TY  - JOUR
AB  - Subject area The given case deals with the fact that primary objectives of services producers and marketers are identical to those of all marketers: to develop and provide offerings that satisfy consumer needs and expectations, thereby ensuring their own economic survival. To achieve these objectives, service providers need to understand how consumers choose, experience, and evaluate their service offerings. It also talks about employing innovative techniques at the basic level by optimizing available resources offering quality service at value based pricing, thereby, increasing customer retention by developing the trust of the consumer.Study level/applicability Graduation or post graduation level students studying subjects pertaining to the services aspect of marketing, namely innovative service offerings, value for money, service experience and evaluation, challenge of integrating the 4 A's of services marketing and offering them in sustainable quality, promotional or communication mix for services and consumer behaviour.Case overview Today's dual-career couples, single-parent families, and two-job families are realizing a burning consumer need: more time. Individuals in these and other non-traditional family configurations are overstressed with their work and home obligations and find that dealing with many of life's everyday tasks is overwhelming. For many customers, all types of shopping have become “drudgery or worse.” The antidote to this time deficiency is found in many new services that recover time for consumers. One such professional service is catering. The present case study deals with grass root level innovations in this service offering that adds flavour to our lives.Expected learning outcomes Understanding the catering services offering and its features in evolving consumer's world; analyzing the importance of optimizing available resources and offering customer satisfaction, ensuring marketers own economic survival; realizing the significance of value offering and related value based pricing for services; comprehending the importance of word of mouth in post experience evaluation in services; the effect of quality and quantity consciousness in marketers while offering catering services; and understanding obstacles and challenges faced by small and medium service industries at the initial level.Supplementary materials Teaching notes.
VL  - 2
IS  - 1
SN  - 2045-0621
DO  - 10.1108/20450621111206009
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/20450621111206009
AU  - Manikandan Varsha
AU  - Swaminathan G.
AU  - Khattri Varsha
PY  - 2012
Y1  - 2012/01/01
TI  - “They don't just cater, they care” – a case on Sakthi's Kitchen Pvt Ltd
T2  - Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 1
EP  - 9
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -