DISC
4363
Service Operations Management
Fall 2003:
Instructor: Dr.
Elizabeth Anderson Fletcher
Office: 350-G Melcher
Hall
Telephone: (713)
743-4740
e-mail: EFletcher@uh.edu
Office Hours: by
appointment
Course
Objective:
The operating activities of service firms differ
significantly from those of manufacturing firms. Service organizations present unique
competitive challenges due to the intangibility of the service product, the
inherent variability in the service delivery system, and the simultaneous
nature of production and consumption.
This course will explore both theoretical issues and practical
applications of operations management in service firms.
Required
Materials:
1. Fitzsimmons, J. A., and Fitzsimmons, M.
J., Service Management, 4th
edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2004—available from University Center Bookstore.
2.
Harvard
Business School Cases (eight cases)—available from University Center Bookstore.
1. McDonalds
Corporation (9-693-028)
2. Virtual
Vineyards (9-396-264)
3. The
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (9-699-025)
4. NYPD New
(9-396-293)
5. Shouldice
Hospital Limited (9-683-068)
6. Habitat
for Humanity International (9-694-038)
7. Southwest
Airlines: 1993 (A) (9-694-023)
8. Euro
Disney: The First 100 Days (9-693-013)
Grading
Policy:
Midterm
Exam 30%
Final
Exam 30%
Group
Project Written Paper 25%
Group
Project Oral Presentation 15%
100%
Exam
Dates:
Midterm Exam Thursday, October 9
Final Exam Thursday, December 11
Exam Policy:
There will be no
make-up exams, except in extreme emergency, and with prior consent of
instructor. A missed exam will receive a grade of 0. The time allotted for the midterm exam is 1
hour and 20 minutes. The final exam will
be given during the regularly scheduled final examination period, according to
university policy. You can expect to be
pressed for time on exams, therefore thorough preparation is essential.
Class Preparation:
This course will be
based on class discussion of text readings and Harvard Business School cases.
Active class participation is not only encouraged, but expected in this
course. Reading assignments in the text
should be completed prior to the
class session devoted to a particular topic. On days scheduled for case discussion,
you are expected to have prepared answers to suggested case questions (provided
below) and participate thoroughly in the case discussion.
WebCT:
WebCT will be used in this class to distribute the lecture notes (PowerPoint presentations). To access WebCT for this class, please obtain a WebCT ID and login on the following web site: http://www.uh.edu/webct. The course is DISC 4363, section 00380. If you have questions about WebCT or need technical assistance, you can click on the “get help” link on the WebCT website, call the help-line at 713-743-1411 (M-F 8am-8pm), or visit the IT Support Center in room 56 of the library (M-F 8am-8pm).
Group
Project:
Groups of at most five students will conduct a
study of a particular service organization.
The project will involve using concepts and tools studied in this class
to evaluate the operations of the firm.
For example, specific tools that may be applied include walk-through
service auditing, service blueprinting, quality control charting, resource
scheduling, service layout analysis, waiting line analysis, and technical and
functional quality assessment. The
analysis will focus on identification of what the organization is doing right,
what could be improved, and how the suggested improvements should be
implemented. All groups will make an
oral presentation to the class, as well as turn in written papers. All group
members must participate in the group’s oral presentation. Written papers should be between 10 to 12
pages, plus exhibits. Topics are subject
to approval by the instructor. Important
milestones such as proposal, outline, and rough draft are indicated on the
course schedule. Examples of service
organizations that student groups have evaluated in the past include
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Methodist Hospital, the University of Texas M. D.
Anderson Cancer Center, the C. T. Bauer College of Business Undergraduate
Programs Office, the C. T. Bauer College of Business Elizabeth D. Rockwell
Career Services Center, the University of Houston Eye Institute, Visible
Changes Hair Salon, and Texas Commerce Bank.
The written product must be the students’
original work, with appropriate references for all sources. Papers used for
other courses, whether in previous semesters or in the current semester, are
not eligible to meet the requirements for this course. It is the students’ responsibility to adhere
to this policy, and any violations will be addressed through the university
academic honesty procedures.
Academic
Honesty:
The University of Houston academic honesty policy
will be strictly enforced. No violations
of this policy will be tolerated in this course. A discussion of the policy is included in the
University of Houston student handbook.
Students are expected to be familiar with this policy.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
The C. T. Bauer
College of Business would like to help students with disabilities achieve their
highest potential. To this end, in order to receive accommodation on exams or
assignments, students must make arrangements with their instructor prior to the
exam or assignment. In addition, it is
recommended that students with disabilities learn about their rights and
responsibilities from the Center for Students with Disabilities (telephone
713-743-5400).
