Reference no: EM133958247 , Length: Word Count:2000
Learning Outcome 1: Recognise aspects of excellent customer service and familiarise with measurement of customer satisfaction and service quality.
Learning Outcome 2: Critically evaluate organisation's service provision
Company - Marriott International
Your Task:
You have been appointment as a service management consultant. You're required to write a report on an organisation of your choice (as a case study) but within your degree programme for example tourism, events, aviation or music.
The report should identify and assess given aspects of service excellence like the service quality gaps, incl. service recovery and complaints management strategies, strategies aimed to improving productivity and provide service excellence delivery recommendations for improvements.
The key tasks that form this assessment include:
Identifying and analysing aspects for service excellence for the chosen organisation.
This should include identification of the service quality gaps of the chosen organisation and use of the same framework to evaluate and suggest the service quality strategies that are available to reduce the gaps. Get professional assignment help from qualified experts—on time, every time.
Using the findings from the analysis of the service - quality gap, students should identify and evaluate strategies required to develop service quality strategies that will be aimed at customer service excellence for the organisation of choice, including customer service recovery management strategies and strategies aimed to improve productivity.
Students should then aim to provide 3 justified recommendations of the strategies aimed to improve service quality and productivity to the organisations for implementation.
Key elements:
The use of the relevant marketing theories and frameworks in your answer to the above task
Evidence of well-structured and logical marketing report with introduction, main body and conclusion.
Word limit 2000 words maximum (excluding bibliography and appendices). The individual essay weighs 100% of the module marks.
This assessment encourages students to develop and practice the following skills:
Academic writing,
Researching,
Analysing,
Interpretation of the data or information collected,
Application and presentation of marketing knowledge.
The typical structure of a report is as follows:
Title page Title of the report
Executive Summary A standalone overview of the report.
List of contents This should include headings/subheadings of the content covered and a list of tables/graphs/diagrams that you used to allow the reader to find their way quickly to areas of interest.
Introduction Outlining the main context, aims and objectives of the report
Background
Information Anything important to the understanding of the context of operations of the organisation selected and the report
Findings, Analysis and Evaluation. What the report found and what the findings imply to the organisation's performance.
Conclusion and Recommendations Summarising your main points the report established and suggestion for action based on the findings.
List of references Each and every reference must be cited in alphabetical order and must be complete.
Use Harvard Referencing Style.
Supporting appendices E.g., Any theoretical diagrams/tables/graphs you used.
Overall: A professionally presented report, with headings and numbering for every new section with page numbers as well.
Suggested overall structure (2,000-2,500 words)
Title page (0 words)
Executive summary (150-200 words)
Contents list (0 words)
?
Introduction (200-250 words)
?
Background of organisation (250-300 words)
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Service excellence analysis (900-1,050 words)
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Conclusions (150-200 words)
?
Recommendations (300-350 words)
References (0 words)
Appendices (optional, 0 words)
Title page (0 words)
Students should:
State report title including organisation name and "service excellence".
Include module code and title, student name, ID, word count, submission date.
Indicate chosen industry (tourism, events, aviation, music).
Executive summary (150-200 words)
Students should:
Identify the organisation, purpose of the report and main focus (service gaps, recovery, productivity, recommendations).
Summarise key findings about current service quality and service excellence.
Present the main recommendations in brief.
Write it last, but place it before contents.
Contents list (0 words)
Students should:
List all numbered headings and subheadings with page numbers.
List tables/figures if used.
Introduction (200-250 words)
Aim and objectives (120-150 words) L3
Students should:
State the overall aim as an evaluation of service excellence in the chosen organisation.
Set 2-3 clear objectives, for example:
To identify and analyse key service quality gaps.
To evaluate service recovery and complaints management.
To examine productivity-related strategies supporting service excellence.
Use third person (e.g. "This report aims to...").
Scope and structure (80-100 words) L1
Students should:
Clarify the scope (service type, customer segments, location).
Outline the structure of the report (background, analysis, conclusions, recommendations).
Show logical planning and clear flow to meet "Logical and structure" criteria.
Background of the organisation (250-300 words)
Organisational profile (120-150 words) L2
Students should:
Describe the organisation's core services, size, locations and ownership/brand.
Identify key customer groups and service channels (e.g. online, face-to-face, events, flights).
Support factual information with in-text citations (e.g. company website, annual reports, industry data) using London Metropolitan University Harvard style.
