Why Customer Participation Matters Case Study Memo

Case Study Recommendation Memo Assignment

At Fern Fort University, we write Why Customer Participation Matters case study recommendation memo as per the Harvard Business Review Sales & Marketing case memo framework. If you are looking for MBA, Executive MBA or Corporate / Professional level recommendation memo then feel free to connect with us.

Other topics that can be covered in the above case memo are . The recommendations in the case memo are - aligned with strategy of the company, based on robust data, and provide a clear roadmap for execution.

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Why Customer Participation Matters Description

Sales & Marketing Case Study | Authors :: Omar Merlo, Andreas B. Eisingerich, Seigyoung Auh

This is an MIT Sloan Management Review article. Most managers know that listening to customers makes good business sense. Businesses have much to gain from actively seeking and encouraging customer participation, which the authors define as getting customers to provide constructive suggestions and share their ideas on how to shape product and service offerings. Yet many companies only pay lip service to this idea.Rather than encouraging customers to share their views about the company and its products with managers, the authors found, companies tend to focus on encouraging customers to take part in spreading positive word of mouth. Yet word of mouth is only one type of voluntary behavior that customers engage in. Moreover, it indicates only what people on the outside are saying, not how companies can improve their offerings or what customers may be looking for. The authors, who conducted surveys of customers as well as interviews and roundtable discussions with senior executives in a variety of industries, found that both customer word of mouth and customer- to-business interactions are associated with a customer's propensity to buy more of a company's products and services. While not all satisfied customers become repeat buyers, encouraging them to provide feedback and suggestions helps tie them more closely to the business. Companies can even recapture defecting customers simply by contacting them and encouraging them to participate. In addition, customer-to-business interaction is often more malleable than customer-to-customer word of mouth and more readily within the control of management. In a study of customers of a global bank, the authors found that customers who purchased the most were individuals who participated and engaged in much word-of-mouth behavior. High participation/ high word-of-mouth customers were the most loyal and attached to the brand; customers who did not participate tended to be the least valuable, the least loyal and the least attached to the organization regardless of whether they spread positive word of mouth. The implications of the findings are that fostering customer participation can be very valuable and that companies are better off emphasizing customer participation over word of mouth (as opposed to the reverse), because it creates more customer "stickiness"(as in greater attachment and commitment). Nevertheless, the authors say, the two approaches should be seen as two sides of a coin, working both internally and externally to build financial value for companies.

Purpose of Sales & Marketing Case Study Recommendation Memo

A Case Study Memo or Case Study Recommendation Memo is a routinely used document in leading organizations, and you may be writing number of such memos to executive leadership to “sell” or elevate an initiative that either you are undertaking or you wanted to kick start. Therefore, it is essential that you have a professional case study recommendation memo.

The purpose of a recommendation memo is to concisely recommend a course of action and provide rationale supporting the recommendation. The case study recommendation memo is a one-two page document (not including exhibits) that recommends your course of action and rationale. This format promotes a concise and clear strategic thought process.

Elements of a Case Study Recommendation Memo for – MBA & Executive MBA

1. First Paragraph of Why Customer Participation Matters recommendation memo

• This paragraph expresses your intent or action that you required after reading the Why Customer Participation Matters case study (This recommends……).
• Topic overview of the case study (the “what”, not “when” or “how”): costs, funding, etc.
  
• Ends with the hook: selling idea, the “why” or payoff: this part reveals the author’s point of view. What you intend to do after reading the case and it clearly mention your decision.

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2. Background of Why Customer Participation Matters case study

This paragraph explains why we are talking about this today. It lays out the story. It provides us details from the case story such as -

• Historical perspective on the problem is provided. Details are elaborated that underline the given problem.
• Highlights - what brought us to this moment, why we are in this position, what brought about the need to make this decision.
• Dimensionalize the importance of the problem to the organization and how it is impacting the organization.
• Constraints – Provide a situational analysis based on case study analysis.
• Keep the background section both factual and concise. It is part of the memo where we provide a brief insight into the problem and define the problem.

