MSc Service Science and Managementbusiness-school.exeter.ac.uk/documents/prospectuses/msc... · 2008. 1. 18. · NewtotheSchoolof BusinessandEconomicsin 2008,theMScServiceScience

exeteru n i v e r s i t y o f

MSc Service Science and Management2008/09

Contents

MSc Service Science and Management: 1a research-led degree...

…with skills relevant to practice… 3

…taught through innovative curriculum 4Key facts 4Contacts 4Module details 5Teaching and learning methods 6

…for excellent careers in the service sector… 7

…or towards a career as a Service Scientist 8Research Centres 8

Teaching staff profiles 9

Funding 10

The University of Exeter 11

School of Business and Economics 12

Useful web addresses 13

“Service isn’t just for serviceorganisations...it is increasingly thesource of innovation and addstremendous value for manufacturingcompanies and complex engineeringsystems..”Professor Irene Ng, Director, Centre for Service Research

New to the School ofBusiness and Economics in2008, the MSc Service Scienceand Management is aninnovative programmedeveloped in conjunctionwith service organisations.It provides the opportunity tolearn about a new businessdiscipline that is increasinglyin demand. A uniqueprogramme, the MSc ServiceScience and Managementbuilds on the successfulteaching of service andoperations managementwithin the School, as well asresearch in the field led by theCentre for Service Research(CServ) and the Centre forResearch in Strategic Processesand Operations (XSPO).

MSc Service Science and Management:a research-led degree...

Service Science: a new frontier inthe global economyService exists everywhere: from banking totelecommunications, hotels to hospitals,entertainment to travel and even after-salesservices in the purchase of cars andcomputers. It depends critically on people,technology and co-creation of value. Globalorganisations are increasingly defining whatthey do in terms of the service they provide,rather than the products they make. Morethan 70% of economies in the OECD arenow services, giving rise to many moregraduate employment opportunities inservice economies worldwide.

The need for service science comes fromboth academics and businesses recognisingthe central importance of services in a globaleconomy. This realisation of the importanceof services is coupled with an appreciationof the importance of creating, improving

and implementing new services in a fast-moving world.

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“Services depend critically onpeople, technology and co-creation of value. People worktogether and with technologyto provide value for clients, soa service system is a complexsocio-techno-economic system.Growth requires innovation thatcombines people, technology,value, clients.”Paul P Maglio and Jim Spohrer,IBM Almaden Research Center, 2006

In 2004, the senior VP Research at IBMstated that the academic community couldplay a significant role in establishing courseswhere future practitioners could learnabout the science of services. Hesuggested that there was enormouspotential for innovation in services scienceas an entirely new discipline, just ascomputer science was introduced 30 yearsago. Service Science, Management andEngineering (SSME), as this new inter-discipline has come to be known, is aimedat studying, improving and teaching serviceinnovation. It brings together disciplinesfrom work in computer science,operations research, industrial engineering,business strategy, management sciences,social and cognitive sciences, and legalsciences, to develop the skills required in aservices-led economy.

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A research-led practicalprogramme fit for globalorganisationsThis programme combines knowledge ofthe principles of management with aresearch-led understanding of the newworld of service science, with the aim ofproducing highly effective managers forservice-driven corporations.

It aims to give students the ability to use anddevelop management strategies in anorganisation at an advanced level. Studentswill learn about the consumer experience ina modern service economy, analyse serviceprocesses and systems, understand the roleof information technology within them andgain awareness of the challenges involved inmanaging a globalised service organisation.

The taught modules combine central ideasin marketing, operations and technology forthe delivery of service excellence coveringtopics such as creating value, customerrelationship management and themanagement of demand, capacity and yield.Students can undertake either a dissertationin services, a consulting practicum workingwith an organisation on a specific project, orbe totally immersed in work within a servicecompany on an internship programme.

