St George Bank Corporate Performance Centre - Human Resources Essay

St George Bank Corporate Performance Centre - Human Resources - Essay Example This paper illustrates that literacy was traditionally viewed as the ability of an individual to read, and communicate using symbols in a defined social context. In this context, a literate individual can ‘derive and convey meaning, and use their knowledge to achieve a desired purpose or goal that requires the use of language skills, be they spoken or written’. Such an individual can reorganize the meaning of a given language from one knowledge base to fit in another knowledge base. The concept of literacy has evolved over time with the changes that are observed in the society so that in the modern setting it has grown to include knowledge of the applications of information communication technologies and other critical literacy in the daily operations. The use of modern technology such as computer and the internet is common in the current work place to facilitate various organizational functions. The organizations are showing increasing concern on customer satisfaction i n order to attract and retain customers as one of the strategies for competition. Customer satisfaction will in turn be influenced by the quality of service provided (speed, accuracy, and convenience). The application of modern technology is appropriate in achieving this objective. The employees need to be conversant with these modern technologies to ensure that they are effectively applied at the workplace. However, this may not be achieved since some of the employees are illiterate and this hinders their ability to learn and understand the application of such modern technologies.... This led to the development of training reforms with the initiation of programs such as Towards a Skilled Australia (1994-1998), A Bridge to the Future (1998-2003), and Shaping Our Future (2004-2010) all emphasizing on the essence of adult literacy and numeracy skills (Smith, 273). This has set pace for adult learning in different organizations within Australia. This paper focuses on various aspects of adult learning and training employed at St George Bank, Australia. The use of adult learning principles to develop workforce at St George The level of literacy has been relatively high in the general population in Australia in the past few decades with low levels of literacy recorded for indigenous students (Department of Education Science and Technology, 2012). These individuals move on to become employees in organizations. However, significant developments are often recorded in the operations of organization necessitating training and development programs for the employees. Such empl oyees will be trained at older ages applying the principles and processes in adult learning. Adult learning is necessary to enhance a change in the skills of the adults, their behaviors, their knowledge level, or attitudes and thoughts towards some concept (Russell, para.2). The learning process among adults may take a different dimension from that observed among the young learners, largely because the adults have had some experiences and expanded individual understanding of a given concept. Significant differences are observed in the ‘degree of motivation, the amount of previous experience, the level of engagement in the learning process, and how the learning is applied’ (Russell, para.2). Generally, an effective adult learning process will occur if there is

