MK998 International Services Marketing Sm2 Assignment Brief

Assignment Task

Develop a photo essay on the St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art which captures the following pre-defined elements of the experience:
1. Flower of service (core and supplementary elements).
2. Service design.
3. Service setting.
4. Service quality.

The photo essay must consist of photographs (maximum of 5 for each aspect) of the service organisation. The photographs within the photo essay will be accompanied by 2,0001 words of support text (see the following page).

Your photo essay should be structured as follows:

Part 1:

Briefly introduce the service organisation and the service offering provided – 200 words.

Parts 2-5:

For each concept only the (sources) journal articles/book chapters below should be used. The section should then be structured as follows:
2.1 Provide a brief summary of the article –100 words.
2.2 Using photos, depict the chosen concept using your article as a lens. Consider how the article helps you understand the service organisation offering – 300 words.

Part 6:

Provide a summary of tangible steps that the service provider could take to improve at least two of the concepts you have observed - 200 words.

Assignment Guidelines

Material Gathering For The Photo Essay

• You can choose to visit the museum on one occasion OR you can choose to visit on two separate occasions at different times of the day. This might be helpful if, for example, you are thinking about service design or queuing.
• You are only permitted to take pictures. You are not permitted to conduct any interviews or surveys
• Your assignment should not include more than 20 photographs.
• Images should include captions as they can enhance the visual narrative by adding important information. Remember the absence of a caption or narrative will have an impact on the reader.
• The subjects depicted in the photographs may be diverse, but the sequence of the images should have a clear message. Each image must have a purpose in conveying that message.
• You should use your photos to tell a story within your photo essay. The curation and sequence of your photographs are all important within the assignment.
• You don’t need a fancy camera. You can take some excellent pictures using a mobile phone. If you do not have access to a camera please contact one of your class tutors.
• Take more photos than you think you will need. It’s important to plan well for a photo essay, and part of that planning involves taking more pictures than you may feel is necessary at first. When it’s time to put your photo essay together, you can select the photos that would be suitable for your assignment.
• Consider providing a variety of viewpoints:
  o Introductory or overall image that establishes the service organization or scene.
  o Close up shots – pictures isolating a specific element within the service environment that you are observing.
  o Closing arguments – a photo that would end the story.
• Do not include images that are irrelevant to the topic of discussion or images that don’t belong in the assignment.
• We expect all photos to be your own, do not use any images sources from the internet. Using an image from another source would be considered plagiarism.

Photo Essay Assignment Considerations:

• You should only cite the three articles and the textbook in the essay
• Your assignment should follow the structure above, please note the following:
  o No introduction is needed.
  o No separate conclusion is needed.
• Remember to consider the importance of the theories discussed in lectures and the
  supplementary/directed reading when choosing your concepts.
• Demonstration of critical analysis with evidenced/reasoned arguments is expected.

Other Assignment Guidelines

• You will submit a photo essay with a word limit3 of 2,000 words.
• Required font size is 14-point Arial/Times New Roman for titles and subtitles, and 12-point Arial/Times New Roman, 1.5 line-spaced, left aligned, for main body.
• Provide a title page where the word count must be mentioned. Title pages should not include any identifiers.
• You must submit one online copy of the essay to MyPlace.

What Will You Be Assessed On?

• Part 1:
  o Provides suitable background to the museum and the services offered.
  
  
• Parts 2-5:
  o The quality and presentation of the photos used – photos must be clear and appropriately edited.
  o The structure of the discussion:
• Analysis and justification of the photos used to discuss the chosen service concept.
• Development of critical arguments using chosen article to support the photos depicted in the assignment.
  o Coherence and cohesiveness of the photos presented in the discussion – do the photos on a whole tell a story? Does each picture connect with the discussion within the essay? Does each picture clearly speak to the topic and does the caption support this meaning?
  o You must write in paragraphs; bullet points are not acceptable.
  
  
• Part 6
  o Provides an overview of the recommendations and justifies the focus of improvement through an in-depth discussion of strategies using select services marketing concepts.
  o The quality and practicality of your recommendations on how the service organisation can improve its competitive position in relation to competition and the changing service industry.
  o Bullet points can be used in this section of the essay.
• Harvard Referencing (refer to MyPlace for links on Harvard referencing)
  o Cites correctly and accurately. The assignment acknowledges sources, uses established citation conventions.