BSc in Business Administration and Service Management

Program Overview

Services in a broad perspective The service sector is the largest sector in most developed countries. In Denmark it contributes around 70 % of the national GDP. A service is an intangible offering; no physical product is exchanged between buyer and seller before purchase. Traditional examples could be services provided in shops, restaurants, hotels, tourism agencies, travelling, amusement parks or even in public institutions such as museums. Modern examples of services include subscriptions to streaming services, social media, mobile and communication services as well as business services. Services are an integral part of what a company is and what it produces. For example, physical products often also have an additional service attached to them in the form of knowledge, time or attention. A simple example could be when you buy a new phone. You are paying for a physical product, but you also receive in-store pre-purchase service where the sales assistant provides you with information and answers the questions you might have. However, you also receive post-purchase service in the form of a warranty and 24/7 customer support. A shift from products to services While companies used to talk about the products they provided, they now emphasise on the service they provide to their customers – whether it be as part of a purchased physical product or as a standalone service. The wave of digitalisation we are currently experiencing is probably the clearest example of the shift from products to services, affecting us all in our jobs or studies as well as in our personal lives. Service has become an essential part of product development and a means to compete with industry rivals. Today effective customer service is a vital element to survive and grow in a competitive market. If you do not cater to the expectations and needs of your customers, your competitors definitely will. There is often also a trade-off between the quality of a physical product and the service provided with it. That is, although objectively the competitor might have a slightly better product, you can still attract the consumers by providing a better service and purchasing experience. The general and the service-specific perspective The BSc SEM gives you a broad understanding of business administration, how businesses develop and stay ahead of competition and how services add value across industries, both as stand-alone offerings and in relation to services and experiences. You will also get a broad understanding of the service sector as a whole while going more in-depth with one specific service sector through case studies and textbook examples. The objective of this structure is to understand services as an integrated part of a company. As an example, imagine a company providing services of some sort, whether it be to businesses or to private consumers. The manager of such a company cannot simply develop and provide services without considering the external environment of the company. They need to understand the economic and competitive setting in which the company is embedded, how to organise and market the company and its services, what economic and strategic goals it seeks to achieve and how providing competitive services can help accomplish such goals.

Academic Requirements