Detail. For this exercise, please go back to the market audit that you did at the beginning of the class and review what you wrote. Consider the organization in light of what you have learned in this class and develop some recommendations for change.
In your memo to the director, please provide first your overall assessment of how much difference exists between what customers expect (or what you believe they should expect) and what they receive.
Then using the provider gaps discussed in the textbook and interactive sessions, advise the director on which of these gaps should have the highest priority in improving service with your explanation for your judgment.
In the last section of your memo, provide some specific recommendations that the director might act upon to improve services. You may wish to organize these recommendations in the same categories you used for the original market audit assignment (e.g., environment, customers, products and services, place, price and cost, promotion, people, servicescape, process and competition), or you may prefer to organize your recommendations into the four provider gaps following the order of the textbook, or you may choose another organizing mechanism that has a easy-to-follow logic.
Submission. For one credit folks, our memo will probably be between 2-4 pages long and include about 10 specific recommendations in the last section. For 1/2 credit folks, your memo will be shorter. Do the first two paragraphs as described above and then pick the five most important recommendations. For all students, please post the URL to the Webboard as you have been doing for prior assignments.
Grading Criteria. Criteria used to assess the memo will be as follows:
- Illustration of your understanding and ability to apply the
concepts in the textbook
- Professional manner in outlining the problems and suggested
solution(s)
- Good organizaiton of memo starting with the big picture and including
most important elements first
- Specific recommendations that show diagnostic ability and reasonable (even creative) solutions to problems.