The programme aims to develop in studentsskills that will enable them to work across abroad range of industries and to understandthe languages of business, technology andsocial-organisational change. Students of theMSc Service Science and Management willbe well placed to pursue the service-relatedjobs of the 21st Century; they should beconfident they will have the skills to pursue avariety of opportunities in a sector that isalready dominant in the economies of

developed countries and is becomingincreasingly important to the economies ofdeveloping countries too.

“Services now represent54 per cent of our revenues.”Sir John Rose, Chief Executive, Rolls Royce

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The Service Science Forum,consisting of top managers froma variety of service organisations,is consulted on the content,quality and delivery of thecurriculum. Some of the Forumpractitioners are guest speakerson the Advanced Seminars inServices module. Thepractitioners in the Forum arealso consulted on how skillsdeveloped through theprogramme will ensuregraduates are suitably equippedto take up roles in theirorganisations.

A partnership that benefitscompanies and graduatesMany of the organisations involved inthe Forum will accept students of theMSc Service Science and Managementprogramme into their company for eitheran internship and/or under theConsulting Practicum initiative. Thisexchange provides a fantastic opportunityfor students to gain first-hand experiencewith the company and for organisationsto benefit from the contribution ofstudents at the cutting-edge of servicescience theory and research. Moreover,each year the HR departments of theorganisations involved in the Forum willreceive a CV book of the Service Sciencegraduates for consideration in theirrecruitment efforts.

...with skills relevant to practice...

“We need to design appropriate curricula in Service Science thatwill equip graduates with both a 360 degree knowledge of serviceand key skill-sets that companies will find valuable.”From the first Service Science Forum meeting, September 2007

Organisations currentlyparticipating in the Service ScienceForumComplementary Management Services(CMS) Ltd

Dynamyx Ltd

Lloyds TSB

Reuters

Virgin Media

Vodafone UK Ltd

We anticipate the Forum to grow in size asthe programme becomes more established.Companies interested in engaging with theForum should visit www.exeter.ac.uk/cserv/ssf or contact the Centre for ServiceResearch at [email protected]

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Semester 1: September – JanuaryCore modules:Service Operations and Systems 15 creditsServices Marketing and Revenue Management 15 creditsPeople and Organisations 15 creditse-Service 15 creditsAdvanced Seminars in Services by 15 creditsService Practitioners and Researchers

Semester 2: January – MayCore modules:Advanced Seminars in Services by 15 creditsService Practitioners and ResearchersAuditing a Service 15 creditsReadings in Services Marketing 15 creditsSelect two optional modules from:Crisis, Change and Creativity in Organisations 15 creditsEvents Management 15 creditsInternet Marketing in the Information Society 15 creditsProcess Information Management 15 creditsResearch Methodology 15 creditsUnderstanding Consumer Behaviour 15 credits

Summer: June – SeptemberOne option from:Dissertation 30 creditsConsulting Practicum* 30 creditsWork-based Learning through Internship* 30 credits

*There are a limited number of places on this module.Acceptance onto the modules is subject to selectioncriteria, which is dependent on a high level of English andgood grades in other modules.

...taught through innovative curriculum...

Programme overviewThe first semester equips students with coreunderstanding of services marketing, operations, HRMand technology; the second semester brings thedifferent disciplines together in the form of readings,seminars and a live audit of a service that takes studentsinto a service organisation. Optional modules provide adeeper understanding of individual areas eg, managingchange (especially in terms of service transformation ofcompanies), internet marketing, events managementand tools on conducting research in services.

Key factsStart date: September

Duration: 12 months full-time

Entry requirements: Undergraduate degree with CGPA of more than 3.0/4.0or Upper Second Class Honours from a good university. Work experience isnot required, but will be given due consideration.

