Assignment Question:
Please note: Assignment 2 is individually-completed and consists of 2 parts – i.e.
Part A: Critical Reflection of Assignment 1 (weighting: 40%)
Part B: Combined Marketing/Operations question (weighting: 60%)
You must submit both parts of Assignment 2 as one submission.
• The two parts of this assignment are not related and need to be answered as separate parts.
• Therefore, it should be clearly identifiable for the marker where each of these two parts has been answered (i.e. present under separate headings: Part A and Part B).
The overall word count set for this assignment is 3000 words (maximum of 3300 words) to cover both parts A& B – however, please note the relative weightings of each part and ensure that the word count for Parts A & B reflect those weightings.
Note: Any assignment that is greater than the maximum word count set of 3300 words will be penalized in the marking process. Please refer to your Programme Handbook for details relating to word count penalties.
Please note: it is important that you read the accompanying ‘Guidance Notes’ provided below for each part, as well as the ‘General Guidance’ notes (provided on page 6).
Part A – Individual Critical Reflection of Assignment 1 (weighting: 40%) Having completed either:
(1) your workshop group-work based presentation, OR
(2) your individually-completed alternative workshop presentation (for those who did not attend the workshop)
… for Part A of Assignment 2, you are now required to prepare an individual critical reflection of this first assignment.
(1) You are required to write concisely to transmit your analysis. Please note the weighting set for Part A – i.e. 40% of this assignment task. Therefore, the length of your answer for Part A should reflect this (i.e. approximately 1200 words).
Initially, you should provide a brief introduction to set the context of your analysis. Please Note: you are advised to keep the ‘brief’ Introduction section for Part A to within 120 words.
(2) As you complete the task, please bear in mind that, as this is an individual critical reflection, the exact focus and emphasis is for you to determine. However, amongst other things, you will need to ensure that your answer clearly demonstrates what you have learned from the Assignment 1 task.
Note: do not just describe what you did (we already know that from your presentation). Focus rather on what you learned in deciding what content to include and how to apply it. For example, you could consider such issues as:
• Think about why you decided (as a group or as an individual) which theories to use.
• Critically evaluate the appropriateness of the theories that you (as a group or as an individual) decided to use.
• Consider if there were any challenges / difficulties that you (as a group or as an individual) experienced in applying the theories.
• Could the chosen theories have been better utilised?
• Could other theories have been drawn on to help you (as a group or as an individual) to better address the task?
(3) Therefore, do not just describe the theory or theories that you have applied – think about what you have learned and what you would do differently next time (and why!) – you need to be able to justify your decisions. As part of a critical reflection, you need to also consider the limitations of your work (not just the positives) – you need to think about the challenges that you faced (as a group or as an individual) and what improvements could have been made.
(4) For Part A, we would expect to see a minimum of 4 appropriate research sources (academic and / or industry) in addition to the core course textbooks (i.e. Kotler, Keller & Chernev and Slack, Brandon-Jones & Burgess) to support your answer.
(5) Provide appropriate examples to illustrate your points.
Part B – Combined Marketing/Operations Question (weighting: 60%)
For Part B of this assignment, you are asked to consider the organisation that you work for, or one that you are very familiar with.
Prepare a brief introduction for this assessment to identify your chosen organisation – see ‘Note’ (1) below on page 3 for further guidance.
Assignment Task:
“Quality in a product or service is not what the supplier puts in. It is what the customer gets out and is willing to pay for. A product is not quality because it is hard to make and costs a lot of money, as manufacturers typically believe. This is incompetence.
Customers pay for only what is of use to them and gives them value. Nothing else constitutes quality.” (Peter F. Drucker)
Critically analyse the premise of this quote in relation to your chosen organisation’s strategies for managing and improving quality (whether this is product and/or service quality). You need to examine from both a marketing and operations perspective.
Some areas that you might consider, but you are not limited to, include:
• How does your chosen organisation and its customers view quality? Compare / contrast the key criteria that each focuses on. Consider the implications (positive
/ negative) of any similarities and / or differences in viewpoint.
• How does your chosen organisation ensure conformance to quality standards? What processes / systems are in place to measure and monitor this? What improvements can be made to these processes / systems?
• Examine the extent to which operations and marketing work together to consider the impact of quality problems on the company and its customers. Consider if there are any conflicts / challenges that occur between the two functions. How have these conflicts / challenges been overcome (or can be overcome)?
NOTE:
(1) You are required to write concisely to transmit your analysis. Please note the weighting set for Part B – i.e. 60% of this assignment task. Therefore, the length of your answer for Part B should reflect this (i.e. approximately 1800 words). The introduction should be no more than 200 words and should clearly and concisely set the context for your answer to Part B.
(2) In your answer, make full use of the range of material available in this course (including academic and industry sources). For Part B, we would expect to see a minimum of 6 academic references in addition to the core course textbooks (i.e. Kotler, Keller & Chernev and Slack, Brandon-Jones & Burgess) to support your answer.
(3) Make sure that you use clear and relevant examples to illustrate both marketing and operations elements.
USEFUL REFERENCES FOR PART B:
The following provides some ‘initial’ readings for Part B of Assignment 2. Remember, you will need to support your answers with a range of academic and non-academic sources.