Marketing Segmentation Essay Example for Free

Marketing Segmentation Essay Market segmentation is the process of dividing up a market into more-or-less homogenous subsets for which it is possible to create different value propositions. At the end of the process the company can decide which segment(s) it wants to serve. If it chooses, each segment can be served with a different value proposition and managed in a different way. Market segmentation processes can be used during CPM for two main purposes. They can be used to segment potential markets to identify which customers to acquire, and to cluster current customers with a view to offering differentiated value propositions supported by different relationship management strategies. In this discussion we’ll focus on the application of market segmentation processes to identify which customers to acquire. What distinguishes market segmentation for this CRM purpose is its very clear focus on customer value. The outcome of the process should be the identification of the value potential of each identified segment. Companies will want to identify and target customers that can generate profit in the future: these will be those customers that the company and its network are better placed to serve and satisfy than their competitors. Market segmentation in many companies is highly intuitive. The marketing team will develop profiles of customer groups based upon their insight and experience. This is then used to guide the development of marketing strategies across the segments. In a CRM context, market segmentation is highly data dependent. The data might be generated internally or sourced externally. Internal data from marketing, sales and finance records are ofte n enhanced with additional data from external sources such as marketing research companies, partner organizations in the company’s network and data specialists (see Figure 5.2 ). The market segmentation process can be broken down into a number of steps: 1. identify the business you are in 2. identify relevant segmentation variables 3. analyse the market using these variables 4. assess the value of the market segments 5. select target market(s) to serve. Sales forecasting: Slide #6 (p. 136-8) The second discipline that can be used for CPM is sales forecasting. One major issue commonly facing companies that conduct CPM is that the data available for clustering customers takes a historical or, at best, present day view. The data identifies those customers who have been, or presently are, important for sales, profit or other strategic reasons. If management believes the future will be the same as the past, this presents no problem. However, if the business environment is changeable, this does present a problem. Because CPMs goal is to identify those customers that will be strategically important in the future, sales forecasting can be a useful discipline. Sales forecasting, some pessimists argue, is a waste of time, because the business environment is rapidly changing and unpredictable. Major world events such as terrorist attacks, war, drought and market-based changes, such as new products from competitors or high visibility promotional campaigns, can make any sales forecas ts invalid. There are a number of sales forecasting techniques that can be applied, providing useful information for CPM. These techniques, which fall into three major groups, are appropriate for different circumstances. ââ€"  qualitative methods: customer surveys sales team estimates ââ€"  time-series methods: moving average exponential smoothing time-series decomposition ââ€"  causal methods: leading indicators regression models. Qualitative methods are probably the most widely used forecasting methods. Customer surveys ask consumers or purchasing officers to give an opinion on what they are likely to buy in the forecasting period. This makes sense when customers forward-plan their purchasing. Data can be obtained by inserting a question into a customer satisfaction survey. For example, ‘In the next six months are you likely to buy more, the same or less from us than in the  current period? ’ And, ‘If more, or less, what volume do you expect to buy from us? ’ Sometimes, third party organizations such as industry associations or trans-industry groups such as the Chamber of Commerce or the Institute of Directors collect data that indicate future buying intentions or proxies for intention, such as business confidence. Sales team estimates can be useful when salespeople have built close relationships with their customers. A key account management team might be well placed to generate s everal individual forecasts from the team membership. These can be averaged or weighted in some way that reflects the estimator’s closeness to the customer. Account managers for Dyno Nobel, a supplier of commercial explosives for the mining and quarrying industries, are so close to their customers that they are able to forecast sales two to three years ahead. Operational CRM systems support the qualitative sales forecasting methods, in particular sales team estimates. The CRM system takes into account the value of the sale, the probability of closing the sale and the anticipated period to closure. Many CRM systems also allow management to adjust the estimates of their sales team members, to allow for overly optimistic or pessimistic salespeople. Time-series approaches take historical data and extrapolate them forward in a linear or curvilinear trend. This approach makes sense when there are historical sales data, and the assumption can be safely made that the future will reflect the past. The moving average method is the simplest of these. This takes sales in a number of previous periods and averages them. The averaging process reduces o r eliminates random variation. The moving average is computed on successive periods of data, moving on one period at a time, as in Figure 5.10 . Moving averages based on different periods can be calculated on historic data to generate an accurate method. A variation is to weight the more recent periods more heavily. The rationale is that more recent periods are better predictors. In producing  an estimate for year 2009 in Figure 5.10 , one could weight the previous four years’ sales performance by 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, and 0.1, respectively, to reach an estimate. This would generate a forecast of 5461. This approach is called exponential smoothing. The decomposition method is applied when there is evidence of cyclical or seasonal patterns in the historical data. The method attempts to separate out four components of the time series: trend factor,  cyclical factor, seasonal factor and random factor. The trend factor is the longterm direction of the trend after the other three elements are removed. The cyclical factor represents regular long-term recurrent influences on sales; seasonal influences generally occur within annual cycles. It is sometimes possible to predict sales using leading indicators. A leading indicator is some contemporary activity or event that indicates that another activity or event will happen in the future. At a macro level, for example, housing starts are good predictors of future sales of kitchen furniture. At a micro level, when a credit card customer calls into a contact centre to ask about the current rate of interest, this is a strong indicator that the customer will switch to another supplier in the future. Regression models work by employing data on a number of predictor variables to estimate future demand. The variable being predicted is called the dependent variable; the variables being used as predictors are called independent variables. For example, if you wanted to predict demand for cars (the dependent variable) you might use data on population size, average disposable income, average car price for the category being predicted and average fuel price (the independent variables). The regression equation can be tested and validated on historical data before being adopted. New predictor variables can be substituted or added to see if they improve the accuracy of the forecast. This can be a useful approach for predicting demand from a segment. Activity-Based Costing: Slide #7 (p. 138-40) Customer Acquisition costs Terms of Trade Customer service costs Working capital costs Activity-based costing The third discipline that is useful for CPM is activity-based costing. Many companies, particularly those in a B2B context, can trace revenues to customers. In a B2C environment, it is usually only possible to trace revenues to identifiable customers if the company operates a billing system requiring customer details, or a membership scheme such as a customer club, store-card or a loyalty programme. In a B2B context, revenues can be tracked in the sales and accounts databases. Costs are an entirely different matter. Because the goal of CPM is to cluster customers according to their strategic value, it is desirable to be able to identify which customers are, or will be, profitable. Clearly, if a company is to understand customer profitability, it has to be able to trace costs, as well as revenues, to customers. Costs do vary from customer to customer. Some customers are very costly to acquire and serve, others are not. There can be considerable variance across the customer base within several categories of cost: ââ€"  customer acquisition costs : some customers require considerable sales effort to move them from prospect to fi rst-time customer status: more sales calls, visits to reference customer sites, free samples, engineering advice, guarantees that switching costs will be met by the vendor ââ€"  terms of trade : price discounts, advertising and promotion support, slotting allowances (cash paid to retailers for shelf space), extended invoice due dates ââ€"  customer service costs : han dling queries, claims and complaints, demands on salespeople and contact centre, small order sizes, high order frequency, just-in-time delivery, part load shipments, breaking bulk for delivery to multiple sites ââ€"  working capital costs : carrying inventory for the customer, cost of credit. Traditional product-based or general ledger costing systems do not provide this type of detail, and do not enable companies to estimate customer profitability. Product costing systems track material, labour and energy costs to products, often comparing actual to standard costs. They do not, however, cover the customer-facing activities of marketing, sales and service. General ledger costing systems do track costs across all parts of the business, but are normally too highly aggregated to establish which customers or segments are responsible for generating those costs. Activity-based costing (ABC) is an approach to costing that splits costs into two groups: volume-based costs and order-related costs. Volume based (product-related) costs are variable against the size of the order, but fixed per unit for any order and any customer. Material and direct labour costs are examples. Order-related (customer-related) costs vary according to the product and process requirements of each particular customer. Imagine two retail customers, each purchasing the same volumes of product from a manufacturer. Customer 1 makes no product or process demands. The sales revenue is $5000; the gross margin for the vendor is $1000. Customer 2 is a different story: customized  product, special overprinted outer packaging, just-in-time delivery to three sites, provision of point-of-sale material, sale or return conditions and discounted price. Not only that, but Customer 2 spends a lot of time agreeing these terms and conditions with a salesperson who has had to call three times before closing the sale. The sales revenue is $5000, but after accounting for product and process costs to meet the demands of this particular customer, the margin retained by the vendor is $250. Other things being equal, Customer 1 is four times as valuable as Customer 2. Whereas conventional cost accounti ng practices report what was spent, ABC reports what the money was spent doing. Whereas the conventional general ledger approach to costing identifies resource costs such as payroll, equipment and materials, the ABC approach shows what was being done when these costs were incurred. Figure 5.11 shows how an ABC view of costs in an insurance company’s claims processing department gives an entirely different picture to the traditional view. ABC gives the manager of the claims-processing department a much clearer idea of which activities create cost. The next question from a CPM perspective is ‘ which customers create the activity? ’ Put another way, which customers are the cost drivers? If you were to examine the activity cost item ‘ Analyse claims: $121 000 ’ , and find that 80 per cent of the claims were made by drivers under the age of 20, you’d have a clear understanding of the customer group that was creating that activity cost for the business. CRM needs ABC because of its overriding goal of generating profitable relationships with customers. Unless there is a costing system in place to trace costs to customers, CRM will find it very difficult to deliver on a promise of improved customer profitability. Overall, ABC serves customer portfolio management in a number of ways: 1. when combined with revenue figures, it tells you the absolute and relative levels of profit generated by eac h customer, segment or cohort 2. it guides you towards actions that can be taken to return customers to profit 3. it helps prioritize and direct customer acquisition, retention and development strategies 4. it helps establish whether customization and other forms of value creation for customers pay off. ABC sometimes justifies management’s confidence in the Pareto principle, otherwise known as the 80:20 rule. This rule suggests that  80 per cent of profits come from 20 per cent of customers. ABC tells you which customers fall into the important 20 per cent. Research generally supports the 80: 0 rule. For example, one report from Coopers and Lybrand found that, in the retail industry, the top 4 per cent of customers account for 29 per cent of profits, the next 26 per cent of customers account for 55 per cent of profits and the remaining 70 per cent account for only 16 per cent of profits. Lifetime Value Estimation: Slide# 8 (p. 141-2) The fourth discipline that can be used for CPM is customer lifetime value (LTV) estimation, which was first introduced in Chapter 2. LTV is measured by computing the present day value of all net margins (gross margins less cost-to-serve) earned from a relationship with a customer, segment or cohort. LTV estimates provide important insights that guide companies in their customer management strategies. Clearly, companies want to protect and ring-fence their relationships with customers, segments or cohorts that will generate significant amounts of profit. Sunil Gupta and Donald Lehmann suggest that customer lifetime value can be computed as follows: Application of this formula means that you do not have to estimate customer tenure. As customer retention rate rises there is an automatic lift in customer tenure, as shown in Table 2.2 in Chapter 2. This formula can be adjusted to consider change in both future margins and retention rates either up or down, as described in Gupta and Lehmann’s book Managing Customers as Investments. The table can be used to assess the impact of a number of customer management strategies: what would be the impact of reducing cost-toserve by shifting customers to low-cost self-serve channels? What would be the result of cross-selling higher margin products? What would be the outcome of a loyalty programme designed to increase retention rate from 80 to 82 per cent? An important additional benefit of this LTV calculation is that it enables you to estimate a company’s value. For example, it has been computed that the LTV of the average US-based American Airlines customer is $166.94. American Airlines has 43.7 million such customers, yielding an estimated company value of $7.3 billion. Roland Rust and his co-researchers noted that, given the absence of international  passengers and freight considerations from this computation, it was remarkably close to the company’s market capitalization at the time their research was undertaken. Clustering (144): slide #9 Clustering techniques are used to find naturally occurring groupings within a dataset. As applied to customer data, these techniques generally function as follows: 1. Each customer is allocated to just one group. The customer possesses attributes that are more closely associated with that group than any other group. 2. Each group is relatively homogenous. 