Final answer:
Basic customer expectations that are essential for a business to remain in consideration by customers are referred to as order qualifiers. These are contrasted with order winners, which are factors that influence the actual decision to purchase from a particular supplier. Hence, option (a) is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
Basic customer expectations are generally considered the minimum performance level required to stay in business and are often referred to as order qualifiers. These are the essential criteria that a product or service must meet for it to be considered by a potential customer. Without these qualifiers, a business might not even be in the running for consideration by a buyer.
For instance, in the restaurant industry, cleanliness might be an order qualifier. A patron expects a clean dining environment and without it, they may choose not to dine at that establishment.
Order winners, on the other hand, are the factors that contribute to the customer's decision to purchase from one supplier over another, and often include aspects like price, quality, or unique selling points. Credence attributes and experience attributes relate to elements that a customer may assess after purchase or over time; for example, the long-term reliability of a product or the perceived value based on its use.