Management and Organizational Studies 2320A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 10-11: Demand Curve, Price Ceiling, Oligopoly

• School: Western University
• Department: Management and Organizational Studies
• Course: Management and Organizational Studies 2320A/B
• Professor: Colin Mc Dougall

Document Summary

Customer service- human or mechanical activities that firms undertake to help satisfy customer needs and wants. Continuum from a pure service to a pure product. Difficult to convey benefits of a service. 4 fundamental differences unique to services: they are intangible, inseparable, (variable), and cannot be held in inventory (perishable) Aka the four )"s of service: intangible, inseparable from their providers, inconsistent. Difficult to promote- can"t be shown directly to potential customers. Must creatively employ symbols and images to promote services. Tension created when service providers use aggressive marketing techniques to attract clients but still attempt to maintain a perception of integrity (ex. Good marketers allow customers to get directly involved with a service. Customers rarely get the chance to try the service before they buy it. Purchase risk relatively high- services sometimes extend warranties and guarantees. The more humans that are required to perform a service the more likely the quality of the service will be inconsistent or variable.