GSBS6015-Services and Relationship Marketing Management

Assesssment Type Description

Aims of assignment: Using personal experience to reflect on services theory and as the basis to develop / recommend one or more strategies for improvement. 

Document your personal experiences in relation to an extended service encounter with a service provider (organisation or individual) of your choice. Record your experiences over a period of at least one month. For each entry you should describe what happened and how you felt. Also you are to record a personal satisfaction rating (a score out of 5) with each encounter, the value for money and the likelihood that you would recommend the service to a friend. You will use this diary to analyse your expectations and (dis)satisfaction, service quality and value.

You are free to select which extended service encounter to examine. Possible options include your attendance at classes for a particular course, repeat usage of Newcastle buses to and from University, having meals at a particular restaurant, an overnight (or longer) stay in a hotel; or it might be a series of transactions with a business service provider (such as an architect, accountant, consultant, lecturer, or bank). The common characteristic of all these examples is that each involves multiple service encounters over a period of time (at least one month).

The Service Encounter Diary is designed to help you understand customer expectations, and why as consumers we are sometimes satisfied or dissatisfied with the service experience. By recording and analysing your own experiences, particularly in reference to the theories, tools and techniques of services and relationship marketing, you should begin to discover what is truly needed to satisfy a customer. 

Assessment Criteria

Introduction to the service provider, relevant theory and evaluation criteria

Analysis of expectations (disconfirmation) and experiences

Analysis of (dis)satisfaction, quality and value

Recommendations for improvement, with rationale

Depth of analysis and overall quality of report