The Use of Student Letters of Praise and Complaint as an Introduction to Marketing Activity

Abstract

Over a three-year period all beginning marketing students at Bowling Green State University were introduced to marketing with an assignment requiring each to write a letter, of either praise or complaint, to a business firm about its product or service. An analysis was made of the 940 student responses to a series of questionnaries and rating forms administered before, during, and after the assignment. This article discusses whether the assignment was viewed as worthwhile from a student's point of view, and whether the students experienced an attitude change toward the firm, product, or service in completing this letter writing experience.