“Culture of Services: Paradox of Customer Relations”
This is the third round of the course as the self-paced format.
Instructor: Yutaka Yamauchi
See "Meet the Course Staff" section for more details.
Course Description
Services are everywhere in our society. We cannot live without them. More than 70% of advanced economies fall under the category of the service sector. Other sectors, such as agriculture and manufacturing, also seek to incorporate service business.
What is
The coursework will explore major underlying theories of service, including customer satisfaction and service quality. In addition, learners will be exposed to competitive analyses, and explore the contradictory relationships inherent in services from an intersubjective perspective.
In this business and management course, you will learn how to analyze customer interactions, using video data taken in actual service organizations. Through discussions of a variety of services such as sushi bars, restaurants, hotels, and apparel, you will explore the complex nuances and begin to see services differently.
What You'll Learn
- Radical perspective on the culture of customer service
- Basics of customer service research
- How to critique and design services
- How to analyze customer interactions
Prerequisites
None. This course is designed for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in services. Although some advanced theoretical materials are included, the theme, i.e., services, should be familiar to everyone. Students are expected to complete several assignments throughout the course. In these assignments, students will observe, document, and analyze services around them.
Effort
3 to 4 hours per week
Lectures
Each course will be provided with short lecture videos by the instructor, Yutaka Yamauchi along with a set of short Problems related to the contents of the lecture videos. By watching the videos and answering the Problems, we hope that all participants will gain some basic knowledge
To get started, click on the "Course" tab at the top of the page.
Discussion
You are invited to participate in the Discussion forum (See Forum Guidelines here) to share ideas and ask questions to peers relating to each of the course’s contents. We hope this opportunity will lead to fruitful exchanges and discussion.
Assignments and Grading Criteria
To earn a certificate for the course, students must mark the score of 60% or more. Grading for the course is as below.
A: 85 -100%
B: 75 - 84%
C: 60 - 74%
F: Below 59%
Problems and Completion Checklist assigned every week, count for 54% and 19% in total, respectively. During this course, learners are asked to work on four Homework assignments. The total
- Problems: 54%
-Due date: End of course
- Completion Checklist: 19%
-Due date: End of course
- Homework 1: 10%
-Due date: End of course
- Homework 2: 4%
-Due date: End of course
- Homework 3: 9%
-Due date: End of course
- Homework 4: 4%
-Due date: End of course
If you are on the verified track and mark the passing score, certificates will be issued automatically by
Please pay attention to due dates of each Problem, Homework, and so on. To avoid any kinds of unexpected troubles including the Internet disconnection, we strongly recommend all learners to submit them with time to spare.
Course Schedule
Week | Topic | Homework |
---|---|---|
1 |
Introduction
|
No |
2 |
Service experience: Comparative analysis
|
Yes |
3 |
Existing theories of service
|
No |
4 |
Ethnomethodology: Analysis of customer interactions
|
Yes |
5 |
Hospitality: A critical perspective
|
Yes |
6 |
Aesthetic of service: Taste and manners
|
No |
7 |
Dialectic of customer relations
|
Yes |
8 |
Service design from cultural perspective
|
No |
This course will end on Tuesday, August 4, 2020.
Reference Book for Japanese Learners
This course's contents at large are based on the following book in Japanese.
本講義で扱う内容について日本語で書かれた書籍です。
- 「「闘争」としてのサービス」(中央経済社)
- 「組織・コミュニティデザイン (京都大学デザインスクール・テキストシリーズ 2)」(共立出版)