Deck 3: Consumer Behavior in Services

Question 1

Which of the following products is the most difficult to evaluate?

A) Hair cut
B) Fluoride treatment for children's teeth
C) Car seat designed for an infant
D) Decorative sculpture
E) Skateboard

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT an example of a search quality?

A) Style
B) Price
C) Taste
D) Color
E) Smell

Answer 2

C

Question 3

_____ qualities are characteristics of a product consumers may find impossible to evaluate even after purchase and consumption.

A) Search
B) Cognitive
C) Perceptual
D) Experience
E) Credence

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT an example of an experience quality?

A) Reliability
B) Color
C) Taste
D) Purchase satisfaction
E) Comfort

Question 5

Many successful people would like to find someone to share their lives with, but are unable to make the connection. To satisfy this _____ need, some travel agencies are setting up two-week vacation cruises and tour groups for singles in their 20s and 30s. These trips throw together people who have basically the same likes and dislikes in unfamiliar surroundings to try to stimulate relationships.

A) Ego
B) Social
C) Physiological
D) Self-actualization
E) Safety and security

Question 6

_____ qualities are attributes a consumer can only determine after purchasing and consuming a product.

A) Search
B) Conceptual
C) Experience
D) Credence
E) Cognitive

Question 7

If you are planning on building a house, you can buy predrawn, ready-to-use architectural plans or you can hire your own architect to design a one-of-a-kind house that is an expression of your success. The need to design your own structure as opposed to using generic designs would more than likely be an example of a(n) _____ need.

A) Risk
B) Physiological
C) Safety
D) Social
E) Ego

Question 8

Contestants in the Survivor Palau reality television show were sent to their campsite with nothing but the clothes on their back, two machetes and a map to fresh water. According to Maslow's hierarchy, the participants' _____ need would be strongest during their first days on the island.

A) Ego
B) Social
C) Self-actualization
D) Safety and security
E) Physiological

Question 9

Membership in a class that teaches self-defense would more than likely satisfy a(n) _____ and membership in an exclusive country club where annual dues are $2,000 and where there is a selection committee would satisfy a(n) _____ need.

A) Safety and security; ego
B) Social; self-actualization
C) Ego; ego
D) Social; physiological
E) Self-actualization; psychological

Question 10

Services high in _____ qualities are the most difficult to evaluate.

A) Search
B) Experience
C) Source
D) Credence
E) Motivational

Question 11

Often after some life-changing crisis such as a divorce, the death of a loved one or a serious car accident, people tend to rethink what they are doing with their lives. They are concerned that in some way they are wasting their lives and not achieving their full potential. It is not uncommon for these people to immerse themselves in yoga, to challenge their own limits by taking up some death-defying sport or to simply get validation from a therapist. In these ways, people can satisfy their _____ needs.

A) Ego
B) Social
C) Self-actualization
D) Safety and security
E) Physiological

Question 12

Which of the following products is LEAST high in experience qualities?

A) Plastic surgery
B) A prom band
C) Catered banquet
D) Wedding dress
E) Pet grooming

Question 13

The Survivor television series on CBS is never short of candidates for shows. If you listen to the interviews of those who want to participate, they often sound repetitive as they talk about how the experience will let them learn what they are truly capable of accomplishing. From this information, it would appear that participation in the reality TV show would satisfy _____ needs.

A) Ego
B) Social
C) Self-actualization
D) Safety and security
E) Physiological

Question 14

Which of the following products is NOT high in search qualities?

A) Piano
B) Diapers
C) Motor oil
D) Floor lamp
E) Massage therapy

Question 15

_____ qualities are attributes a consumer can determine prior to purchasing a product.

A) Search
B) Consequential
C) Experience
D) Evidential
E) Credence

Question 16

Which of the following products is the easiest to evaluate?

A) Tax advice from a CPA
B) Cancer screening test
C) Retirement home
D) Legal advice on avoiding estate taxes
E) A walk-in freezer

Question 17

Services provided by x-ray technicians, surgeons, dentists and land surveyors are high in _____ qualities.

A) Search
B) Experience
C) Source
D) Credence
E) Cognitive

Question 18

Which of the following products is NOT high in credence qualities?

