Grades Will Be Posted 28 December

Services Marketing grades will be posted on the 28th of December (or earlier). You may review your final assessment in my office. Office hours (subject to change) will occur from 11 to 1 p.m. on 28 December and 10 to 12 noon on 29 December. Best wishes to all!

Want To See What An "A" Final Assessment Looks Like? Read This!

Hooray, hooray, here's an A! If you would like to see how a student earns an A on the Services Marketing Final Assessment, read this paper.

Here are the reasons why this is an outstanding paper:

1. The student used the template that I provided and so the report was professionally organized. I did not have to search for data. The report had a natural flow to it. 
2. The student exerted effort beyond the norm. Graphs were not required, but she included them. References were not required, but she included them. In many instances, she did more than the minimum work required. 
3. Her English usage is not perfect, but it is beyond adequate. Plus, with some coaching she can further develop her writing skills without having to first learn basic English. (I hope to see her in my Special Topics in Management class).  
4. She gathered more data than did other students. She sought out references (i.e. a formula from Entrepreneur magazine) to assist her in developing answers to at least one question. 
5. She spent time thinking about the information/data she collected and making sense of it. She then turned her information into solid recommendations — she did not, as most students did, state the obvious. She thought outside of the box and developed a professional plan. She did not rely on the person she interviewed to give her the answers . . . she came up with the answers. Most students did not. 

For the reasons above, this paper exhibits A qualities. An A is something very special — it means not only beyond the norm, but beyond "good" or even "very good". It denotes excellence. An A must be earned, and while every student has the opportunity to earn an A, an A requires skills and commitment.

If your final assessment did not earn an A, compare it to this project and you will understand why.

By the way, I purposely concealed the student's identity.

Final Assessment Grading Scales

After I grade your final assessment, including your in-class presentation, you will receive an email from me with a copy of your graded paper. You will find numbers/points at the end of the file -- the numbers relate to the grading scales. The grade on your final assessment is not necessarily your final grade for the semester -- the final grade for the semester will be posted in SIS. Best wishes! 

Deadline Approaching; Presentations Begin 15 December In The Classroom

Hooray, hooray, your weeks of work are coming to a conclusion . . . your final assessment deadline is 12 December and your final presentation will occur in the classroom beginning Monday 15 December. You are expected to attend all class sessions and listen to all presentations. Come to class on time (early, in fact). Please review the presentation guidelines . . . make sure you email your PPT to yourself and to me (for backup) so that it is ready to load when you are called to present. I am looking forward to some insightful presentations! Best wishes. 

The Anton Case: What Would You Do?

You have already read the Anton Case and discussed it in the classroom. If you need to review the case, simply click on the assignment for 24 November and you can click to the case itself. Now that you've read and discussed the case, there's one burning question that still must be answered.

Should Anton be fired? Yes, No, and in either case, why?

Here's what to do:

1. Scroll to the Comments section at the end of this article. Click on the link to add Comments. 
2. Answer the question: Should Anton be fired? Explain your answer. You will need to write at least 2-3 sentences to explain yourself. Be sure to include your name and GUST ID in your Comment. 
3. Read the Comments from your fellow classmates. Select one Comment and Reply to it. Explain why you agree or disagree with your classmate's Comment.  Be sure to include your name and GUST ID in your Comment. Otherwise, you cannot get credit for this assignment. 
4. Deadline: Complete both Comments no later than Tuesday 25 November at 10 pm in Kuwait.

Remember: I am looking for critical and creative thinkers! 

Your Final Assessment Action Plan: Here's How To Do It!

When you come to consult with me in my office on Monday 1 December, you must bring a print out of your Action Plan. The plan should be complete -- that is, every step that you need to take to complete your final assessment should be on the Action Plan. On 26 November, our TA, Ms. Majda, will teach you how to complete the Action Plan. Every time you come to my office to consult with me, make certain you bring an updated print out of your Action Plan. This document provides instructions for completing an Action Plan and this document is an Action Plan Template. 

Bonus Points: Attend Marketing Club Lectures

Students who attend presentations sponsored by the GUST Marketing Club are eligible for bonus points. You must sign in when you attend the various speeches. The points will be added by my discretion at the end of the semester.

Presentations are as follows:

Sunday 23 November- W1-010 - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Ahmed Al Mutawa will speak about his service company that caters to small and medium businesses as well as talking about how to start up your own business and how to market it.

