Developing Relationships, Part 1

At this stage of the cycle the emphasis is still on investment, but the focus shifts to the identification of opportunities for increased business, and the development of systems that support the relationship. If the new customer represents a significant proportion of...

Developing Relationships, Part 2

Legal/financial agreements It is common practice for mobile phone operators to insist on a minimum of a year’s initial contract in return for special offer, usually a cheap handset. Many ‘Pay as you talk’ services involve an element of commitment,...

Dimensions of Quality

Researchers into service quality have found that there are generic criteria which customers apply in making judgments on service quality. These criteria relate to broad aspects of the service design, delivery or setting, and are commonly referred to in the literature...

Disadvantages of Corporate Structures

Despite the powerful advantages, the trend at present is towards flatter, less rigid structures, cutting out layers of management and defining organizational boundaries and responsibilities less rigidly. Often, the primary motivation for such downsizing is the...

Durable Goods, Part 1

Cars, furniture, computers, appliances like washing machines or TVs, jewelry, sports equipment, and many other items fall under the category of what economists call durable goods—things that are meant to last. It’s also fair to consider some business-to-business...

Durable Goods, Part 2

The marketing of computers and consumer electronics has gone through a similar development to the marketing of soap, but in much less time—three decades as opposed to more than ten. When computers and other advanced electronics were first introduced as consumer goods,...