A) Wooden rocking horse
B) Car muffler repair
C) Mammogram
D) Tax advice from a CPA
E) Termite treatment for a house's subflooring

Question 19

Products high in _____ qualities are the easiest to evaluate.

A) Source
B) Search
C) Experience
D) Perceptual
E) Credence

Question 20

Historically, the Japanese have had poor dental care. As part of their beauty regimen, the Japanese do have a habit of lightening and whitening their skin. Teethart has developed "tooth manicure" salons, which allow Japanese to match their teeth coloration to their skin. Japanese are responding well do this new service because it satisfies their _____ needs.

A) Ego
B) Social
C) Physiological
D) Self-actualization
E) Safety and security

Question 21

First National Bank of Chicago decreased customer waiting time by hiring "peak-time" tellers at a premium wage to work during high demand periods and by setting up express lines for customers who only need to make a deposit or cash a check. By decreasing customer waiting time, First National Bank of Chicago is:

A) Reducing customer dissatisfaction by reducing the need for customer compatibility
B) Decreasing customer self-attribution of dissatisfaction
C) Increasing the size of its customers' evoked sets
D) Universalizing its service script
E) Eliminating the problems associated with service heterogeneity

Question 22

For many people today, stress is a way of life. One way some are dealing with the stress is by going to mediation centers such as the Itawamba Mediation Center. These centers offer a place for silent prayer and meditation with a focus on spirituality. The Itawamba Mediation Center promises in its ads that you will feel stress-free when you leave its facility after a week's stay or else it will refund its $200 a day room fee. The mediation center's guarantee:

A) Increases customer compatibility
B) Decreases its customers' perceived risk
C) Increases the size of its customers' evoked sets
D) Decreases the need for personal sources of information
E) Decreases service complexity

Question 23

As more Europeans are making their own travel arrangements online, travel agencies are offering new services. One concept that is working well is to market exclusive travel packages that incorporate pre-paid children's activities. By designing packages specifically for parents and their children, the European travel agents are relying on _____ to create a differential advantage.

A) Increased customer compatibility
B) Decreased customer self-attribution of dissatisfaction
C) Smaller customers' evoked sets
D) Increased customer adherence to a service script
E) Decreased service complexity

Question 24

When Louise arrived at the Wyndham Garden Hotel for the 2005 Atlantic Marketing Association Annual Conference, she briefly waited in line at the front desk for the next available clerk. When she got to the front desk, she confirmed her reservation with the front desk clerk, completed a guest registration form and gave the clerk her MasterCard so that he could make an imprint of her card for billing purposes. When she received her room key from the clerk, she was directed to the elevators and went to her room on the 10th floor via the elevator. In terms of the drama metaphor, Louise experienced a service:

A) Decision tree
B) Strategy
C) Plan
D) Blueprint
E) Script

Question 25

Which of the following statements regarding service purchase and consumption is true?

A) Service delivery can be conceived as an actor
B) Service encounters can be viewed as drama
C) Negative departures from a customer's expected service script detract from service performance
D) Customer compatibility influences customer satisfaction in low contact services
E) Customers do not play a role in a well-scripted service drama

Question 26

Before going on vacation to Universal Studios with her son and daughter, Daphne called American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and USAir to compare flight schedules and round-trip airfares from Newark, New Jersey to Orlando, Florida. American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and USAir comprise Daphne's _____ set.

A) Awareness
B) Evoked
C) Perceived
D) Motivational
E) Knowledge

Question 27

Monroe and Ilene are meeting with a potential wedding caterer today. They will sample seven different kinds of wedding cakes, taste three entrees, sip varied wines and examine table setting options. The caterer allows prospective clients to sample his products before purchase in order to:

A) Evoke the drama metaphor
B) Create evidence of credence qualities
C) Reduce the risk inherent in the purchase of a service
D) Eliminate risk
E) Create a larger evoked set

Question 28

Which of the following is NOT a reason why consumers perceive greater risks when buying services than when buying goods?

A) Warranties or guarantees do not accompany services
B) Services are non-standardized
C) Services are intangible
D) Services have a high level of experience qualities
E) Services are perishable

Question 29

New mother Allyson needs to find a day care center for her infant daughter. Since this is the first time she has had to find someone to care for her daughter, she is unfamiliar with the day care centers in her hometown. Before leaving her child, Allyson has decided to search for information about the different centers located near her home. Which of the following sources is Allyson most likely to use when searching for information about day care centers?

