Exam 1: Introduction to Services

Ruth recently visited a day care center that is convenient to her work. Ruth is thinking of letting the day care workers care for her infant son while she is at work. The first thing Ruth noticed when she walked in the door of the facility was the smell of urine. There was a dead plant in the window. Three babies were crying and no one was paying them any attention. Other children that Ruth could see looked listless. In this example, Ruth experienced the negative side of the _____ element of the day care center's services marketing mix.

When Heather goes to the local gym, she has a personal trainer who helps make sure she is using the equipment correctly. The personal trainer is an example of a(n):

Which of the following is NOT an element of the traditional marketing mix?

Which of the following is NOT an example of a service business?

Stakeholders are defined as all the people who have an interest in the success or failure of a firm. With this definition in mind, comment on the following statement: "All stakeholders are a part of the people element of the services marketing mix".

Which of the following is a marketing implication that results from the heterogeneity of services?

Historically, the Japanese have had poor dental care. As part of their beauty regimen, the Japanese do have a habit of lightening and whitening their skin. Teethart has developed "tooth manicure" salons, which allow Japanese to match their teeth coloration to their skin. Each treatment takes place in a small booth, which contains an ergonomically-designed chair, muted lights and New Age-style music. The walls are painted calming shade of blues and greens. Teethart uses the _____ element of its service to reduce stress associated with dental procedures.

The maintenance contract offered by Sears on its Kenmore refrigerators, dishwashers and microwaves is an example of a(n) _______.

In India weddings are timed to occur when the stars and planets are in certain positions, which are deemed lucky. In 2005, almost 15,000 couples in New Delhi had their wedding on December 25, the day astrologers announced would be the best day for a wedding. Wedding planners had to prepare all year for this one date instead of planning lots of weddings throughout the year. The service provided by the Indian wedding planners illustrates the _____ characteristic of services.

What do deeds, processes and performances have in common?

Which of the following statements describes how consumers and employees are responding to technology-based services?

In India weddings are timed to occur when Venus is in the ascendant and Jupiter is strong. This day is deemed lucky. In 2005, almost 15, 000 couples in New Delhi had their wedding on December 25, the day astrologers announced would be the best day for a wedding. The service provided by the astrologers is an excellent illustration of the _____ of services.

Parents everywhere are very busy and often cannot spend time with their children. In the Netherlands, children who want a bedtime story can call the telephone service and request to listen to one of twenty prerecorded fairy tales. The phone company charges $7 per story. Because of the prerecording of the stories, this bedtime service reduces the problems typically associated with the _____ characteristic of services.

Maria Kingsley is a fortune teller. She is concerned because today two of her clients missed their appointments to have her read their Tarot cards and she had plans for the money she would have earned. With which characteristic of services is Kingsley most concerned?

Imagine you own an ice skating rink that operates in Aspen, Colorado. What is your primary concern when considering service perishability?

Bob Wilson owns and operates Flashdance Skating Rink. Last Monday afternoon, he had rented the rink out for a birthday party that was cancelled at the last minute due to a flu epidemic that had sickened three-fourths of the children who were invited. While Wilson kept the deposit, he did not get the skate rental fees or the snack food money he had anticipated from the rental. Wilson lost money as a result of the _____ characteristic of services.

For their wedding anniversary, Beth and Rick wanted to go skydiving. They enrolled in a skydiving class at the local airport at a cost of $260. After a 30-minute training course in which everything that was going to happen to them was carefully explained, Beth and Rick were sent up in an airplane with two skydiving experts. Each was placed in a harness arrangement with one of the experts and did what is called a tandem dive. With a tandem dive, Beth and Rick get to enjoy the experience without having to worry about when to open the parachute. The skydiving expert does that for them. This tandem jump illustrates the _____ characteristic of services.

Two roommates both registered for an introduction to business class. At midterm, one roommate found his instructor so boring that he was thinking of changing his major to history. The other roommate had a charismatic teacher and looked forward to going to class. This heterogeneity of instruction demonstrates:

Weddings have always been lavish in India. Vandana Mohan is New Delhi's most successful wedding planner. The average New Delhi middle-class wedding in 2005 cost $20,000 with one recent wedding costing more than $10 million. Because budgets vary as do the desires to show off one's ability to engage in conspicuous consumption, Vandana Mohan sometimes finds it difficult to maintain his reputation for lavish and beautiful weddings. The problems associated with the planning of weddings illustrate the _____ characteristic of services.

Which of the following statements has been suggested as a plausible explanation for the customer perception that service quality is declining?