MSc Customer Experience and Service Management (CXSM)

This unit delves into the intricate relationship between customer experience, cultural contexts, and policy-making. CXM Context Culture and Policy (AMC520) encompasses a comprehensive exploration of how cultural and policy frameworks influence service management and customer interactions across different sectors. The unit addresses the diversity of cultural norms and values, and their impact on customer expectations and satisfaction, offering a multidimensional understanding of global customer service strategies.

The module systematically reviews the role of policy in shaping customer experience, focusing on regulatory, ethical, and operational aspects. It investigates how policies can be designed and implemented to enhance the quality of service while ensuring compliance with international standards and cultural sensitivity. By studying various policy models and their outcomes, students gain insights into effective policy-making processes that align with organisational goals and customer needs.

CXM Context Culture and Policy also facilitates the development of critical analytical skills, enabling students to evaluate the effectiveness of culture and policy-driven strategies in real-world scenarios. This unit is instrumental in forming the foundational competencies necessary for driving customer-focused change in organisations, equipping students with the tools to assess and refine policy and cultural frameworks to foster an enriching customer experience environment.

Examine the interplay between tangible offerings, service delivery, and the environments in which businesses operate. The module covers a variety of mechanisms such as service design, product positioning, and placemaking, which are crucial for crafting compelling customer experiences.

The unit constructs a critical review of how these elements can be synergistically managed to enhance organisational branding and customer loyalty. It encourages a deep analysis of the alignment between product features, service standards, and the ambient factors of business locales that together influence customer perceptions and behaviours.

Products, Services, and Places also clarify how the thoughtful design and alignment of these three components can serve as a powerful vehicle for organisational development. It enables candidates to assess and employ strategic tools such as customer journey mapping, experiential marketing techniques, and spatial aesthetics evaluations. Moreover, the unit delves into the dynamics of market trends and consumer behaviour, suggesting practical approaches for businesses to adapt and thrive in changing environments. It supports candidates to identify and optimise their roles within teams tasked with developing product-service-place strategies, thereby enhancing collaborative efforts and organisational coherence.

Explore a range of individual mechanisms such as customer touchpoint analysis, service blueprinting, and emotional mapping, essential for constructing effective customer journeys. The unit offers a comprehensive critique of various models and frameworks used to map and manage customer interactions from initial contact through to post-service engagement.

The module establishes the core principles and methodologies for designing and refining customer journeys that align with organisational goals and customer satisfaction metrics. It clarifies how these journey frameworks can be optimised as strategic tools for organisational development, empowering candidates to deploy and assess innovative techniques like predictive analytics, persona development, and behavioural targeting.

Additionally, Journey Design and Management examines the dynamics of team collaboration necessary for successful journey mapping. It advocates a cross-functional team approach and introduces methods such as iterative design and agile management to enhance team efficiency and output. The unit supports candidates in identifying and adopting the most effective roles within teams responsible for journey design, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and customer-centric innovation.

Discover a range of individual learning mechanisms including qualitative and quantitative analysis, experimental design, and systematic literature reviews, which are pivotal for robust academic and professional inquiry. The unit presents a thorough critique of contemporary research paradigms, equipping students with the skills to discern and implement appropriate methodologies based on the specific demands and contexts of their research objectives.

The module reinforces the importance of ethical considerations and methodological rigour, establishing the foundational ethos and pillars for conducting impactful research in real-world and academic settings. It explores how structured research methods can be optimised as vehicles for organisational development, enabling candidates to evaluate and apply advanced research tools such as data analytics, modelling techniques, and meta-analysis.

Moreover, Research Methods examines the dynamics of collaborative research, encouraging interdisciplinary approaches and teamwork in the construction and execution of research projects. It proposes strategies for effective team roles and supports candidates in identifying and adopting positions that best enhance their research team’s effectiveness, promoting a cooperative and productive research environment.

It covers several individual learning mechanisms such as formulating research questions, developing literature reviews, and selecting appropriate research methodologies, all tailored to the individual’s chosen study area. The unit offers a rigorous examination of various research methods, providing a framework to guide the execution of a substantial piece of scholarly work.

The dissertation unit is designed to consolidate the ethos and pillars of academic inquiry within a real-world context, bridging theoretical knowledge with practical application. It demonstrates how the disciplined process of research can be optimised as a vehicle for organisational and personal development, empowering candidates to contribute original insights to their field.