A) The Yellow

Question 30

Using the drama metaphor, which of the following is considered an element of the physical setting at a hair salon?

A) The specialized training of the employees
B) How equipment is stored and maintained
C) How a customer is greeted when he or she walks in the front door
D) Whether a customer can expect the same treatment each visit
E) None of the above

Question 31

Using the drama metaphor, which of the following is considered an actor in the provision of service at a four-star restaurant?

A) The pre-schooler who is misbehaving at the table behind you
B) The plants that discreetly hide the staff work area
C) The soft music being played on the sound system
D) The leather covered menus with exotic food offerings
E) All of the above

Question 32

The group of service providers a consumer considers to be acceptable options in a given service category is called the _____ set.

A) Awareness
B) Evoked
C) Recall
D) Perceived
E) Knowledge

Question 33

Raul lives in London, England. To plan for his upcoming vacation to Greece, he will either use Mainstream travel agency, First Choice travel operations or plan it by himself. These three make up Raul's _____ set.

A) Awareness
B) Evoked
C) Recall
D) Perceived
E) Knowledge

Question 34

Consumers are most likely to seek and rely on information from _____ when purchasing a landscaping service for their yard.

A) Newspaper columns on gardening
B) Friends who have attractive yards
C) Advertising by landscape design artists
D) Magazines devoted to gardening
E) A landscape designer's sign they remembered seeing in a well-landscaped yard

Question 35

Using the drama metaphor, service actors need three characteristics to create the impression on customers. These three characteristics are:

A) Loyalty, discipline and circumspection
B) Talent, creativity and ingenuity
C) Autonomy, self-interest and empathy
D) Relevance, flexibility and responsibility
E) Empathy, creativity and autonomy

Question 36

Club Med has vacation villages that are designed specifically for singles, couples or families. Huatulco village in Mexico is a Family Village that offers sports and activities for 12-14- and l5-17-year-olds in its Teen Club. Columbus Isle Village in the Bahamas is designed for couples seeking greater luxury in accommodations and dining than is available at a Singles Village. It has spacious rooms that are artfully decorated and come with a color TV, telephone and private balcony. In addition, guests can enjoy a candlelight dinner in the village's romantic seaside restaurant. By designing its villages for specific market segments, Club Med is:

A) Increasing customer compatibility
B) Decreasing customer self-attribution of dissatisfaction
C) Increasing the size of its customers' evoked sets
D) Increasing customer adherence to a service script
E) Decreasing service complexity

Question 37

In which of the following situations will customer compatibility NOT influence customer satisfaction with a service?

A) Customers are in close proximity to each other in the service environment
B) Customers must wait for the service
C) Verbal interaction among customers is likely in the service environment
D) The service environment attracts a homogeneous customer mix
E) Customers engage in numerous and varied activities in the service environment

Question 38

Which of the following statements regarding consumer information search for services is true?

A) Consumers rely less on information from personal sources than from nonpersonal sources when evaluating services prior to purchase
B) Consumers engage in less post-purchase evaluation and information seeking with services than with goods
C) Consumers engage in less post-purchase evaluation than pre-purchase evaluation when selecting and consuming services
D) Consumers perceive fewer risks when buying services than when buying goods
E) Personal sources of information become more important as the complexity of the service being purchased increases

Question 39

For which of the following products is a consumer likely to have the smallest evoked set of alternatives?

A) Toothpaste
B) Athletic shoes
C) Cereal
D) Movie videos
E) Dry cleaners

Question 40

Which of the following statements regarding consumer evaluation of alternatives for services is true?

A) The consumer's evoked set of alternatives is larger with services than with goods
B) Consumers seldom select the first acceptable alternative and prefer to search through many alternatives
C) For nonprofessional services, consumers' decisions often entail the choice between performing the services for themselves and hiring someone to perform them
D) The typical customer's evoked set seldom includes self-provision
E) The primary reason for larger evoked sets is the ease with which adequate purchase information can be obtained

Question 41

The evoked set for a service is much larger than that for a good.

