Be prepared to lead service organizations and manufacturers relying on service for differentiation.

 

 

• Read the article Learning about services hands-on and around the globe
• The other Majors

 

Target Audience

The Major Services is open to all Executive MBA participants interested in helping organizations differentiate themselves from their competition and substitutes on the basis of the quantity of value they deliver to customers through the services they deliver, or the service component of their manufactured goods.

Accordingly, the Major is appropriate for participants interested:

• in service organizations ranging from financial services to hotels to telecommunications,
• the service dimensions of goods-producing organizations, and
• professional services such as consulting, banking, or auditing.

The vast majority of services rely on their human assets for an important part of their differentiation, and those same human assets are often a major cost. Thus participants interested in organizational behaviour, human resource management, and the topic of leadership will find this major especially relevant.

Locations and academic partner

Two one-week sessions: Phoenix, USA  (May) and Paris (October)
Academic partner: Centre for Service Leadership at Arizona State University

Context

Approximately 70% of the output of industrialized economies originates in the service sector, yet most management theory finds its origins in work developed by studying traditional manufacturers.

Despite this, best practices for services are clearly established, and these have led to the development of cutting-edge theories over the last three decades. Illustrating these theories through real-world case examples is at the heart of the Major, in order to prepare participants to lead service organizations and manufacturers relying on service for differentiation.

Objectives

By the conclusion of the Major, participants should:

• understand the economics of both customer and employee loyalty, and
• be familiar with best practices to achieve them in service settings, including professional services and the service arm of manufacturing firms.

These best practices will include aspects of strategy, operations, marketing, and human resource management in a service context.

Content

This Major, like the services it discusses, is inherently multidisciplinary. We will examine:

•  strategy for services,
• operations,
• marketing, and
• human resources.

More important, however, we will examine how these different academic disciplines are inherently interrelated when applied to services, and how leading service organizations combine them in creative and unusual ways.

Faculty

Roger Hallowell is the Academic Director of the Major in Differentiation Through Service, Affiliate Professor at HEC Executive Education.

He is an authority on strategic initiatives with the goal of simultaneous cost reduction and quality improvement.

Your contact

More information on this Major: Claire Geslin geslin@hec.fr