Set in 2013, Hamidah Hassan works at SATS, a provider of gateway services at Changi Airport in Singapore. SATS has a symbiotic relationship with Changi Airport Singapore and Singapore Airlines in ensuring a smooth travel experience for customers. Hamidah is in charge of the operations at the check-in counter. As passenger traffic at Changi Airport increases, the lengthening waiting lines threaten to impair customer perceptions of the airline and airport. In order to implement an efficient solution, she has to balance her cost of operations against the cost of waiting for passengers and the terms of the service level agreement with the airport authority. This case analyses the problem and solves it using an integer linear program and simulation analysis.

Student spreadsheet 1 for case SMU288.

Student spreadsheet 2 for case SMU288.

Set in August 2011, Meru Cabs ¾ A Spectacular Growth Story is a case that documents the design and positioning of a service business in India, where the service industry is the fastest growing and most competitive sector. It tracks how strategies, processes and technologies are integrated to reduce cost and offer world-class service. Specifically, it traces the factors that have contributed to making Meru Cabs (Meru) the largest taxi operator in India and third largest in the world. Success in the four major cities of India has given senior management the confidence to consider rollouts in other cities in India and abroad. However, the immediate focus is on improving service and reducing the cancellation rate in the cities where Meru currently operates. The case describes the design and implementation of the service from the twin perspectives of efficient service operation and customer orientation, and raises questions related to the expansion of the service to other Indian and global cities. It also takes into account such factors as cab reengineering, driver selection, cab assignment, cab maintenance and fleet maintenance for the proposed service improvement and extension.