Enterprise's Service Quality Survey is attempting to gather very specific information on the worthiness and quality of its service throughout the whole process. The first few questions are very generic and are aiming to source information on the overall experience of coping with the Venture Rent-A-Car. This consists of information on client satisfaction. Enterprise Rent-A-Car is trying to achieve valuable information about how customers feel the service could improve and how customers would rate the telephone reservation process. These sorts of questions are unspecific and will be the starting to service quality research for any venture. As the study progresses, customers are urged to articulate the length of time the process of picking right up and returning the rentals car had taken. Surely, using this method, Enterprise Rent-A-Car are trying to attain approximate times to allow them to average the results out and seek to boost on the brings about the coming calendar months and years.
Customers are asked to rate sundry questions based on five options: Excellent, Good, Fair, Negative and Non Applicable (N/A). Utilising this ranking method the organization can obtain a definite degree of customer fulfilment and discover where their strengths and weaknesses rest concerning each aspect of the service they offer. One interesting aspect to notice about the info Enterprise Rent-A-Car are trying to source is that only 1 question requires the customer to write out an answer whereas almost every other option simply takes a ticking of the pack in an option such as "Good, Rational, While etc. ". For me, which means that Venture Rent-A-Car as a company simply want polarised answers as they say. By having to tick options such as "Good, Fair and Poor", it becomes apparent immediately if the customer was content with the service or not. If several questions required answers with full phrases, this could lead to numerous problems for Enterprise Rent-A-Car employees who are analysing the surveys after. One problem is that customers could write out a half-hearted deceptive answer with little if any meaning making it extremely difficult for Enterprise Rent-A-Car to realize valuable customer ideas and outlooks on the service.
The Service Quality Survey's research goals are quite simple. The objective of the research is to evaluate how well they are providing their service to customers. The main aspect of the survey is that it is being clarified by those who have used the service and whose view on the service is of huge proper importance to the company.
Question 3:
In addition to or rather than the mail survey, what other means could Enterprise use to assemble customer satisfaction information?
There are numerous other means that Business Rent-A-Car could utilise to gather client satisfaction information. Observational research will involve gathering principal data by watching appropriate people, actions, and situations to assemble how satisfied the client is. Ethnographic research includes sending trained observers to monitor and connect to consumers in their environment. Experimental research is best for gathering causal information, through the use of cause-and-effect relationships.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car could change the contact method from the presently used mail review to the other available contact methods: Mobile phone, Personal (In person) or online (through the use of the web). Each one of these contact methods has both benefits and negatives in regards to to gathering customer satisfaction. Concerning response rate which is very important, Online and Personal can be labeled as good while phone lags behind and it is poor for response rate. If one was to look at cost as a way of differentiating the other contact methods, telephone is actually the priciest with also personal contact cost being inadequate indeed. Online ways of gathering information appears to be an excellent way of gathering client satisfaction information. Firstly it is very cheap once the consumer has an Web connection. The simplicity of the process is the greatest alternative to the means being used by Enterprise Rent-A-Car to assemble customer satisfaction information.
Question 4:
What Specific suggestions can you make to Enterprise to increase the response rate and timeliness of feedback from the procedure?
The specific recommendations I'd make to Enterprise Rent-A-Car to enhance the response rate and timeliness of feedback from the process is to execute the review online on their website http://www. enterprise. ie/car_rental/home. do The response rate would be increased ten collapse in comparison to the utilization of the mail survey. Once the review is completed, the info will be available to Enterprise Rent-A-Car in their data source instantaneously. This implies busniess decisions can be produced quicker, faster and more efficiently. In comparison, while the mail review has a free postage stamp so that it costs the client nothing to complete, the Internet is such an easier process. You don't have to head right down to the postoffice and send back again the study, once users click the submit button their part of the customer satisfaction process is complete and their feedback is open to Enterprise Rent-A-Car immediately.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car can offer customers a discount on the next transaction if they complete the study in a specific time frame online. They might then have up to date valuable information on the degrees of customer satisfaction the users have had with the service. Thus they may use this information and responses to change their business to suit customers. Which means timeliness of responses is advanced which improves Organization Rent-A-Car's performance and will keep their customers devoted with their service.
Marketing Principles Task 2
Choose a recent purchase that involved not only yourself but other people in making the decision. What role(s) have you play along the way? What roles have other folks play and exactly how did they affect your decision?
