Operations & Info Management 305 - Service Industry Operations

The service sector contributes about 70% of the gross domestic product of the US economy. Also, it accounts for about 75% of the US employment. This course in "Service Industry Operations" examines firms in the service sector. The course begins with highlighting the salient aspects of services (specifically, differentiating a service from a product on various dimensions), and then provides an overview of structural, infrastructural, and behavioral aspects of managing service operations. In particular, we will consider service process, service quality, service design, service failures, and new (digital) advancements in service delivery. The course is intended to provide managers in the service sector with knowledge and tools to make informed decisions such as process improvements, wait line management, and demand and yield management. The course will impart both quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, especially those needed for managing important business tradeoffs within the context of services. Using a blend of cases, selected book chapters, and articles from business press and academic literature, this course will explore the aforementioned concepts in diverse service industries including healthcare, retail, hospitality, transportation, and financial services.

Open to students with majors in the Isenberg School of Management Pre Req: OIM 301 20 seats are reserved for declared OIM majors. Remaining seats are available to non-OIM Isenberg majors who meet the enrollment requirements. Please contact the Isenberg Undergraduate Programs Office at undergrad@isenberg.umass.edu if you meet the enrollment requirements, seats are available, and you are unable to self-enroll or add yourself to the Spire waitlist (if open as indicated by a yellow triangle). If you add yourself to the Spire waitlist, please ensure you do not enroll in a course that conflicts with this course.

Once the course and the Spire waitlist is full, OIM majors and Isenberg majors should monitor the course via SPIRE for seat availability.