Reference no: EM133297224

Assignment:

1. You have been given the task of buying new computers for your entire company.

• Describe five ways the purchase process for your company would differ from a personal purchase of a computer for your home.
• Do you believe the purchase will most likely be a new buy, modified rebuy, or straight rebuy? Explain your answer.

2. Classify each of the following products into one of the seven categories of business products (pp. 137-138 of your text). Identify the category and explain your choice.

a. Ford buys floor mats to put in its new vehicles.

b. Target Corporation purchases land and arranges for a new distribution center to be built.

c. Marriott Hotels hires a security firm to patrol its parking garage.

d. Smith Brothers Furniture Manufacturers buys hardwood lumber to use in its sofa frames.

e. UW-Extension purchases manila folders and flash drives for its employees.

f. Kohler Plumbing Manufacturers buys washers for assembly into faucets.

g. Campbell's Soup buys fresh tomatoes to use in its tomato soup.

1. Explain four ways services differ from goods.

• Show how each characteristic could apply to a desirable vacation resort in Costa Rica (or other travel destination of your choice).
• How could the resort help reduce the potential problems associated with heterogeneity and perishability?

2. Review the five components of service quality in the text.

a. Identify one component of service quality that you have seen a particular business (organization, company, etc.) perform well. Describe the situation.

b. Identify another component of service quality that you have seen performed poorly. Describe the situation. How could the provider have improved the service?

c. Using the gap model of service quality, identify which gap occurred in the service failure that you experienced in part b. Explain.

1. Using the four promotional strategies for dealing with the unique features of services, give an example of how each could be used to promote your college or university.

2. Choose two PSAs from the Ad Council website to watch:

• List the two PSAs you watched.
• For each PSA, describe the audience you believe the announcement is trying to persuade and how the organization might evaluate the effectiveness of its message.