Services Marketing
MKT 405
Spring 2001

Instructor's Web Page

Case Discussion Questions

See my notes for preparing a case for an overview of how to prepare a case.

 

Euro Disney Case Questions

What is the Disney experience like?  What makes Disney’s traditional service concept so successful?
Why has Tokyo Disneyland been prosperous?
What do you think of Disney’s decision to build a theme park in Europe? To locate in France?
How does the experience differ between Tokyo Disneyland and EuroDisney?
What is Euro Disney’s target market, and what are the implications for the development and organization of the park?
What are some of the questionable tactics that EuroDisney employed?
Was Euro Disney successful in its first 100 days? Why or why not? (Provide some support/evidence to substantiate your claim.)
What, if anything, should be changed at Euro Disney?

Custom Research Inc.

How does a company like Custom Research serve its clients and make a profit?

What trends in the industry at the time of the case are important to note? 

What are the pros and cons of having the same person selling a research project to a customer and actually carrying the research?

Are all clients equally profitable?  Evaluate the procedure used by Jeff Pope in dividing customers into categories of profitability.  What are the problems in the way the analysis has been done?

Why not keep all clients that cover direct costs?  On the other hand, what are the problems associated with service clients based on their profitability?

Should Custom Research continue to serve all of its customers?  If not, which customers would you suggest keeping?  (How should Customer Research decide which customers to serve and which to neglect?)  What criteria would you use in making this decision? 

In general, how would you deal with customers you don't want to keep?

 

Customer Research Inc. Web Site

Shouldice Case Questions

What is the bundle of benefits purchased by the consumers?
Who is the target group of customers and what do they have in common, apart from a hernia?  Be prepared to describe them (in terms of their common characteristics).
How are the benefits delivered to those customers?
How efficient is its "production process"?  Do you see any problem areas, bottlenecks, or fail points?
What are Shouldice Hospital’s major strengths and weaknesses?  Which of these are the most important?
How successful is Shouldice Hospital?  How do you account for its performance?
What growth opportunities are available to Shouldice?  Which, if any, would you recommend?  Why?

 

Shouldice Hospital Web Site


Bugs Burger Case Questions

How did Al Burger’s personal vision and leadership style affect the type of company he created?

What is "Bugs" Burger’s competitive position in the industry?  

Who is BBBK's target market and how what is BBBK's positioning strategy?

Describe the service guarantee developed by this firm and consider whether or not it meets the criteria for effective service guarantees described in the text and in our class discussion.

How does the guarantee support the role of service standards for BBBK?

How does the company involve the customer in the guarantee?

How does it gain compliance from customers in preparing for the service?

What role do the "front-line" people play in the delivery of the service?

What major problems/issues do you see confronting this organization?  How would you address them?

 

 

GE Medical Systems Case Questions

Why is GE shifting into services?

What types of services is GE focusing on, and where do the growth opportunities appear to be?

What are the services offered by GE Medical Systems (GEMS)? Who are their customers? What trends in the industry will affect their future growth?

Describe TiP and the philosophy/strategy behind it. What are the goals of TiP? How does it fit GEMS’ overall strategy?

Why has TiP TV been so successful? What are the benefits to customers? Does GEMS have a sustainable competitive advantage in TiP TV?

The GEMS is moving from "free" to "fee" services.  What are the arguments for and against "free" vs. "fee"?

Should GEMS consider moving the TiP customer education organization from a cost center (with the primary goal of customer satisfaction) to a P&L center? What are the implications and challenges?

Analyze the effectiveness and benefits of GEMS’ service guarantee for on-site applications training.

 

 

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Dwayne D. Gremler
Copyright © 2001. All rights reserved.
Revised: April 25, 2001.