Service leadership is concerned with "satisfying needs by consistently providing quality service to everyone one comes into contact with, including one self, others, communities, systems, and environments" (Chung, 2011). Nowadays employers are placing new importance on service leadership from new hires and graduates. Not surprisingly, universities incorporate service leadership in their academic and extracurricular programmes.
In all contexts, from business, non-government organizations, government, to self-employment, service leadership is becoming a key ingredient for success. Service leadership is particularly important because Hong Kong, and most developed economies, is quintessentially a service economy. That is, a high proportion of their economic activities come from the services sector. With increasing education and income among consumers and rapid deployment of new technologies in services, consumers place higher expectations on services. To cope with this change, it is important to understand what service leadership is, what it consists of, how it works, and its implications to improve services across all contexts. This will also contribute to Hong Kong’s continuing success as a service leader in China and the region.
This course is suitable for students from all disciplines. As an introductory level course, students can bring the key elements of service leadership to reflect on and apply it to their professional areas. Whatever professions that students may take up after graduation, knowledge of service leadership will enhance their success at work and in life.