Topic outline

  • MODULE 7: COURSE ESSAY

    In the course essay assignment, you will apply many of the theoretical concepts, models, and frameworks presented during the course in the context of a service system of your choice.

    Pre-readings:

    Theme

    Select a theme for your essay form the list or suggest your own theme. You may think of an existing service, but the subject of the essay is a service concept developed by your group.

    • Logistics or transportation service aimed at consumers or companies (Examples of services and service systems in this category include DHL, FedEx, Wolt, Kovanen, A2B, or any other existing logistics or transportation service)

    • After-sales service for industrial goods. (Examples of services and service systems in this category include vehicle maintenance service, warranty service, rental and leasing services, etc.)

    • Expert service aimed at consumers or companies (Examples of services and service systems in this category include knowledge-intensive business services, consulting services, healthcare services, etc.)

    • Real estate service related to property maintenance and overhaul (Examples of services and service systems in this category include Granlund, Kotikatu, Lassila & Tikanoja, ARE, any local property maintenance service, etc.)

    • Restaurant, tourism, or hospitality service (Examples of services and service systems in this category include, e.g., cloud kitchens, restaurants, travel services, accommodation services, etc.)

    Contents

    You are supposed to describe the service system and analyze its essential aspects. Consider the following aspects of the service in your essay:

    1. The service concept
      – Provide a written description of your service concept and the users / customers for whom the service is intended.

    2. Customer journey and essential factors affecting the user experience in the service
      – Analyze the service process with blueprinting method and describe the service journey experienced by the user to illustrate your service process and its essential elements, including a design of the intended customer experience, using customer journey mapping, and accompanying written description.

    3. The service system
      – Describe the service system, including ecosystem partners who participate in providing the service, and the technical infrastructure used by the service system, and analyze how your service system deals with varied sources of variety and variability, both internal and external.

    4. Value creation in the service
      – Provide a description of the intended value proposition for the customers and discuss by whom is value created in the service system. How can the value for the user and customer be assessed? How can the value-in-use be increased? Also, discuss how the designed service system is geared towards delivering and increasing the value for the customer or with the user.

    5. Modularity of the service
      – What are the core and peripheral elements of the service? What parts are to be developed by the service provider? What can be acquired from partners, and how? Through what interfaces can you ensure seamless use of the elements? Also, describe the benefits and challenges of modularity in your service context.

    6. The opportunities for productivity improvement in the service system 
      – Analyze the productivity from the focal actor’s perspective using, for example, the conceptualization of the Baumol’s disease. Discuss how the productivity of the service operation could be improved. What parts of the service can be digitalized? Or made automated or even autonomous? 

    General requirements

    • Submit a pdf into the course essay submit box.
    • Include a cover page with a title of your service concept, date, course name, year, and student names.
    • Include a table of contents.
    • Include a short description of the individual contribution of the teammates (e.g., in a table)
    • Body text with 11 to 12p font, 1.0 line breaks. The page count of the submission is your choice. As a rough guide, something around 10 to 15 pages including a table of contents and a list of references is probably quite ok.
    • Submission DL 24.4. 23:55



    • Group choice icon
      Essay group choice

      Form a group of two students to co-author the course essay. Please note that the group will only make one essay submission by one of the members of that group. Both members receive the same grade unless separately agreed otherwise.

    • Assignment icon
      Course Essay submission (Due date: April 24, 2024, 23:59) Assignment

      Submit your essay in a single pdf file. Note: One submission per essay group. 

      Include the authors' names on the front page. 


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