Part 2: Final Project

DirecTV Service Marketing

Janet Boykin

Services Marketing MKT4105

Instructor Edward Wirth, PhD.

October 14, 2014

South University Online

Week 3 Assignment 2: Final Project

Based on your own experience or research conducted on the South University online library identify a service firm which has experienced service issues. In this project, you will assume the role of the marketing manager responsible for the service who has been hired to improve service quality and reposition the service in the marketplace.

By Tuesday, October 14, 2014 complete the following activities: On time

· Describe the firm and service you selected. What service issues does the firm need to address based on your initial research?

· Analyze the unique characteristics of services as it applies to your firm. How will you overcome these challenges?

· You have learned that services often present opportunities for unethical behavior. What types of ethical issues may arise with your service and how will you facilitate positive ethical behavior? What are some consequences that may arise if unethical behavior exists?

· Outline the pricing strategy for your selected service. What changes will you make to pricing strategy and why?

· Analyze the service firm’s communications strategy and answer the following:

· Who is the target market for the service?

· What are the top two core attributes your service company provides?

· Who are the top three competitors in your service category? Name and describe your competitors.

· What are the consumers’ perceptions of your service’s core attributes vs. the competition? Prepare a position map of your service.

· What communications tools does the firm employ? What changes would you make to their communications strategy and why?

· Outline the importance of the front-line employees for your service firm. What role do they play in delivering the service to the customer? What level of empowerment should be given to the service employees for this firm? Describe the changes you will make to the recruitment and training processes for your selected firm.

Submit a 5-6 page paper written in APA format. Excellent formatting

Search the South University online library for peer reviewed articles to justify your answers. Include a minimum of three peer reviewed articles for your paper. Research meets quantitative requirements, but much of it fails to be connected to the topic of the services offered by Direct TV. You tend to string together the results of your research, rather than focusing on application of the theory to the specific scenario of Direct TV.

Assignment 2 Grading Criteria	Maximum Points
Selected an appropriate service firm and outlined the issues the firm needs to address. (-10 points)	10/20
Analyzed the unique characteristics of services as it applies to their service firm and presented ways to overcome these challenges.	10/20
Described the types of ethical issues that may arise with their selected service. Stated ways to facilitate positive ethical behavior. Outlined some consequences that may arise if unethical behavior exists.	20/30
Outlined the pricing strategy for their selected service. Suggested changes to make to the pricing strategy and supported the recommended changes.	20/30
Analyzed the service firm’s communications strategy including the following: target market, top core attributes, top three competitors, position map, and communications tools Excellent analysis	30/30
Outlined the importance of the front-line employees for your service firm. Stated the role they play in delivering the service to the customer. Suggested the level of empowerment which should be given to the service employees for this firm. Described the changes they would make to the recruitment and training processes for the selected firm. Excellent analysis	30/30
Presentation Components: Organization Well organized, but the content under the headings is often not relevant to the headings. (-4) (6/10) Style An interesting writing style. No issues here. (10/10) Usage and Mechanics Proofread for errors in writing mechanics. (-3) (7/10) APA Elements (10/10)	33/40
Total:	153/200

DirecTV Service Marketing

DIRECTV offers the services of the transmission and provision of access to satellite services to households in the United States. The company also offers audio transmissions to households across the United States. Based on my initial research, the following issues need to be addressed.

The manner in which the methodology of making forecasts is chosen should not just be done without considerations. According to the findings of my initial research, the methodology of making forecasts should consider the product being forecasted, the given market where the forecast is to be made, the ability to acquire and gather information about the product, and more importantly, the desire that the manager has in playing a role in the forecasts (Hoffman, 2010).

The model adopted, the Bass model, for purposes of forecasting, should and ought to have a better analogy for those products that have been previously introduced. Another important aspect and factor from my initial research is that the consideration of the level of involvement of the manager in judgmental facets should be given a greater deal of attention since information managers provide is of great value (Lovelock, & Wright, 2002).

The above is not related to Direct TV. To belong in the paper, you need to say why and how it relates. (-10 points)

Unique Characteristics

There are several unique characteristics that can be applied to our firm. These characteristics include;

The services available allow for access by customers to various new products that are provided for by DIRECTV in the market. An example here would be helpful. This is a unique characteristic that customers are provided for (wording) variety to choose from and from which they can be capable of making decisions on new products An example here would be helpful and services available in the market (Congram, Friedman, & American Management Association, 1991).

Through the company’s services, it is possible to predict the expected sales of new products and services. The expected sales also determine the required level of production by the respective producers and manufacturers of various products and services. This needs to be specifically related to Direct TV. What is it manufacturing? (-10 points)

Ethical Issues

There are various unethical behaviors that may arise with my service. One of the greatest and most prevalent unethical activities that could arise from my service is the provision of wrong and inappropriate information about a product to consumers. The information provided about a product by the manufacturer of the product (what are you manufacturing?) is what my service makes available to consumers. The information available ad (?) provided by the manufacturers of various products might be misrepresenting and misleading with the objective of ensuring that once the product is launched in the market, there would be high rates of consumerism of the product. (grammar) The provision of the wrong and misleading information makes the customers make the wrong decisions, and they may end up purchasing a product and being affected negatively by the product. I would facilitate the unethical behavior (wording – you need to facilitate positive ethical behavior.) by not ensuring that the provider of the misleading information is not accountable for any complaints by customers against the products in terms of functionalism of the product and its negative effects, operation, and even owning up to what they misstated (Lovelock, & Wright, 2002).