English language requirements: IELTS 6.5; TOEFL CBT 230; TOEFL IBT 90

Fees 2008/09: UK/EU £7,200; International £11,850. Deposit £1,000

ContactsTelephone: +44 (0)1392 263200 Email: [email protected]

Web: www.exeter.ac.uk/sobe/postgraduate

Application procedure: Applications can be made online atwww.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/admissions/applyonline.shtml

Information for international students: www.exeter.ac.uk/international

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Module details

Advanced Seminars in Services byService Practitioners and ResearchersThis module is a series of seminars byacademics and practitioners presentingacademic issues that are relevant inmanaging a service firm.

Auditing a ServiceStudents will be taken on a field trip to aservice organisation (eg, a bank or anairport). From the field trip, readings andanalysis of company reports, students willhave to integrate their learnings fromMarketing, Operations, InformationSystems/Technology, Human ResourceManagement and Finance, into the servicecompany and identify critical issues in servicequality, development and innovation.

Consulting PracticumEnhances the relevance of the programmeand allows students to apply concepts andtheories they have learnt in working with aservice organisation. This is an integrativemodule that draws on the cumulatedexperiences of other modules. Each studentshould spend a total of 200 hours on theproject working with a service organisation,including company visits, individual study andgroup work, report writing, and presentation/sto company management. The output of themodule should be a professionally preparedmanagement report and an oral presentationto company personnel.

There are a limited number of places on thismodule. Acceptance onto the module issubject to selection criteria, which isdependent on a high level of English and goodgrades from other modules.

Crisis, Change and Creativity inOrganisationsProvides a critical appreciation of whatrepresents a central activity in managementand organisational analysis, sinceorganisations change their structure andthe scope of their operations withincreasing frequency. Particular attention isgiven to the development of transferableskills, enabling students to develop theability to operate as a change agent.

e-Service (electronic service)Provides students with an understanding andknowledge of the main aspects related tothe delivery of e-services that are vital fortheir professional success. The module willcover e-service fundamentals andinfrastructure as well as social, legal, securityand ethical aspects concerning e-service.

Events ManagementExplains how large events are managed,and how their impact and value can beassessed.

Internet Marketing in the InformationSocietyExplores the internet from strategic, societaland commercial perspectives to provide abroad introduction to its use in business;especially e-commerce and internetmarketing. Students will survey the growingvolume of internet research and gain anappreciation of the internet as a managementtool as well as a cultural phenomenon.

People and OrganisationsConsiders the context, theory and practiceof human resource management acrossdifferent societies. The module begins withcritical consideration of the emergence of

HRM as a discipline and practice, andconsiders the debates associated withversions of HRM. Students will thenexamine specific HRM practices includingrecruitment and retention, employeeselection, reward management, learning anddevelopment and employee relations.

Process Information ManagementExplores the business process perspective oforganisations as an alternative paradigm formanagement and improvement. It will showstudents how to create, analyse and criticallyreview business process architectures withthe aim of substantially improving theefficiency of business processes. Students willalso develop business process modelling andsimulation skills that facilitate organisationalimprovement.

Readings in Services MarketingIntroduces students to the fundamentals ofservices and develops an understanding ofcutting edge strategies through the use ofarticles from top service journals in thereadings. Topics covered will include servicepricing, revenue management, servicemanagement, consumer behaviour inservices and service processes. Studentsshould integrate and synthesise theirreadings over the course of the module toform ideas in producing an extended essay.

Research MethodologyCovers epistemological foundations,quantitative and qualitative research,research designs, ethical issues, projectmanagement, and data collection methodsand analysis. There are discussions aroundvalidity and reliability of research, and howto write up and communicate results.

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Services Marketing and RevenueManagementApplying lessons from operationsmanagement, economics, HRM, technologyand marketing, this module takes aninterdisciplinary approach towards the wayservices are sold and delivered, and the wayservice delivery is valued and priced for thecustomer. The module analyses customerbased influencers to the revenuemanagement of services such asrisk/insurance, value and quantities; firm-based influencers such as advanced selling,capacity/inventory management, value andquantities; firm-based influencers such asadvanced selling, capacity/inventorymanagement; and competitor-basedinfluencers to the pricing decision such aspurpose and strategy.