Monday 24 November- W1-010 - 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM: Abdulaziz Al Obaid will speak about pursuing your entrepreneurial dreams. Yousef Ramadhan, a well known blogger, will talk about how he markets his books.

Tuesday 25 November - W1-010 - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Lawyer Saleh Al Methen will lecture about how to protect your brand identity as well as the legal issues that most small business face.  Hind Al Naheth will talk about how to market your product and service through social media.

Service Hero Website Evaluations: Graded

Last week's Service Hero Website evaluations have been graded and posted. If you have questions about the grade you earned, you can ask me when you meet with me during office hours the week of Dec. 1. Best wishes. 

Assignment for 24 November: Read This Case Study!

Read this case before you attend class on Monday 24 November. Meet in the classroom and be prepared to discuss the ramifications of this case.

Please note: After you discuss the case in the classroom, return to this blog and look for an assignment: The Anton Case: What Would You Do? Please complete the assignment by 25 November at 10 p.m. in Kuwait. Details will be found on the blog. 

The Case of the Red Lobster Waitress: What Would You Do?

Before class on 19 November, please read the Red Lobster case. Here is part 1 and here is part 2. We will discuss the implications of this case in the classroom. Be prepared to answer these questions: Do you believe Mary Campbell's testimony? Why or why not? Who should be fired, if anyone? Ms. Larimer? Or Ms. Campbell? Why? And finally, do you think the outcome of this story, if it were made known to the public, would have a positive or a negative impact on Red Lobster? Explain why. 

Details About Your Final Assessment

You will find complete details about your Final Assessment here. We will discuss the details in class on Monday 17 November. You will also need the survey template.

Discuss Final Assessment: 17 November 12:30 pm W5-002

Please note that Services Marketing will meet on Monday 17 November in W5-002 to discuss the final assessment. This class meeting does not include Internet Marketing. 

Assignment: Customer Service Resolution

Following the classroom lecture on Wednesday 12 November, please click on your assignment and complete it as required. Best wishes. 

Check SIS: Grades Are Up To Date

All Services Marketing grades, including the Midterm Assessment grades, have been posted in SIS. If you have questions about your grade, please see me no later than Monday 10 November during my office hours . . . after Monday the grades are final.

All and all, good job on your Focus Groups! Soon we will discuss your more involved and even more critical Final Assessment. Best wishes!

"Values" Assignment Grades Posted . . . Here's an Example of a "Perfect" Report

The Values assignment grades have been posted in SIS. There were several very good reports and one that was perfect and earned a 100%. Here's the link to that paper -- if you want to earn an A on assignments, bring your work up to (or at least near) this level of performance.

Testing Your Knowledge About Customer Value

• Why is it important for business owners/managers to know the value of a customer?
• If you wanted to know the value of your customers, what information would you need to gather – and why?
• Explain how you would gather the information you identified in the question above.
• What is meant by the “cost of a customer”? How do you determine a customer’s cost? Why is this important to know?
• What is meant by the “average sale to a customer”? How do you determine average sale? Why is this important to know?
• What is meant by the “value of a returning customer”” How do you determine this value? Why is this important to know?

Here’s what to do:

1.     Open a Word document. Save it as: YourFirstName_GUSTID_Value.doc. Type your full name and GUST ID at the top of the first page.

2.     Answer the questions listed above. You can write in bullet point format, or in paragraph format, but you must write in complete sentences and completely answer the questions.

3.     Make certain that you explain your answers. It’s not enough to write a few words; it’s important that you include an explanation.

4.     Do your own work . . . no two answers should be the same from different students . . . if I see this I will “flag” both tests and question you about how you and another student used the same words and ideas. Do your own work!

5.     Email the file to me before Saturday Nov. 1 at 3 p.m. in Kuwait. Subject of your email: Value.

This is a graded test that is part of your assessment category for your final grade. 

Updates: Room Change for Nov. 3

Please note:

1.  If you have a midterm for another course on 27 October, the midterm gets priority. Attend the midterm and ask your friends to take notes for you in my course.

2.  Wednesday, Oct. 29: We will study the value of a customer in Services Marketing and we will meet at the normal class times in the assigned classrooms (not the theatre).

3.  On Monday, Nov. 3. Services Marketing students will meet in W1-010 (not W6-200) for the Service Hero Midterm Presentations. Internet Marketing students will attend and write a report about the presentations -- watch the blog for details.

