Page 1 of 4
Seat No.: Enrolment
GUJARAT TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
MBA SEMESTER 03- • EXAMINATION SUMMER 2017
Subject Code:2840102 Date: 06/06/2017
Subject Name: SERVICES AND RELATIONSHIP MARKETING
Time: 10.30 AM TO 01.30 PM Total Marks: 70
Instructions:
1. Attempt all questions.
2. Make suitable assumptions wherever necessary.
3. Figures to the right indicate full marks.
Q. No.
Question Text and Option
Attribute
Q.1
Objective Questions
MCQ
6
1.
If a computer training Institute, has as it's slogan, "You have a dream of becoming an expert programmer, working for a multinational, going abroad, etc., and we can help you fulfill it" then this is a case of Positioning by
A
comparison
B
features
C
benefit to consumer
D
expertise
2.
In the "Service Product Concept" the level that includes the futuristic product developments is called
A
Core Service
B
Potential Service
C
Expected Service
D
None of the above
3.
A partnership of one company with another company to sell or distribute one's service products or sharing infrastructure is known as
A
Partnership Firm
B
Association
C
Sales Promotion
D
Co-marketing
4.
Firms aiming to making use of first mover advantage would go for
A
Penetrative pricing
B
Premium pricing
C
Cost plus pricing
D
Differential pricng
5.
A marketer who follows a strategy of finding a well defined but un-attended, geography or product market is known as a
A
innovative marketer
first mover marketer
C
niche marketer
None of the above
6.
When you buy a car or a colour TV the company may offer you an annual maintenance contract or annual insurance. This is called
A
sales promotion
B
co-marketing
C
service delivery
D
bundling of service with product
Q.1

Briefly define or explain the following one mark each
Positioning Maps to plot competitive strategy for services
ii) Three components of a Service Product
iii) Service Process Redesign
iv) Three categories of Relationship Marketing
04
Q.1

Describe in brief, the four broad "processing" category of services and provide one or two examples under each category.
04
Page 2 of 4
Q.2

What are the five powerful forces transforming the service landscape And What impact do they have on the service economy Explain choosing suitable examples.
07

How are customers' service expectations formed Explain the difference between desired service and adequate service with reference to a service experience you have had personally.
07
OR

State an unsatisfactory encounter experience you had with a low contact service provider via email, mail or phone and high-contact, face-to-face service provider.
What were the key drivers of your dissatisfaction with both these experiences
In each instance, what could the service provider have done to improve the situation?
07
Q.3

How are service levels of determinant attributes related to positioning services Give examples to explain your answer.
07

Travel agencies are losing business to passengers booking their flights directly on airline websites. Identify some possible focus options open to travel agencies wishing to develop new lines of business that would make up for the loss of airline ticket sales.
07
OR
Q.3

Explain the "Flower of Service" concept and identify each of it's petals. What insights does this concept provide for Service Marketers
07

Which elements of Marketing Communications Mix would you use for each of the following scenarios? Explain your answers for any two:
A newly established hair saloon in a suburban shopping center
ii) An established restaurant facing declining patronage because of new competitors
iii) A large, single-office accounting firm in a major city that serves primarily business clients and that wants to aggressively grow it's client base.
07
Q.4

Identify some key measures that can be used to create customer bonds and encourage long term relationships with customers. Give some examples from your own experiences.
07

How can Marketing Mix elements be used to re-shape demand patterns ?Further, expand your explanation with reference to a local library in your city.
07
OR
Q.4

Identify the gaps that occur in service quality and the steps that service marketers can take to prevent them. Give suitable examples.
07

Why can it happen that different customers respond differently to the same service environment?
For any given firm in a service industry where service environment is an important part of the overall value proposition, explain how it can create a service environment so as to deliver value to different sets of customers.
07
Page 3 of 4
Q.5
Skyway Airlines is a new domestic airline floated by a group of NRIs with an Indian businessman as an equal partner. It wants to enter the Indian skies in competition with the current domestic airlines, including Jet, Sahara and Indian Airlines.
Mr Wadhwa, the General Manager (HR)appointed by Skyways, has a daunting task ahead of him. He has to find pilots, cabin crew and ground handling staff for the airline in four months flat. The dilemmas before him are many.
Skyway has a low brand equity, therefore it would be tough to attract the best talent. Its capacity to pay high wages is not questionable, but whether business will be bright enough to sustain the high wages in future is a question that is unanswered as of now. Secondly, if new recruits are hired for the cabin crew and ground handling positions, they have to be trained adequately, and given the time constrints that looks like a tough task. Maybe training can be outsourced or temporary help can be summoned from foreign country airline.
But, most of all, Mr.Wadhwa is wondering what kinds of criteria he should look for in selecting the frontline staff who will interact with customers on a regular basis and may determine the success or failure of the airline. Should he focus on good looks and personality or a good school and college and communication skills or was it high IQ that was needed? His past stint in the hotel industry had given him some ideas, but he was not sure if any different skill sets were needed in the airline industry.
Question Can you help Mr Wadhwa with his immediate dilemma ans list out the skill sets needed by The cabin crew ii) The ground staff handling check-in and customer interactions and iii) The baggage handlers?
Question In what way would they differ from the skill sets needed in the hotel industry?
14
OR
Q.5
.An innovative service product launched in 2012 by IIM-Kozhikode is the e-MEP (Management Education Programme) for working executives launched through the electronic classroom . In partnership with Hughes Escorts Communication, 24 classrooms were set up the number continues to expand) in eighteen Indian cities, where students 'attend' classes and to professors in real time, without leaving their city. The classes are as lively as real ones, with a lot of questions being answered presentations done by students and quizzes being conducted. Students can also send in emails if they are more comfortable with those, but may prefer to through microphones provided to every student. The professors' presentation slides are visible on one window of the computer and the professor is visible in another window of a student's computer. Other facilities include archives to access material from missed classes and contact classes at IIM Kozhikode's new state-of-art campus.
No wonder then, that the feedback from the first batch of e-MEP has been very positive with a lot of suggestions coming in to improve upon an
14
Page 4 of 4
already good product. Many of the suggestions are in the process of being implemented and the Indian students who cannot go to a regular MBA programme for various reasons, will continue to benefit from a world class innovative certificate programme in Management.
Structured over two terms, students have to take 11 courses in each term, covering all functional areas of management including a course on strategic management and another on competitive strategy . The programme is about a year long with two terms of about six months each. Classes are held two days a week in the evenings at the candidate's own city's study centre.
Several innovations characterize this programme from IIMK. It has since been imitated by other B-Schools, thus proving that it is an untapped market segment which had a felt need, which is being satisfied through this innovative 'service product'.
Question What are the various service guarantees in this service product that would attract more and more aspirant student professional every year?
Question 2 The service product talked about in this case is more or less a standardized service product. What customization could be developed as part of the service offering to add to broadening the student base?