Class Schedule
8/26 Tues Introduction to Service Operations
Management, text chapter 1
8/28 Thurs Characteristics of Services, text chapter 2
9/2 Tues Service Strategy, text chapter 3
9/4 Thurs Case:
McDonalds Corporation
9/9 Tues New Service Development and E-Service, text chapters 4 and 7, group rosters due (names of members, identification of team leader, and email of team leader)
9/11 Thurs Case:
Virtual Vinyards
9/16 Tues Group Work Session
9/18 Thurs The Service Encounter, text chapter 5, rough project proposals due
9/23 Tues Service Quality, text chapters 6 and 15
9/25 Thurs Service Quality
(continued), final project proposals due
9/30 Tues Case:
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
10/2 Thurs Case: NYPD New
10/7 Tues Guest Lecture: “Service Processes and Customer Service in
Practice”, Frank Kelley, Director of Undergraduate Business Programs, Bauer
College of Business
10/9 Thurs MIDTERM EXAM
10/14 Tues The Supporting Facility, text chapter 9
10/16 Thurs Case:
Shouldice Hospital Limited
10/21 Tues Managing Supply and Demand, text chapter
10
10/23 Thurs Group Work Session
10/28 Tues Case:
Habitat for Humanity International, rough detailed outlines
due
10/30 Thurs Managing Waiting Lines, text chapter 11
11/4 Tues Group Work Session
11/6 Thurs Case:
Southwest Airlines: 1993 (A), final detailed outlines due
11/11 Tues Guest Lecture: “Ethics and Leadership in Service
Organizations”, Ron Spencer, Strategic Sourcing Manager, Contracting &
Procurement, Shell Chemicals LP
11/13 Thurs Growth and Globalization of Services, text
chapter 16
11/18 Tues Group Work Session
11/20 Thurs Case:
Euro Disney: The First 100
Days, rough drafts due
11/25 Tues Group Work Session to Finalize Presentations
11/27 Thurs Thanksgiving Holiday
12/2 Tues Group Presentations
12/4 Thurs Group Presentations (last class day)
12/9 Tues Final Group Written Projects Due by 5:00
p.m.
12/11 Thurs FINAL EXAM (2:00-5:00 P.M.)
Case Study Questions
McDonald’s Corporation
1.
Which characteristics of the
McDonald’s production system have been most important in building its record of
success and growth in the industry?
2. What are the primary new challenges McDonald’s faces in the 1990s?
3. How would you adapt the system to accommodate these changes in the U.S.?
4. How can McDonald’s lay the basis for future growth?
Virtual Vineyards
1. Describe the Virtual Vineyards “service package” (i.e., supporting facility, facilitating goods, explicit and implicit services).
2. What attributes must a service (in general) have in order to be a candidate for delivery on the web?
3. Make recommendations to improve the profitability of Virtual Vineyards.
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
1. What caused the error leading to the patient’s
death?
2. How should the hospital respond to this incident?
3. What should be done to prevent errors from
occurring in the future?
4. How should service organizations in general
failsafe their systems?
NYPD New
1. What problems did Bratton face?
2. What was the traditional culture and performance
measurement system of the New York City police department?
3. What were the most important actions Bratton
took?
4. What are the challenges for the future?
Shouldice
Hospital
1. How
successful is Shouldice Hospital?
2. How do you
account for its performance?
3. As Dr. Shouldice, what actions, if any, would you take to expand the hospital’s capacity?
4. How would you implement changes you propose?
Habitat for Humanity
1. Who are Habitat for Humanity’s customers? What makes Habitat for Humanity unusual among charitable organizations?
2. What growth options should Habitat pursue?
3. In light of Habitat’s mission and history, what specific steps should Snider take to make Habitat a more effective service organization? What resistance to these changes should he expect to face?
4. What organizational challenges does Habitat currently face? Should its organizational structure be modified?
5. What are the proper measurements of Habitat’s success?
6. What can the private sector learn from Habitat for Humanity?
Southwest Airlines: 1993 (A)
1. What is Southwest Airlines’ operating strategy?
2. Analyze the use of the two new aircraft in three possible situations: (a) establishing service in Baltimore, (b) establishing service in Dayton, and (c) opening a new route from Detroit to Phoenix.
3. Which do you recommend and why?
4. What actions should other airlines take to compete with Southwest Airlines?
Euro Disney
1. Assess Disney’s decision to build a theme park in Europe. How can such a decision be evaluated, and was it a wise one?
2. What is Euro Disney’s target market, and what are the implications for the development and organization of the park?
3. What aspects of the traditional Disney theme park formula, in terms of park design and service design, might prove to be transferable to Euro Disney, and which might prove to be specific to the United States and/or Japan? In general, what issues should a company think through before extending a successful service concept across cultural boundaries?
4. Assess the implementation of Euro Disney’s service delivery system. What could the company have done differently?
5. What lessons has Euro Disney learned which could be applied to the development of the second theme park? Should the park be adapted for the local market from the U.S. model, and if so, in what ways? Should Euro Disney proceed with the next step of development? What recommendations would you make regarding staffing, training, and general management?