Turner Company Sells New and Used Instruments and Has a Full-Service

Essay

Turner Company sells new and used instruments and has a full-service instrument repair and maintenance department on site. Turner appreciates its customers, many of whom have remained very loyal over the course of Turner's existence. The company provides free guitar tuning for anyone that purchases a guitar from them. They also have a membership program available at a low cost that rewards customers with a free set of strings for their preferred instrument every month. When a customer chooses Turner for their repair and maintenance needs, the company ensures that all issues, known and potentially unknown, are addressed before the instrument leaves the repair department. Many customers have purchased a variety of instruments over the years from Turner, and others that bought their instruments elsewhere still utilize Turner for their top-notch customer service and maintenance offerings. With this in mind, please answer the following questions.
a. As it pertains to their operating strategy, which side of Porter's spectrum would Turner reside on: product differentiation or cost leadership? What led you to this conclusion?
b. What if Turner operated on the other side of the spectrum from what you selected for part (a)? How would their strategy be different, and what would distinguish this approach from your original choice?
c. How would either strategy identified in parts (a) and (b) provide an advantage for Turner in the marketplace? Do you have any other suggestions as to how they can improve their operations?