3. The groups collectively are very different from each other. In other words, clustering techniques generally try to maximize both within-group homogeneity and between-group heterogeneity. There are a number of clustering techniques, including CART (classification and regression trees) and CHAID (chi-square automatic interaction detection).7 Once statistically homogenous clusters have been formed they need to be interpreted. CRM strategists are often interested in the future behaviours of a customer: segment, cohort or individual. Customers ’ potential value is determined by their propensity to buy products in the future. Data miners can build predictive models by examining patterns and relationships within historic data. Predictive models can be generated to identify: 1. Which customer, segment or cohort is most likely to buy a given product? 2. Which customers are likely to default on payment? 3. Which customers are most likely to defect (churn)? Data analysts scour historic data looking for predictor and outcome variables. Then a model is built and validated on these historic data. When the model seems to work well on the historic data, it is run on contemporary data, where the predictor data are known but the outcome data are not. This is known as ‘ scoring ’ . Scores are answers to questions such as the propensity-to-buy, default and churn questions listed above. Predictive modelling is based on three assumptions, each of which may be true to a greater or lesser extent: 1. The past is a good predictor of the future †¦ BUT this may not be true. Sales of many products are cyclical or seasonal. Others have fashion or fad lifecycles. 2. The data are available †¦ BUT this may not be true. Data used to train the model may no longer be collected. Data may be too costly to collect, or may be in the wrong format. 3. Customer-related databases contain what you want to predict †¦ BUT this may not be true. The data may not be available. If you want to predict which customers are most likely to buy mortgage protection insurance, and you only have data on life policies, you will not be able to answer the question. Two tools that are used for predicting future behaviours are decision trees and neural networks. Decision trees (145): slide #9 Decision trees are so called because the graphical model output has the appearance of a branch structure. Decision trees work by analyzing a dataset to find the independent variable that, when used to split the population, results in nodes that are most different from each other with respect to the variable you are tying to predict. Figure 5.12 contains a set of data about five customers and their credit risk profile. We want to use the data in four of the fi ve columns to predict the risk rating in the fifth column. A decision tree can be constructed for this purpose. In decision tree analysis, Risk is in the ‘ dependent ’ column. This is also known as the target variable. The other four columns are independent columns. It is unlikely that the customer’s name is a predictor of Risk, so we will use the three other pieces of data as independent variables: debt, income and marital status. In the example, each of these is a simple categorical item, each of which only has two possible values (high or low; yes or no). The data from Figure 5.12 are represented in a different form in Figure 5.13 , in a way which lets you see which independent variable is best at predicting risk. As you examine the data, you will see that the best split is income (four instances highlighted in bold on the diagonal: two high income/good risk plus two low income/poor risk). Debt and marital status each s core three on their diagonals. Once a node is split, the same process is performed on each successive node, either until no further splits are possible or until you have reached a managerially useful model. The graphical output of this decision tree analysis is shown in Figure 5.14 . Each box is a node. Nodes are linked by branches. The top node is the root node. The data from the root node is split into two groups based on income. The right-hand, low income box, does not split any further because both low income customers are classified as poor credit risks. The left-hand, high-income box does split further, into married and not married customers. Neither of these split further because the one unmarried customer is a poor credit risk and the two remaining married customers are good credit risks. As a result of this process the company knows that customers who have the lowest credit risk will be high income and married. They will also note that debt, one of the variables inserted into the training model, did not perform well. It is not a predictor of creditworthiness. Decision trees that work with categorical data such as these are known as classification trees. When decision trees are applied to continuous data they are known as regression trees. Neural Networks (147): slide #9 Neural networks are another way of fitting a model to existing data for prediction purposes. The expression ‘ neural network ’ has its origins in the work of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Researchers in this field have tried to learn from the natural neural networks of living creatures. Neural networks can produce excellent predictions from large and complex datasets containing hundreds of interactive predictor variables, but the neural networks are neither easy to understand nor straightforward to use. Neural networks represent complex mathematical equations, with many summations, exponential functions and parameters. Like decision trees and clustering techniques, neural networks need to be trained to recognize patterns on sample datasets. Once trained, they can be used to predict customer behaviour from new data. They work well when there are many potential predictor variables, some of which are redundant. Case 5.2 Customer portfolio management at Tesco Tesco, the largest and most successful supermarket chain in the UK, has developed a CRM strategy that is the envy of many of its competitors. Principally a food retailer in a mature market that has grown little in the  last 20 years, Tesco realized that the only route to growth was taking market share from competitors. Consequently, the development of a CRM strategy was seen as imperative. In developing its CRM strategy, Tesco first analysed its customer base. It found that the top 100 customers were worth the same as the bottom 4000. It also found that the bottom 25 per cent of customers represented only 2 per cent of sales, and that the top 5 per cent of customers were responsible for 20 per cent of sales. The results of this analysis were used to segment Tesco’s customers and to develop its successful loyalty programmes. SWOT and PESTE (p. 154-5): slide# 10 SWOT is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. SWOT analysis explores the internal environment (S and W) and the external environment (O and T) of a strategic business unit. The internal (SW) audit looks for strengths and weaknesses in the business functions of sales, marketing, manufacturing or operations, finance and people management. It then looks cross-functionally for strengths and weaknesses in, for example, cross-functional processes (such as new product development) and organizational culture. The external (OT) audit analyses the macro- and micro-environments in which the customer operates. The macro-environment includes a number of broad conditions that might impact on a company. These conditions are identified by a PESTE analysis. PESTE is an acronym for political, economic, social, technological and environmental conditions. An analysis would try to pick out major conditions that impact on a business, as illustrated below: political environment : demand for international air travel contracted as worldwide political stability was reduced after September 11, 2001 economic environment : demand for mortgages falls when the economy enters recession. social environment : as a population ages, demand for healthcare and residential homes increase technological environment : as more households become owners of computers, demand for Internet banking increases environmental conditions : as customers become  more concerned about environmental quality, demand for more energy efficient products increases. The micro environmental part of the external (OT) audit examines relationships between a company and its immediate external stakeholders: customers, suppliers, business partners and investors. A CRM-oriented SWOT analysis would be searching for customers or potential customers that emerge well from the analysis. Th ese would be customers that: 1. possess relevant strengths to exploit the opportunities open to them 2. are overcoming weaknesses by partnering with other organizations to take advantage of opportunities 3. are investing in turning around the company to exploit the opportunities 4. are responding to external threats in their current markets by exploiting their strengths for diversification. Five forces The five-forces analysis was developed by Michael Porter. 17 He claimed that the profitability of an industry, as measured by its return on capital employed relative to its cost of capital, was determined by five sources of competitive pressure. These five sources include three horizontal and two vertical conditions. The horizontal conditions are: competition within the established businesses in the market competition from potential new entrants competition from potential substitutes. The vertical conditions reflect supply and demand chain considerations: the bargaining power of buyers  the bargaining power of suppliers.  Porter’s basic premise is that competitors in an industry will be more profitable if these five conditions are benign. For example, if buyers are very powerful, they can demand high levels of service and low prices, thus negatively influencing the profitability of the supplier. However, if barriers to entry are high, say because of large capital requirements or dominance of the market by very powerful brands, then current players will be relatively immune from new entrants and enjoy the possibility of better profits. Why would a CRM-strategist be interested in a five-forces evaluation of customers? Fundamentally, a financially healthy customer offers better potential for a supplier than a customer in financial  distress. The analysis points to different CRM solutions: 1. Customers in a profitable industry are more likely to be stable for the near-term, and are better placed to invest in opportunities for the future. They therefore have stronger value potential. These are customers with whom a supplier would want to build an exclusive and well-protected relationship. 2. Customers in a stressed industry might be looking for reduced cost inputs from its suppliers, or for other ways that they can add value to their offer to their own customers. A CRM-oriented supplier would be trying to find ways to serve this customer more effectively, perhaps by stripping out elements of the value proposition that are not critical, or by adding elements that enable the customer to compete more strongly. Strategically Significant Customers (157) slide #11 The goal of this entire analytical process is to cluster customers into groups so that differentiated value propositions and relationship management strategies can be applied. One outcome will be the identification of customers that will be strategically significant for the company’s future. We call these strategically significant customers (SSCs). There are several classes of SSC, as follows: 1. High future lifetime value customers : these customers will contribute significantly to the company’s profitability in the future. 2. High volume customers : these customers might not generate much profit, but they are strategically significant because of their absorption of fixed costs, and the economies of scale they generate to keep unit costs low. 3. Benchmark customers : these are customers that other customers follow. For example, Nippon Conlux supplies the hardware and software for Coca Cola’s vending operation. While they might not make much margin from that rela tionship, it has allowed them to gain access to many other markets. ‘ If we are good enough for Coke, we are good enough for you ’ , is the implied promise. Some IT companies create ‘ reference sites ’ at some of their more demanding customers. 4. Inspirations : these are customers who bring about improvement in the supplier’s business. They may identify new applications for a product, product improvements, or opportunities for cost reductions. They may complain loudly and make unreasonable demands, but in doing so, force change for the better. 5. Door  openers : these are customers that allow the supplier to gain access to a new market. This may be done for no initial profit, but with a view to proving credentials for further expansion. This may be particularly important if crossing cultural boundaries, say between west and east. One company, a Scandinavian processor of timber, has identified five major customer groups that are strategically signi ficant, as in Figure 5.22 . The Seven Core Customer Management Strategies (158-9) slide # 12 This sort of analysis pays off when it helps companies develop and implement differentiated CRM strategies for clusters of customers in the portfolio. There are several core customer management strategies: 1. Protect the relationship : this makes sense when the customer is strategically significant and attractive to competitors. We discuss the creation of exit barriers in our review of customer retention strategies in Chapter 9. 2. Re-engineer the relationship : in this case, the customer is currently unprofitable or less profitable than desired. However, the customer could be converted to profit if costs were trimmed from the relationship. This might mean reducing or automating service levels, or servicing customers through lower cost channels. In the banking industry, transaction processing costs, as a multiple of online processing costs are as follows. If Internet transaction processing has a unit cost of 1, an in-bank teller transaction costs 120 units, an ATM transaction costs 40, telephone costs 30 and PC banking costs 20. In other words, it is 120 times more expensive to conduct an in-bank transaction than the identical online transaction. Cost-reduction programmes have motivated banks to migrate their customers, or at least some segments of customers, to other lower cost channels. An Australian electricity company has found that its average annual margin per customer is $60. It costs $13 to serve a c ustomer who pays by credit card, but only 64 cents to service a direct debit customer. Each customer moved to the lower cost channel therefore produces a transaction cost saving of more than $12, which increases the average customer value by 20 per cent. Re-engineering a relationship requires a clear understanding of the activities that create costs in the relationship (see Case 5.3). 3. Enhance the relationship : like  the strategy above, the goal is to migrate the customer up the value ladder. In this case it is done not by re-engineering the relationship, but by increasing your share of customer spend on the category, and by identifying up-selling and cross-selling opportunities. 4. Harvest the relationship : when your share of wallet is stable, and you do not want to invest more resources in customer development, you may feel that the customer has reached maximum value. Under these conditions you may wish to harvest, that is, optimize cash flow from the customer with a view to using the cash generated to develop other customers. This may be particularly appealing if the customer is in a declining market, has a high cost-to-serve or has a high propensity-to-switch to competitors. 5. End the relationship : sacking customers is ge nerally anathema to sales and marketing people. However, when the customer shows no sign of making a significant contribution in the future it may be the best option.You can read about strategies for sacking customers in Chapter 9. 6. Win back the customer : sometimes customers take some or all of their business to other suppliers. If they are not strategically signifi cant, it may make sense to let them go. However, when the customer is important, you may need to develop and implement win back strategies. The starting point must be to understand why they took their business away. 7. Start a relationship : you’ve identified a prospect as having potential strategic significance for the future. You need to develop an acquisition plan to recruit the customer onto the value ladder. You can read about customer acquisition strategies in Chapter 8.

