Case Study Assessment of Angling Experience

slickness Study Assessment of Angling Experience Question 1 Define and discuss using germane(predicate) example from the case, the redundant characteristics of receipts that distinguish them from discernible products. Services argon one type of products with several(prenominal) special characteristics which ar really different with tangible products. The major special features of serve are to a greater extent intangibleness, heterogeneity, inseparability, and perishability. Those characteristics are also reflected in bathrooms case. 1. 1 IntangibilityCompare with the tangible products tangibility, the main characteristic of operate is intangibility which was shown through a set of actions. Intangibility characteristic of utility describes that avails target non be seen, felt, tasted, or touched thus one can non dis escape or store the gain. However, it is usually felt by tangible ethicals or tangible evidence. Moreover, religious service can non be inventoried, easil y patented, and easily displayed or communicated. From deceptions case, joke gives his nodes guide of look for and a series of fishing itinerary.These all are the intangible things to anglers. It cannot be touched, felt, or seen by his customers. However, his customers enjoyed their tours and gain fishes later his directive. Thus, this can be said that customers got natess services. Compared with his services business, throne utilize to be selling the tangible goods, either the rods, artificial flies or oilskins the department exchange are tangible. Moreover, beca example of the intangibility, pricing tricks services is tricky. Compared with material goods, pricing services are not easy. Same tangible goods also sold with a analogous price.In this case, the two jibes got different price after serviced. It seems that they gained a same series of services, and the feelings and appraisals are different. 1. 2 Heterogeneity Heterogeneity c formerlyrns the potential for steep variability in the performance of services (Bitner et al. , 2009). Contrast to service, tangible goods is standardization. Most of a type of physical goods is produced by one product line. There are no major differences among each one of them. However, uniform two leaves, in that respect are not two same services cropes.Providers performances are not same e real time, and the customers requirements are not same too. In detail, service delivery and customer satisfaction face on employee and customer action, and also well-nigh uncontrollable factors. In our case, when John worked in the fishing department, he wondered at how each piece of fishing equipment in a product line varied so little. It shows that tangible products are standardization. However, then, John provided services to two straddles, and got the distinct result. First oppose was very satisfaction, and flash couple was miserable, though John was same hard working.The different base make loveledge, object ives and nature conditions determines the different results. The off-keyset couple gift a good knowledge and experience of fishing, they enjoy in fishing. However, the second couple was the fist time fishing and their purpose was to relax and see the country. Moreover, the weather was great during the first time, but worst during the second time. Those factitious and uncontrollable elements influenced Johns two services processes. 1. 3 Inseparability Inseparability of end product and consumption involves the simultaneous production and consumption which characterizes most services.Compare with goods are first produced, then bribed, and then consumed, services are first booked, then produced and consumed simultaneously (Carmen & Langeard, 1980). It seems like that customers and employees affect each other. In this case, we can know that because of the gritty degree of adaptability of the first couple, John interact well with them. However, well-nigh other two anglers gained t he unsatisfied service because of their bad communication. All customers and employees even the partial customers play an important role in whole process because services inseparability.Furthermore, because of this feature of services, mass production is difficult. The production and consumption are simultaneous. Hence, John lost a group of anglers in December due to he cannot service two groups in a same time. 1. 4 Perishability The final characteristic of service is perishable. Tangible goods could be stocked, contrast by services cannot be saved, stores, resold or returned (Valarie & Dwayne, 2009). In this case, John used to promoted departments inventory system and just lay aside the rod that can be sold later. It shows that physical goods can be stored. However, John can not saved his services and provide it later.So, he lost a group of customers in December. Hence, the service is very different with the tangible goods. By these characteristics, some problems are discussed nex t question. Question 2 Explain, using examples how the problems stemming from the special characteristics of services are impacting on Johns command services. 2. 1 In General collect to the four characteristics of services, some problems are derived. Some problems are unavoidable and some of them can be avoidable. The problems provide from intangibility including hardly controlling, easy to be copied and unable to evaluate the bore.Heterogeneity causes problem almost quality measurement. Inseparability not allows mass production of service. Moreover, perishability makes return or resold of service im doable. Several of these problems impact on Johns command service as well. 2. 