Chapter 8

CASE STUDY 8

David Smith

Beckert

MGMT 221

February 14th, 2012

Embry Riddle World Wide

1)      Consider your own online shopping patterns. How much weight do you place on the presence of name or logo or other trademark (Such as the KitchenAid silhouette) on a web site when purchasing goods and services? Do you ever stop to consider whether you may have been misled? How could you tell the difference?

With my online shopping patterns, I tend to lean towards the cheaper product. If anything malfunctions I can blame it on the cheapness of the product, but if it works great, I’ve gotten a great deal. Although, when it comes to a product where all I need is quality, then I will go straight to a brand that I have used and trust because it gives me confidence in my purchase. Nowadays, online shopping also comes with online user reviews. These reviews will give you a very good perspective about the product. On top of user reviews, sites such as CNET, have editorial reviews. “CNET Reviews editors are so involved with tech, they may actually be cyborgs. And it's not just the detailed reviews. They write blog posts, record podcasts, and give advice about all kinds of gadgets (Carnoy, 2011).”  Also, with online shopping everything has a reputation. I would much rather Buy a product from a seller with a higher selling rating then one with a lower one.

2)      Brian Maynard of KitchenAid notes that the development of the internet changed the problem of brand policing. What are some of these changes? What new challenges can you think of that did not exist in the preonline world? Provide several examples.

In today’s world, the internet is the mainframe of communication worldwide. Its increasing speeds make it the perfect place for a quick scam. Anyone can download trademarked logos and use them as their own which can deceive people who are new to online shopping. The customer should “learn as much as possible about the seller, especially if the only information...