New World Domesticates of the Genus Chenopodium :: Botany

New World Domesticates of the Genus Chenopodium The genus Chenopodium includes a variety of weedy herbs native to much of Europe, Asia, India, China and both North and South America. This genus belongs to the Chenopodiaceae or goosefoot family which also Includes spinach (Spinacia oleracea) and beets (Beta vulgaris). The name chenopodium means goosefoot in Greek, and refers to the resemblance many leaves of Chenopodium have to the webbed feet of geese. There are both wild and domesticated species of the Genus Chenonodium indigenous to the New World. Often regarded as a common weed (Dept. of Agriculture 1955), many different species of Chenopodium can be found growing wild today throughout North and South America. The most significant of these in terms of cultivar progeny and economic utilization are the species Chenopodium berlandieri from Mexico and the Southwestern United States, and Chenopodium bushianum of the Eastern United States. Common names often applied to members of this genus Include goosefoot, lamb's quarter, and occasionally pigweed. Reaching a height of 3-4 feet (the Andean cultivar C. quinoa reaches 6 feet) these annual species propagate via seeds produced between August and November. Well known as a campfollower, Chenopodium is most often found in disturbed soil with in close proximity of human settlements or constructions. Domesticated Chenopods Domesticated species of Chenopodium known today include Chenopodium nuttalliae from central Mexico, and two varieties of Chenopodium quinoa from the Andes of South America. C. guinoa has been dated from archaeological contexts as ancient as 7000 B.P. (Bender 1975:197). From the prehistoric eastern woodlands of North America, it is hypothesized that there once existed a now extinct domesticated chenopod named Chenopodium bushianum ssp. jonesianum (Smith 1987). Among these cultivated species of Chenopodium, the wild mechanisms for seed dispersal and germination dormancy have been lost, seed size has increased dramatically and the seed is light colored because of an extreme reduction of the testa (Wilson and Heiser 1979). Economic Uses Chenopods have long been recognized as a valuable resource for exploitation as food. Cultivation requires a minimum of energy and labor investment. Furthermore, the leaves and fruit (i.e. seeds) of these plants are extremely nutritious. For example, the leaves of Chenopodium albidum L. contain more vitamin A and Ascorbic Acid than the most common garden fruits and vegetables (Zennie and Ogzewalla 1977). The prodigious yields derived from chenopods are also an important factor in terms of its value as a economic resource.

