What common mistake do researchers make in data collection within the healthcare domain?

What is the most useful source of information on customers generated by any company? Identify all the possible data available on that source.

Your friend, Jamie, works for BMS in Princeton, NJ.   When you met Jamie out for drinks last weekend, she told you that she has been battling a gambling addiction that has been causing her to go into debt, lose her car, and other various issues including arguments with her boyfriend, friends, and finally at work.  Jamie cursed and pushed a co-worker last week and the co-worker reported her behavior to HR.  She said that her supervisor met with her and gave her a Disciplinary Form following this incident. Jamie said that her supervisor told her she had better contact the company's EAP and get enrolled into counseling or else she can be fired.  

Jamie needs your help, what is an EAP and what type of action has her supervisor taken?

Lake-Snell-Perry-Mermin Associates (LSPMA) is a decision research firm that works on behalf of clients to determine what different segments of the population believe and feel about issues of interest to the clients. A third of LSPMA's work is for political candidates, another third is work for progressive issues organizations, and the remaining third is work for foundations and major institutions. LSPMA uses telephone polls, online polls, in-person and online focus groups to collect data, and to identify population (or audience) segments. Audience segmentation enables an LSPMA client to identify groups of people that are supportive of its issue(s) or cause(s), groups that can be converted to being supportive, and groups that will never be supportive. A client can then target its resources toward connecting with and persuading those segments that are likely to be the most receptive to the client's message. Dividing the audience into segments emerges from the research; once segments are identified, they are tracked in future decision research. Although audience segmentation can be useful, it can make the population seem more divided than it actually is.

LSPMA conducts research studies on behalf of political candidates, progressive issues organizations, and foundations and major institutions. These research studies are used primarily to __________.

a. Push a specific political agenda.

b. Generate financial support for political candidates, progressive issues organizations, foundations, and major institutions

c. Help clients utilize their research budgets.

d. Segment the population so that the appropriate groups of people can be targeted with the most effective messages.

By using such marketing research techniques as focus groups and/or online surveys, LSPMA can accomplish all of the following except :

a. Collect primary data regarding the attitudes and beliefs of voters.

b. Be quite precise in the information that is generated.

c. Study the effects of manipulating promotional messages to voters.

d. Obtain statistical information on a large number of voters.

discuss any products you are able to identify that falls under the category as product differentiation.

Market: ____ (Explain who is your target market AND why. If you do not know why yet, please explain what kind of research/information you plan to get to support the why. Be specific)

“I want sales representatives who can stand on their own. Once they have been through training and show how to apply their knowledge, it shouldn’t be necessary for me to constantly tell them how they are doing. The stars always shine; it’s the other reps who need my attention.” Comment on this statement. Do you agree or disagree?

Imagine you are working for a company that sells teleconferencing equipment. Draft a value proposition (list at least ten) for selling your equipment to a sales manager who has ten salespeople traveling two weeks a month to visit customers all over the country.

Sociologists and race theorists today make a confusing claim. "Race is not real, but it is real in the consequences of the belief in race. Race organizes the distribution of resources, power and life chances."

Can you explain what this means so that someone who has not read our materials understands? Please do not use quotes. Use your own words and examples.

2. Sally and Tom decide to go into business, which they call “Pelatone,” which manufactures and sells exercise bicycles. They sign a partnership agreement that requires Sally to contribute $100,000 and Tom to contribute $140,000 in capital to start the firm. The partnership agreement says nothing about the management of the firm or the division of profits. Without Sally’s knowledge, Tom informs the owner of United Wheel Co, that he represents the Pelatone and signs a large contract with United to buy wheels to be used on Pelatone’s bicycles. In its first year of operations, Pelatone makes a profit of $240,000.

1. What are the Tom’s and Sally’s rights with respect to the management of the firm?

2. Is Pelatone bound to the contract with United? Why or why not?

3. How should Pelatone’s first year’s profits be divided between Tom and Sally? Why?

Your company produces electronic connectors, which consist of a metal strip with multiple prongs assembled into a plastic housing. The manufacturing process is divided into four separate departments: 1) Injection molding, where the small plastic housings are produced; 2) Stamping, where the steel strips are punched out of thin coils of steel; 3) Plating, where the steel strips, after being stamped, are plated with tin or gold; and 4) Assembly, where the plated strips are inserted into the plastic housing.

The injection molding machines together have the capacity to produce 4000 plastic housing per hour. The firm's stamping presses can punch out 3000 steel strips per hour. The plating department has two dedicated lines—one for tin-plating and the other for the slower gold-plating process. The tin-plating line has a capacity of 2000 units per hour; the gold-plating line has a capacity of 500 units per hour. In the assembly department, there are six automated assembly machines, each with the capacity to assemble 400 connectors per hour.

Assume that machines never break down, and assume that there is sufficient plastic and steel raw material so that raw material availability never constrains the process. Assume that the plant is only running the tin-plated product—the gold-plating line is completely idle.

1) Assume that hourly demand during work hours for tin-plated connectors is 2200 units/hr and demand for gold-plated connectors is 600 units/hr, and that both processes are active. The plant runs for 8 hours/day, 5 days/week, 50 weeks/yr. Both connector types earn a margin of $0.10 apiece. The plant is considering investing in an additional automated assembly machine, which costs $400,000. What is the payback period for this investment (in years)?

One expert contends that sales training is not at all complicated. He predicts that regardless of advances in communication, resources, technology, and training tools, the basic selling skills that trainers teach salespeople will change very little from those that have been successful during the past 50 years. What will change, according to the expert, is how salespeople are trained to use these skills effectively. Do you agree with this prediction?

Your company has just announced a 7-percent price increase on your entire product line and you are meeting with your most important customer. She announces that your competitor has already been to see her and will not raise prices for at least 24 months. What do you do to keep the customer?