Textbook Chapters:
Kotler, P., Keller, K.L. and Chernev, A. (2022) Marketing Management, 16th Edition. Pearson Education Limited: Harlow – Chapter 8: Designing and Managing Products; Chapter 9: Designing and Managing Services; Chapter 19: Building Customer Loyalty.
Slack, N., Brandon-Jones A. and Burgess, N. (2022) Operations Management, 10th Edition. Pearson Education Limited: Harlow – Chapter 16: Lean Operations; Chapter 17: Quality Management.
Articles from Reading List:
Please also refer to the readings provided in the Course Reading List – i.e.:
From Unit 1:
Vargo, S.L. and Lusch, R.F. (2008) ‘Service-dominant logic: continuing the evolution’,
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 36, Spring, pp.1-10
From Unit 6:
Brue, G. (2002) Six Sigma for Managers, CWL Publishing Enterprises, Chapter 1: What is Six Sigma.
Emiliani, M. L. and Stec, D. J. (2004) ‘Using value-stream mapping to improve leadership’, Leadership and Organization Development Journal, Vol. 25, Iss. 7/8, pp.622-645
Hauser, J.R. and Clausing, D. (1988) ‘The House of Quality’, Harvard Business Review, May/June 1988, Vol. 66, Iss. 3, pp.63-73
Smętkowska, M. and Mrugalska, B. (2018) ‘Using Six Sigma DMAIC to improve the quality of the production process: a case study’, Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, Vol. 238, pp. 590 – 596
From Unit 9:
Zu, X., Fredendall, L.D. and Douglas T.J. (2008) ‘The evolving theory of quality management: The role of Six Sigma’, Journal of Operations Management, Vol. 26, Iss. 5, pp.630-650
From Unit 10:
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. and Berry, L.L. (1988) ‘SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring customer perceptions of service quality’, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 64, No. 1, pp.12-40
Rawson, A., Duncan, E. and Jones, C. (2013) ‘The truth about customer experience’,
Harvard Business Review, September, pp.90-98
Shostack, G.L. (1982) ‘How to design a service’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 16, Issue 1, pp.49-63
Other ‘Useful’ Readings:
Audit Scotland (2000) Can’t get no satisfaction: using a gap approach to measure service quality’. Available at: http://www.audit- scotland.gov.uk/docs/local/2000/nr_000627_GAP_service_quality.pdf
Bamford, D.R., and Greatbanks, R.W. (2005) ‘The Use of quality management tools and techniques: A study of application in everyday situations’, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp.376–392
Crosby, L.B., DeVito, R. and Pearson, J.M. (2003) ‘Manage your customers’ perception of quality’, Review of Business, Winter, pp.18-24
Ferdowsian, M.C. (2016) ‘Total business excellence – a new management model for operationalizing excellence’, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 33, No. 7, pp.942-984
Ho, T.H. and Zheng, Y-S (2004) ‘Setting customer expectation in service delivery: an integrated marketing-operations perspective’, Management Science, Vol. 50, No. 4, pp.479-488
Kenyon, G.N. and Sen, K.C. (2015) ‘The perception of quality: mapping product and service quality to consumer perceptions’, Springer e-Books (to access – see link in Course Reading List)
Mahmood, U., Zubair, S.S. and Salam, A. (2015) ‘Synergistic relationship between Total Quality Management and Marketing Management in creating customer’s value’, Journal of Business Strategies, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp.99-114
Mohammad, M., Mann, R., Grigg, N. and Wagner, P. J. (2012) ‘Business Excellence Model: An overarching framework for managing and aligning multiple organisational improvement initiatives’, Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, Vol. 22, No. 11, pp.1213–1236.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. and Malhotra, A. (2005) ‘E-S-QUAL: A multiple-item scale for assessing electronic service quality’, Journal of Service Research, Vol. 7, pp.1-21
Plewa, M., Kaiser,G. and Hartmann, E. (2016) ‘Is quality still free?: Empirical evidence on quality cost in modern manufacturing’, International Journal of Quality and Reliability Management, Vol. 33, No. 9, pp.1270-1285
Sousa, R. and Voss, C. (2012) ‘The impacts of e-service quality on customer behaviour in multi-channel e-services’, Total Quality Management, Vol. 23, No. 7, pp.789-806
Strohmenger, R. (2015) ‘Demystifying customer experience quality’, CRM Magazine, September, p.6
General Guidance for Assignment 2:
(1) The word count does not include the Title Page, Appendices, Reference List and words in tables and diagrams.
(2) You will be required to cite the sources used within the text and to provide two accompanying Reference Lists – one for each part of the assignment task. Each needs to be presented on a separate page at the end of your answer to the relevant part of the assignment task (i.e. Part A and Part B).
For guidance regarding citation and referencing, please refer to your Manchester MBA Preparation course – Study Skills part on Blackboard).
(3) Please ensure that you are familiar with the section in your Global MBA Student Handbook, which relates to ‘Academic Misconduct’ and the University’s policy regarding collusion and plagiarism. There is also additional guidance provided in the Study Skills part of your Manchester MBA Preparation course on Blackboard.
Assessment Criteria
For both parts of Assignment 2, please note that you will be assessed on the following criteria:
• Critical analysis and clarity of argument
• Knowledge and use of the academic and industry literature
• Relevance
• Structure and organisation
• Bibliography and referencing
