IGNOU MMPM-005 June 2023 Previous Year Question Paper

Q1.Why do consumers of services perceive higher levels of risk associate d with their purchases ?

Q2.Discuss with the help of examples.

Q3.(a) What are basic differences between pricing of goods and services ? 10

(b) Does characteristics of services influence their pricing ? Discuss , taking each characteristic, one by one. 10 [ 2 ]

Q4.Why do consumers switch service providers ?

Q5.What can you do as a market er to prevent the customers from switching ? Explain by taking an example.

Q6.Write short notes on any two of the following : 2×10=20

(a) Cycle of failure

(b) Quasi retailing

(c) Customer relationship management

(d) Five dimensions of service quality

Q7.The ultimate goal of service marketing is to drive customer from awareness to advocac y. In general, there are three main sources of influence marketers can use to do so. A customer’s decision are usually influence d by a combination of their own influence, others’ influence, and outer influence. The outer influence comes from external sources. It is purposely initiated by brands through advertising and other marketing. It may also come from other customer interfaces such as sales force and customer service staff. Similarly, others’ influence also comes from the external environment. Typically, it comes from a close circle of friends and family as word of mouth. Others’ influence can also come from a broader but independent community to which customers belong. Among many segments, the youth, women, and netizens (YWN) are the most influential. Despite a brand’s effort, it is essentially difficult to manage and control the outcome of others’ influence. The only way for a brand to do so is through community marketing. Companies cannot directly control the conversation within the community, but they may facilitate discussion with the help of loyal customers. On the other hand, own influence comes from within oneself. I t is a result of past experience and interaction with several brands, personal judgment and evaluation of the brands, and finally individual preference toward the chosen brand(s).

(a) Why are social media such as YouTube, and blogs so important in the mar keting of services ? 20

(b) What are some of the challenges in service communications and how do you overcome them ?