Speaker Series: His&Hers Blogger at GUST on Monday 27 October

Blogger Ahmad Abdulrahman was studying in Glasgow, Scotland when he got the urge to join the expanding list of Kuwaiti bloggers. That was in 2004, and his passion for blogging has continued for 10 years.

While initially he blogged anonymously, in 2009, after a year of marriage, he shared his blogging passion with his wife and removed his anonymity. That's when he introduced His & Hers, a popular Kuwaiti blog.

Ahmad will speak to Internet and Services Marketing students on Monday 27 October at 12:30 p.m. in W6-200. Your attendance is required; if you arrive after 12:40 p.m. you will be considered absent. 

Here's Your Kuwaitiful Quiz

Abdulaziz of Kuwaitiful spoke to you today about blogging, social media, and related topics. If you attended his session and signed in as present you qualify to complete this quiz. If you were not counted as “present” today, you are ineligible for the quiz and unfortunately you lose the points. You must be in the classroom (or W6-200) within 10 minutes of start time or you are counted as absent. Of course you are always welcome to come in “late” but you will not be counted as “present”.

Here’s what to do now to complete the quiz: 

1.  Open a Word document. Name the file as follows: YourFirstName_GUSTID_Kuwaitiful.doc. At the top of the page include your full name and GUST ID. Include the course and section number so that I will know if you are in Internet or Services Marketing -- if you are in both, include both.

2.  Answer the quiz questions (see below).

3.  Email the Word doc to me no later than Saturday morning, 25 October, at 11 a.m. in Kuwait.

Here’s your quiz:

1.  Abdulaziz told you that bloggers need to use a “platform” and he recommended two. Name the two platforms he recommended and tell me the advantages of each. You can write in paragraph format or use bullets.

2.  Abdulaziz told you there are 4 important things that bloggers must do. What are the 4? List the 4 things and explain them in a sentence each.

3.  Abdulaziz told you there are 3 ways that bloggers can earn money. What are those 3 ways? List the 3 ways and explain them.

4.  Abdulaziz said that in Kuwait 90% of blogs and Instagram accounts are paid “under the table” and are not transparent. Write a 2-3 sentences to explain what that means and what are the ramifications of the meaning?

5.  Abdulaziz said that blogging is “much more difficult today in Kuwait.” Write several sentences to explain why this is true.

6.  Read the Kuwaitiful blog and assess it. Why would you or would you not read this blog regularly, i.e. 2-3 times a week. Write 2-3 sentences to explain your answer.

7.  Compare Kuwaitiful to 248AM. How are they different? Which one is more appealing to you and why? Write 2-3 sentences to explain your answer.

8.  Explain 3 things that Abdulaziz could do to make his blog more appealing to readers.

9.  Compare Kuwaitiful to His&Hers. How are they different? Which one is more appealing to you and why? Write 2-3 sentences to explain your answer.

10.  Which two social media did Abdulaziz say are most helpful in Kuwait for building traffic on blogs? Which social medium did he say is not helpful if you are trying to reach a Kuwaiti audience?

Midterm Presentations: W6-200 on Nov. 3 at 12:30 PM

Services Marketing Midterm Presentations will occur on Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, 12:30 p.m. in W6-200.

Email your PPT presentation to me and to one member of your team so that it will be easily accessible at the time you are called to present. You will have 8 minutes (total time) and you must present for at least 5 minutes.

Bring audio and video files to class on a memory stick -- please put them in an envelope with your team members' names/numbers on the outside of the envelope.  

Monday 20 October: Call It Midterm "Help" Day!

Your Services Marketing midterm project is due Sunday 26 October and I have reserved Monday 20 October as "Help" Day . . . a day in which I will visit with each team individually to discuss your progress.

Teams are required to meet with me in my office or be counted as absent for the day. Meeting times begin at 9:30 a.m. and end at 12:15 p.m. Then again from 2 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. 

When you come to my office, please bring any midterm-related document/s that you would like to discuss with me . . . I will review rough drafts of your reports, for example. I'll answer questions and clarify any uncertainties. In other words, this is the best "help" you're going to get to improve your midterm grade, which is worth 25% of your final grade.

Please note that on Wednesday 22 October we will meet in W6-200, and there will be a quiz following the presentation by the blogger of Kuwaitiful.

