Replacing Place In Marketing-Mix Strategy For Hospitality Services

In the conventional marketing mix, a focus on physical distribution handicaps the use of "place" in planning marketing strategy for hospitality services. To replace it, the article introduces a new group of variables called "performance," which focus instead on availability and accessibility. The author does not intend to offer detailed descriptions of specific variables but rather to suggest associations and relationships among issues and options in marketing hospitality services that may not previously have been recognized, and to address the diverse segments of the hospitality services industry in general, including lodging, food, beverage, private club, cruise ship, and travel-destination services.

Um estudo de caso sobre servitização e nacionalização em um fabricante de hardware elétrico

A presente dissertação tem como principais características, a pesquisa, a análise e a proposição de um modelo de reflexão que considera os fatores mais relevantes na inclusão do processo de prestação de serviços em empresas de manufatura de bens, e em particular de empresas que buscam a nacionalização de sua capacidade de fornecimento. Dentro deste conceito de transição e incorporação de serviços, que é denominado pela literatura como “servitização”, e usando como objeto de pesquisa uma empresa fabricante de hardware elétrico, verificou-se como se deu o planejamento e execução da servitização para prestação de serviços técnicos off-shore, ligados à cadeia de suprimentos do segmento de Produção de Óleo e Gás no mar. Para auxiliar o entendimento sobre o posicionamento da empresa perante serviços, servitização e nacionalização, foi necessária a revisão bibliográfica sobre Requisitos de Conteúdo Local, Gestão de Operações em Serviços, Sistemas Produto-Serviço, Servitização, e Desenvolvimento de Projeto de Produtos e Serviços. A partir da análise de documentação disponibilizada pela empresa, e a comparação desta com a literatura academica revisada, verificou-se que os modelos propostos pela literatura não contém todos os elementos necessários para aplicação direta em negócios deste tipo. Com base nesta avaliação, verifica-se quais os fatores mais relevantes para a servitização e propõe-se um modelo para reflexão. Modelo este que preenche com elementos mais específicos as lacunas que influenciam negativamente na excelência operacional e na estratégia da corporação ligada a indústria de Petróleo e Gás Off-shore.

A organização industrial das bolsas de valores: uma resenha da literatura e o caso brasileiro

O mercado de capitais brasileiro não é representativo do tamanho de sua economia. Nos últimos anos, o crescimento observado nas áreas de serviços, indústria, agronegócio, e outras, não foi acompanhado pelo mercado financeiro. A estrutura verticalizada e o posicionamento monopolista da BM&F Bovespa, única bolsa de valores em atuação no mercado local, vão de encontro ao cenário encontrado em mercados internacionais. O advento da eletronificação e a atuação dos agentes reguladores proporcionaram que os mercados internacionais operassem em ambientes com múltiplas bolsas, incentivando a competitividade e trazendo benefícios para o investidor final, como redução de custos explícitos e implícitos, melhoria dos serviços prestados, diversidade de produtos, etc. Artigos recentes comprovam o benefício da fragmentação de ordens, e podem ser usados como referência no incentivo à quebra do monopólio que existe hoje no mercado brasileiro.

Regulatory issues on pharmacovigilance in Latin American countries

Pharmacovigilance is responsible for monitoring the safety of medicines in normal clinical use andduring clinical trials. Legal requirements for pharmacovigilance in some Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay) were reviewed. Disparities in the legal framework among the countries are observed being those for marketing authorization holders one of the most evident. Theactive rol of the universities and drug information centers for/of pharmacovilance seems to be a positivecommon point. Legal requirements regarding pharmacovigilance of biosimilar medicines, is still a pointto be developed.

Mothers’ perception of recovery and satisfaction with patent medicine dealers’ treatment of childhood febrile conditions in rural communities