Recently, the house computer in the family house broke therefore a new pc was necessary for everyone in the family to make use of. My father asked everyone to do a bit of research in to the best available pcs and that people would consent between us on the best available option to suit everyone. We were given that we got a budget of 800 to spend replacing a family computer that possessed finally worn down after five many years of constant use. All the family scoured various newspapers, catalogues as well as browsing stores such as Curry's and Laptop or computer World to check on the computer market for the best suitable fit for all of us.
I played a key role in the choosing of an computer for the family as I was viewed on the list of family as the most "technically aware" person based on the latest products being unveiled in the business market. My two sisters were quite proficient users of personal computers but my parents were looking more at the cost and simplicity part of purchasing and utilising the computer. I explored reviews online for every single type of computer and known the viewpoints of others in my college class who were adept computer users and possessed a broad familiarity with the marketplace.
My sisters played the role of reading within the reviews I needed picked out to provide a second impression if you ask me on what they considered products I had developed earmarked as being a potential purchase for the family. This role affected me as it gave me the self-assurance to check out on from the principal research I put carried out. My father enjoyed the role of earning sure I used to be keeping within the budget allotted for the computer. His role affected me as it was a regular reminder to keep within the amount of money designated to acquire the computer. My mom kept an eyesight on me to ensure that I was looking out for the best needs of the family and not simply my own needs. Her role influenced me as it re-emphasised if you ask me that the computer was for the whole family and not only my personal preferences.
What type of buying decision behavior process performed you go through? At each level (need recognition, information search, etc. ), outline what activities took place
Need Identification: Directly following the breaking down of the house computer, a detailed family good friend purchased a fresh desktop computer with all the advanced specifications. I got aware of the quality of the product but my parents who were oblivious to the latest systems were extensively impressed by the hottest systems such as Bluetooth, Built-in Microphone and Webcam, huge HARD DISK DRIVE space and the ease of the User Interface. My dad decided that instead of paying to fix the worn down computer, a fresh computer with all these latest leading edge technologies would become more suitable. Thus a dependence on the new computer was brought on in my father by exterior stimuli, in this case the family friend's positive opinions.
Information Search: Thus my dad urged the family and generally myself to scout the marketplace for a pc with all the current latest technologies. Other than the non-public source (family good friend) who was simply the external stimuli in the first place, I consulted an extremely proficient I. T "whizzkid" in my course to offer his opinions. As mentioned previously the mass media was used to provide us with home elevators the merchandise i. e. technology websites, blogs etc. I paid a trip to the neighborhood Galway computer superstore 'Personal computer World' and I was presented with a test run on some of the latest personal computers released by the leaders in the personal computer market such as Sony, Toshiba and Samsung.
Evaluation of Alternatives:
In the computer market there are so many alternatives so each solution was scrutinised extensively. The first choice was to select from either an Apple Mac pc or a Personal Computer (PC). I'd consider myself as an enormous fan of the Apple and very susceptible to their engaging marketing of the products. If I was to choose Laptop or computer there are so many leading companies with high quality pcs to choose from. I made a decision to categorise the PC's in terms of warrantee, look, price and performance. I weighed up recognise the business offered the best post sales support to consumers if problems were to occur. Look was predicated on the easiness on the eye of the merchandise as well as weight, size etc. Performance was based on user reviews from reputable resources.
Purchase Decision:
The family acquired a brief getting together with and we made a decision to all divulge what each of us wanted from the computer (software, applications etc. ) My father asked me to inform him of my thoughts and opinions bearing everything in mind. I informed him that we thought the Apple products were the market leaders in terms of computer performance but that their products would not be well suited for the family and the purchase price budget wasn't enough to buy one. We decide on a Laptop or computer with a Microsoft Home windows OS system as it could contain all the MS Office tools which would be very important to the family. My sister and I concurred that Dell Desktop PC's were obtaining outstanding responses and each computer could be customized to suit the needs of the family. A Dell Inspiron One 23 with the specifications my father liked was decided on by the family and purchased over the Internet that day.
Post Purchase Decision:
The family was amazingly satisfied with the product and has lived up to our expectations. Dell provided within 3 days and nights and a warranty of a calendar year was presented with to us to repay us in case there is unintentional damage to the computer.
What choice requirements did you use? Do they change between sketching up a shortlist and making the final choice?
The choice requirements as specified up above were that we separate the computer into three categories:
Warranty: We wished to review which companies were renowned for having a fantastic post-sale service given the problematic mother nature of technology and in specific computers.
Look: My mom wanted the computer to have a pleasant appearance so that it would blend in to the place of the living room's environment. We also sought it to be very compact so it could be transferred if it had to be moved.