Promoting Travel In Kuwait: Topic Of Next Speaker's Presentation

Travel is a huge service industry that depends on the Internet for marketing and promotion . . . all of you know how important travel is to folks in Kuwait, so it’s important to hear how travel is being promoted as a service business.

Abdullah Shamsaldeen is a Marketing Manager at Jumbo Tour & Travel Co. in Kuwait. He handles overall brand development and management as well as offline and online marketing. He’s also responsible for developing advertising campaigns, conducting market research, and managing all aspects of the company’s website.

He will be speaking about the importance of using Internet marketing to promote Jumbo Travel, and the challenges the company faces in marketing a service-oriented business.

Abdullah is also a writer at CityPages Magazine with a monthly investigative reporting segment covering a wide array of topics. He holds a B.A. in Journalism from California State University, Northridge. Abdullah will speak to Internet and Services Marketing students on Wednesday 15 October 2014 at 12:30 p.m. in W6-200. 

Your Midterm Oral Presentations: Monday Nov. 3

Services Marketing Midterm Assessment Oral Presentations will occur in the regular classrooms on Monday, Nov. 3.

Each team gets up to 8 minutes to present the findings of their assessment.

Here’s what’s required:

1.  All team members must participate in the presentation.
2.  One team member must email the PPT presentation to himself or herself with a cc to hayes.j@gust.edu.kw no later than 28 October at 9 p.m. in Kuwait. The team will access this file on the computer in the classroom.
3.  The PPT should consist of at least 3 slides and no more than 10. You must be able to discuss your findings within the 8 minute time limit. The first slide must include the title of your presentation and the names/GUST IDs of the team members.
4.  During your presentation, do not speak from notes, and do not read the PPT slides. You will lose points if you do. Instead, tell a story about your findings. Speak to the audience (not just to me).
5.  Prior to presenting, give me a printout of your slides (printed 3 slides to a page).
6.  Practice your presentation to make certain that it lasts at least 5 minutes, but not more than 8 minutes. Make certain that you emphasise the main points of your findings from your Focus Groups. 

Speaker Series: Kuwaitiful Blogger Coming To GUST

GUST graduate and founder of the Alexa.com ranked blog, Kuwaitiful, will speak to Internet and Services marketing students on Wednesday 22 October in W6-200 at 12:30 p.m.

Blogger AbdulAziz has more than three years of local social media and Internet marketing experience. Among his accomplishments since graduating from GUST: well, come and find out! For one, he managed Wataniya's social accounts.

Watch this blog for assignments related to this and every other speech in our series! 

Speaker Series: Hind Al-Nahedh, Monday 13 October

Hind Al-Nahedh launched her own business in Kuwait and called it Socialobby.com, which she describes as “an interesting name for an interesting market, that is so social and lobbies all the time.” The company provides numerous services including social media intelligence, training, digital marketing and advertising, smart campaigning and Lobbying, and more.

Visit Socialobby.com prior to Hindh’s presentation to educate yourself about the company and to prepare questions to ask on Monday 13 October at 12:30 p.m. in W6-200 (the Conference Center).

FB Assignment: Grades Posted in SIS

Your Facebook assignments have been graded and posted in SIS. Please check your grade and your progress. If you have a question about your FB grade, please see me Wednesday morning, or send an email no later than Thursday 2 Oct. by 5 p.m. After that, the grades are final. 

Focus Groups: What Are They & How To Conduct Them

As you prepare to conduct a focus group, here are two sources of information for you to review:

Focus Group:
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/focus-group.html
Conducting A Focus Group
http://www.cse.lehigh.edu/~glennb/mm/FocusGroups.htm

Typical Focus Group 

The second document was prepared by a professor at Lehigh University in the USA. Pay particular attention to these sections:

What are Focus Groups?
Before The Focus Group
Conduct The Focus Group
After The Focus Group

Remember that you do not need to create the Focus Group questions because they have been provided for you. And rather than selecting 1 facilitator or moderator, your team members will all participate in the Focus Group.

If you have questions, be sure to ask them! We will discuss the Focus Group concept in more detail during the morning Services Marketing class session on Oct. 1. 

Services Marketing Schedule For Wednesday Oct. 1

Please note that on Wednesday Oct. 1, 2014, Services Marketing 320-51 will meet at 11 a.m. in W5-002 . . . this is a make-up class for the Monday session that was cancelled for the Student Association. During the Oct. 1 session, I will discuss the Midterm Assessment. Students enrolled in 320-1 may attend the 11 a.m. session. This will give you an opportunity to ask questions relative to your Midterm Assessment progress. Services Marketing 320-1 will not meet at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 1. 

