Question 1

Last week when Steven visited the Celebrity Club in Chicago, he found the entertainment not up to what he had experienced the first time he visited the blues club in December 2002. During his December visited, he got to see the "Queen of Blues" Koko Taylor perform. On his last visit, there was a B. King imitator performing. This is an example of the _____ of services.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of the heterogeneity of services, which refers to the fact that services can vary from one provider to another, from one customer to another, and even from one time to another, as illustrated by the difference in entertainment quality between Steven's visits.

Question 2

Many fast-food restaurants started with a very limited menu. As business grew, so did the number of items on the menu, which meant it became harder for the restaurants to manage _____, a characteristic of services.

Accepted Answer

As the menu expands, it becomes more challenging to maintain consistency in service and product quality, which is related to heterogeneity, a characteristic of services that refers to variability in service delivery.

Question 3

What advice should you give the owner of a catering operation who not only has to abide by numerous state and local laws, but must also satisfy its clients by providing each with the same level of service and quality of food?

Accepted Answer

Maintaining high standards of quality control is essential for a catering operation to ensure consistent service and food quality, which helps in abiding by laws and satisfying clients.

Question 4

Karen Harris is the owner of Dog Gone It, a dog waste removal service. For a fee of $40, she comes to your house and cleans and disposes of all wastes she finds in your yard. Some yards have considerably more than others, but she still charges everyone the same fee and provides them with the same guarantee of a cleaner and healthier yard. This is one way to deal with the _____ characteristic of services.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is E) heterogeneity. This characteristic refers to the variability in the performance of services, meaning that the quality and nature of a service can vary from one service provider to another, or even from one service encounter to another with the same provider. In Karen Harris's case, she deals with the heterogeneity of her dog waste removal service by charging a flat fee and guaranteeing a cleaner and healthier yard, despite the varying amounts of waste she might encounter. This approach helps standardize the service outcome for all customers.

Question 5

The National Survival Training Center in Spokane, Washington, teaches people how to save themselves if they are ever kidnapped by terrorists. The training requires customers to experience a simulated hostage situation. Then the victims are graded on the probability they would have survived if it were a real kidnapping. Would perishability be a problem for the Spokane center?

Accepted Answer

Perishability is a characteristic of services indicating that they cannot be stored for later sale or use. For the Spokane center, if a training session is not fully booked, the opportunity to deliver that service at that specific time is lost, which directly relates to the concept of perishability.

Question 6

A one-time visit to the tanning beds at Summer's Glow Tanning Salon is $3. You can buy a yearlong pass, which will give you unlimited usage of the salon's tanning beds for $99. This yearlong pass is one way a service provider can deal with service:

Accepted Answer

The yearlong pass to the tanning salon addresses the issue of service perishability, which refers to the fact that services cannot be stored for later use or sale. By offering a yearlong pass, the salon can ensure steady revenue even during times when demand might otherwise be low, effectively managing the challenge of service perishability.

Question 7

For which of the following services is perishability a problem?

Accepted Answer

Perishability in services refers to the fact that services cannot be stored for later sale or use. This applies to all the options listed: a hair salon, Ramada Hotel, a Goodyear Car Repair Center, and a veterinarian, as they all offer services that must be consumed at the time they are offered and cannot be saved for future use.

Question 8

Since more weddings are in the spring and early summer, many wedding consultants find themselves with nothing to do during some months of the year. This example illustrates the _____ of services.

Accepted Answer

Perishability of services refers to the fact that services cannot be stored for later use or sale. In the context of wedding consultants, their service cannot be stored for periods when there are fewer weddings, leading to periods of inactivity.

Question 9

Laura Lago teaches weeklong gardening classes by showing students the basics of landscaping and plant selection. There is a tremendous amount of hands-on activity in her classes, which have long waiting lists during the growing season. During the winter months, there is little demand for her classes. This example illustrates the _____ of services.

Accepted Answer

The example illustrates the perishability of services, meaning services cannot be stored for later sale or use. Laura Lago's gardening classes cannot be "saved" for winter months when demand is low, highlighting the perishability characteristic of services.