Price: The computer was required to remain within the budget allotted of 800 euro; there is no flexibility upon this rule.
Performance: We desired the computer to run quickly and effectively and have a lot of storage area for the family's photography albums and applications.
The choice standards did not modify between originally drawing up a shortlist so when we made our final choice.
Marketing Principles Project 3
Discuss three choice price-increase strategies that solve these concerns.
Increasing prices can be considered a very sensitive concern and may easily upsets faithful customers so companies must carefully tackle the way they increase prices. When increasing prices, the business must you shouldn't be alleged to be a "price gouger"( Kotler & Armstrong, 2010). Customers have long and clear remembrances and they will desert companies that they believe that are excessively rates their products. Competitors will victimize the company's requirement to increase their prices and so can advertise a cheaper price in their persuasive marketing promotions, simply informing the marketplace that they impose lower. A couple of three price-increase strategies that can addresses the concerns of customers fleeing from the company due to surplus pricing:
Honest Way:
The first method of increasing prices that can address the concerns of customer loss is the honest approach. By maintaining a sense of fairness bordering the price boosts, customers will realize that there are legitimate known reasons for the surge in prices and that these increases are because of a necessity not a profit famished exercise from top of the echelons of the company. Company communications should tell the customers exactly why the prices are being elevated and thus the customers are not remaining in the dark as to the reason behind the purchase price increase. "Honest is usually the best insurance policy" can be an overused phrase but this might just apply in a competitive business market if the firm needs to keep faithful to their devoted consumers.
Low Visibility Price Moves:
A good approach of increasing prices is by making low-visibility price moves first. Examples include reducing discount rates, ever-increasing minimum order sizes and slowing down the development of low margin products. The company sales force should help business customers find ways to economize. By eliminating offers such as 33% off etc. the firm will steadily raise the amount of revenue they are making for every product without displeasing their devoted customers. If removing discounts is performed subtly, then customers won't notice that the purchase price has increased officially and businesses can benefit from this technique.
Unbundling of Market Offering:
By removing features, presentation, or services and individually pricing elements which were formerly part of the offer, organizations can increase earnings. By unbundling their product offering, they can gain more earnings for each sales of something. Using this method organizations are making consumers pay extra for the surplus parts of something such as packaging. This will not easily annoyed customers as much as say just increasing their product. Airlines such as Ryanair are using this technique of increasing prices. For instance, to keep airfare fares down, Ryanair are charging separately for services that were once area of the price paid in the journey. For example a limitation on the weight of handheld baggage and food offered on flights. Thus if you are spending money on a trip, it is merely the transfer you are spending money on with no built-in perks.
Principles of Marketing Task 4
Q. 1
ZARA
SUPPLY
CHAIN
Q. 3
Zara uses a corporate vertical marketing system. A corporate and business vertical marketing system can be explained as "whenever a single owner works organizations at each stage of the marketing channel"(Kurtz, McKenzie & Snow, 2010) Zara has such an efficient and effective source chain so it has almost total control of every aspect from recycleables to the buyer purchasing the product by the end. This is directly mentioned in the event analysis "his experience led him to create a system in which he could control every part of the source string" (Kotler & Armstrong, 2010). Zara benefits greatly from adopting this system. First of all, the 300 creative staff that perform the design, benefit from information delivered to them by the shop assistants who is able to report on the latest 'fads' that are trending because they are directly coping with the clients on the frontline. In relation to sourcing, as mentioned in the event study by using this type of a VMS that while Zara's competitors outsource nearly almost all their product to cheap production facilities in Asia, "Zara makes 40 percent of its textiles and produces more than half its own clothes". Therefore Zara which is located in Northern Spain needs not to rely on slow moving suppliers. This is of huge profit and speeds up the procedure from recycleables to retailing so this means Zara can produce several times as many items as its competition. Zara carries such business clout which it uses local co-operatives to complete some responsibilities such as sewing meaning that these materials are repaid quickly to the manufacturing plant where these are moved onto another stage in the source chain. It includes huge control of its packaging and circulation service by adopting this technique. The huge warehouse which uses high quality equipment is so successful that the packaging process which can be of concern to other businesses in this sector of the market is completed seamlessly by Zara. Therefore Zara, by utilizing a corporate and business vertical marketing system likes many benefits and is also the dominant body in its market.