Service Operations and SystemsThis module takes a highly practical view ofthe way in which an organisation carries outits transformations. All companies transformmaterial, customers and information toproduce products and services that generaterevenue. We will explore thesetransformations looking at how at how theyare designed, how we can developstrategies for their effective operation andhow they can make the most efficient use ofpeople and technology to enable thedelivery of products and services. We willalso consider how they can be improvedthrough approaches such as Six Sigma andLean Service. There will be extensive use ofcase studies from organisations such asScottish Widows, Virgin, LTSB Bank,Metropolitan Police and the Health Service.

Understanding Consumer BehaviourThe aim of this module is to understand thebehaviour of people as consumers and the

strategic implications of this understandingfor managers. This understanding is one ofthe critical components of marketinganalysis in examining and diagnosingproblems and reaching effective decisions.Principles from various social sciences areintegrated to understand and analyseconsumer actions, experiences, emotionsand judgement processes.

Work-based Learning throughInternshipThis work-based module allows studentsto work for ten weeks in a serviceorganisation as an intern. Supervised byboth an academic and industrial supervisor,the output will be a case study that applieswhat has been taught to the workperformed during the internship.

There are a limited number of places on thismodule. Acceptance onto the module issubject to selection criteria, which isdependent on a high level of English and goodgrades from other modules.

Modules are subject to change.For the latest information onprogramme content visitwww.sobe.ex.ac.uk/postgraduate/msc_ssm/index.php

Teaching and learningmethods

The programme is taughtby leading researcherswho, as practicingconsultants, fullyunderstand the needto integrate intellectualdevelopment in servicescience with real worldpractices. To ensure thatgraduates of theprogramme areappropriately skilled totake up service sciencepositions within serviceorganisations, casestudies, photoessays,seminars andpresentations are allutilised. Field and studytrips are further integratedinto the curriculum toenhance the learningexperience.

“Services contribute evenmore to the global economythan products do.”Henry W Chesborough, ‘Towards a New Science ofServices’, Harvard Business Review, vol 83(February): pp16-17, 2005

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…for excellent careers in the service sector…

Graduates of the programme will be wellplaced to pursue jobs in an incrediblydiverse portfolio of industries, such as:

• central and local government

• educational services

• financial activities

• health care and social assistance

• leisure and hospitality

• offshoring and outsourcing services

• professional and business services

• retail trade

• service division of manufacturingcompanies

• telecommunications

• tourism

• transportation

• utilities

• wholesale trade

Each year the HR departments ofthe organisations involved in theService Science Forum will receivea CV book of the MSc ServiceScience and Management graduatesfor consideration in their recruitmentefforts.

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…or towards a career as aService Scientist…

Graduates will be equipped totake the first step towards anacademic career as a ServiceScientist, with opportunitiesto pursue a PhD in servicescience at the two ResearchCentres leading this innovativedegree. The Centres forService Research andResearch in Strategic Processesand Operations within theSchool of Business andEconomics drive the research-led teaching of the MScService Science andManagement.

Research Centres

Centre for Service Research(CServ)CServ is working to advance knowledge andunderstanding of activities in services. Itpromotes the scholarship of discovery,integration, application and teaching, withinthe umbrella of service. The focus of thecentre’s team is multidisciplinary, involvingmarketing, management, strategy, finance,accounting, operations, economics, HR,e-commerce, information systems and otherdisciplines. Expertise from all disciplines isbrought together to provide greater supportand understanding to services and toformulate stronger links between researchand complex reality.

The community of researchers thatcomprise CServ consider national andinternational issues of the service economy,such as outsourcing, off-shoring anddelocalisation. The team aims to facilitateexchanges between academics andpractitioners in service research and practiceso as to develop innovative ways for firms tocompete in the service economy.

