Service/Fan Audit: This is a long-term assignment which will be worked on the first half course of the semester. You are required to conduct a service or fan audit of a specialized sport facility (e.g., arena/stadium, fitness club, golf course, and swimming pool) to evaluate the facility’s customer service orientation. You must have your choice of facility approved by the instructor. You will act as a customer receiving the service in order to evaluate it. Tour the facility on at least two occasions (specify in your report the times and dates you visited) and carefully observe its operation. The impressions of employees, other customers, and people who have never visited the establishment all may offer useful insights.
Summarize your impressions, both good and bad. Give factual detailed information. Also, your comments should be analytical not descriptive. Use figures, diagrams, or plans to illustrate points if this clarifies the analysis. Tie your comments back to reading material and class discussion whenever possible. Structure your analysis section of the report around the cycle of (1) nature of services offered, (2) service encounter/delivery, and (3) evaluation of service quality (SWOT analysis). This is defined as “a period of time during which a consumer interacts with a service.” It encompasses all aspects of the service including personnel, physical facilities, and other tangible elements. Specify each of the stages in the total cycle of service which constitutes the consumer’s total experience. The cycle starts with the first contact a customer or potential customer has with the sport organization.
Do not conspicuously write down responses or notes while you are at the facility. Instead, make mental notes or jot down information inconspicuously. Your final report should be 10-12 pages (without cover and appendix pages), typed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and a 12-point font. It should be organized so that related observations are clustered and discussed together.
Regardless of the topic chosen, all projects must have the following minimum criteria:
Reflect the material presented in class.
Indicate the objective, the importance, the scope and uniqueness of the problem by the submission of a proposal for instructor approval. Once again, problems to be investigated must be relevant to this course and hold critical significance.
Thoroughly research all relevant literature (both academic and practitioner sources are required). Complete literature reviews are critical to your success on your chosen project. Students are expected to find the most current relevant literature available on their respective topic and incorporate it throughout the research project.
Interview “experts” if possible to gain additional insight.
Conduct primary research where relevant and accessible.
Utilize relevant concepts from class textbooks, cases, assigned readings, combined with outside research to:
Provide professional quality reporting of results that may not exceed twenty pages (plus references and graphic appendices).
Clarify the central and surrounding issues
Suggest alternative solutions and analyze the direction, magnitude and probability of likely outcomes
Make recommendations
Highlight implications
Specific requirements for research procedures reporting format will, of course, vary somewhat with options chosen.
ALL OF THE SOURCES:
https://msuspartans.com/sports/2018/7/20/facilities-spartan-stadium-html.aspx
https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2021/spartan-stadium-through-the-years
Advice: Can talk about advertising and promotion.
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|