Is Krishna an effective teacher? Essay -- essays research papers

Krishna is an effective teacher. Discuss with close reference to the book. An effective teacher is a teacher that produces the result that is wanted. In The English Teacher the story is told in the first person so it is difficult to tell if Krishna is an effective teacher. Nowhere on the book does a student or students or even friends and colleagues say that Krishna is an effective English teacher. So we have to discern from the pages of the book as to whether Krishna is an effective teacher. The book begins with Krishna mulling over â€Å"a sense of something missing†. He was taking stock of his daily life and wanted to put it right. It is against this background that Krishna goes back to â€Å"Nature† by taking a very early morning jog and bath in the river. Being consumed by his renewed contact with Nature Krishna is recharged to the point that his whole day is put into chaos. One can even say Krishnan was given an â€Å"overdose of Nature and was in a drunken stupor† when he makes his way to class. When Krishna reaches class late he â€Å"decides† to waste time on attendance. In the later part of the class, after the attendance taking, his sub-conscious and his conscience gets a hold of him. The book quotes him thinking to himself â€Å"These poor boys are now all attention, cowed by your superior force. They are ready to listen and write down whatever you may say.†(pg 13) This proves that the boys’ in Albert Mission College certainly feel that Krishnan is an effective teacher. They await wi... Is Krishna an effective teacher? Essay -- essays research papers Krishna is an effective teacher. Discuss with close reference to the book. An effective teacher is a teacher that produces the result that is wanted. In The English Teacher the story is told in the first person so it is difficult to tell if Krishna is an effective teacher. Nowhere on the book does a student or students or even friends and colleagues say that Krishna is an effective English teacher. So we have to discern from the pages of the book as to whether Krishna is an effective teacher. The book begins with Krishna mulling over â€Å"a sense of something missing†. He was taking stock of his daily life and wanted to put it right. It is against this background that Krishna goes back to â€Å"Nature† by taking a very early morning jog and bath in the river. Being consumed by his renewed contact with Nature Krishna is recharged to the point that his whole day is put into chaos. One can even say Krishnan was given an â€Å"overdose of Nature and was in a drunken stupor† when he makes his way to class. When Krishna reaches class late he â€Å"decides† to waste time on attendance. In the later part of the class, after the attendance taking, his sub-conscious and his conscience gets a hold of him. The book quotes him thinking to himself â€Å"These poor boys are now all attention, cowed by your superior force. They are ready to listen and write down whatever you may say.†(pg 13) This proves that the boys’ in Albert Mission College certainly feel that Krishnan is an effective teacher. They await wi...