Checklist

Is the background clear, concise, and easy to follow?
Does it explain why action is needed now?
Does the appropriate sense of urgency come across in the case study?

3. Recommendations for Why Customer Participation Matters Case Memo

Recommendations section will provide details regarding what is needed to be done, how it can be done, when to do it and who will do it. It can be elaborated with scenario planning as businesses

• The details of what, when and how. NO 'why'.
• This section should be very specific (100% clear). It must be actionable (How much will it cost, when, how, who). The reader should be able to read this and know how to carry out this recommendation.
• Some cases will require more than one recommendation. It often happens that the firm will require more than one recommendations as there are numerous unknown in the market place.

Checklist

Is the recommendation clear and actionable? Does the firm has capability to implement the recommendations or does it needs to hire fresh talent?

4. Basis for the Recommendations

• Here the reader of the case memo will learn WHY each recommendation is the UNIQUE right thing to do.
• 2-3 solid reasons are typical. The reasons should be backed by clear logic, organization’s vision and mission statements, and robust data analysis.
• Orignal recommendation can be backed by few supporting roadmap to actions. In operations cases the Critical Path Method of PERT can be used to illustrate the point.
• Support includes impact on profit, share, and anything else that can affect long-term business goals of the firm.
• Analysis should address applicable quantitative issues such as NPV, break even analysis, pro forma statement of project budget, sensitivity analysis; as well as qualitative issues, such as, technology consistency, architectural conformance, innovation potential, etc.
• Appeals to precedent and anecdotal evidence in absence of data, but only in limited, carefully constrained manner.
• Shows how the recommendation will put the firm at a competitive advantage or is simply acompetitive necessity.
• The goal is to read the basis and conclude the recommendation.

Checklist

• Is the recommendation an inescapable conclusion of the basis?
• Does the basis for recommendation appropriately consider:
  1. Core competencies and consistency with mission?
  2. External customers and internal clients?
  3. Competitors?
  4. Attractiveness – quantitative measures if applicable (e.g., NPV, ROI, break-even, payback)?
• Are all assumptions explicitly stated (e.g., needs, technology trends)?

5. Discussions

• Outline other alternatives not selected and provide brief reasoning for doing so.
• Discuss risks and key assumptions for Why Customer Participation Matters case memo (use full disclosure, reference options grid) of your recommendation.
• When you give a precise number or range, you must support the basis as well.

Checklist

• Is the analysis thorough with key alternatives fairly considered using options grid?
• Risks associated with recommendation for Why Customer Participation Matters are properly addressed given the present capabilities and future expectations?

6. Next Steps for Why Customer Participation Matters case study memo

• Clearly specify the roadmap of the execution. Provide specific date and action that are required to carry on the next steps.
• Task assignment, objectives, roles and metrics should be mentioned in advance to reduce ambiguity and replication. (what will be done, by whom, and by when)

Checklist

• Clear follow-up/next steps?
• If appropriate, lay out timeline with key milestones to implement recommendation.

7. Exhibits for Why Customer Participation Matters case memo

• An Exhibit can be a data chart, map, graph, grid, or simple data table.
• While doing the calculations please mention all the assumptions. The reader won’t able to decipher each of the assumption so make them explicit.
• Exhibits should have Title, sources, footnotes to calculation. The point of the Exhibit should be instantly clear to the reader.
• Exhibits should be cited in the proper order (i.e., do not cite Exhibit 4 first in your Memo and then Exhibit 2).
  

Checklist for Why Customer Participation Matters case study memo exhibit

• Is the analysis presented in the case memo - precise, accurate, and data-based?
• Are the exhibits clearly laid out, titled, and referenced in the case study memo?
• Is every assumption mentioned in the case memo is explicitly listed?

NOTE: Every memo may not include every element described above. The specific case will dictate what must be included. For custom case memo please email us or process the order.

You can order Why Customer Participation Matters Case Study Recommendation Memo with us at Fern Fort University .