Service context and the role of service excellence (120-150 words) L8
Students should:
Explain typical service encounters and customer expectations in this creative- industry context.
Link briefly to service excellence, service quality and customer satisfaction concepts. (L9)
Include at least one academic reference to demonstrate knowledge and reading.
Service excellence analysis (900-1,050 words)
This section addresses Knowledge & Understanding, Analysis & Evaluation and Reading/Research/Referencing
Theoretical framework (200-250 words) L4
Students should:
Introduce and explain key frameworks, for example:
Service quality gaps model (e.g. Gap 1, Gap 3, Gap 5).
Service recovery and complaints management theories.( Lesson15)
Productivity and efficiency concepts in services.
Justify why these models are suitable for the chosen organisation.
Cite multiple academic sources using London Metropolitan University Harvard in-text citations (author, year).
Identification and analysis of service quality gaps (300-350 words) (lesson 10)
Students should:
Apply the service quality gaps model to the organisation, focusing on the most relevant gaps.
Use evidence (secondary data or clearly explained assumptions) to show where the organisation may be underperforming versus customer expectations.
Discuss the impact of these gaps on service excellence, satisfaction and loyalty.
Demonstrate critical analysis by comparing literature views where appropriate, not just describing the model.
Service recovery and complaints management (200-220 words) L15
Students should:
Describe current or likely complaint channels and service recovery practices (e.g. response times, staff empowerment, compensation policies).
Evaluate how effective these practices are using relevant service recovery theory.
Highlight strengths and weaknesses in complaints handling and recovery, supported by at least one academic source.
Productivity and service excellence strategies (200-230 words) L6
Students should:
Identify existing strategies aimed at improving productivity (e.g. technology, process standardisation, self-service, staffing strategies).
Analyse how these strategies influence service quality, customer experience and perceived excellence.
Discuss trade-offs between efficiency and quality using academic literature.
Show evaluation rather than simple description.
Overall evaluation and synthesis (120-150 words) L3
Students should:
Summarise what the analysis reveals about the organisation's overall service excellence performance.
Prioritise the most critical issues (key gaps, weaknesses in recovery, productivity concerns).
Demonstrate integrated, logical thinking rather than repeating earlier sections.
Conclusions (150-200 words)
Main conclusions (150-200 words) L3
Students should:
Link conclusions directly back to the aim and objectives.
Present concise statements on:
The main service quality gaps.
The effectiveness of service recovery and complaints management.
The impact of productivity strategies on service excellence.
Avoid new information and maintain a clear, professional academic tone.
Recommendations (300-350 words)
Expects clear, practical and well-justified recommendations derived from the analysis.
Recommendation 1 (90-110 words) L4
Students should:
Propose a realistic action to address a major service quality gap or recovery weakness.
Explain how it is supported by the analysis and relevant theory.
Describe expected benefits for customers and the organisation.
Recommendation 2 (90-110 words) L12
Students should:
Suggest a measure that improves productivity while safeguarding or enhancing service excellence.
Justify with evidence from the case and academic literature.
Briefly mention feasibility considerations (resources, training, time).
Recommendation 3 (90-110 words) 13
Students should:
Offer a longer-term improvement strategy (e.g. ongoing service quality measurement, feedback systems, culture or leadership initiatives).
Connect clearly to theories/frameworks and earlier findings.
Show how it supports sustainable service excellence.
References (0 words, compulsory)
Students should:
Use London Metropolitan University Harvard style for all sources.
Include every in-text citation in the final "References" list and exclude uncited items.
Present full, consistent details (author or organisation, year, title, source, and access details for online materials).
Use a variety of academic and professional sources to reach higher bands for Reading/Research/Referencing.
Appendices (optional, 0 words)
Students may:
Place detailed tables, models or diagrams that support but are not essential in the main text.
Label and refer to appendices clearly if used.
Expectations for in-text citation and academic quality
Across all sections, students should:
Use author-date in-text citations (e.g. (Smith, 2022); (Brown and Lee, 2021); (Taylor et al., 2020)) in line with London Metropolitan Harvard.
Paraphrase ideas in their own words and avoid copying wording from sources.
Reference all theories, models, factual data and non-common-knowledge ideas.
Maintain clear structure, accurate grammar and professional presentation (Times
New Roman, size 12, 1.5 spacing), as specified in the brief and reflected in the rubric categories "Logical and structure" and "Academic/Professional quality."