Economics paper

Mall Sullivan University Operations Strategy April 26, 2014 Abstract: Shoulders hospital has been the best service provider for treating hernias and been in demand since a long time. However, due to the limited capacity of 89 beds the hospital is not able to meet the market demand which is causing it to lose its market share and success. The main constraints mentioned in this case study are the number of beds in the hospital for patients and the number of surgeons to operate.In order to remove the above two limitations, Shoulders hospital should come up with single solution that can help them to expand their facility without losing the current service quality. The current paper deals with the analysis of current operations followed by few recommendations for improving their facility without upsetting the present work force and the quality of service. About the Company: Shoulders hospital was started by an Ontario born Dry. Edward Earl Shoulders in 1945. Dry. Shoulders showed interest in medical research since 12 yr of age and graduated from University of Toronto.Dry. Shoulder's work was related to find the cure for pernicious anemia, intestinal obstruction, hydrocephalus cases and his facial concentration was to find innovative surgical method for hernia. The shoulders hospital was initially a six room facility, however the capacity was increased to 36 beds in 138-acre estate and 17,000 square foot main house and then to capacity of 89 beds due to the increasing inflow of patients of both first time and recurring cases. Shoulders method has become so popular for treating hernia. After Dry. Earl, Dry. Bribes Shoulders and Mrs.. W.H Request, the children of Shoulders method inventor followed their father's footsteps and continued practicing and managing the teeth since 1961. In 1965, Dry. Nicholas Boney, companion of Dry. Shoulders started his work as chairman of the board and increased the capacity to 6,850 operations per year by 1982. They have developed the ho spital to a facility with five operating suites, expert surgeons, nurses and staff all working together to treat patients with hernias. History: Dry. Shoulders showed interest in medical research and graduated from University of Toronto in 1916. Dry.Shoulders served medical examining board during World War II and operated many young men in the army for hernias before their training. Due to he limited number of doctors and hospital area, he invented an ambulation method to provide free service to 70 people and named it as Shoulders method. Shoulders method became popular and a large group of people started contacting Dry. Shoulders to get operated for hernias. The lack of hospital area, beds etc. And the demand from the people allowed him to open a hospital in Toronto, Canada and it gained a demand of 48% from northern part of United States.The site initially had a hospital with a capacity of 36 beds and a clinic in one building allowing patients to move from one to other for communi cation and interaction. The site was later expanded to a capacity of 89 beds allowing more patients into the hospital facility. Shoulders Hospital Process: Success rate: The treatment of hernia with no pain and fast recovery is the main objective of the doctors working at Shoulders hospital and had served hernia patients for more than 55 years with 300,000 cases and 99% success. The surgeons at the hospital have 100% success rate executing primary and recurring cases.Customer satisfaction was the primary importance of the shoulders hospital and this was very well taken care by the nurses who provided counseling during recreational activities and socializing vents for patients. The cost of operation was $1030 which is comparatively cheaper than other hospitals. Also the patients were allowed to work, perform physical activities and meet other patients immediately after the operation to discuss their experience in a comfortable environment. The hospital used word of mouth from the pat ient and their experience as a sole source for advertising which brought huge demand.The hospital used standardized equipment for operations thus reducing their operating costs. There were patients from outside the country and were provided with very good care which proves its success. Advantages of Shoulders technique: Unique method Broad patient experience Thoughtful employee policies Experienced surgeons and staff The above mentioned are certain advantages of shoulders technique that differentiate it from other methods used by various surgeons across the country. Situation Analysis: Shoulders method was invented to treat young military men with hernias.This method became more popular due to its speedy recovery and positive surgical results. Dry. Shoulders after serving for the army started his hospital due to the increase in demand for the treatment. Shoulders method involved operating hernia under local anesthesia and pain killers. The method helped the patients to move from the operating table to their rooms and move freely immediate after operation to talk to other patients. The patients have dinner together as a routine so that they can discuss and build up their confidence.The whole process was so successful with 140,000 happy customers due to the positive experience, speedy recovery and lower recurrence percent of 0. 8. The technique was popular among the surgeons as it allowed them to have time for their families, daily activities and good wages. The technique was popular among nurses due to the good wages and time for counseling deeds. Though the hospital was running with good success rate, it had its own further challenges with an accumulation of 1200 patients and available resources.Shoulders hospital needs to come up with a plan to decrease such patient backlog and improve its business with existing quality of service. Problem: The problem that is bothering Shoulders hospital management is that though having a very good method and work force, the y are not able to meet the demand and accumulated a huge number of cases (1200 patients). This might cause them to lose their market. In order to sustain its market share, Shoulders hospital should come up with an idea that can increase its capacity without losing its quality of service.The other problem is that Dry. Boney, the chief surgeon is retiring soon. So, the position has to be filled with someone who has the knowledge of the technique as well as the system. Problem analysis: Shoulders hospital has been treating hernia successfully since 55 years. The fee charged by this hospital for treatment is $2230, which is very less when compared to other hospital facilities who charge $5240. The excessive demand for their treatment method doesn't require any advertising and promotional conducts and was spreading its fame by word of mouth.Such excessive demand has been compelling to expand their facility; however the management has several fears and concerns such as losing its basic pr oficiency and market share etc. Expansion and advertising fear: The management has a fear about expansion in response to the demand for their technique as they preferred in improving their services giving complete proficiency. They also feared about competitors using their name in order to promote themselves which might lead Shoulders hospital to lose its name and be blamed in case of any failure in treatment.Fear about scheduling operations on Saturday: Due to the demand and backlog, if the hospital decides to perform operations on Saturday, they need to set 6 surgeons and 1 supervising surgeon at work on Saturdays. This may disappoint the staff as its not they signed the contract for. The staff also feared that if they increase the capacity, the quality of service might not be the same. Options: The options would include 1 . Performing operations on Saturdays utilizing the existing facility 2. Adding a new floor with 45 hospital beds 3.Opening off new hospital facility in US. Eval uation of options: The criteria for evaluation include costs, quality, comfort, approvals and discontent among staff members. 1) Performing operations on Saturdays can be considered valid as it would use the existing facility thus saving the cost of new construction and avoiding additional investments. The routine of the hospital can be maintained same with similar environment and culture. With this option, the number of surgeries performed per week would increase from 165 to 185 (14% rise).However, there might e a decline in the service quality due to the increase in the work load in the given time period for the staff and the only solution to this problem is to appoint additional staff or by paying additional wages to the existing staff. The benefits of performing operations on Saturdays option would be that it doesn't require approvals from the state, increase in wages and incentives to the staff, reduction in the backlogs and surgeons can spend time with their family. ) Adding a new floor plan with 45 beds would increase the bed count by 50% and can still help in maintaining the quality of service, environment and culture. However, adding a new floor plan would cost 2 Million $ and that can take at least 4 years to recover the costs. It would also require additional staff and surgery rooms due to the increase in the work load by increase in number of beds, housekeeping, laundry and other utility maintenance to accommodate increase in patients.The construction of new floor can cause disturbance to the existing patients. Also, it is difficult to accommodate the increasing patients in the canteen that would disturb the meal hours. 3) The formation of new hospital facility can solve problems like staff working n Saturdays and increase in wages and incentives of the existing staff as the new facility would need a whole new staff and surgeons reducing the pressure on existing setup. Patients can directly consult qualified surgeons rather going to the unqualified ones as earlier.However, the quality of the service cannot be maintained as of the existing facility as it would need hiring of very qualified surgeons and staff which is not an easy task. Also, the new staff should be trained to treat patients as in the existing facility. Finally, the formation of new facility and hiring people is not only mime taking but also requires huge investment and the patients might not come to visit Toronto campus anymore. So this might not be a better option to reduce the patient backlogs.Recommendations: From all the above analysis, I would like to propose few recommendations that can help Shoulders hospital in reducing patient backlogs and improve the facility. The first recommendation would be working on Saturdays with slight changes such as making Saturdays as working days in the month of September (high inflow of patients in this month) and adopting a plan of action to synchronize various activities. Also, the additional rooms in the third floor can be used for keeping patients.The second recommendation would be not to expand or form a new facility in US as hernia operations are common in US and involves huge investment. Also, there can be regulations and issues pertaining to USA government and administration issues to build and run hospital in different country. However, if expanded it might provide new opportunities. The third recommendation would be to patent the Shoulders technique of external hernia treatment so that any other organizations cannot use the name illegally.The forth recommendation would be to implement and adapt a succession and retirement plan for doctors and staff and their families. Giving bonus and incentives to them depending upon their efficient performance and seniority, survey and votes etc. The fifth recommendation would be to continue as a specialized hospital for hernia treatment rather expanding to other treatments thus preventing diversification from its competency. The sixth recommendation woul d be to increase the nurse-patient ratio by hiring more number of nurses to take care of patients and improve the quality of service.The seventh recommendation would be to convert the hostel facilities to hospital beds to allow more inflow of patients and decreasing patient backlogs. An eighth recommendation would be contracting with other local and similar facilities as silent partners and team up with their doctors providing them the required training. This would allow holding the existing position in market with no competition. The final recommendation would be to alter the inflow of patients that can prevent adding more beds by utilizing the freed bed-space. Reference: Hackett,J. (2003). Shoulders hospital limited. Harvard Business Review.

grapes of wrath essays

grapes of wrath essays In literature as in life, people often find that they must make difficult choices in order to survive. The reasons behind their decisions and the results of their subsequent actions affect our opinion of them. In the Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, the author portrayed situations where two main characters became involved. The nature of their choices, the reasons behind their decisions, and the results that followed affected them greatly. However, the choices that they made were surmounted successfully. Ma Joad and Tom Joad are two strong characters who overcame laborious predicaments. Their powerful characteristics helped to encourage those that were struggling. In fact, one principal character who was involved in a difficult situation was Ma Joad. She was a wife and mother whose only occupation in life was a housewife. She lived in an unfair time period; women were forced to do almost everything that the man commanded. However, Ma Joad was different. Ever since the family traveled to California, she slowly began to take charge. This was first seen when Tom, Mas son, suggested that the family continue driving while he and Casy, the preacher, stayed behind to fix the Wilsons (a family the Joads met on their way to California) automobile. Ma Joad was furious with this idea. She brought out a jack handle and said, You done this thout thinkin much. What we got lef in the world? Nothin but us. Nothin but the folks...An now, right off, you wanna bust up the folks (Steinbeck 218). Ma Joad was the power. She had taken control (Steinbeck 218). She did not want the family to separate at such a crucial time. They needed to stick together no matter what the consequences were. Another example of her leadership was w...

