Michael V. Laric

Value chains in health care

The supply chain concept aided marketing by highlighting relationships that form a network of firms creating products for consumers. It helped change the focus from individual transactions to a more comprehensive view of the entire system. The value chain concept in marketing extends the supply chain view in an important way: it explicates the value that is created at each stage of the chain. For marketers, it is a vital tool in satisfying consumers – the final part of the value chain. This value chain can be viewed as having two components: the value delivery system and the consumer. This paper explores several approaches to value that are important in the functioning of the value chain. It then delineates three main elements of the value chain and traces them as they apply to services. It then focuses on one of the more complex services, the health care delivery system. It goes on to describe the health care value network and examine the critical factors that affect the success of the health care process. Finally, it delineates several important implications for health care marketers.

Privacy and one‐to‐one marketing: resolving the conflict

There exists a vibrant literature dealing with one‐to‐one marketing and mass customization. The practice holds the promise of very satisfied customers, and profitable marketers who can create their own unassailable market positions. One of the building blocks of mass customization is knowledge of the customer and his/her complex set of preferences. There is a significant obstacle to gaining this information, namely the growing trend toward consumer privacy. Traditionally, businesses have collected massive amounts of information, hoping to identify responsive market segments. In the process, they have collected data on numerous individuals who would not realistically become customers. One solution to the problem is a strategic management approach involving an exchange of value between customers and marketers. Using a strategic approach, marketers can target the most attractive consumers, avoiding those whose lifetime value to the firm is low. By employing the relationship management processes of one‐to‐one marketing, marketers can avoid privacy issues altogether. This paper discusses the conceptual background of information based value exchange, proposes a new orientation toward customer relationship management and discusses several implications for marketers.

Video Tapes as a Dimension of Instructional Technology: A Case Study

Todays marketing educators are faced with the task of improving teaching effectiveness and productivity with the challenge of broadening student exposure to real world marketing situations. This article demonstrates how video taping can be used to improve these dimensions. An additional dimension, outreach, which involves interacting among the marketing faculty and the local business community, can also be enhanced via video tapes.

Practice Building in Professional Services: A Sales Promotion Paradigm

This paper examines the promotional mix in professional services, with special emphasis on the sales promotion activities. A paradigm relating sales promotion, publicity and public relations activities to the hierarchy of needs and time effects is offered. Some of the topics that are discussed are the unique nature of professional services, the restrictions of promotion in these industries, and the sales promotion paradigm, as well as a discussion of future work in this area.

Vertical performance management: Strategic implications for financial service

Abstract This paper examines the relationship between productivity and customer satisfaction in marketing consumer services. It presents a conceptual framework that highlights four dimensions of productivity measurement: capacity, perceived quality, profitability, and satisfaction. One of the more distinctive aspects of this presentation is its analysis of productivity from the dual perspectives of both the customer and the service provider. A preliminary formulation of the productivity model emphasizes the high degree of interaction between the evaluation of performance from these two perspectives. A recent service innovation in the area of electronic funds transfer illustrates this framework.

The Issue of Fairness: How Do Economists Treat Advertising?

Abstract Most advertisers perceive the views of economists on advertising as generally negative. This study attempts to determine how the role of advertising in the economic system is treated in basic economic textbooks. The assumption is that the materials presented in these introductory texts are reflective of the disciplines fundamental commonalities. The results derived from conducting a content analysis of non value laden issues indicate that most authors provide readers a balanced treatment of advertising. However, when assessed in terms of comprehensiveness and completeness, the majority of the surveyed texts fall short. These results hold out a number of implications for advertisers and economists alike and present several opportunities for further research.