A Customer Perspective on Product Eliminations: How the Removal of Products Affects Customers and Business Relationships

Regardless of the apparent need for product eliminations, many managers hesitate to act as they fear deleterious effects on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Other managers do carry out product eliminations, but often fail to consider the consequences for customers and business relationships. Given the relevance and problems of product eliminations, research on this topic in general and on the consequences for customers and business relationships in particular is surprisingly scarce. Therefore, this empirical study explores how and to what extent the elimination of a product negatively affects customers and business relationships. Results indicate that eliminating a product may result in severe economic and psychological costs to customers, thereby seriously decreasing customer satisfaction and loyalty. This paper also shows that these costs are not exogenous in nature. Instead, depending on the characteristics of the eliminated product these costs are found to be more or less strongly driven by a company’s behavior when implementing the elimination at the customer interface

Pulmonary Exacerbations

Pulmonary exacerbations (PEx) are a frequent occurrence in the lives of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) and are associated with worsened morbidity, mortality, and quality of life. Approximately 25–35% individuals with CF don’t recover to 90% of baseline lung function after treatment for a PEx. Currently, there is scant evidence upon which to base guidelines for detection and management of PEx; therefore, the CF Foundation convened a working group to design and conduct clinical trials in order to establish evidence for best practices (Standardized Treatment of Pulmonary Exacerbations, STOP). The STOP program has conducted an observational study which has helped define the phenotype of PEx, characterize physician treatment practices, and evaluate clinical endpoints to use in future clinical trials. STOP-2 is an ongoing clinical trial of duration of antibiotics, which should guide establishment of best practices on duration. This chapter reviews the definition, epidemiology, current treatment practices, prognosis, and associated outcomes related to CF PEx. A patient perspective highlights the burden of PEx on the lives of individuals with CF. Current research is reviewed to clarify future directions in PEx. Upcoming clinical trials of PEx should provide robust clinical data in order to provide clear guidelines on detection and treatment of PEx