Services Marketing Differs from Product Marketing

Two national firms, the Prestige Hotel and Pro Fitness chains, strive to deliver quality service to their customers. To do so, they address the four core differences between services and goods. In the following scenario, you will be asked to categorize statements about the customer's experiences and the firm's marketing efforts by the core difference they represent.

Economies of developed countries like the United States have become increasingly dependent on services. For example, service industries like retail and information services account for about two-thirds of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) and the lion's share of U.S. jobs. The marketing of services differs from goods marketing because of the four fundamental ways in which services differ from goods: They are intangible, inseparable, variable, and perishable.

Satisfaction guarantee

Hard to convey value

Hotel stay

Off-peak rates

Use guest pass

Uses Flexipass

Managing Staff

Conflicting Experiences

Many mutual fund sponsors have a large family of funds under management. One example of this is the Fidelity fund group. Go to www.fidelity.com.

Click on "Mutual Funds," right side of page under “Investment Products.”

Select “Explore our fund offering” to see a list of mutual funds offered.

Then click on "Domestic Equity" under “Fidelity Mutual Funds” in the center of the page.

On the screen before you, you will see a list of domestic equity funds.

One of the most famous (though certainly not the best) is the "Fidelity Magellan Fund (FMAGX)," so click on that.

Record the following for the Magellan fund as you scroll down the page.

1-, 3-, 5-, 10-year returns

Record the same for the "S&P Composite."

How has Magellan done against the S&P Composite?

Should investors be disappointed or pleased?

Scroll down and record the first five of the "Top 10 Holdings."

What percentage of the fund is invested in the United States? What is the "Percent Foreign Holdings?"

Write a 1-2 page summary of your findings as it relates to this learning plan.

Osteoporosis is a degenerative disease that primarily affects women over the age of 49. A research analyst wants to forecast sales of StrongBones, a prescription drug for treating this debilitating disease. She uses the model Sales = β₀ + β₁Population + β₂Income + ε, where Sales refers to the sales of StrongBones (in $1,000,000s), Population is the number of women over the age of 49 (in millions), and Income is the average income of women over the age of 49 (in $1,000s). She collects data on 39 cities across the United States and obtains the following regression results:

a. What is the sample regression equation? (Enter your answers in millions rounded to 2 decimal places.)

b-1. Interpret the coefficient of population.

b-2. Interpret the coefficient of income.

c. Predict sales if a city has 1.0 million women over the age of 49 and their average income is $35,000. (Enter your answer in millions rounded to 2 decimal places.)

Find a topic on water remediation, water pollution, water shortages, or advances in water technology (to list some suggestions) outside of the United States. Every person should have a different topic! Post your topic in the "Topic Selection" Thread. If you don't see a "topic selection" thread, start one! Try to focus on one aspect of a topic (for example - a particular city or region versus an entire country). Briefly summarize the topic and cite your sources. Do not just give us links to the topic; it should be presented in such a way that the reader does not need to do research. Depth is better than breadth. Your mini-essay should also contain a paragraph relating your topic to the chemistry concepts we've learned in lecture material, for example - discuss a balanced reaction, the chemical structure of the materials involved in the type of water remediation, acid-base chemistry, etc. In your 2nd to last paragraph (before your conclusion), write how the topic impacts either your daily life or your perception of the world.

In the 1990s politicians in Washington D.C. were looking for ways to balance the budget. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan brought attention to the importance of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and its link to cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) in several areas of the federal budget--most notably Social Security. Alan Greenspan argued that the CPI overstated inflation and thus led to unjustified COLAs. According to Alan Greenspan, these unjustified COLAs therefore increased the deficit, and if the overstatements in the CPI were corrected this would contribute to balancing the budget.

The Senate Finance Committee created the Boskin Commission in the 1990s to examine possible overstatements of the CPI. The commission came out with its estimate that the CPI overstated inflation by 1.1%.

Answer the following questions:

1. If the Boskin Commission's estimate was right and the CPI overstates inflation by 1.1 % every year--what does that say about real GDP per capita and living standards in general in the United States, which are affected by the CPI ?

2. What are some of the sources of this possible overstatement of the CPI, which is calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics?

1. What factors might increase the demand for bonds? The supply?

4. One journalist writing about the complex interactions between various markets in the economy stated: “When the government spends more than it takes in taxes it must sell bonds to finance its excess expenditures. But selling bonds drives interest rates down and thus stimulates the economy by encouraging more investment and decreasing the foreign exchange rate, which helps our export industries.” Carefully analyze the statement. Do you agree? Why or why not?

5. What do you predict will happen to the foreign exchange rate if interest rates in the United States increase dramatically over the next year? Explain, using a graph of the foreign exchange market. How would such a change affect real GDP and the price level?

6. Suppose the government were to increase its purchases, issuing bonds to finance these purchases. Use your knowledge of the bond and foreign exchange markets to explain how this would affect investment and net exports.

M4D1: Developing a Culturally Competent Teaching Plan for a Patient with Peptic Ulcer Disease

Scenario:

The RN is developing a teaching plan for a male patient with a new diagnosis of peptic ulcer disease related to an H. pylori infection.

The patient immigrated to the United States from Vietnam two years ago with his extended family. He denies any current use of alcohol but has smoked one pack of cigarettes per day for the last 20 years. He reports increased fatigue during exercise, uses Chinese medicine to manage frequent muscle pain and has noted an occasional black bowel movement.

Initial Discussion Post:

Identify three (3) items related to the medical diagnosis that the RN needs to include in the teaching plan for this patient.

How will the RN incorporate cultural considerations into the teaching plan for this patient?

Identify one (1) member of the interprofessional healthcare team that should be included in this education plan. What is the role of this member?

Base your initial post on your readings and research of this topic.

Please include References sources in APA style with inciting