Chapter 2 Assignment
Week 2 Assignment Pages 180-182
1.) Pick a product good or service that you are interested in consuming sometime in the near future. Analyze the offerings of two competing firms. How do the products compare on various dimensions of quality? From these differences, what can you infer about each company's strategy and the customers that they seem to be targeting?
A good that I will be purchasing sometime soon is a new vehicle. My husband and I are looking at either a Chevy Silverado, or a Ford F-150. Both trucks are well built, and look nice. The durability on both is exceptional. The engine needed really depends on the type of work the truck will be used for. Both brands are popular and are also up to date on the current technology. It would really come down to personal preference, and I personally am loyal to the brands that I love. It's very difficult for me to switch to a competing brand when I've decided that I found something that works for me. What I can infer is that there aren't really any differences between these particular brands, besides the name. They both get the job done.
2.) Employee empowerment is an essential element of quality management, especially in services. From your own experience, cite instances where a service provider empowered its employee to go the extra mile to delight you. Then indicate an instance where the opposite happened.
Many moons ago, I was late in returning a DVD to Blockbuster. The CSR informed me of the late fees. She saw the surprise in my face, and told me not to worry about it, that she was going to clear them off of my account. I asked her if she was sure she wouldn't get into trouble. She told me that he had given her permission to clear late fees if she felt it was appropriate. I never got another late fee again, and I was a regular customer. An instance where the opposite happened was this past week. For the past week our internet and cable TV has been going down. At&t has sent 5
1.) Pick a product good or service that you are interested in consuming sometime in the near future. Analyze the offerings of two competing firms. How do the products compare on various dimensions of quality? From these differences, what can you infer about each company's strategy and the customers that they seem to be targeting?
A good that I will be purchasing sometime soon is a new vehicle. My husband and I are looking at either a Chevy Silverado, or a Ford F-150. Both trucks are well built, and look nice. The durability on both is exceptional. The engine needed really depends on the type of work the truck will be used for. Both brands are popular and are also up to date on the current technology. It would really come down to personal preference, and I personally am loyal to the brands that I love. It's very difficult for me to switch to a competing brand when I've decided that I found something that works for me. What I can infer is that there aren't really any differences between these particular brands, besides the name. They both get the job done.
2.) Employee empowerment is an essential element of quality management, especially in services. From your own experience, cite instances where a service provider empowered its employee to go the extra mile to delight you. Then indicate an instance where the opposite happened.
Many moons ago, I was late in returning a DVD to Blockbuster. The CSR informed me of the late fees. She saw the surprise in my face, and told me not to worry about it, that she was going to clear them off of my account. I asked her if she was sure she wouldn't get into trouble. She told me that he had given her permission to clear late fees if she felt it was appropriate. I never got another late fee again, and I was a regular customer. An instance where the opposite happened was this past week. For the past week our internet and cable TV has been going down. At&t has sent 5