Livestrong is currently one of the most visible and active charities in the world. It is consistently praised as resoundingly efficient and accountable; Charity Navigator recently gave Livestrong a rating of four stars (its highest) and a score of 64 out of 70 for its financial responsibility and its transparency. However, all is not well at Livestrong. For years, cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong has been the face of Livestrong—a living symbol of the organization’s commitment to empowering cancer patients to live to the fullest. Hundreds of thousands of individuals have given to Livestrong or bought a yellow wristband because they were inspired by Armstrong’s bravery in overcoming cancer and reaching the pinnacle of sporting success.
However, Armstrong is now a tainted symbol. After a thorough investigation, the United States Anti Doping Agency presented a mountain of evidence showing that Armstrong not only used performance-enhancing drugs during his career, but that he was in charge of a systematic doping program that pressured teammates to use drugs as well. Based on this evidence (and later confirmed by Armstrong’s own admission), the USADA banned Armstrong from competing in any of its events, and the International Cycling Union stripped him of all seven of his Tour de France titles. Lance Armstrong was now no longer a symbol of triumph or perseverance; in most eyes, he was simply a cheater who got caught.
In the midst of this professional disgrace, Armstrong decided that he would step down as chairman of Livestrong. Though he would continue to be a member of Livestrong’s board, he would no longer have a role as its public face as he did for the past 15 years. This is, of course, was a huge blow to the organization, which lost its founder—and its best fundraiser.
Brent Schrotenboer, “USADA Release Massive Evidence Vs. Lance Armstrong,” USA Today, October 11, 2012, www.usatoday.com/story/sports/cycling/2012/10/10/lance-armstrong-usada-reasoned-decision-teammates-doping/1624551/ (Accessed March 26, 2013); David Wharton and Lance Pugmire, “USADA Report Details Case Against Lance Armstrong,” Los Angeles Times, October 11, 2012, http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/11/sports/la-sp-armstrong-doping-20121011 (Accessed March 26, 2013); “Factbox: State of the Lance Armstrong Foundations’ Finances,” Chicago Tribune, October 17, 2012, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-17/business/sns-rt-us-cycling-armstrong-financesbre89g21g-20121017_1_testicular-cancer-lance-armstrong-foundation-austin (Accessed March 26, 2013); Krishnadev Calamur, “Lance Armstrong Admits to Using Performance-enhancing Drugs,” NPR, January 17, 2013, www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/01/17/169650077/lance-armstrong-to-admit-to-using-performance-enhancing-drugs (Accessed March 26, 2013); “Lance Armstrong Foundation,” Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=6570 (Accessed March 26, 2013); Lance Pugmire, “Lance Armstrong Quits Livestrong Post, Loses Endorsement Deals,” Los Angeles Times, October 18, 2012, http://articles.latimes.com/2012/oct/18/sports/la-sp-lance-armstrong-20121018 (Accessed March 26, 2013); “Where The Money Goes,” Livestrong, October 31, 2012, www.livestrong.org/What-We-Do/Our-Approach/Where-the-Money-Goes (Accessed March 26, 2013).
1. Which of the following service quality components was most affected by Lance Armstrong’s doping admission?
| A. Tangibles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| B. Reliability. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| C. Empathy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| D. Assurance. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| E. Responsiveness.
2. Which of the following is true regarding Livestrong’s relationship marketing?
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