2 Problems Created by Intangibility Intangibility shows the following selling problems. Firstly, services cannot be stored, thus when requires reach the peak or foot it is hard for executers to control. Secondly, services are so difficult to be patented that it is convenient for its competitors to dupl icate them.Thirdly, customers are not able to realize the quality of service because service is invisible and cannot be touched. Johns new guiding service is not easy to store. Thereof, during December there was a peak period of fly fishing and John are not qualified to provide efficient service. On contrary, in the next two workweek of November there were no customers visiting Tasmania for chasing trout. Since John provides guiding service, he cannot remove Decembers service to November. It is beyond the scope of his control. The guiding service that John operates is easy to be imitated.There is another fishing guide who ran in Launceston. The service it provides is standardized with Johns. This is a threat to John. The market share for John in Australia is cut down. Furthermore, the feature of intangibility determines the service value is hard to be silent by consumers. Johns guiding service is not an exceptional. Customers hand no idea what a guiding service is. The marketing manager of a large sporting equipment retailer in North America would not know what a guiding service is if John did not send him the information about this service. 2. 3 Problems Created by HeterogeneityThe most repellent challenge that heterogeneity creates is difficulty of quality measurement. Since criteria for judging the quality of service is based on customers notion, managers are not possible to control it. In the case, there was an American couple who are twain good anglers. They have more fishing experience than John. In this trip, John learned more from this experience and the couple also had a great time. They even pre-booked another two weeks for the next fishing season. It is just because the American couple thought this trip was so wonderful that they measured this service is worthwhile.However by November, the Canadians week of trout fishing is no that smooth. It became less happy because of lacking experience of fly fishing causes few landed trout and full week raining. Even worse, one of the customers sprained an ankle. In these two events John provided the same service however he received different results. John cannot ensure whether his supplies are original. In December John introduced the New Zealanders to another fishing guide in Launceston. This increased the chance of heterogeneity because different suppliers are not possible to gallop the exactly the same services. Take the health industry for instance.Several suppliers provide a same benevolent of service, nevertheless consumers perception is different. Some customers consider it as good service whereas another do not satisfied with it. This is because different providers service is distinctive due to the nature of human beings. 2. 4 Problems Created by Inseparability According to Zeithaml, Dwayne and Gremeler, because services often are produced and consumed at the same time, mass production is difficult (2009). The service producers generate service and the service is consume d by customer at the same time, therefore service is impossible to be produced in large amount.The consumers who John received accepted his service while he provided it. It is absurd that John created services such as airport picking up and dropping off first then the customers enjoyed them. For example, the helicopter sent an urgent fax to John informed him that they were not on tap(predicate) until after mid-February. It frustrated John that he was not able to transport his clients to the best fishing area. In addition, for John it is inconvenient for him when he has several customers to pick up or drop off. It is typical in November, John received two contacts that require a fly fishing in the first week of December.The worse thing is that neither of the customers could change their original arrangement. John could not separate his services. 2. 5 Problems Created by Perishability The factor of perishability leads to the problem that service cannot be returned. Service is consume d at the same time when it is manufactured, thereby once the service is provided it cannot be returned or resold. In November, two Canadian customers who were doing fishing for relax received an unhappy experience. Lacking experience of fly fishing they landed few trout. The entire weeks heartbreaking raining prevented them from lake fishing.Moreover, one of the anglers sprained an ankle while crossing wet rocks. Even though John understood that the Canadian did not enjoy their fishing trip, he had no way to go back. John cannot outcome the service back because time cannot be reversed. For instance, customers who have an ugly haircut cannot ask the barber to undo it, because the service of haircut is perished (Clemes, 2002). 2. 6 Problems Difficult to Avoid Due to the problems derived above, intermissions generate naturally. Customer Gap Customer gap appears because of the keep between customers expectation and perception.Customers have their own expectations based on their expe rience and objectives. In this case, the Canadian customer who came to Australia for relax do not have the experience of fly fishing. They consider the service could offer them a wonderful time. However, the insufficient experience of fishing made them catch few trout. Adding the bad weather and the injury, the Canadian dissatisfied with the trip and request a reduced charge. This gap is relatively huge and John necessitate to improve his service. Provider Gap Firstly, John serves his customer by the same way.For the fishing skillful couple and unskillful people, John took the same measure. Secondly, John not communicated well with its customers. The customers who chose his service in the first week of December were transferred to another service provider. The problems presented above are the major reason why Johns business went down. In conclusion, because of the special features of service, there are several problems should be considered and solved. Marketers of services face som e actual and distinctive challenges which should be solved by the utilization of marketing mix.Question 3 Explain how John could use the extended marketing mix elements to help manage the problems caused by the