Course administration
Aims of the course
The course develops business economics and management knowledge concerning service businesses' operations, specifically IS/IT businesses. The aim is to introduce the interdependence of operational activities in the different business areas (understanding the links and means of coordination between these areas). A standalone objective is to train the application of selected management methods and tools.
Assessment and grading
You will take two tests, which make up the final exam. The first test is scheduled for the semester's half and will be based on the subject matter covered in the first half. The other one is planned for the final week of the semester, and it will cover the subject matter of the second half of the semester.
To pass the course successfully, students have to meet the following requirements:
1. You are obtaining at least 60 % from the final exam / the sum of points obtained in the mid-term and end-term tests. The points for optional presentation will be included in the test results (up to 8 per cent, lowering the test threshold to 52 %). If you don't achieve this limit, you must retake the exam. The date will be agreed upon individually with each student. The retake test will cover the subject matter from the entire course.
2. You participate actively in seminars (i.e., participation in discussions and successful task-solving). The seminar attendance is compulsory, but you can miss it twice (but not when we will write tests in seminars – see the schedule).
Grading scale:
- 100 - 90 % = A
- 89,9 - 82 % = B
- 81,9 - 74 % = C
- 73,9 - 67 % = D
- 66,9 - 60 % = E
- 59,9 - 0 % = F
Format of the tests
Each test will take approximately 40 minutes and will consist of 10 - 12 questions (mix of closed- and open-ended questions). In close-ended questions, only one of the given answers is correct. There is no penalty for wrong answers (no minus points). In open-ended questions, you can get a full or partial score depending on the quality of your answer.
Optional presentation
For this activity, you will either earn eight percentage points for the grading (which typically means a one-grade improvement), or you can use this presentation to make up for two absences from the seminars - meaning you can miss four seminars, except of course for those in which tests are written (see the schedule).
You prepare the presentation in pairs on the assigned topic. The presentation will last 10 - 15 minutes. Part of the presentation is some activity with other students (game, quiz, etc.). Registration for these presentations and the choice of topics will take place in the 2nd teaching week during the lecture and seminar.
| Proposed presentations for R. Škapa seminars Identification
of weak aspects of facility design: case of ECON MUNI The topic of facility design in services will cover current tendencies in facility
design and the criteria for optimal facility design. Using this knowledge, try to analyse
and evaluate our faculty and propose at least some partial improvements.
Alternatively, you can do this
case for some other service facility generally known to the students. Forecasting
of services Provide a brief
overview of the forecasting methods, focusing on the more advanced ones.
Choose some of the more
advanced forecasting techniques (a technique we didn't cover in seminars) - explain its logic, and demonstrate the application
using service-related data. Compare the results with the methods that we practise in the seminar.
Simulation
of queueing lines The presentation
aims to explain the logic and benefits of computer simulations (such as Witness
software) for queuing problems. Using any
available software for simulation, prepare a case study showing how the processes and related queues can be modelled,
analysed and optimised. You
can employ an existing facility simulation model for your real-time simulation/demonstration.
Lean principles in services Identify
lean management principles and tools that are commonly applied in the service
sector. Apply these
tools to analyse and optimise some process(es) at ECON MUNI or
any other widely known service in Brno. Performance measurement and quality assessment in service
– case of education Let's imagine you are the head of the faculty department
responsible for teaching 40 diverse courses. Using your knowledge (including
various models) of performance measurement and quality assessment, suggest a
complex indicators set that measures the teaching effectiveness. Your solution could also include
redesigning the official
student opinion poll in the IS of MUNI. |
Teachers
Doc. Radoslav Škapa (course leader) skapa@econ.muni.cz
Doc. Alena Klapalová Alena.Klapalova@econ.muni.cz
Dr. Feybi Ariani Goni, Ph.D. Feybi.Ariani.Goni@econ.muni.cz
You can see tutors during their office hours, which are published on their pages in the Information systems (look for the Teaching tab on the Personal Page). You can also consult a problem outside the office hours after the previous arrangement.
Schedule
|
Week |
Date |
The topic (Lecture 8:00 and Seminar 10:00 S306) |
Lecturer |
|
|
1 |
20.2 |
Service and service industry: introduction |
Škapa |
|
|
2 |
27.2 |
The service concept |
Alena Klapalová |
|
|
3 |
5.3 |
Service capacity and layout/ Service forecasting |
Škapa |
|
|
4 |
12.3 |
Lecture and seminar cancelled and substituted for online lecture, see below |
Škapa |
|
|
5 |
19.3 |
Service quality |
Alena Klapalová |
|
|
6 |
26.3 |
Designing customer experience |
Alena Klapalová |
|
|
7 |
2.4 |
Reading week |
|
|
|
8 |
9.4 |
Capacity planning II |
Midterm test in seminar room P104 at 10 a.m. |
Škapa |
|
9 |
16.4. |
Designing service delivery |
Alena Klapalová |
|
|
10 |
23.4 |
Sustainable service business
models |
Alena Klapalová |
|
|
11 |
30.4 |
Service performance |
Škapa |
|
|
12 |
7.5 | Complaint management |
Goni |
|
|
13 |
14.5 |
|
Final test in rook P104 at 10 .a.m |
Goni |
| Extra online presentation | 15.5. | Lexmark at 10:00 (link below) | ||
Expert presentation: Lexmark 15/5 at 10:00
Study materials
Study materials are listed in each subchapter (topic)