Moreover, the dissertation process examines and harnesses the dynamics of mentor-student relationships, emphasising the roles of guidance, feedback, and critical discussion. It supports candidates in navigating their independent research journey, encouraging them to self-assess and adapt their learning strategies. This culminates in the development of robust, analytical, and presentation skills that prepare them for professional and academic pursuits beyond the programme.

Explore various individual learning mechanisms such as performance coaching, mentoring, reflective practice, and developmental feedback that are essential for enhancing personal competencies and productivity. The unit provides a comprehensive review of group and team performance enhancement techniques, including goal setting, role clarification, and performance appraisals, fostering a cohesive learning environment within the workplace.

The module sets up the ethos and pillars of effective performance management at both individual and team levels, emphasising the integration of theory with practical application to optimise organisational outcomes. It discusses how strategic performance management can be utilised as a vehicle for organisational development, enabling candidates to critically assess and apply methods like balanced scorecards, 360-degree feedback, and continuous improvement processes.

Furthermore, People’s Performance examines the dynamics of teamwork and collective spirit, proposing the utilisation of the Belbin team roles model to enhance group synergy. It supports candidates in self-assessing and identifying the roles they are best suited to within team contexts, thus enhancing both individual and team performance alignment with organisational goals.

Explore a variety of performance measurement tools such as key performance indicators (KPIs), balanced scorecards, and benchmarking, essential for evaluating organisational effectiveness and operational efficiency. The unit delves into different continuous improvement methodologies, including Six Sigma, Lean Management, and Total Quality Management (TQM), highlighting their applications and benefits in various business contexts.

The unit explains how strategic performance measurement and continuous improvement can serve as catalysts for organisational growth and competitiveness. It empowers candidates to critically analyse and apply suitable techniques and models to real-world business challenges. Furthermore, the unit investigates the integration of technological advancements in performance management systems, emphasising data analytics and automation in streamlining processes and enhancing decision-making capabilities.

Additionally, the unit examines the cultural aspects of continuous improvement, discussing how a culture of quality and excellence can be nurtured within teams and organisations. It supports candidates in developing skills to lead and motivate teams towards achieving performance excellence, fostering a proactive and results-oriented workplace environment.

This unit cultivates a sophisticated understanding of strategic organisational excellence frameworks and practices. It encompasses a range of methodologies pivotal to achieving and maintaining excellence within organisations, such as strategic planning, leadership development, and change management. The unit conducts a thorough examination of organisational excellence models including the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria, assessing their impact on business performance and sustainability.

The unit explains how strategic organisational excellence can be leveraged as a foundation for sustainable competitive advantage and long-term success. It enables candidates to critically evaluate and implement strategic excellence initiatives tailored to their organisational contexts, promoting adaptability and resilience. Furthermore, the unit delves into the role of leadership in embedding an excellence-oriented culture within organisations, discussing strategies to cultivate leadership behaviours that promote innovation, efficiency, and ethical practices.

In addition, the unit explores the dynamics of team collaboration in the pursuit of organisational excellence. It proposes a systems thinking approach to understand and enhance interdependencies within organisational processes and teams. The unit also supports candidates to identify and nurture their potential in various leadership roles aligned with encouraging organisational excellence, thereby enhancing their capacity to contribute effectively to their organisations’ overarching goals.

This unit covers a broad spectrum of individual ethical practices such as ethical decision-making, personal accountability, and integrity management. The unit constructs a critical review of corporate sustainability theories, frameworks, and models, establishing the foundations for embedding these principles at the organisational level.

The unit explains how CSR can be optimised as a mechanism for driving sustainable organisational development. It enables the candidates to evaluate selected sustainability tools and techniques such as environmental audits, sustainability reporting, and stakeholder engagement strategies. Additionally, the unit explores the dynamics of ethical leadership and corporate governance, proposing frameworks for ethical compliance and corporate citizenship.

Moreover, the unit examines the interplay between corporate actions and their wider social and environmental impacts, supporting candidates to identify and fulfil roles that align with fostering ethical practices and sustainability in their organisations. Through this exploration, candidates learn to integrate CSR into business strategies, enhancing their ability to contribute effectively to their organisations’ sustainable and ethical development.