The pedestrian-crossing lights in New York City, like most other cities, required pedestrians to press a button if they wanted the lights to change. Then, over the course of many years, and without giving it any publicity, the city authorities disabled most of the control buttons that once operated the lights. They had decided that computerised timers almost always worked better. However, the city government did not take the disabled buttons away. Initially, the buttons survived because of the cost of removing them. But it turned out that even inoperative buttons serve a purpose. Apparently, pedestrians who press a button are less likely to cross before the green man appears. (a) Why do you think this is? (b) Does this mean that so-called placebo buttons should be used everywhere?
> Re-read the case example ‘If one customer wants it, maybe more do?’, on the Heywood Hill book- shop and its subscription service. In what way is this service different from the algorithm-driven recommendations that are used by many online retailers, such
> A conventional method of judging the effectiveness of any process is to assess the quality of its output, the speed with which it responds, the dependability of its response, its flexibility and its cost/efficiency. How could these aspects of performance
> Using the diagram shown in Figure 14.4, how would you characterize the development of retail banking services from conventional branch banking, through the use of call centers, to internet banking and mobile banking apps?
> If Rosemary goes ahead and builds a car park, how many car or bus spaces should it have?
> In the case example of the Ice hotel, where did the inspiration for the service come from? What lessons does this example have for the service innovation processes of other service organizations?
> Re-read the case example on Singapore Zoo. The chief executive of Singapore Zoo is keen to continue developing the zoo. Try to develop a new service concept for the zoo.
> When a video, taken by a fellow passenger, showed a bloodied and unconscious man being pulled off a United Airlines flight at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, it caused a sensation on social media and other news outlets. The incident began when U
> A recent newspaper article13 criticized London arts venues for introducing ‘surge pricing’ by charging higher prices for blockbuster exhibitions at busy times. The piece said that venues such as the Royal Academy of Arts and the National Portrait Gallery
> One place where queues are not always enforced are bars, where people compete for attracting the attention of servers. People who jump the queue at the bar (even without meaning to) cause considerable frustration to customers who have been overlooked. Ho
> The idea of ‘pooling’ was described as increasing the efficiency of queuing. Why do you think that supermarkets do not use it?
> Re-read the case example ‘Demand fluctuation on London Underground’. How might Transport for London spread out demand from its peak periods?
> Suggest how the following three service operations might measure their capacity, outlining the problems in so doing: (a) A garden center that sells plants and gardening supplies; (b) A hospital; (c) An online fashion retailer.
> Construct a strategy map (strategic linkage model) for an organization with which you are familiar. How well do the objectives link with and support strategy? How well do the measures you use support your objectives?
> It is quite difficult to know exactly how long operators should be spending on each call. Sometimes a client really does need detailed advice or reassurance, at other times the call could be dealt with very quickly indeed. There’s a minimum amount of tim
> What would be the effects on the capacity management of the business of the three proposals for the future that Rosemary mentions (expanding the number of day visitors, promoting wedding packages and school visits)?
> A tour operator specializing in holidays for young people is concerned about the quality of service provided. Each month, the marketing manager reports on the number of complaints received. How could this be better reported to help the firm improve its s
> Common measures used by call centers are speed of response and call abandonment rate. Assess these measures as drivers of improvement.
> With many new ways of collecting data (most notably from social media), how can services make sure that all the data are useful?
> Re-read the case example of the Happy or not Company. Although the terminals have proved successful, what do you see as the disadvantages of adopting these terminals to gauge customer satisfaction?
> The Edinburgh Fringe, more accurately known as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, is the world’s largest arts festival, lasting 25 days and featuring more. Than 55,000 performances of over 3,000 different shows across 317 venues. The scale
> The headquarters of a major creative agency offered a service to all its global subsidiaries, which included the preparation of a budget estimate that was submitted to potential clients when making a ‘pitch’ for new work. This service had been offered pr
> There have been a number of changes in medical process technology that have had a huge impact on the way healthcare operations manage themselves. In particular, telemedicine has challenged one of the most fundamental assumptions of medical treatment – wh
> In the case example ‘Robot receptionists? Robot careers?’ technology was used as a substitute for service people. What other advantages might such technologies bring?
> Re-read the case example on them should ice hospital. (a) Illustrate how hernia surgery has moved on from the time it was seen as difficult. (b) List some of the advantages of the move.
> When the management thinker and writer Charles Handy suffered a stroke, he had to spend time in hospital as he learned to walk, talk and even swallow again. He said that the experience taught him a valuable lesson about process objectives. As far as Mr.
> How does Tree grove currently cope with demand fluctuations, and what more could it do?