Remember:

Services Marketing Midterm Assessment Deadline: 26 October at Midnight

Here's Your Facebook Assignment

You saw 3 of the 4 episodes about The Evolution of Facebook. Do a search and find the 4th segment and watch it. Then answer one of the following questions:

1.  "Tagging" and "Newsfeed" changed Facebook. For the better or the worse? Why were these changes controversial? Explain both of the changes and then discuss in 2-3 sentences why and how they changed Facebook. And were these changes for the better or worse? 

2.  Facebook gathers information about advertisers. This is a controversial issue because it touches on privacy laws. What kinds of information can marketers gather from Facebook users -- be specific. Why is this information valuable to marketers -- be specific. 

DIRECTIONS

1.  Create a Word document. Name it (YourFirstName)_FB_(Serv#).doc. Here's a sample: John_FB_Serv51.doc. Serv is short for Services and the 51 says that I'm in section 51. On the first page of your document type your full name and GUST ID#. Also type the course name and section number, i.e. Services Marketing Sec 51. Use English style formatting. Type your response to one of the 2 questions above. Your response needs to be specific. English usage counts. Your response must include a real explanation of the question . . . and it will consist of at least 4-6 sentences. Extra credit is given to those who use English well, and who go beyond the norm to answer the question (providing that the information is specific and on point). 

2.  Email the document to hayes.j@gust.edu.kw with Subject line: FB. Your document must arrive in my email no later than Monday 29 September 2014 at 9 p.m. in Kuwait. 

3.  Are you in both Internet and Services Marketing? In that case, you will answer BOTH questions. 

Speaker Series: GUST Grad Danielle Huss on 29 September in W6-200

Danielle Huss, General Manager of American Tax Bureau (ATB), Kuwait, will speak to GUST Internet and Services Marketing students on Monday 29 September at 12:30 p.m. in W6-200.

Danielle, a recent GUST graduate, is responsible for managing all aspects of ATB's services including leading a professional team of tax preparers, ensuring the dissemination of accurate expat tax knowledge to the public, and setting a standard for exceptional customer service. 

Throughout her 11 years in Kuwait, Danielle has gained a wealth of U.S. expat knowledge, focusing on the responsibilities and concerns that involve being a U.S Citizen living abroad. She has experience in a number of industries with
particular emphasis in the private sector and office/project management.


Danielle holds a BA in Public Relations, and is working towards a Masters in Business Administration.

Please note: The presentation begins at approximately 12:30 p.m. Any students who arrives after 12:40 p.m. will be counted as absent for this class session.

Service Hero Focus Group Discussion Guide . . . Follow This Plan To Success

When you conduct your Focus Groups, you will need a roadmap to follow to help you complete your goals and objectives. Click here for the Service Hero Focus Group Discussion Guide.

Team members can study the guide and decide who will ask the questions. Remember, you also need a team member to take notes, and another team member to record the Focus Group questions and answers.

A Focus Group requires approximately 2 hours. You can arrange your Focus Group to meet any day of the week and at any time. But of course you need to reserve an appropriate room -- one that is private and you can have access to it for approximately 2 hours. You also need a projector, screen and Internet access.

You'll learn all about Service Hero with this document -- download it now.

Midterm Assessment Team Members: Read the document and make certain you understand it. Ask if you don't understand it. Then you can duplicate the document for the participants in your Focus Group. Send them this document in advance to review . . . give each participant a copy of the document at your Focus Group. Review the document with your participants when you conduct your Focus Group. 

Midterm Assessment: Details & Deadlines . . . Report Team Member Names By 28 September

Details about the Services Marketing Midterm Assessment are available here. Access the document immediately, read it, and make certain that you understand it. If you have questions, ask them in the classroom or via email. (Please note that I changed the link from Dropbox to Google Docs).

The Midterm Assessment is time consuming! That's why I am giving you advance notice of the project. To complete this assessment successfully you must immediately select your team and begin working. If you delay working until after the Eid holiday, you will jeopardise your grade. There's much work to be done . . . the team must be organized and prepared to tackle the assignment. No complaints will be accepted regarding the time commitment. Of course you will have other midterms due, too. That's the nature of a college semester. Budget your time accordingly and plan to spend long hours working on this project. 