In November 2007, CServ together with aconsortium of nine institutions led by theUniversity of Cambridge, were awarded a£2 million grant by the Engineering and

Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)and BAE Systems for research on ServiceSupport Engineering Solutions. The £2million grant, with £1 million contributed byBAE Systems, will help define the nextgeneration of support service engineeringsolutions and the understanding of servicetransformation in manufacturing andengineering companies.www.exeter.ac.uk/cserv

Exeter Centre for Research inStrategic Processes andOperations (XSPO)This research-led centre aims to developnew knowledge in Business ProcessManagement and to disseminate thisknowledge to companies in the form of jointresearch projects, bespoke executiveeducation and consultancy support. Thecentre’s team draws on extensiveexperience from research and consultancyprojects in the UK, Europe and US. Thecentre currently has four main researchthemes: identifying the relationship betweenmanaging processes and customersatisfaction; developing a set of rules andguidelines for improved process design;linking value creation and process design togenerate increased revenue; developingstrategies for Business Process Outsourcing.www.exeter.ac.uk/xspo

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Teaching staff profiles

Professor Irene NgIrene was a business practitioner andentrepreneur for eleven years before shejoined academia, serving as the CEO ofSA Tours, CEO and founder of EmpressCruise Lines and subsequently the GroupVice Chairman of the SA Tourism Group.Her research has led to publications in theJournal of Business Research, theInternational Journal of Service IndustryManagement, Service Industries Journaland the Journal of Services Marketing, andseveral other international journals. She isalso the author of the book ‘The Pricing &Revenue Management of Services’. Irenehas taught Pricing and RevenueManagement, Strategic Marketing andServices Marketing in MBA and Executiveprogrammes around the world, andserved as a marketing advisor to variousfirms in the UK, South Africa, Malaysiaand Singapore.

Professor Roger MaullRoger’s major research interests are inapplying systems thinking within themanagement of business operations;challenging and extending the traditionalboundaries of Operations Managementresearch. In the last five years, Roger hasworked much more closely with theservices and public sectors. This has led toa number of publications which haveaddressed managing processes in theservice sectors eg, Computing, Banking,Telecoms and Logistics. Roger regularlyacts as a Business Process Managementadvisor for a wide ranging group ofcompanies and public bodies includingVodafone, LloydsTSB, Britannia BuildingSociety, Compaq, IBM, hospital trusts,Society of British Aerospace Companies(SBAC), and the Met Police.

Dr Andi SmartAndi’s post-doctoral research hasincluded the completion of two projectsin the area of Business Process Re-engineering, and he has played a leadrole in collaborative US/Europeanprojects exploring Enterprise Modellingand Integration. In addition to beinginvited to speak at internationalconferences such as the IFAC WorldCongress, Andi has had over 30 articlespublished. These include articles in theInternational Journal of Operations andProduction Management and theInternational Journal of ComputerIntegrated Manufacturing. Andi has actedas a consultant for a number ofcompanies including JP Morgan, GKNWestland Aerospace, IBM, BP, andCompaq.

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Students on the MSc ServiceScience and Managementprogramme may be eligible forthe following scholarships andbursaries offered by the Schoolof Business and Economics:

Distinction Scholarships: up to £5,000 forstudents with excellent academic abilities andcareer potential

School Bursaries: up to £2,500 for studentsshowing high potential for success on theirchosen programme

Alumni Bursaries: £1,000 for University ofExeter alumni

Further information on School fundingopportunities can be found atwww.sobe.ex.ac.uk/postgraduate/PG_scholarships.php

Funding

Scholarships offered by theUniversity of Exeter

Full Fee Masters Scholarships: 18 full-feeone year scholarships for taught mastersprogrammes

Masters Scholarships for InternationalStudents: generous scholarships forinternational students

Further information on Universityscholarships can be found atwww.exeter.ac.uk/scholarships

The School offers severalscholarships and bursarieseach year to assist applicantswith tuition fees andencourage applicants withhigh potential to study withus. The University of Exeteralso offers a number ofscholarships, which are opento all postgraduate students atthe University.

