the cases is in attach
Mayo Clinic case
1.Explain why Mayo Clinic is exceptional at customer service. What are the key differentiating points from other hospitals or medical facilities?Suggested Answer: Student answers will vary but good students will cite and refer to the 5 dimensions of reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and the tangibles and will cite these examples from the case—core values of the founders, new modern facilities, new modern procedures, teamwork, salaried doctors, and not-for-profit status as examples.
2.Is there a conflict between wanting to make your patient happy and providing the best medical care possible? Why or why not? Suggested Answers: Student answers will vary and a strong case can be made for both.Yes: Patient “happiness” is an emotion that has no definition that is universal to all. If the demand to make the patient “happy” is overwhelming, medical judgments might be impaired. For example, a doctor could decide not to order a medical “test” because the procedure would inflict emotional or financial harm to the patient (i.e., make them not happy). This lack of procedure could wind up causing harm to the patient.No: Happiness is an integral part of what makes us human and emotions control or have been known to control or speed up the healing process. Responding to the “customer/patient” should not conflict with good medical care—it should be part of the definition of good medical care.
Samsung case
Q1. What are some of Samsung’s greatest competitive strengths? Throughout Samsung’s existence, the brand evolved with the changing times resulting in various competitive strengths. In the beginning, Samsung focused on volume and market domination to help expose the Samsung brand as a true competitor against other powerhouse brands like Sony and RCA. Then, after the Asian financial crisis in the late 90s, Samsung switched strategies by cutting company fat, emphasizingproduct quality, and manufacturing flexibility (Kotler, 343). This newly found strength allowed Samsung to maximize their product turnover ratio to less than six months. More recently, Samsung’s greatest competitive strength comes from a combination of research towards innovations technology, key partnerships with Sony and Microsoft, and their successful ad campaigns/sponsorships (Kotler, 343).
Q2. Samsung’s goal of $400 billion in sales by 2020 would bring it to the same level as Wal-Mart. Is this feasible? Why or why not?
I see no reason why Samsung would not be able to reach their goal of $400 billion in sales by 2020. Samsung is currently the 9thlargest global brand and #1 producer in smartphones, TV’s, and memory semiconductors (Samsung Tomorrow, 2013). Their leadership position in these particular segments of the market suggests the brand will thrive once it expands into new areas such as the health care and home energy markets. The health care and home energy markets are multi-billion dollar markets getting much attention in today’s world due to serious social and environmental issues.