Your team can include 3 or 4 students (no more). Report the names of your team members to me no later than Sunday 28 September 2014. All the requirements regarding the team are on the Midterm Assessment report, which you can access using the link provided in the first paragraph. 

"No Fly" Grades Posted

This assignment was worth 25 (not 20) points and some of you earned more than 25 points! Students who use English exceptionally well, who think outside the box (i.e. creatively), and who exhibit both effort and results will be rewarded with additional points.

If you did not get at least 25 points on this assignment here are some reasons why:

• Poor use of English. 
• Arabic instead of English style formatting.
• Little effort exhibited.
• One to two line answers for complex questions. 
• Confusing answers -- contradictory answers cancel out each other to zero.
• Not following the directions. 

In some instances I sent students email explanations of their grades -- I did this in situations where students risked getting a zero on future assignments, or where students could benefit from English tutoring via SSC or The Writing Lab.

If you received a zero, that means one of the following:

• You did not do the assignment.
• You did not email the assignment to me. 
• You emailed the assignment to me but did not follow instructions and so the email ended up in spam and was not recovered. 

This assignment cannot be made up.

Please review your grade and if you would like to question it please contact me before Tuesday 23 September at 9pm in Kuwait. Send an email with the Subject: Grade. If you would like me to review your assignment in person, please visit me during office hours -- but let me know in advance so that I will have a copy of your assignment.

I will be in my office Monday 22 September even though morning classes have been cancelled.

Check Your Grades

The 248 and Bensirri assignments have been graded and posted; if you have questions about your grades you must say so via email no later than Tuesday at 9 p.m. in Kuwait. Subject for email: Grade.

Each assignment was worth 5 points; if you lost a point or two, it was most likely due to poor use of English, or to improper formatting of your assignment (English style only), or to other technicalities.

If you are enrolled in both Internet Marketing and Services Marketing you must say so at the top of your assignments so that there’s a good chance that I will post your grade in both courses. If your grade was posted in one but not the other course, please send me an email and explain the matter. Follow the directions in the first paragraph above.

If you would like me to review your assignment with you in person, please let me know and we will do so during office hours.

If you received a zero for an assignment that means one of the following: a) you didn’t do the assignment, b) you didn’t send me the assignment via email, c) you sent the assignment via email but I did not get it; possibly it went to spam because you did not include the proper Subject. In any case, these assignments cannot be made up. 

Your Bensarri Assignment: Due Wednesday 17 September

Today's speaker, Fawaz Al Sirri of Bensirri Public Relations, delivered an outstanding presentation to Internet Marketing and Services Marketing students. Thanks to all of the students who asked questions! Fawaz was very impressed with the quality of students and I was proud of you for asking intelligent, and sometimes in-depth questions. 

Here's the assignment related to this presentation:

Answer 3 of the following questions. Open a Word document and save it as follows: (YourFirstName)_(Your4DigitGUSTID)_Bensirri.doc. At the top left of the document include your full name and the class you are enrolled in, i.e. Internet or Services Marketing. If you are in both classes list both names. Make sure you use English formatting (not Arabic). And of course, English grammar, spelling and punctuation counts. 

Select the 3 questions you want to answer. You do not have to repeat the questions, but you must number the answers in your document using the # of the question. 

Here are the questions:

1.  What 3 skills are needed today by students to get hired at Bensarri Public Relations, or another agency in Kuwait? List the 3 skills and explain them. 

2.  Define Service using Fawaz's formula, which he showed you on a slide. Explain the formula as he did. 

3.  Explain Starbuck's 3rd Place Strategy. What is it? Why is it important in Starbucks' overall marketing strategy?

4.  Fawaz explained that there are 4-5 PR professionals in Kuwait, but the market needs 300. These pros are earring as much as investment bankers (without the bonuses). Why are there so few PR professionals in Kuwait? What's keeping the market from seeing 300? What challenge must be overcome to solve this issue? 

Deadline

You must submit your assignment via this email no later than Wednesday 17 September at 12:00 noon in Kuwait. On the Subject line of your email type: Bensirri. Assignments that arrive at 12:01 or later will lose 10 points. No hard copies will be accepted -- you must submit your assignment via email. Emails that do not include the Subject: Bensarri will likely go to spam and not be graded. If you are enrolled in both Internet and Services Marketing you only need to answer 3 questions total -- submit the assignment only one time. 