special characteristics of services. The question 2 mentioned some problems caused by the special characteristics of service. Marketers like John could use the marketing mix to manage those problems and proposal a whole strategy of their business. The traditional marketing mix will help John to manage the problem from production, place, packaging, and price (Kotler & Armstrong, 2006). Because of intangibility characteristic and the limitations of Johns service, he can add both tangible products and services in his business.For example, he could be the agent between his customers and fishing departments. Then, customers can purchase fishing equipments which are travel to them, because John known them clearly. Moreover, due to intangible and perishability of service, Johns p romotion ways are not enough. John can exploit more methods like put some advertising in the relevant websites, sponsor fishing competitions and some things like that. However, because of the distinct features of service, the traditional marketing mix can not cover all problems. It extended three more elements which are people, physical evidence, and process (Booms & Bitner, 1981) . 1 People People element is defined as all human actors who play a part in service delivery and thus influence the buyers perceptions in the service environment. Thus, customers, employees, and the customers in the service environment all play the important roles (Bitner et al. , 2009). With use this element, John can do following things to manage those problems. First, because John just has himself as an employee, he lost some opportunities. Then, John need employ more employees to help him supporting his business. After that, because guiding service is a high skill service, John should train his employe es.John also can bring a reward system based on the satisfaction of employees to avoid the problems of service quality. Another role, customers, also draws marketers attention. Marketers should education their customers before provide service. Because guiding service need customers deeper involvement, John could send a video of basic knowledge and potential jeopardy of his services to his customers. Then, they can interact better. 3. 2 Physical evidence Physical evidence is the cue that customers work out on to assess the quality of service and service providers to put forth their significant information (Lovelock, 2004).As Johns guiding service, it already had some physical evidence. However, there are still some limitations as mentioned before. Firstly, John needs to increase all kinds of materials that reflect his guided trip. Thus, customers will maximally understand his service. For example, John should enrich his website. He could upload some videos about guided fishing trip s. Potential customers can be divided into two sections as experienced customer and inexperienced customer. For those experienced customers, the information should be about new fishing areas or new activities.For the inexperienced customers, it should provide skills or equipment for fishing. Secondly, it is suggested that John needs to have his own transporting vehicles to send customers. One side is to avoid the situation of lacking hiring sources, the other side is to fit different customers need. For instance, if the customers who require a short trip then John could provide them cars to go fishing. Sometimes, customers have their vocation that they get plenty of time sailing is a perfect option. Furthermore, for these long distance customers and silver is not a problem for them aeroplane is chosen to send them to the best fishing area.In this way, the customer gap could be narrowed since their needs are fulfilled. Lastly, John could provide some souvenir after trips. Thus, cust omers whitethorn actually realize what they have obtained from the service. 3. 3 Process Process is the actual procedures, mechanisms, and flow of activities by which the service is delivered (Zeithaml, Bitner & Gremler, 2009). John could use blueprint to depict the service process. By using the blueprint, John may fall upon out the customer segmentation. For example, John may categorize consumers as experienced ones and inexperienced ones.Then John could offer two different processes for each group. For the experienced ones, John could present a more customized process which customers could strike their favorite rod and apply their own ways of fishing. As for the immature consumers, John should provide them a standardized process. It may offer the same rod for customers and consumers have to stay in a specify area. John also needs to educate his customers especially the inexperienced customers. He could hire a fishing coach to instruct anglers the procedure of fishing. Through t his way, unskillful clients will not fish blindly. 3. 4 ConclusionService as intangible products distinguishes from physical goods. Besides the traditional four Ps, the three Ps are mainly used to enhance service. Johns guiding service may become prosperous if he makes use of the three Ps. Word Count 2496 Reference List 1. Boom, B. , & Bitner, M. , 1981, Marketing Strategies and Organizational Structures for Service Firms, Marketing of Services, 1981 2. Carmen, M. , & Langeard, E. , 1980, development Strategies of Service Firms, Strategic Management Journal, January-March, 1980 3. Clemes, M. , 2002, New Zealand Case Studies in Strategic Marketing, 5th edition, Dunmore Press, New Zealand . Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. , 2006, Principles of Marketing, 12nd edition, Pearson fosterage Inc. , New Jersey 5. Lovelock, C. , & Wirtz, J. , 2004, Services Marketing People, Technology, Strategy, 5th edition, Pearson Education, Singapore 6. Zeithaml, V. , Bitner, M. , & Gremler, D. , 2009, Servic e Marketing, 5th edition, McGraw Hill, Singapore 7. Zeithaml, V. , Parasuraman, A. , & Berry, L. , 1985, Problems and Strategies in Services Marketing, The Journal of Marketing, Spring, 1985 8. http//www. docstoc. com/docs/16690264/GOODS-AND-SERVICES/, Accessed at 20th, Apr, 2009