Question 10

As a result of layoffs in the technology industry, many trained computer professionals have found themselves unemployed and have formed third-party tech support companies like Geek to Go and GeekXpress to help ultimate consumers with computer installation and operating problems. Forty percent of the business done by these types of companies who operate in the consumer market occurs between Christmas and the end of January. As a result, Geek to Go and GeekXpress are likely to experience problems with:

Accepted Answer

Perishability refers to the inability to store services for later sale or use. Since a significant portion of their business is concentrated in a short period, Geek to Go and GeekXpress cannot store the unused service capacity for future use, leading to potential issues with perishability.

Question 11

Laura Lago teaches weeklong gardening classes by showing students the basics of landscaping and plant selection. There is a tremendous amount of hands-on activity in her classes, which have long waiting lists during the growing season. During the winter months, there is little demand for her classes. During the winter months, Lago offers classes in container gardening and garden planning to:

Accepted Answer

Laura Lago offers classes in container gardening and garden planning during the winter months to balance supply with fluctuating demand. This strategy helps her maintain interest and enrollment in her classes year-round, despite the seasonal nature of gardening.

Question 12

Because services are perishable and cannot be stored,:

Accepted Answer

Advertising is often used to stimulate demand during periods when service providers anticipate lower demand, as services cannot be stored for later use if not consumed.

Question 13

As a result of layoffs in the technology industry, many trained computer professionals have found themselves unemployed and have formed third-party tech support companies like Geek to Go and GeekXpress to help ultimate consumers with computer installation and operating problems. Ultimate consumers are the services':

Accepted Answer

Ultimate consumers are the primary audience or group of people that these third-party tech support companies aim to serve with their services, making them the services' target markets.

Question 14

If an amusement park wished to develop different promotional strategies for pre-teens, newlyweds, retired couples, and singles, it should use a ______ strategy.

Accepted Answer

A target market strategy involves identifying and focusing on specific groups of consumers (such as pre-teens, newlyweds, retired couples, and singles) and developing tailored promotional strategies for each group. This approach allows businesses to address the unique needs and preferences of different segments of the market.

Question 15

When Kewanee Health Club developed separate marketing programs for body builders, people who wanted to lose weight, and people who wanted to improve their stamina, the organization was using a _____ strategy.

Accepted Answer

Kewanee Health Club was using a target market strategy by developing separate marketing programs for different groups of customers based on their specific needs and interests.

Question 16

The National Survival Training Center in Spokane, Washington, teaches people how to save themselves if they are ever kidnapped by terrorists. The training requires customers to experience a simulated hostage situation. The Spokane center's _____ are people like Bonnie Larsen, whose company sent her to work in the Middle East for six months.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is "target market" because the passage describes the specific group of people (like Bonnie Larsen, who is going to work in the Middle East) that the National Survival Training Center in Spokane, Washington, aims its services at.

Question 17

The National Survival Training Center in Spokane, Washington, teaches people how to save themselves if they are ever kidnapped by terrorists. The training requires customers to experience a simulated hostage situation. Its _____ strategy is based on occupation, geography, and benefits desired.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is segmentation because the strategy is tailored based on specific factors such as occupation, geography, and benefits desired, which are classic bases for market segmentation. This approach divides the broader market into subsets of consumers who have common needs and priorities.

Question 18

According to the text, the two major target markets for nonprofit organizations are:

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the text, the two major...

Question 19

An individual who volunteers to clean 10 litter boxes every day at a shelter for homeless cats is a(n) _____, a member of the cat shelter's target market.

Accepted Answer

A provider is someone who offers services or goods, often voluntarily, to support an organization or cause. In this case, the individual is providing a service by cleaning litter boxes at the shelter.

Question 20

An individual who volunteers to sort through the 200 boxes of clothes donated to a homeless shelter is a member of which of the organization's target markets?

Accepted Answer

Providers are individuals or entities that supply services or goods to an organization. In this context, the volunteer sorting clothes is providing a service to the homeless shelter, making them a provider.

Quiz 11: Services Marketing