Background Infant mortality in rural areas of Nigeria can be minimized if childhood febrile conditions are treated by trained health personnel, deployed to primary healthcare centres (PHCs) rather than the observed preference of mothers for patent medicine dealers (PMDs). However, health service utilization/patronage is driven by consumer satisfaction and perception of services/product value. The objective of this study was to determine ‘mothers’ perception of recovery’ and ‘mothers’ satisfaction’ after PMD treatment of childhood febrile conditions, as likely drivers of mothers’ health-seeking behaviour, which must be targeted to reverse the trend. Methods Ugwuogo-Nike, in Enugu, Nigeria, has many PMDs/PHCs, and was selected based on high prevalence of childhood febrile conditions. In total, 385 consenting mothers (aged 15–45 years) were consecutively recruited at PMD shops, after purchasing drugs for childhood febrile conditions, in a cross-sectional observational study using a pre-tested instrument; 33 of them (aged 21–47 years) participated in focus group discussions (FGDs). Qualitative data were thematically analysed while a quantitative study was analysed with Z score and Chi square statistics, at p < 0.05. Results Most participants in FGDs perceived that their child had delayed recovery, but were satisfied with PMDs’ treatment of childhood febrile conditions, for reasons that included politeness, caring attitude, drug availability, easy accessibility, flexibility in pricing, shorter waiting time, their God-fearing nature, and disposition as good listeners. Mothers’ satisfaction with PMDs’ treatment is significantly (p < 0.05) associated with mothers’ perception of recovery of their child (χ2 = 192.94, df = 4; p < 0.0001; Cramer’s V = 0.7079). However, predicting mothers’ satisfaction with PMDs’ treatment from a knowledge of mothers’ perception of recovery shows a high accord (lambda[A from B] = 0.8727), unlike when predicting mothers’ perception of recovery based on knowledge of mothers’ satisfaction with PMDs’ treatment (lambda[A from B] = 0.4727). Conclusions Mothers’ satisfaction could be the key ‘driver’ of mothers’ health-seeking behaviour and is less likely to be influenced by mothers’ perception of recovery of their child. Therefore, mothers’ negative perception of their child’s recovery may not induce proportionate decline in mothers’ health-seeking behaviour (patronage of PMDs), which might be influenced mainly by mothers’ satisfaction with the positive attributes of PMDs’ personality/practice and sets an important agenda for PHC reforms.

Serviços e trabalho no sector bancário : Um estudo do (des)empenho e satisfação no trabalho em dois balcões de uma instituição bancária

Quem faz e garante a qualidade dos serviços prestados são as pessoas, muito mais do que os ambientes, os processos e as tecnologias. Nesse sentido, o nosso trabalho procurou analisar sociologicamente o (des)empenho e satisfação dos funcionários bancários, factores que conduzem à prestação de "serviços-produto" de qualidade, com um nível significativo de acompanhamento, evidenciando a relação entre a satisfação dos empregados e o correspondente reflexo na satisfação dos clientes. Através da análise de dois balcões de uma instituição bancária procurámos identificar os níveis de satisfação existentes e os factores envolvidos. Optámos por realizar um estudo de caso, descrevendo as características das agências, e procurámos identificar os factores sócio-organizacionais responsáveis pela satisfação/insatisfação dos empregados, abordando aspectos como a organização do trabalho, a qualidade de vida, os problemas de saúde/doença, os relacionamentos interpessoais, as remunerações, o reconhecimento. A "servicialização" de que a banca tem vindo a ser objecto, tal como outros sectores económicos, foi igualmente abordada na nossa investigação, analisando-se a relação de serviço e o modelo de competência preconizados no sector bancário, actualmente reconhecido como um sector dedicado à prestação de "serviços-produto". Os processos informais que medeiam as regras e as práticas concretas de trabalho, enquanto "espaços sociológicos" nos quais se concretizam diferentes formas de negociação, continuamente accionadas pelos actores (trabalhadores bancários), também foram objecto de observação, dada a sua importância como geradores de possibilidades de redefinição dos limites e alcance estratégico dos recursos do grupo profissional dos bancários. ABSTRACT; People are responsible for the quality of services, much more than ambient, procedures and technologies. Our project tried to analyse through the sociological point of view the performance and satisfaction of bank employees and the factors which are responsible for “services-product" of quality, with high attendance standing out the relation between employees’ satisfaction and clients' satisfaction. Analysing two branches of a bank we tried to identify the satisfaction level and other connected factors. We opted to make a case study describing the branches' characteristics, trying to identify the socio-organizational responsible factors for satisfactionIno satisfaction of employees, dealing with aspects such as work organization, life quality, health/illness complaints, employees’ relationship, wages and reconnaissance. The bank sector and other financial sectors are becoming a "service area", so, our research pointed out the service relations and the competence model seen in the bank sector. The "actors" (bank employees) were observed and interviewed, because they are the main responsible for the informal procedures, the norms and practical work methods, inside the “sociological spaces” where different negotiation procedures occurred, generating new limits and strategic ranges for the resources of the professional group of bank clerks.