The existence of unethical behavior would have consequences to my service and to the manufacturers of different products. One of the greatest negative consequences that would arise as a result of the unethical behavior of misrepresentation of information is the lack of confidence in my service for future products. A loss of confidence in my service would greatly harm the reputation of my service, an aspect that I would rather avoid as much as possible since this would mean that the image and reputation that my service has created would be ruined (Ruskin-Brown, 2005). More importantly, my service would be accused of cooperating with manufacturers and producers of various products and services for purposes of enhancing and increasing sales after the products are launched (Sharma, 2008). This needs to be specifically related to Direct TV. What is it manufacturing? (-10 points)

I stopped proofreading here.

Pricing Strategy

The pricing strategy for my service is the value based pricing strategy. The price attached to the forecasting of a given product would be dependent on the prospected response that customers would be most likely to give to the respective products. This means that, the price for my service would be dependent on the value that customers attach to the various products that are forecasted through the service (Lovelock, & Wright, 2002). However, I would make various changes on the pricing strategy in order and with the objective of ensuring the factors (grammar) and aspect of market control play a role in determining the respective prices attached to various services. These changes would help ensure that the price of those who use the service is an equivalent of the real value and more importantly, in order to enhance and improve the revenue base attached to the company which would enhance and facilitate better service provision and diversification in the future (Hoffman, 2010).

This needs to be specifically related to Direct TV. (-10)

Communication Strategy

The target market for the service is relatively large because it is the whole population, though it is narrowed down to various households in the population. The target market is households because, at one time or another, households would need a digital satellite transmission or audio transmission or the both (Ruskin-Brown, 2005).

The core attributes that my service company attributes is the increased quality and enhanced access to digital transmission in households across the United States. The enhanced access comes with lower charges and prices for connection and facilitation of access to transmission of digital and audio satellite signals, in order to ensure that many households can be capable of installing the audio and digital signals (Hoffman, 2010).

The other attribute is a regular maintenance of the connections made to customers across the United States. This is done and facilitated by the contracted companies that ensure that there is quality transmission of audio and digital transmissions through a regular maintenance of breakdowns and solving problems with connectivity, in order to enhance and promote higher customer satisfaction from the services provided (Lovelock, & Wright, 2002).

The primary competitors to my service include Cable television providers, who operate at a national level and Dish Network. These competitors have been around for almost the same time and earlier on. The competitors do not pose a great threat to the services of the company and the competition they offer is relatively fair (Sharma, 2008).

Consumers view the attributes of my service as a customer friendly and oriented (Rust, Zahorik, & Keiningham, 1996). The attributes of my company are centered along the customers according to what many customers argue and believe. Customers view the attributes of my service as being one that promotes and assures them that their confidence in the service can be depended upon (Hoffman, 2010).

The customers view the competition from an angle that my service is better placed, as the case really is, and this is based on the performance levels indicated by my service compared to the degree and level of competitiveness indicated by my service (Spence, 2014).

Positioning map below meets requirements.

Positioning Map for DirecTV

Regular contact to customers through phones and email

(DirecTV)

Outsourcing of maintenance to other companies

No specialized attention to equipment maintenance

(DirecTV)

(Dish Network)

(Dish Network)

Limited contact with customers and inefficient communication.

The communication tools applied by the company include;

The company applies and uses emails to communicate to its customers. One communication tool that is relied upon and trusted by the company is email because it is highly confidential. Also, it can be trusted for communications that are less likely to be leaked out, that is, dialogue would be maintained between two key players and partners, the customer and the company (Botschen, 2014).

The company also communicates to customers through the use and application of mobile phones. Phones are viewed as a reliable way of communicating with customers because of its high levels of efficiency and speed when addressing aspects and issues of concern. The use of mobile phones is central to easily accessing and being accessed by customers in order to address various needs between the customers and the company and more importantly, enhancing and promoting customer satisfaction levels (Lovelock, & Wright, 2002).

Overall excellent understanding and analysis above

Importance of the front-line employees

Front line employees are important due to the following reasons;

· Installation of the digital and audio transmitters (receivers?) whenever this service is requested and required by customers

· The repair and maintenance of the systems whenever they break down

· Helping out customers whenever they face challenges in their respective systems.

In service delivery to the customer, front line employees ensure that there is customer satisfaction in terms of the quality of services provided and availed to the customers whenever they are in need of the services (Spence, 2014). Empowerment to employees of the company should be done through the provision of commissions and other compensations in order to ensure that they are motivated to work harder and deliver better. The recruitment and training process would integrate programs and aspects that ensure employees are guided and shaped in a way that they would be capable of better handling customers and programs that help enhance their skills and knowledge in their respective areas of expertise (Hoffman, 2010).

Excellent understanding and analysis above

Reference

Botschen, G. (2014). Sequence-oriented problem identification within service encounters. Report

Information from ProQuest .

Congram, C. A., Friedman, M. L., & American Management Association. (1991). The AMA handbook of marketing for the service industries. New York, NY: American Management Association.

Hoffman, K. (2010). Services Marketing: Concepts, Strategies, & Cases [VitalSouce bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/1133343910/Root/0

Lovelock, C. H., & Wright, L. (2002). Principles of service marketing and management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Ruskin-Brown, I. (2005). Marketing your service business. London: Thorogood.

Rust, R. T., Zahorik, A. J., & Keiningham, T. L. (1996). Service marketing. New York: HarperCollins College Publishers.

Sharma, S. P. (2008). Service marketing. Jaipur: Paradise Publishers.

Spence, M. (2014). Optimising the internal value chain: Principles and practices. Report

Information from ProQuest .