> Everyone wants children to be safe, for society to identify those who are ‘at risk’ and for those ‘in authority’ to put processes in place to ensure that no child ‘slips through the net’. The key challenge is that a large number of individuals and agenci
> Many retailers devise a policy on ethical sourcing, trying to stock items that conform to such things as workplace standards and business practices, health and safety conditions, human rights, legal systems, child labor, disciplinary practices, wages and
> Being a supplier in the airline catering business is tough. Meals must be of a quality that is appropriate for the class and type of flight, yet the airlines who are their customers are always looking to keep costs as low as possible, menus must change f
> Read the following statement by the chief service officer of an elevator maintenance company: We found ourselves unable to compete against the really big elevator manufacturers, yet we were great at providing maintenance services. Also the margin on new
> Re-read the case example ‘Vodafone brings back call-center jobs’. What are the advantages and dis- advantages of locating call centers in low-labor-cost areas?
> Re-read the case example on dark kitchens. (a) Why did this change to the home delivery network happen? (b) What points would you make if you had to make a case against the changes in the delivery network?
> Re-read the ‘Lunch delivery service of Mumbai’ case example: (a) What makes the Dab awale service so successful? (b) What do you see as the threats to the business as Indian society changes?
> Do you understand what are the principal underlying assumptions and values of your organization? To what extent do these assumptions and values support your service concept? Where there are mismatches, how might you engineer a reparative change to these
> Evaluate an organization’s website or annual report and assess the ‘language set’ in use. Also try to identify words and phrases that you would expect to see, but which are absent. After researching the language set, what can you say about the organizati
> Which elements of the cultural web can operations managers influence easily, and which might be more challenging? Interview a service operations manager and ask how they can influence their organization’s culture in order to provide better service.
> What are the main capacity constraints that Rosemary faces?
> Construct a cultural web for your university/college course. Which elements of the web help or hinder service delivery?
> EPC is a network of social policy researchers, consultants and lobbyists. The company provides consulting services to government and the voluntary sector that are, of necessity, low cost. EPC forgoes a percentage of typical consulting fees in exchange fo
> Re-read the case example on Yahoo in this chapter. What was/were Mayer’s mistake(s)?
> The managing partner of The Brand air Partnership (TBP) was describing her business: It is about four years now since we specialized in the small to medium firms’ market. Before that we also used to provide brand consultancy services for anyone who walke
> Carry out an importance–performance analysis for an amusement park. In doing this, think about the competitive factors (i.e. the key ingredients) for this offering, their level of importance and their performance using the scale shown in Figure 3.10. The
> ManTech Financial (MF), a large accountancy corporation, is looking to assess the operations functions in three of its locations around the world. The MF Malaysia operations are marginally better than the operations of many of its competitors in the regi
> This story is often related by strategy experts. During man oeuvres in the Alps, a detachment of soldiers got lost. The weather was severe and the snow was deep. In these freezing conditions, after two days of wandering, the soldiers gave up hope and bec
> Re-read the case example on IKEA and its ‘big box’ retail strategy. Applying the elements of the service strategy model (see Figure 3.4), explain what prompted IKEA to adapt its strategy?
> LAX airport in Los Angeles is the fourth-busiest airport on earth. It has also been judged the worst airport in the world. What do you think are the factors that determine the customer experience of an airport?
> Apple opened its ‘Apple Stores’ in smart high streets all over the world. Then it was reported that Apple would be opening a store-within-a-store in one of the world’s most famous department stores – Harrods, in London. What are the advantages to both Ap
> What changes, or alternative measures, would you recommend for tracking activity objective 1 and outcome objective 10?
> A hospital in a large city (where there are several hospitals) is considering posting current waiting times outside its ‘Accident and Emergency’ (emergency room) department. According to the operations officer at the hospital, ‘if a patient has a problem
> For years there has been something of a question mark over the future of retail banks. Many banks have reduced the number of their branches. However, banks are keen to make sure that those that do remain have a warm and friendly feeling, which is why the
> The movie cinema has remained virtually unchanged since it was first introduced over a century ago. And, until recently, cinemas were the only way to watch a film. The basic idea of a movie cinema and how it provided its services have remained largely th
> Following a survey that revealed that the customers in its most popular branches commented on the fact that serving staff were always ‘happy and smiling’, a chain of quick-service (fast-food) restaurants issued a manual of ‘staff behaviours’ that set out
> Some organizations that provide high-volume services, such as retailers and restaurant chains, use ‘mystery shoppers’ to check on their service quality. Mystery (or secret) shoppers are people whose job is to act as a customer, evaluate their experience
> This is an account of what was described as a ‘nightmarish’ flight: It was a 13-hour flight that I will never forget. The trouble began when the passenger in the next seat to me boarded. He had just had bad problems trying to check in his luggage at the
> Re-read the case example on Campwagen Conversions. What else could Ami and Tom do to manage their customers’ expectations and perceptions of their service?
> Re-read the case example on Guest logy at Optiker Söderberg. Make the cases for and against drawing on Disney theme park principles as an appropriate model for retail service quality.
