The IDEAL service transaction analysis approach for projects in operations management courses

The walk-through service audit has been used in classrooms for some time (Fitzsimmons and Fitzsimmons, 2004). In 1999, Johnston recommended an extension of the walk-through service audit, the Service Transaction Analysis (STA) concept. This paper is an extension of the STA whereby we incorporate a system's approach that includes the organisation's vision, mission statement, core competencies, and order winners and qualifiers to determine how well key business processes are designed, executed, integrated, and aligned with these factors (IDEAL STA). Students learn to identify the mis-messages that an organisation sends to its customers, learn to identify where mis-alignment exists, and learn to prepare corrective recommendations. Survey results indicate students feel the group project is an effective classroom tool that relates to job performance and knowledge development. The project is well suited for international adaptation since a grocery store is used for the in-class exercises and fast food restaurants are the project companies.