Q. 4
In my opinion, Zara experiences hardly any disadvantages from using its "fast-fashion" distribution system and the advantages of this circulation system easily outweigh and offset by its advantages. The benefits of "fast fashion" distribution system seem to be limitless and this system generally pleases the finish user as the variety of products available changes regularly while preserving high quality. First of all, personally I would suppose through my review of microeconomics if as a result of short production runs because of the amount of products being created from different raw materials each and every time with the change in the style fads is their cost of development very high. They certainly aren't benefitting from economies of size at the rate they change the type of products these are producing. Although it is a huge benefits that they seem to truly have a change in product every couple of weeks in comparison with competitors who've shipments arriving at stores only 4-5 times a year, surely the syndication costs are exceedingly high. The expense of transporting new finished goods to the merchants every fortnight roughly must put huge pressure on the sale of the stock as a result of products brief life cycle.
However all having said that, undoubtedly the good thing about this circulation offsets the negatives. For instance, the figures described in the event study paint a genuine portrayal of the considerable success of this system. In some instances, Zara are introducing as many as four times as much products as their challengers. Because, of the fast nature of these products life routine, obsolescence of inventory is never an issue. Thus the cost of storing inventories should never be a challenge nor is the increased loss of revenue due to having to cut down prices in end of season sales. Therefore, the advantages of "fast fashion" easily offset the negatives.
Q. 5
Zara gives value for the customer through major logistics functions in lots of ways. Major logistic functions include warehousing, inventory management, travel and logistics information management. By scarcely having the dependence on warehousing due to the high turnover of stock quickly, customers are obtaining the freshest new products without any potential for obsolescence. Also because of this of the successful vehicles system of Zara, this means that the overall price of the product should invariably cheaper for the client to get. Zara's high quality packaging system done by successful automate equipment means that the probability of products being ruined on appearance is very slim in comparison with a few of the logistic functions of its rivals like Space. Logistics Information Management which will keep tabs on the move of information in relation to customer data brings value for the customer as you can find documentation with the merchandise and a manner of tracing back the product when there is ever a problem.
Reference:
Kurtz, McKenzie & Snow, 2010
http://books. yahoo. ie/books?id=lf7VKtZcJlgC&pg=PA403&dq=corporate+vertical+marketing+system&hl=en&ei=HWnlTOKxIsGwhQfYqoX0DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=corporate%20vertical%20marketing%20system&f=false
Principles of Marketing Project 5
There are three types of appeals employed by marketing pros when promoting something or service: Rational Appeals, Emotional Appeals & Moral Appeals. I intend to critically examine an advertising campaign that works with into each of these kind of appeals using the A. I. D. A model.
Rational Appeal:
This type of appeal is concerned immediately with the do it yourself pursuits of the audiences that are targeted by promoters. This type of appeal will try to utilise a person's good sense to draw in their viewers. "Rational Appeals use reasoning/reason to influence people" (Chaudhari & Gokhale, 2009). This sort of appeal can be used to try and elevate itself above its rivals by which consists of quality, performance or dominance over its main competitors. "Through these appeals, the audience are created to think and assume that the advertiser's product is the best on the market" (Trehan & Trehan, 2009). I really believe an advert that expertly uses logical appeal to fully capture the audience's interest is that of 'Rolex's Commercial for Wimbledon 2010'. http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=o1ECS3k9od0&NR=1
Evaluation using A. I. D. A Model:
Get Attention: From offset my attention was fixated on the display screen with the opening images offered in the ad. The nobility of the beginning pictures exhibiting the hallowed lawns of the Wimbledon rugby event and the image of the appearance of the sporting titan like Roger Federer instantly command word the attention of the audience. Rolex cleverly have placed their product within the first three moments of the ad along with an up close illustration of Federer who's easily one of the wearing world's most recognisable numbers.
Hold Interest: The audience's interest is placed due to slow build up of the advert with slow eerie music and the slow paced moving photos of Federer and their product. Instantly, the advertising campaign burst into life and a plethora of fast paced action occurs which corresponds with a crescendo in powerful music.
Arouse Desire: Following a certain point in the advert, I became aware of the relationship between your amount on the watch and how it immediately communicates with the amount of Wimbledon headings Federer sometimes appears winning. I believe they are trying to associate Federer's incredible success with the product. I also discovered the Rolex ad on the scoreboard as Federer leaps in ecstasy having guaranteed another triumph. This almost subliminal design of interest demonstrated me the energy of the organisation and its own lofty high class status in its market having such a solid reference to such a exclusive tournament.
Obtain Action: The ending to the advertisements would certainly would definitely give me the impetus to get a Rolex watch. The shutting image of Federer standing as a messiah like body before the jubilant public and the Rolex punch collection "A crown for each and every achievements" made me assume that successful relationship is going to continue and made me want to be part of this esteemed collaboration. There is for certain majesty to the bond between Rolex and Federer as both are viewed in the public eye to have an air of superiority to them. This is a great exemplory case of an ad that uses Rational Charm.