Scottish essays

Scottish essays Scottish immigration to Nova Scotia in the nineteenth century is an aspect of the province's history which has been shrouded and manipulated by cultural producers and the tourism industry to project a more traditional folk culture. In an attempt to shed new light on the Scottish immigration McKay examines Nova Scotias cultural history as he looks beyond traditional generalizations to the actual basic traits of the Scottish character. In particular, this paper will not simply recount the arrival of the Scottish immigrants, it will compare McKays outlook with other historians on the growth and development of the Nova Scotian society with the acknowledgement of a few of the key elements of their folk-culture and will focus on various themes such as the Scottish emigration, the religion of the immigrants, economic factors, the language, and the arts and recreation of these people In order to understand the implication of their descent, we must first understand the history of the Scots Highlands. However, It is important to note that there is an apparent lack of good, objective material written on the culture of the Nova Scotian Scot, therefore this paper does not purport to be comprehensive or definitive.The Highlanders are the descendants of the Gaelic branch of Celts who entered the British Isles a few centuries before the birth of Christ. A substantial number of these Irish Gaels crossed over and occupied the western Highlands and islands of what is modern day Scotland.They introduced to the country their own monastic system, their own clan organization and legal code, their own forms of art, and their own Gaelic language, literature, and music. 1 Up to 1746, the Highlands operated under the clan system, but after the failure of the Stewart rising on the moor at Culloden, the Lowland government undertook the systematic destruction of the clan system. 2 There were many changes within the next few years; among them the clan chieftai...

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Chinatown and Evelyn Mulwray Essay Chinatown and Evelyn Mulwray Essay Chinatown Film Analysis Chinatown directed by Roman Polanski created in 1974 explores the dark and twisted world of a P.I just trying to do his job. Polanski tries to show that things and people are not what they seem most of the time. He does this in a numerous amount of ways, including a very talented cast consisting of Jack Nicholson as JJ â€Å"Jake† Gittes, Faye Dunaway as Evelyn Cross Mulwray, John Huston as Noah Cross, and Diane Ladd as Ida Sessions. Chinatown is follows JJ as what he thinks is a simple marital dispute between two lovers turns into a covered up murder by corrupt men with power who want more of it. Polanski shows the theme of â€Å"everything is not what it seems† in ways throughout the film. Visually, Polanski uses camera angles to trick the audience. In the very beginning the camera is extremely zoomed in completely on a set of pictures JJ is showing a man named Curly, played by Burt Young. These are pictures of Curly’s wife and another man, as they zoom out we hear a noise that sounds like someone crying, after some time we can make sense of this whole scene. Curly had hired JJ to find out if his wife was cheating! This tells us that JJ is an investigator of some sort and Curly is his customer. Aurally, the dialogue is the main focus in this film. A woman named Ida Sessions comes to JJ’s office and claims she’s Evelyn Mulwray. When she says the, the audience is tricked into thinking that, yeah she’s Evelyn Mulwray. As the audience is tricked, so is JJ. She hires them under the impression that she’s trying to find out if her husband is a cheater. Another use of dialogue is when Noah Cross, the real Evelyn Mulwray’s father, asks JJ to find the women who his daughter’s husband is cheating with. What he really wants is his granddaughter since Mr.Mulwray wasn’t really cheating but spending time with Evelyn’s daughter. This also explains why the real Evelyn claims she knew her husband was cheating but didn’t care, because he wasn’t really cheating but spending time with this girl like she’s his daughter. Performance, the actor’s performance added a lot to this film. Jack Nicholson did amazing at portraying a man who had seen it all. He was tough and hard boiled. Faye Dunaway did a great job at playing the woman who had done everything to her benefit. Faye would play a woman who could easily manipulate men with her good looks and get her way. Jack Huston had done a good job portraying a corrupt man who could use his money to buy power. These characters were essential to the film, they

Marketing Communications Coursework assignment

Marketing Communications Coursework - Assignment Example The factors are essential in identifying the motives of buyers and isolating the target market. Scholars refer to the five aspects as the Five M’s of Advertising. The Farmer is a television-advertising run by RAM using the Richards Agency situated in Dallas. Jimmy Bonner from Creative Group directed the advert while Paul Nelson was the producer. Most advertising managers find difficulty in comprehending consumers within appropriate strategic levels. Furthermore, they find it difficult to apply collected information in developing and creating alternative stands. However, putting using the means-end technique increases awareness on the factors that motivate consumers. The effectiveness of this approach is that it factors goals valued by people relating them to the qualities and features of the product in question. To evaluate RAM’s Farmer, this discourse applies the MECCAS framework. This model analyses a laddering model that is a specific interviewing aspect used by marketing communication consultants to unravel values attached by people on products. The approach is that laddering interviews fit into the means-end approach that the Meccas model applies during analysis. Differentiation does not constitute the only factor that facilitates selling of a product. The desirability of a product or a service depends on the connection that consumers have with their perception towards the same good or service. It is important to mention that the means-end approach is significant because of its ability to identify essential factors that motivat e consumers to buy goods and services. In addition, the model explains the relationship between the consumer’s motives and their attributes to products or service in market. Marketing communication consultants use market research in determining the goals of an advertising campaign in their marketing

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Put the arguments for and against the idea that motivation (a learner's factor) plays a major part in second language acquisition) - Essay Example le new language acquiring process is something that we will delve into in detail and for this reason we find the exact basis as to how motivation plays its due part. There are a number of reasons that the students and different language learners offer when they are questioned as to why a new language would just be the order of the day for them. These responses include their willingness to have a sound and prosperous future that is full of growth and advancements. Also the reasons include their liking for a particular language and their incorporation of these languages into the countries in which they intend traveling or living in for a specified period of time. With the addition of more and more people wanting to learn a new language we see that the limited proficiency in English, the instructors are having a hard time making these people learn the new language. There is just so much that can be taught to these individuals. Enormous patience is required on their part as well as a huge amount of understanding and empathy. This is a mighty challenge for the teachers as they have to train the language seekers without having any prior training themselves. This would be done to promote second language development as well as to find out a little bit about the procedure of second language learning. [Favreau, M., & Segalowitz, 1983] The motivational aspects stem from the fact that the second language gives them a better understanding of the ways and means of the people who make use of the same in their day to day lives as well as the international usage of the new and acquired language. English is indeed the international language but learning Ger man, French, Spanish or Chinese on the part of the different language seekers/learners is a positive step and one that should surely be counted as a plus on their curriculum vitae. The focus therefore should not only be on young children but we can also take into consideration the older ones. As we are focusing on people from