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The University of Exeter

The University of Exeter,which is home to 14,000students of whom 3,500 arepostgraduates, offers highquality teaching in a research-led environment. Ouracademics work at theforefront of developments intheir fields and in activeresearch centres.

The University of Exeter has been named2007/08 University of the Year by The TimesHigher Education Supplement and is ranked17th in both The Times and The Sunday Times2007 league tables. The University invested£34 million in research last year and the valueof new grant awards increased by over 43%.We receive significant funding from theResearch Councils and are in the top 15 forawards from the Economic and SocialResearch Council. The University is leading agroundbreaking £14 million researchpartnership of South West universities toboost research in areas of economicimportance to the region, through thecreation of 130 PhD studentships, and theestablishment of a South West PostgraduateTraining Network.

In addition to excellent research standings, weoffer an outstanding student experience.Exeter has one of the highest NationalStudent Survey rankings in the country andhas maintained its top 10 position for threeyears running. In 2007, the University came7th in the UK and 4th amongst mainstreamuniversities, just behind St Andrews, Oxfordand Birkbeck College, London.*

Further information, including details ofpostgraduate study at the University of Exeterand living in Exeter, is available in theUniversity’s postgraduate prospectus and atwww.exeter.ac.uk

“Exeter is very easy to fall inlove with. It has one of themost beautiful campuses inthe country, in one of themost beautiful counties inBritain.”Virgin Alternative Guide to British Universities, 2007

*based on percentage of positive responses for OverallSatisfaction. Mainstream universities excludes the OpenUniversity, the private University of Buckingham andspecialist colleges.

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The School providesprogrammes in accounting,business, economics, finance,leadership and managementacross the full range of highereducation: from undergraduateto MBA. With a worldwidereputation for research andteaching, we aim to traingraduates who will make a realdifference to the organisationsthey work for. The Schoolenjoys excellent relations withits students and has anexceptional track record in theNational Student Survey (NSS).In the 2007 NSS the Schoolwas ranked 1st in the UK forAccounting, Business Studies,Finance, and ManagementStudies, and 2nd in the UK forEconomics.

The School of Business and Economics isone of the largest schools in the Universitywith 54 full-time academic staff, more than400 postgraduates, and a largeundergraduate student population.Academics, visiting lecturers and studentsfrom across the world are attracted to theSchool; we have substantial numbers ofstudents from Asia and Europe, and also alarge proportion from Africa and the Indiansubcontinent.

The School enjoys extremely good relationswith professionals, regionally, nationally andinternationally. We retain strong links withour alumni, with whom postgraduatestudents have opportunities to network;many of our alumni occupy senior positions,working in a broad range of sectorsthroughout the world.

Further information is available in the Schoolof Business and Economics Postgraduateprospectus and at www.exeter.ac.uk/sobe

The School of Businessand Economics

Useful web addresses

University of Exeter: www.exeter.ac.uk

University of Exeter postgraduate pages: www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate

School of Business and Economics: www.exeter.ac.uk/sobe

Virtual tours: www.exeter.ac.uk/virtualtours

International Office: www.exeter.ac.uk/international

Scholarships: www.exeter.ac.uk/scholarships

Accommodation: www.exeter.ac.uk/accommodation

Students’ Guild: www.exeter.ac.uk/guild

Information on Service Science:www.research.ibm.com/ssme/services.shtml

This document forms part of the University’s Postgraduate Prospectus.Every effort has been made to ensure that the information contained inthe Prospectus is correct at the time of going to press. However, theUniversity cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information containedwithin the Prospectus and reserves the right to make variations to theservices offered where such action is considered to be necessary bythe University. For further information, please refer to the PostgraduateProspectus (available at www.exeter.ac.uk/pgp/disclaimer).

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