Emotional Appeal
The Emotional Appeal theme of advertising "is an advertising approach where in fact the message seeks to evoke an optimistic or negative effect in the buyer" (Clemente, 2002). Thus this appeal has a direct reference to the heart and soul and how the person is sense or will feel after viewing the advertising campaign. An advertisements that uses Emotional Charm to get the audience's agreement and loyalty to their product is utilized by Nokia (http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=l4Ek8i0ddSQ)
Get Attention: The start of this advertisements shows a guy and a woman in seemingly faraway contrasting surroundings which catches the audience's concentration straight away. Over seems to be entrapped in a desolate apartment exclusively with seemingly no chance out because of the dark and consistent nature of the weather. In startling distinction, the man appears to be enjoying the freedom of life exploring a town with his trusty "Nokia" cellphone.
Hold Interest: The music participating in throughout the advert seems to have a quite emotional downtrodden build to it and this is illustrated correctly as the woman stares out the screen of her apartment with sorrowfulness. The advertisement keeps our interest even as are wondering what's the bond or relationship between the downtrodden woman and the joyful man. The man gets his photos used beside random billboards/indicators and suspicion is aroused regarding the meaning of this. Of course each of the photos has been considered by a plainly vivid 'Nokia' mobile phone and the arbitrary words being used carry our interest concerning whether the sundry words will own an results or a vacation spot.
Arouse desire: Desire is aroused to acquire the product when it is revealed the outcome of the various photos. The girl receives a multi-media subject matter which maps out to disclose "Do you want to mary me?" tugs at the heart strings as the girl previous apparent depression like nature is suddenly cured as she views each of the pictures of the man and the series of words. The 'Nokia' phone is of course used as the medium of communication between these faraway lovers.
Obtain Action: The final scene of this fifty four second commercial views the man seated on a park bench impatiently awaiting the results of his proposal. Even as see him acquiring the response to his proposal and his rapid explosion of unadulterated joy, a bus in the background trundles off display to uncover the monstrous 'Nokia' brand. This is an excellent advert as 'Nokia' manages to entail itself within the heart warming romance that has consumed the audience. This advertising campaign will particularly charm to amorous women and might just sway them as they purchase their next cellular phone.
Moral Appeal
This type of appeal as one would imagine is dependant on morality. "These appeals attract attention on what's right" (Trehan & Trehan, 2009(2). I think a perfect explanation on what moral charm is and what it is designed to do is contained in the following quote "Usage of moral charm includes attempts to get conformity by convincing the target audience that it's morally incorrect if it doesn't comply" (Heath, 1994). Thus the organisations who use this type of charm are aiming at a big target market due to the fact if the message is presented correctly in the advertising campaign it'll have a profound influence on the audience. 'Environmental Protection' uses moral appeal in its advertisements quite ably in its try to warn of the looming threat of Global Warming. http://www. youtube. com/watch?v=s-_LBXWMCAM
Get Attention:
This advert automatically draws the interest of its audience even as see a dark, bleak looking environment beside a set of train songs with the eerie audio on the surroundings to be read in the backdrop. Out of the blue, the audience recognizes a up close shot of an anxious looking man who simply utters the expression "Global Warming".
Hold Interest:
Directly following the utterance of what "Global Warming" impending doom and tragedy in the form of a moving train hurtling towards the man who's now seen to be position in the middle of the train monitors. This instantly concerns and alerts the audience and it is a perfect exemplory case of an advert using moral charm as the audience is instantly fraught with panic as to the man's imminent loss of life.
Arouse Desire:
As the coach trundles along at what feels like increasingly greater speed, the man informs us that the "irreversible repercussions" of this global devastation are 30 years away. The fact that the middle older man of the age bracket [40-50] enlightens us that he will not be affected as he'll be on the cusp of loss of life by enough time the real results are felt throughout the planet is an exemplory case of the ignorant view portrayed by many throughout the world. This blatantly ignorant declaration questions the audience's morals.
Obtain Action:
After his immoral affirmation, the man walks of the coach tracks and a tiny child is seen to be divided seconds from taking the brunt make of the teach. This a hard hitting advert as it message or calls on our morals with regards to what is going to be done to stop this imminent global catastrophe. I certainly was pressured to think twice about the devastating outcomes of this global problem being triggered by the people of mankind.
