Extraordinary Experiences Essay Example

includes beliefs, attitudes and activity sequences. But expectations for extraordinary experience are vague because : 1- the consumers desire an intense emotional outcomes , but emotions are subjective; 2- experience is spontaneous and unrehearsed.

Spontaneity distinguishes an extraordinary experience from the daily routines with the perception of an event as extraordinary (Abraham's 1986). Performance is linked with the satisfaction. Satisfaction is a summary index of service's performance on various attributes and emerge during the frame of the experience (Designations, Green and Green 1988; Howard 1991). Suffocation is also interpreted within the broader narrative context of consumer life (Bitterly 1987 ; Deletion 1 * Does the GAP-model work in this context ?

The GAP model, which is referred to the quality of the services, is an useful way to understand the performances of an organization. It is often used by companies who actually want to analyses their results, and tit receive feedback on the services they offer. The model measures the "GAPS" indeed, referring to two different point of view: the one of the costumers and the one of the providers. Looking at the costumer gap, there is to say that it consists in the difference between the expectations the consumer has, and what the real perception of the service is.

We think that this stage of the model can also be used to analyze the experiences that we define "extraordinary', which have a strong emotional impact. The reason is that also in those moments people have ideas of what they expect, even if they can not precisely estimate them, or express them with a number. It possible to find an example of this in the

case studied by the Journal of Consumer Research, which talks about the rafting experience on Colorado River.

From the research emerges that people have expectations about the experience they are going to live, but also about the environment, the safety and about other people, such as the guides and other members of the trip. Collecting detailed data from those who were attending this experience, will make the use of the GAP model possible. As said in the introduction, the GAP model concerns also the so-called "provider gaps", which are four. First of all, the provider may not know the expectations of the costumers.

This can be due to a lack of interaction or an inadequate marketing search and consequently the absence of information. To overcome this problem the provider has to make adjustments, improving relationship marketing. The second gap occurs when the right quality designs and standards are not respected. They should not have oversimplification or incompleteness, because quality influences the standard. A third point the provider has to take care about is that the delivery reflects the design. He has to control this through systems, processes and people: a support staff to encourage the achievement of the standard.