Quality-based benefit design in health insurance : the impact of a product benefit design change on the utilisation of oral health services by members of a private health insurance fund in regional and rural New South Wales, Australia

Objective: To examine the impact on dental utilisation following the introduction of a participating provider scheme (Regional and Rural Oral Health Program {RROHP)). In this model dentists receive higher third party payments from a private health insurance fund for delivering an agreed range of preventive and diagnostic benefits at no out-ofpocket cost to insured patients. Data source/Study setting: Hospitals Contribution Fund of Australia (HCF) dental claims for all members resident in New South Wales over the six financial years from l99811999 to 200312004. Study design: This cohort study involves before and after analyses of dental claims experience over a six year period for approximately 81,000 individuals in the intervention group (HCF members resident in regional and rural New South Wales, Australia) and 267,000 in the control group (HCF members resident in the Sydney area). Only claims for individuals who were members of HCF at 31 December 1997 were included. The analysis groups claims into the three years prior to the establishment of the RROHP and the three years subsequent to implementation. Data collection/Extraction methods: The analysis is based on all claims submitted by users of services for visits between 1 July 1988 and 30 June 2004. In these data approximately 1,000,000 services were provided to the intervention group and approximately 4,900,000 in the control group. Principal findings: Using Statistical Process Control (SPC) charts, special cause variation was identified in total utilisation rate of private dental services in the intervention group post implementation. No such variation was present in the control group. On average in the three years after implementation of the program the utilisation rate of dental services by regional and rural residents of New South Wales who where members of HCF grew by 12.6%, over eight times the growth rate of 1.5% observed in the control group (HCF members who were Sydney residents). The differences were even more pronounced in the areas of service that were the focus of the program: diagnostic and preventive services. Conclusion: The implementation of a benefit design change, a participating provider scheme, that involved the removal of CO-payments on a defined range of preventive and diagnostic dental services combined with the establishment and promotion of a network of dentists, appears to have had a marked impact on HCF members' utilisation of dental services in regional and rural New South Wales, Australia.

Interactive product browsing and configuration using remote augmented reality sales services

Real-time remote sales assistance is an underdeveloped component of online sales services. Solutions involving web page text chat, telephony and video support prove problematic when seeking to remotely guide customers in their sales processes, especially with configurations of physically complex artefacts. Recently, there has been great interest in the application of virtual worlds and augmented reality to create synthetic environments for remote sales of physical artefacts. However, there is a lack of analysis and development of appropriate software services to support these processes. We extend our previous work with the detailed design of configuration context services to support the management of an interactive sales session using augmented reality. We detail the context and configuration services required, presenting a novel data service streaming configuration information to the vendor for business analytics. We expect that a fully implemented configuration management service, based on our design, will improve the remote sales experience for both customers and vendors alike via analysis of the streamed information.

An introductory planning guide for local school districts : a product of the Section for Educational Planning, Division for Management and Planning Services, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

WI docs. no.: Ed.3/2:5060.

Towards an operations strategy for the infusion of product-centric services into manufacturing:service systems implementation

The work in this chapter is concerned with product-centric servitization. This is where a portfolio of services are formed and integrated to support product availability and use. Such servitization can be a valuable source of revenue for a manufacturer, yet little attention has been given to the configuration of the wider operations strategy that needs to be in place to deliver integrated products and services successfully. Therefore, the purpose of this chapter is to put forward a generic set of characteristics for such operations. Our intention is that these characteristics will be valuable to practitioners contemplating sophisticated forms of servitization, as they suggest the likely and significant changes that will be needed to the operations strategy of a conventional manufacturing organisation.

Consumer acceptance of m-services : Marketing implcations

Consumers' evolving relationships with their mobile devices and their desire to access mobile services (m-services) present new opportunities to marketers, yet little research has been conducted in the area of m-services. Using structural equation modelling, this paper examines the effect of hedonic and utilitarian value of mobile phones on product and purchase involvement. It also investigates the effect of involvement, innovativeness, and self-efficacy on use of m-services. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 250 respondents using an online survey and a modified snowball procedure. Findings are discussed, further implications for managers are suggested and directions for future research are proposed.

Examination of the influence of personal attributes on consumer use on m-services

The rapid uptake of mobile devices has created the capacity to provide services to consumers while they are on the move, and new mobile services (m-services) are constantly emerging. In past research, personal attributes have been found to be import ant in the adoption and use of information and communication technology. However, little research has been conducted in the area of m-services. To explore factors influencing the use of these services, this paper examines personal attributes in terms of motivational, attitudinal and demographic characteristics. Specifically, it investigates the influence of innovativeness, self- efficacy, involvement and impulsiveness, as well as age and gender on m-services use . Data were collected from a convenience sample of 250 respondents using an online survey and a modified snowball procedure. Age and gender were quite well balanced in the sample. The multiple regression model was significant and the hypotheses relating to the positive relationship between impulsiveness, involvement and gender and m-services were supported. Findings are discussed, further implications for managers are suggested and directions for future research are proposed.

The role of product involvement in e-service evaluations

This paper provides conceptual and empirical insights into consumers’ evaluations of online services and their consequent behavioural intentions. We show that behavioural intentions in online contexts are driven primarily by two factors, namely online service satisfaction and perceived service quality. Perceived sacrifice and service quality are found to have an indirect effect on online service satisfaction through their influences on perceived value associated with the online service. In addition, we examine the moderating effects of product involvement and discuss the implications of our research findings.