Service Operations Management: Improving Service Delivery

✍ Scribed by Clark, Graham; Johnston, Robert; Shulver, Michael

• Publisher: Pearson Education Limited
• Year: 2012
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 489
• Edition: 4th ed
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This international market-leading book, aimed at both students and practising managers, provides a comprehensive and balanced introduction to service operations management. Building on the basic principles of operations management, the authors examine the operations decisions that managers face in controlling their resources and delivering services to their customers.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Service Operations Management......Page 2
Contents......Page 6
Part I Introduction......Page 26
Introduction......Page 27
What are services?......Page 28
What is ‘service’?......Page 29
What is service operations management?......Page 35
Why is service operations management important?......Page 38
Summary......Page 40
Suggested further reading......Page 41
Notes......Page 42
Introduction......Page 44
What are the key strategic challenges faced by service operations managers?......Page 45
What are the key tactical challenges faced by service operations managers?......Page 48
What are the challenges for different types of services?......Page 53
What are the challenges for different types of processes?......Page 58
What are the challenges in working with other management functions?......Page 61
How can this book help?......Page 62
Summary......Page 63
Questions for managers......Page 64
Notes......Page 66
Part II Frame......Page 68
Introduction......Page 69
What is a service concept?......Page 70
How can managers use the service concept?......Page 76
Summary......Page 84
Case Exercise The Sunningtree Golf Club......Page 85
Notes......Page 87
Part III Connect......Page 90
Introduction......Page 91
Customers, who are they?......Page 92
What are the benefits of retaining good customers?......Page 100
How can managers develop good customer relationships?......Page 102
How can managers develop good business relationships?......Page 109
Summary......Page 117
Questions for managers......Page 118
Case Exercise The National Brewery......Page 119
Useful web links......Page 121
Notes......Page 122
Introduction......Page 124
What is customer satisfaction?......Page 125
What influences expectations and perceptions?......Page 129
How can expectations and perceptions be ‘managed’?......Page 132
How can service quality be operationalised?......Page 138
How can managers capture customers’ expectations?......Page 143
How can a service be specified?......Page 146
Summary......Page 147
Discussion questions......Page 148
Case Exercise The Northern Breast Screening Unit......Page 149
Useful web links......Page 151
Notes......Page 152
Introduction......Page 154
What are supply chains and networks?......Page 155
What is the role of information and inventory?......Page 158
How can supply networks be managed?......Page 160
How can managers develop a global network strategy?......Page 176
Summary......Page 177
Questions for managers......Page 178
Case Exercise The Regional Forensic Science Laboratory......Page 179
Useful web links......Page 180
Notes......Page 181
Part IV Deliver......Page 184
Introduction......Page 185
What is a customer experience?......Page 186
How can the servicescape be designed?......Page 190
How can managers design the customer journey?......Page 192
What is the role of technology in developing the customer experience?......Page 203
Summary......Page 209
Questions for managers......Page 210
Case Exercise The Southern Provincial Hospice......Page 211
Suggested further reading......Page 212
Notes......Page 213
Introduction......Page 216
What are the main types of service process?......Page 217
How can managers ‘engineer’ service processes?......Page 229
How can service processes be repositioned?......Page 231
How can managers harness technology in service process design?......Page 239
Summary......Page 243
Case Exercise Banca San Giovanni......Page 245
Notes......Page 248
Introduction......Page 249
Why do managers need to measure things?......Page 250
What needs to be measured?......Page 251
How can managers measure the customer’s perspective?......Page 254
How can managers measure, control and manage the operation?......Page 258
Discussion questions......Page 267
Case Exercise The Squire Hotel Group......Page 268
Notes......Page 270
Introduction......Page 272
Why is service delivery a pressurised task?......Page 273
How can organisations manage and motivate service providers?......Page 278
How can customers be ‘managed’ and motivated? ......Page 297
Summary......Page 300
Case Exercise The Empress Hotel Group......Page 301
Notes......Page 303
Introduction......Page 306
What is capacity management?......Page 307
How can managers balance capacity and demand?......Page 310
How is day-to-day planning and control carried out?......Page 318
How do organisations manage bottlenecks and queues? ......Page 322
what happens when managers can’t cope with demand? ......Page 326
How can organisations improve their capacity utilisation?......Page 331
Summary......Page 335
Discussion questions......Page 336
Case Exercise Medi-Call Personal Alarm Systems Ltd......Page 337
Suggested further reading......Page 338
Notes......Page 339
Part V Improve......Page 342
Introduction......Page 343
How can managers use ‘value’ to drive continuous improvement?......Page 344
What are the main approaches to continuous improvement?......Page 346
How can managers sustain continuous improvement?......Page 360
Summary......Page 361
Questions for managers......Page 362
Case Exercise Cranleigh Metropolitan Council......Page 363
Notes......Page 365
Introduction......Page 367
Why do problems occur? ......Page 368
How can complaining customers be dealt with? ......Page 369
How can managers use problems to drive improvement?......Page 373
How can managers prevent problems occurring?......Page 377
Summary......Page 385
Case Exercise Gold Card Protection Service......Page 386
Suggested further reading......Page 388
Notes......Page 389
Introduction......Page 391
How can benchmarking help organisations improve their performance?......Page 392
What are the different types of benchmarking?......Page 393
How do organisations go about benchmarking?......Page 398
How can quality awards and academic studies help with benchmarking?......Page 404
Summary......Page 405
Questions for managers......Page 406
Suggested further reading......Page 407
Notes......Page 408
Part VI Implement......Page 410
Introduction......Page 411
What is a service strategy?......Page 412
How can service provide a competitive advantage?......Page 413
How can managers turn performance objectives into operations priorities?......Page 417
How can strategy be formulated and developed? ......Page 420
How can a strategy be sustained?......Page 425
Summary......Page 426
Case Exercise Smith and Jones, Solicitors......Page 427
Useful web links......Page 429
Notes......Page 430
Introduction......Page 431
Why is understanding and influencing organisational culture important?......Page 432
What is organisational culture?......Page 433
What are the main culture types and the implications for service delivery?......Page 444
What is the influence of national cultures?......Page 446
How can managers influence cultural change?......Page 447
Summary......Page 452
Case Exercise North Midlands Fire and Rescue Service......Page 453
Useful web links......Page 455
Notes......Page 456
Introduction......Page 457
What is excellent service?......Page 458
How do organisations go about becoming and remaining world-class?......Page 462
How can managers make the business case for service?......Page 469
Summary......Page 472
Questions for managers......Page 473
Case Exercise Superstore Plc......Page 474
Suggested further reading......Page 476
Notes......Page 477
Index......Page 478

✦ Subjects

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