> Re-read the case example on Le Berceau des Sens. (a) What should the restaurant be doing to make sure that its customers’ expectations are managed appropriately? (b) At what point do you think customers’ tolerance of imperfect service would seriously det
> Figures 12.19–12.21 show some measures from the Chili Airways Balanced Scorecard documentation. The measures are associated with the two objectives illustrated in the case.What concerns might you have about the measures and targets developed?
> As described in the chapter, some customers abuse service providers. How would you: (a) try to reduce the number of customers who return garments that have been worn to an online clothes retailer; (b) reduce the number of clients who do not turn up for t
> Re-read the case example on the Harley Owners Group (H.O.G.). Why does Harley-Davidson put so much effort into promoting this club?
> Re-read the case example ‘Revenge of the taxi driver’. What do you think are the problems of platform services such as this rating both providers and users of a service?
> Calculate your lifetime value for three service organizations that you use – for example, supermarket, clothing retailer, music download website, bar or bank. What are the problems in assessing lifetime values?
> Re-read the case example on The Prison Service. Why is it valuable to consider all the stakeholders in this particular example?
> If you search online under the single word ‘relationships’, you will be bombarded with advice on personal relationships. Also, the language used by authors to describe customer relationships often echoes the language of personal relationships. Are custom
> Earlier in the chapter, we explored the case example of the Japanese hairdressers, QBNET. The service concept for QBNET is essentially simple and no-frills barbering service. The QBNET service has been phenomenally successful in Southeast Asia, and latte
> An IT Infrastructure Support Group services the IT infrastructure of several clients. In shaping a suitable service concept it is aware that, in effect, the group serves two distinct customer groups within its client base – the ‘end users’ who use the IT
> From the 1960s through to the late 1990s, ‘no loitering’ had been an important principle underlying McDonald’s operations. Founder Ray Kroc had ordered that pay telephones, jukeboxes, and vending machines were forbidden at McDonald’s restaurants. The goa
> Referring back to the case example on the Lap worth Museum of Geology, construct the service concept for the current (redesigned) museum. Despite being very successful, it is a fact that tourism and leisure attractions have a finite life. Visitor numbers
> How would you change the process to improve it?
> What advice would you give to Travis Bickley regarding the way the firm classifies its clients?
> Using the service concept template shown in Figure 4.3, map out the service concepts for the micro pub, the brewpub and the craft beer bar.
> On the basis of the current service concepts for each pub, as well as the financial data provided in Table 4.1, what recommendations should Marie make to the C&L executive board?
> How did the four perspectives of service operations strategy (top-down, bottom-up, outside-in, and inside-out) influence the eventual service strategy of Corks Nightclub?
> How could the university’s IT services have improved Elena’s customer experience?
> Working from Elena’s reactions, chart her ‘emotional journey’ during her customer experience.
> What recommendations would you make for improvement?
> Evaluate the quality of service provided by the NBSU.
> Is the adoption of key account management a good idea for P-Mecxx?
> What should be done to improve its relationships with its clients?
> Do you think that the current process can achieve a service that provides a one-week turnaround to its customers?
> What advice would you give to Khalid Ahmed?
> What is the purpose of benchmarking?
> How would you respond to this letter?
> Assess the value stream maps for the simple and complex installations. What improvements would you suggest to Alain?
> The acquisition of EAP and Equips 25 was intended to provide Fermat Numérique with several advantages in terms of strategic positioning. What were the possible disadvantages to the acquisition?
> What should be Alain’s priorities for strategic improvement?
> What are the objectives of the CES process?
> What should worse do to ensure the future viability of the partnership?
> Is the partnership really ‘unbalanced’ as David Crawley says?
> Why was the partnership between worse and Homer seen as successful by both parties?
> How would you characterize the challenges associated with change at Dixon, and how might these be overcome?
> What are the issues and implications for the chain?
> What conclusions could Julie draw from the data?
> Again, thinking about the music industry, where do ‘live performances’ fit on the scales?
> Specifically, how would you include the local population in the development of phase 2?
> The IHIP characteristics that we introduced in the chapter are used to distinguish service from goods-producing operations. We also made clear that they were controversial and that they could be viewed as spectra rather than simple yes/no distinctions. W
> Re-read the case example on the English National Opera. Consider the list of back-office departments in the case. (a) For each of the departments described, what aspects of their job do not involve directly ‘making’ something? (b) How would you categoriz
> An increasingly popular service models in business is that companies should earn revenues from subscribers rather than sell products or service as single ‘items’. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of service?
> Rent the Runway (RTR), is a privately-owned service that rents out clothes, handbags and jewelery. It has a dry-cleaning warehouse that is the biggest in the world, processing 2,000 items per hour. It started renting out formal dresses for weddings and o
> Describe the customer experience and outcomes for a fast-food restaurant, a doctor’s surgery and an internet-based fashion-clothing retailer. Compare and contrast the services of these three organizations.