Speaker Series: Mark Makhoul, 2:48 AM, Wednesday 17 September

Look at what 2:48 AM is talking about — customer service in Kuwait. How timely! And just in time for you to prepare for Mark Makhoul’s presentation at GUST on Wednesday 17 September at 12:30 p.m. in W6-200 (the Conference Center).

Mark is the founder of 2:48 AM, which may be Kuwait’s most popular (and most profitable) blog. He will talk to you about his experiences in advertising and as a blogger, and he will answer your questions as well.

Your Assignment

Send me 3 questions to ask Mark. The questions can be related to any pertinent topic. I suggest you read his most recent blogs and ask questions that are relative to the (a) content of the blog, and (b) the production/sales of the blog.

Open a Word document. Save it this way: (YourFirstName)_(Your4DigitGUSTID)_248.doc. At the top of the file type your full name and GUST ID. Then type your 3 questions for Mark. You will receive a grade for originality (of course English usage counts too).

Deadline

Email your document to me no later than Tuesday 16 September at 8 p.m. in Kuwait. On the Subject line of your email type: 248. Assignments that arrive at 8:01 p.m. or later will not be graded.  

How Do You Solve This Service Problem?

The widower of a New York woman who was booted off several flights because she was "too fat to fly" has settled a multi-million dollar lawsuit with three airlines. Janos Soltesz, whose wife Vilma, 56, weighed more than 400 pounds (185 kilos), died in October 2012 in Hungary after trying to return to New York to see her regular doctors.  You can read the details of this story here and watch a related video.

Your Assignment

Assume that you work for one of the airlines that refused to provide a flight to this woman. Assume that you are the Vice President of Customer Relations, and it's your job to protect the relationship between the airlines and the public. You want your airline to be known for providing world-class (outstanding) customer service. Is that what your airline provided in this instance? (Be sure to read the article and watch the video before you make a decision). 

For your assignment, you must answer several key questions. 

1.  Was the airline right or wrong for refusing service to this woman? Either way, defend your answer by explaining why. 

2.  After learning that the woman had died, and the airline directed you to make a statement on behalf of the airline, what would you have said to the media? 

3.  What could have been done differently, if anything? Assume that you could have made any decision regarding this woman's request to fly to New York on your airline. Would you have refused her service (as was the case) or would you have done something else? Explain your answer. 

4.  Now assume that you are a judge who has to decide if this woman's husband is entitled to millions of dollars in settlement money from the airlines that refused to provide a flight to the woman. Why would you as the judge decide that the airlines must pay a settlement? Why would you as the judge decide that the airlines should not pay a settlement? Be sure to explain your answer. 

Grading

This assessment is worth 20 points. You must answer Questions 1-4 above. You will be graded for your ability to (1) think clearly about the problem and (2) respond effectively with answers. English usage also counts -- you can lose up to 10 points for spelling/grammar/punctuation errors. Thinking out of the box will lead to a higher grade!

Open a Word document and save it as follows: (YourFirstName)_(Your4DigitGUSTID)_NoFly.doc. Please insert your first name where it says to, and please insert the last 4 digits of your GUST ID where it says to -- and you do not need to keep the brackets. Type your full name and GUST ID at the top of the document. Give your assignment a title of your choice. Then answer each of the 4 questions -- be sure to number the answers (you do not have to retype the questions).   

Deadline

Deliver the Word document via email no later than Thursday 18 September at 9 p.m. in Kuwait. On the Subject line of your email type: No Fly. An assignment that is marked 9:01 p.m. or later loses at least 10 points.  Questions? Send them to my email, please. 

  

Speaker Series: Fawaz Al Sirri, Monday 15 September

The founder and president of one of Kuwait's leading public relations agencies will speak to GUST Services Marketing students on Monday 15 September at 12:30 p.m. in W6-200. This session replaces Monday's regularly scheduled classes. Please attend the speech prepared to ask questions!

Bensirri Public Relations, owned and operated by Fawaz Al Sirri, represents numerous service-based businesses. This presentation will focus on the challenges involved in promoting service businesses.

Please visit Bensirri Public Relations for background information to prepare yourself (and develop questions) for this session. 

Read the Services Marketing Syllabus

Here's your syllabus for Services Marketing. Please read it and make certain that you understand the content. If you have questions, please let me know, but please do not ask questions that have been answered in the syllabus.