What our students and alumni say

When I reflect on my one year in the MSc Management in a Global Service Economy programme I must say I have matured intellectually and socially which has prepared me even more in unpredictable ways for my career.

First and foremost, the learning environment that The University of Buckingham offered was very conducive. I found myself enjoying the peaceful neighbourhood and welcoming community that gave me a sense of belonging which was ideal, especially being an international student. Working with students from diverse cultural backgrounds was insightful and listening to their different outlooks communicated across the multi-cultural teams was revealing and at the same time enjoyable.

My highlight of the programme was the quality of the content delivered by the lecturers who have extensive professional and academic experience. The practical case studies carried out in groups covered the missing gaps and linked the different business topics together, leading me to have a macro view on todays globalized realm essential for the continuation of my professional career. In addition, carrying out an independent six-month research project was at first challenging but with the supportive administration and encouragement from my peers, the journey proved to be informative and enlightening. I can honestly say, the programme has really helped me look at things differently with more perspective and I have no regrets.

Yvonne Migwi (Management in a Global Service Economy 2015)

The Service Management course is very practical and interactive and I learnt a lot; especially the fact that service marketing is more complex than product marketing and that delivering quality service is the collective effort of everyone in service organisations. It is designed to develop students holistically and include areas from Service Marketing and Management, People Management to Service Operations; with mind stimulating discussions and essays.

The course was very involving and fun at the same time and I enjoyed my stay at Buckingham. The lecturers are very professional in their interactions with students with an open-door policy that seeks to help students understand and appreciate the program better. I also had the privilege of winning the prestigious Dame Barbara Shenfield Award for academic excellence (best postgraduate student). I would like to recommend that people in the service industry should consider going through The University of Buckingham’s Service Management program, especially those from middle to top management to enable them understand how to better manage a service company in a globally competitive market.

Abdallah Ibrahim (Service Management 2011)

I joined the Talent & Organisation practice of Aon Hewitt China in June 2011, and Service Management has truly prepared me well for the job. Everything I have learned from the course comes alive in my consulting work. I am using the cycle of service to assess the call centre processes and service standards; taking the SERVQUAL dimensions to design a customer satisfaction survey on the HR Shared Service Centre; using Southwest Airlines case for business development; helping expatriates with cross cultural training; using my project management knowledge to manage my work etc. etc. There are countless examples of how Service Management has helped me to perform well and come out with good solutions on the project.

Jingqi Li (Service Management 2009)

Being part of this program was a great instructive and social experience, it’s about more than services.

Assaad Galfout (Service Management student 2011)

The MSc in Service Management at Buckingham has changed my life….. and I didn’t even attend. My brother did and came back so enthused that we changed the way we ran our business. We sold it and then I started another Peach – which has won UK Service Awards vs John Lewis. I have employed graduates who continue to lead the service culture. We are a leading light in service in gastro-pubs, and unsurprisingly profitable in hard times.

If you want to be a service expert….. and frankly most of business is service not product led – then learn how to do it properly. If you want to employ someone who can truly change your business, send them to learn world class service management techniques.

Hamish Stoddart (Peach Pubs)

“I finished the MSc Service Management programme in December 2005 and am now working for Fong’s Industries; the Hong Kong headquartered leading manufacturer of textile machinery. Since May 2006 I have been working as Project Manager for European Operations. We acquired two German and one Swiss company in the last three years and recently went into a joint venture with a British company. One of the German subsidiaries was the company I was consulting for through my MSc Service Management dissertation.

By using the methods I learned at Buckingham, I’m step-by-step opening the minds of my colleagues to the service management ideas and philosophy.

I’m sure that I did the right thing in doing the Service Management programme. The new ways of thinking and analysing are much needed in the global economy in which we live and work today.

I’m now working as the direct assistant of Mr Bill Fong, CEO for European Operations.”

Georg Baur (Service Management 2006)

“For front-line operational managers through to business leaders the principle of putting the customer at the heart of business thinking is fundamental to success. Utility companies are in the business of serving customers and the knowledge of service management gained at The University of Buckingham has proven to be a solid foundation for my future career development. Since graduating I have held a number of operational and service management roles within the UK water utility industry and am now Project Director at Thames Water.”

David Dangerfield (Service Management 1997)

I chose MSc – Service Management at The University of Buckingham because I felt it was the right fit for me – a diverse student body, renowned faculty and stimulating learning environment. Working closely with students from around the world and from different industries has taught me more about team-work, the importance of aligning objectives and clear communication. The course prepared me to face managerial challenges in the ‘real’ world working for Thomas Cook (India) Ltd, Bank Brussels Lambert-Dubai (ING Group), ING Baring Private Bank – Mumbai and Hutchinson Max Telecom India Limited.”

Vinod Mirchandani (Service Management 1997)