Question 42

When purchasing services consumers are more likely to rely on personal sources when they search for information rather than nonpersonal sources.

Question 43

Lower search costs are typically involved when changing brands of services than in changing brands of goods.

Question 44

USAir's Frequent Traveler Program provides financial incentives and rewards for members who fly on USAir. USAir's Frequent Traveler Program increases:

A) The rate of innovation diffusion
B) Customer compatibility
C) Brand loyalty
D) The size of the customer's evoked set
E) Service divisibility

Question 45

Groups purchasing services encounter:

A) Greater perceived risk
B) More reliance on word-of-mouth communication
C) Greater difficulty in comparing alternatives
D) A higher level of customer participation
E) All of the above

Question 46

A catered meal and a bridal gown are examples of two products that are high in credence quality.

Question 47

Victoria's Secret designs its lingerie specialty stores to arouse feelings of warmth, romance and passion. The smells of fragrances and potpourri sachets permeate the store's environment. Romantic music by the London Symphony plays softly in the background. Classic furniture like handcrafted armoires, glass curio cabinets and carved chairs display and complement the elegant gowns, robes, pajamas and satin lingerie that are the store's main product lines. A Victoria's Secret specialty store is designed to:

A) Decrease customer compatibility
B) Decrease customers' perceived risks
C) Increase the size of its customers' evoked sets
D) Increase the positive moods and emotions of its customers
E) Decrease service complexity

Question 48

Most U.S. businesses consider punctuality at meetings to be a sign of respect and are often frustrated by Latin Americans who consider time relatively less important. This example illustrates how the cultural universal of ____ differs in the U.S. and Latin America.

A) Aesthetics
B) Manners and customs
C) Material culture
D) Values and attitudes
E) Language (verbal and nonverbal)

Question 49

For the Chinese New Year, tens of thousands of Chinese will flock to Las Vegas, Nevada to test how lucky they are. This annual pilgrimage by members of China's middle class reflects the Chinese love of games of chance and their belief that the New Year brings good luck. Las Vegas will erect elaborate decorating for the Chinese New Year celebration. Las Vegas is responding to the _____ of the Chinese middle class.

A) Aesthetics
B) Socialization
C) Material culture
D) Values and attitudes
E) Language (both verbal and nonverbal)

Question 50

Which of the following is an example of material culture, one of the tools used to differentiate one culture from another?

A) The way senior citizens are treated
B) The reverence people show for its artists and musicians
C) What people collect and display in their homes
D) How people use their free time
E) Educational institutions

Question 51

Which of the following is an example of aesthetics, one of the tools used to differentiate one culture from another?

A) The number of times per week people dine out
B) The average number of pets per household
C) How people express their political beliefs
D) Individual concepts of time management
E) How people decorate their homes

Question 52

In terms of the drama metaphor, the physical setting includes how the service personnel respond to you and to each other.

Question 53

A consumer's emotional state or mood can:

A) Affect his or her willingness to participate in behaviors that help service encounters succeed
B) Bias the way consumers evaluate service encounters
C) Affect how consumers encode memories of a service encounter
D) Make a potentially positive service encounter fail to produce the desired results
E) Do all of the above

Question 54

Consumers are more brand loyal to services than to goods because services have:

A) Higher perceived risks
B) Higher search costs
C) Fewer substitutes available
D) Higher initial monetary costs
E) All of the above

Question 55

For the consumer, moods and emotions have consistent states of intensity and stability.

Question 56

Services such as tax preparation, car repair and landscaping are high in experience qualities.

Question 57

The primary objective of services producers and marketers is identical to that of all marketers.

Question 58

A person who is in a sad mood will absorb and retrieve information differently from a person who is in an angry mood.

Question 59

Customers feel more responsible for their dissatisfaction when they purchase services than when they purchase goods since:

A) Customers participate more in the service process
B) Services are typically more expensive than goods
C) Customers are more knowledgeable about services
D) Services are more complex than goods
E) Customers seek more information before purchasing a service

Question 60

Which of the following statements regarding the influence of emotions and moods on the consumer evaluation of services is true?

