Question

Topic: Student Questions

Events Dissertation Topic - Consumer Beheaviour

Posted by Anonymous on 10/2/2013 at 9:11 AM ET 250 Points
I am currently deciding what to write my dissertation on an dam really struggling!

I am interested in consumer behaviour and the relationship between motivation and event satisfaction.

I was going to do it on the effects on social media but have been told to stay clear of it!

I work for a company who have several venues where events take place i.e weddings etc. I have unlimited resources and people to speak to here so was looking to incorporate that in some way. Maybe do a case study of the company?

I am just struggling to narrow my topic down to a manageable research question.


Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted on 10/2/2013 at 2:51 PM Accepted
    Can you survey past clients to determine their overall level of satisfaction and the key determinants of overall satisfaction? If you then ask future clients how they will evaluate the company when determining their overall satisfaction, can you predict overall satisfaction?

    This is like asking about attribute importance and using responses to model (and predict) overall satisfaction. From a practical standpoint, this can guide the company to better performance against the things people want/expect, doing a better job of setting expectations -- and ultimately leading to to greater customer satisfaction (perhaps justifying higher prices or more up-sell opportunities).

    In short, identify the most important attributes of the service experience in creating high overall satisfaction.
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 10/2/2013 at 7:44 PM Accepted
    Forget satisfaction, focus on experiences.
  • Posted on 10/3/2013 at 5:13 AM Author
    Thank you for your replies.

    I would probably be able to survey some clients but it may be difficult to get a lot of responses. I understand the concept and think I could execute this quite well. Thanks for the advice!

    If I focus on experiences how will I measure it? Would I again survey the clients to determine this? Do you have any ideas for a research question regarding experiences?
  • Posted by Moriarty on 10/3/2013 at 5:35 AM Accepted
    Good morning. Experiences aren't easy to measure. It would be more of a case of 'well they said this'

    More importantly, speaking to satisfied clients will give you more avenues for thought - they're telling you what they see of your business after all. It doesn't need many to get a good idea.

    The other side of this is to speak to those who weren't happy ... now this sounds silly, but wait! No person can be all things to all men - no international corporation can either, despite their size and power. No matter how hard they try, they can't. The only way to do it is by offering the same things that everyone else supplies. What a waste of talent! So finding out the few small things you don't do well is important as it will give you a real focus to the things you do well. Can you untangle this seeming contradiction?

    all of this points to the USP of your business - it's something Rosser Reeves came up with in the 40s and 50s. That's long before I was born, let alone you - and yet it's barely used. It's your "Unique Selling Proposition" and believe me, it works. I know mine and it really gets reactions. Okay, so I'm also on the moderator's hit list because I upset people with it ... what was I saying about not being all things to all people ?? Believe me, it's way better than conforming - you and the business you work for have some special qualities that you have to smother if you're to offer what everyone else does.

    Careful study of the customer's reactions will give you a clear indication of what it is.

    Does this point you in a direction that you can sensibly use for your dissertation?
  • Posted on 10/3/2013 at 2:43 PM Author
    Thanks! Yes, that all makes sense to me.

    I am going to concentrate on customer satisfaction and survey past and future clients to determine the key attributes in creating satisfaction.

    Does anyone have any ideas on what my research question for this could be? Focussing on customer satisfaction and relating it to the company I work for?
  • Posted by Moriarty on 10/3/2013 at 2:51 PM Member
    Back to editing my father's academic papers ... how about

    Determining which aspects of a business' branding affect customer satisfaction the most

    or
    which aspects of a brand affect their customers' satisfaction most? A case study.

    Key attributes affecting customer satisfaction in the entertainment industry

    The effect of a USP on customer satisfaction in the entertainment industry


    Are these any good? IS there something you'd like added? I can spout this kind of stuff all day (my pa was a professor and did time at Cambridge too) I grew up reading academic journals ;-)
  • Posted on 10/3/2013 at 3:31 PM Author
    Thank you very much they are all really good suggestions!

    I like the thought of looking at my work as a case study and incorporating it into my dissertation that way.

    I think something along the lines of identifying key attributes that affect customer satisfaction: a case study of...

    Hopefully that isn't too broad a question to look into!
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 10/3/2013 at 7:55 PM Member
    Dear Katie,

    "Experience" (when refined and properly engineered) can a primary factor in driving brand loyalty
    via a school of thought known as astonishment architecture.

    As an activator and as any kind of niche differentiation factor "satisfaction" undermines pretty much everything that supports brand equity.

    Satisfaction is a cop out.

    Why?

    Because it's easy.

    It's easy because being different takes effort and work.

    Being just like every other business in your niche is safe. The thinking here goes "Well, gee, it (being average) must be working because everyone else is doing it".

    Katie, if you learn only one thing about marketing before your skills are unleashed upon an unsuspecting world, let it be this: in messaging, positioning, and conditioning, mediocrity is balance sheet death.

    Does any company worth its salt REALLY want its customers to merely be satisfied? When with just
    a little extra effort that same company could give its customers experiences that thrill, delight, and amaze them?

    Apple does this.

    Zappos does it.

    Amazon does it.

    Joie de Vivre Hospitality does it (and does so using just about 2 percent of its total annual operating budget).

    When everyone else zigs, winners zag.
  • Posted by Moriarty on 10/4/2013 at 3:33 AM Member
    [sidenote] I'm afraid that I too was under the misapprehension that satisfaction didn't do my brand much good. As words go, it's a pretty good start for someone who doesn't know the finer points. By the way, Gary, when you start zagging, sometimes you get into trouble with the moderator. Be warned. [/sidenote]


    Katie - hang on a minute! You've got a perfectly good start with "identifying key attributes that affect customer satisfaction: a case study of..." - so let's do a little reverse engineering here. It's what marketing is all about really, and that's dancing to the customer's tune. My point is that you've got today to ask a few customers about their needs and experiences - and you'll gather some useful thoughts just in a few minutes' chatting.

    More to the point, it's not you or me deciding on what the title should be, it's your customers. Since you've gottem, ask 'em ;-)

    You've hammered out something general, broad in your mind. Don't do any more or you might be beating a path down the wrong track. Find out where they are - your customers - and beat a track in their direction. Don't ask them what they think and why they're choosing you - you need concrete evidence and that means asking them about what they liked about their last party (or what they liked in your ads that brought them along). Much more important than any of this is returning customers, ask them why they return (phone 'em if you're allowed) ask them what they say to their friends if they're recommending you. If they're pleased customers, you won't have any problem getting them to share their feelings.

    Knowing where they are will refine your dissertation's title/question. Brainstorming - thinking outside the box - is only truly effective when it's focused on a result. Knowing the result (which result!) is an art in itself - in marketing it's made easier because your clients can let you know what to look for.

    Doing this now means that you'll have something to work with over the weekend, maybe even make a start on your dissertation. Harness the power of customer satisfaction.

    Oops! Now what was the word Gary used?
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Student Questions)