene & Suzanne, 1996). Thus managers can ignore the contribution of good customer care practices at their own peril.
According to Craig 2009, contemporary business organizations have employed sophisticated and high tech management strategies not only for ensuring their survival in the dynamic business environment but also for edging out their competitors from the market. It is imperative for organization managers to fully understand the fundamentals and building blocks of organizational structures so that they can make appropriate preparations for implementing structures to enhance the performance of their respective organizations.
Q.NO.3: What are different types of Services? From the given list, recognize each set of activities and mention from which type of services it relates to:
List of Activities Type of Services
Maintenance
Consultancy
Training
Catering Training
Shops & Hotels
Banks & Insurance
Food & Beverages
Travelling & Tourism Consumer services
Finance
Social Networks (Facebook, linked In)
Purchasing
IT & Personnel Business services
Prison
Hospitals
Schools
Leisure Public services
Aid Agencies
Earthquake and
Famine relief related activities Addendum
References
Pooler, H. & Pooler, D., 2007, Purchasing and Supply Management: Creating the Vision, Chapman & Hall.
Tompkins, A. & Harmelink, A., 2010, The Distribution Management Handbook, McGraw Hill.
Moore, Kevin, ed. 1991, Leicester reader in museum studies, Museum Management, Routledge, London.
Craig, S. (2009, January 29). Merrill Bonus Case Widens as Deal Struggles. Wall Street Journal. [1]
Keene, Suzanne, 1996, “Managing Conservation in Museums”. Butterworth-Heinemann Publishers,Oxford, England.