A) The consumer's evoked set of alternatives is larger with services than with goods
B) Positive moods and emotions lessen the likelihood of performance of behaviors that have positive expected outcomes
C) Mood and emotion bias evaluation of service encounters in "mood-congruent" directions
D) The mood of the customer has no influence on the way the impressions of a service are encoded, retained and retrieved by customers
E) The greater the human interaction in the service encounter, the less likely moods and emotions will influence the consumer's evaluation of the service

Question 61

Jane wants to have her near-sightedness corrected through laser surgery. She has consulted with two physicians that specialize in the field. Both seem to be highly qualified and respected in the medical profession. The first one she saw had a cluttered waiting room with plastic covered furniture, tile flooring, striped paper on the walls and music broadcast from a local soft rock station. The second waiting area was painted a soft, muted green color, had three large aquariums with gorgeous fish swimming in each, comfortable furniture and soft background music. Given the laser surgeons have equal abilities, which do you think Jane will use. Why?

Question 62

Among the characteristics that distinguish organizations from individual decision making are social forces such as current business climate and technological trends.

Question 63

Outsourcing has greatly increased the complexity of purchase decision making.

Question 64

According to the text, what are the transmission agents of culture?

Question 65

How should you explain to a friend that there is more perceived risk with the purchase of a wedding reception caterer for your wedding than for the diamond engagement ring?
First, the catered reception is intangible and has a high level of experience qualities that means the reception caterer must be selected on the basis of less pre-purchase information than the ring. Because catered meals are non-standardized and diamonds are highly standardized, there will always be uncertainty about the outcome of the reception (Will the food be memorable? Will any of the attendees get food poisoning? etc.). The purchase of the reception caterer involves more risk because a catered event is not accompanied by a warranty or a guarantee. It will already have been consumed when you realize your dissatisfaction with it. The ring, on the other hand, can be easily returned. It also has a warranty as to size and clarity.

Question 66

What is the difference between emotions and moods?

Question 67

Unlike most other cultural factors, aesthetics does not have any significant effect on the purchase of a service.

Question 68

Culture manifests itself most dramatically in the people-to-people contact of our social institutions.

Question 69

Which of the cultural universals is reflected by Hispanics' love of Latino music?

Question 70

Groups purchasing service encounters encounter significantly less perceived risk than individuals.

Question 71

Why would a hotel that promotes itself as a romantic getaway have fireplaces in each room as well lace curtains, a fur rug, low lighting, background music and a bottle of complementary champagne?

Question 72

If you look at service provisions as a drama, how would you characterize the kid's size furniture, the toys and the bright colors in a pediatrician's examination rooms?

Question 73

A U.S. advertising agency wants to open an agency in Eastern Europe, but it learns that East Europeans are suspicious of advertising. East Europeans want to know why a firm should advertise if nothing is wrong with its product. This negative opinion of advertising reflects which of the cultural universals?

Question 74

In terms of consumer behavior, what do goods and services like a landscaped terrace and tax preparation have in common besides the fact they are both services?

Question 75

Culture is important in services marketing because of its effects on the ways customers evaluate and use services.

Question 76

When Ernestine has her dog shampooed, she will either take him to her veterinarian's office or used the groomer at Puppy Palace depending on which one can take him sooner. Those are the only two places she would ever consider taking her precious dog. What collective term best describes the two alternatives that Ernestine chooses between for dog grooming?

Question 77

Helen has just received her grandmother's wedding dress, which she plans to wear at her own upcoming wedding. When she examines the dress, she discovers a rip in the lace bodice that needs to be repaired. She also has a pair of slacks that need to be hemmed. What source of information would she use to find a seamstress to hem her slacks and what source of information will she use to locate someone to repair the lace on the wedding dress? Why?

Question 78

Why are services less communicable than goods?

Question 79

Kelly went to the dentist to get her teeth cleaned. He told her that she had a cavity that needed filling. Since Kelly felt no pain, she decided to postpone the filling. Robin went to another dentist to get her teeth cleaned. That dentist used an oral camera to take a picture of the tooth that needed to be filled. Once Robin saw the hole in her teeth, she was eager to have the tooth filled. How did the oral camera affect the credence qualities of the service?

Question 80

In terms of consumer behavior, what do goods like television sets, baby cribs, chain saws and lighting fixtures have in common besides the fact they are all tangible?