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Describes the value of computerized systems in freeing counselors from excessive paperwork and allowing them time to provide improved student services. Offers guidelines for designing and implementing an effective information system for career and academic counseling. Outlines benefits, desirable system characteristics, basic components of an information system, behavioral problems to anticipate, and steps to minimize dysfunctional behavior. (KS)

Extant research is equivocal about the organizational performance effects of customer relationship management (CRM) technology use, with some studies reporting positive effects and other studies reporting no effects at all. The present research effort posits that these mixed findings may potentially be explained by two factors: (1) CRM technology use may have different effects on different customers, and (2) different CRM tools may have different performance consequences. This study investigates this possibility by building on relationship marketing and management theory to propose and test a model of the customer- and firm-level consequences of the organizational use of CRM interaction support and customer prioritization tools. The results of data analysis of 295 customer firms nested within 10 provider firms reveal that firm use of CRM interaction support tools is positively related to customers' relationship perceptions, regardless of customer account size. In contrast, the data indicate that use of CRM prioritization tools appears to have positive effects on a firm's larger customers and negative effects on smaller customers. The results also suggest that when considered at an aggregate level, customer perceptions of the exchange relationship are predictive of organizational performance and that the association between these two variables is significant for larger customer accounts but insignificant for smaller accounts. Overall, the study's results help explain some of the inconsistent findings reported in the literature regarding the performance implications of CRM technology use and suggest that use of the technology may serve to enhance organizational performance, at least over the short term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article considers the assertion that the older population should become the healthcare industry's preferred customer. The article notes the statistics that the older population spends more per individual for healthcare, and notes the reasons that increasing marketing to this population is a sound strategy. The article discusses a study, conducted by the Center for Mature Consumer Studies at Georgia State University, on a segmentation model called gerontographics, that studied the consumer habits of mature consumers. The study looked at hospital and physician choice, and findings as they relate to marketing to geriatrics.

Simulation appears to be a promising tool for applied market ing researchers. Marketing executives, however, have not yet learned to appreciate its value. This paper presents the re sults of a simulation study of the effects of subway construc tion on retail traffic flows and sales. It is to be hoped that this study and others like it will help to show the potential value of simulation to marketing management. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]