Arthur Andersen after Enron Scandal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Arthur Andersen after Enron Scandal - Essay Example Despite the death of its founder, the firm managed to continue expanding. The base of the clients rose to 50,000 from 2,300 in the years 1947-1973 with offices in Chicago increasing to more than 1,500 employees from 250. The late centuries of the twentieth saw, the expansion of the firm internationally creating a division for consultation with management that is fast growing. Arthur Company was regarded as one of the big five companies in the world until the company’s involvement in a criminal case that saw its downfall. The main reason for choosing this company is because, despite the company being involved in various scandals, it managed to rise again after 12 years. Â  The company faced various ethical issues that led to its downfall in 2001. One of them was conducting the illegal audit for Enron Company, the giant company in energy that aimed at covering up billions of dollars that were lost at the energy firm (Titcomb Par. 4). According to the Enron committee, the assessment of the audit that was done revealed that Andersen Company failed to fulfill the responsibilities of its profession regarding the audit the company conducted on the financial statement for Enron. Andersen was therefore convicted for destroying documents that were produced after auditing, which prevented justice according to Enron’s claims. The conviction was however revised later after two managers from Andersen and Enron Company were found to be responsible for ordering the shredding of the relevant documents. This scandal was before Andersen engaged a math of Brickyard with its worker Gagel that to the company was a history though it proved the ability of Andersen to carry out its work with perfection. The brick incidence was whereby a young auditor was sent on a task that was his daily routine to ascertain inventory of bricks million in number that was baking in the sun in Marion.

How Walmart as a brand uses social media, newsletters, and online Term Paper - 2

How Walmart as a brand uses social media, newsletters, and online selling propositions in persuading their customers - Term Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that in contemporary business within the globalized world, effective marketing is inevitable. Most successful companies employ proper use of internet marketing to explore and maintain market share within the globalized world. For instance, large companies use Internet marketing in advertising their products and services to the entire world market. Internet marketing is a fundamental form of promoting and selling products to consumers. Firms using the internet as a marketing tool can collect information from consumers that help in improving their product and services. Moreover, the cost of production is lowered and managing competition becomes easy. It is crucial for a brand to possess a unique social media strategy in persuading consumers. Using the main networks, the brands can focus on the interests of the customers and make decisions on improving quality of products and services. Wal-Mart brand uses Facebook as a social media platform fo r marketing. Consequently, the company has developed the various timeline and web pages for customers to join. Facebook pages allow the company to interact directly with customers hence attracting many customers. Moreover, Facebook pages allow Walmart to launch new products to customers and provide guidelines on how to use the products. Furthermore, Walmart provides pictures of the products which help in winning customers’ loyalty and building brand image. Positive comments and many likes in the updates posted by Walmart further advertise the products to many other web users. In addition, Walmart uses many  Twitter handles to post products, discussing emerging issues on the products and answering customers’ requests.

Sociology and crime Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

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How Walmart as a brand uses social media, newsletters, and online Term Paper - 2

How Walmart as a brand uses social media, newsletters, and online selling propositions in persuading their customers - Term Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that in contemporary business within the globalized world, effective marketing is inevitable. Most successful companies employ proper use of internet marketing to explore and maintain market share within the globalized world. For instance, large companies use Internet marketing in advertising their products and services to the entire world market. Internet marketing is a fundamental form of promoting and selling products to consumers. Firms using the internet as a marketing tool can collect information from consumers that help in improving their product and services. Moreover, the cost of production is lowered and managing competition becomes easy. It is crucial for a brand to possess a unique social media strategy in persuading consumers. Using the main networks, the brands can focus on the interests of the customers and make decisions on improving quality of products and services. Wal-Mart brand uses Facebook as a social media platform fo r marketing. Consequently, the company has developed the various timeline and web pages for customers to join. Facebook pages allow the company to interact directly with customers hence attracting many customers. Moreover, Facebook pages allow Walmart to launch new products to customers and provide guidelines on how to use the products. Furthermore, Walmart provides pictures of the products which help in winning customers’ loyalty and building brand image. Positive comments and many likes in the updates posted by Walmart further advertise the products to many other web users. In addition, Walmart uses many  Twitter handles to post products, discussing emerging issues on the products and answering customers’ requests.

Marketing Principles Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Marketing Principles - Coursework Example The idea holds that achieving the goals of the company lie squarely in finding the needs of the market targeted. The company should come up with ideas that will persuade the customer’s needs by offering better products. Marketing concept relies on research carried out in the target market. Elements of the marketing process are sets of convenient tools. Such tools help the company’s blends to produce the impact it needs in the target market. There is a perception that if a company lowers the prices of the various commodities, the sales involuntarily increases. Such situations may be different. This is because customers may be looking for other components such as quality, cost effectiveness and value added services. An airline company which reduces its price by cost cutting in areas such as; airport charges, direct sales to the customers and lowering the advertisement costs may get profit in the long run (Pride & Ferrell, 2003). Placement involves all activities of a particular company that makes the products available to the target customers. A good example is the emirates airline that has continuously advertised its services to attract more customers. Promotion entails the means through which the companies communicate to its customers about their product’s values and benefits. Most companies in London have websites. Such websites act as a communication channel between the customers and the company. Market and product orientation are the two approaches of market orientation. Product-oriented approach involves a company developing products without having to focus on the customers’ needs. This kind of approach may often lead to unsuccessful ventures. A gas company in London may decide to introduce some new services without necessarily focusing on customers’ needs (Pride & Ferrell, 2003). Market-oriented approach; the company develops a product with a focus on the customers’ needs. The products developed lie squarely on the information obtained

A Poets response to place is rarely purely descriptive Essay Example for Free

A Poets response to place is rarely purely descriptive Essay In this essay I will write about whether I agree with the statement above, or not. I will base my conclusion upon a detailed examination of two poems. I will look at the ideas and techniques poets use, language and imagery etc. I agree with the above statement, I feel nothing is purely descriptive, for example when someone says That house looks deep-rooted and daunting the quote is descriptive as well as being someones personal opinion. To one person it may look daunting but to another the house may look safe and restful. Whenever someone describes something, it always includes an opinion, so nothing can ever be purely descriptive. I will back up my opinion by looking at the two poems: London -William Blake (1757-1827) Dover Beach -Matthew Arnold (1823-1888) London is a poem about William Blakes interpretation of the dark side of London, he talks about how everyone is suffering, and how everyone is looking for freedom, no one has a future. Dover Beach is a poem about a beach in England, Matthew Arnold is describing what he feels is wrong with the world, and the reasons for the problems we have. London A poem of social protest, against the suffering of all who live in a world such as this. Written in 1789 (during the British industrial revolution). Not a poem of observed factual detail but Blakes perception of London, he uses the traditional form of alternate rhyming lines to imitate the repetitive predictability of the circle of suffering. London shows that: if the institution and structure of a place is corrupt then the people can never have a chance for innocence. In his poem Blake describes to the reader how there are legal restrictions on the roads, Charterd street. Also how the river Thames is governed Charterd Thames The quotation shows that even a river which should seem free, is owned , restricted. When Blake describes the restrictions, he is also enlightening the reader about the state of the residents of London, mind forgd manacles this quotation shows the depression and imprisoning of people, in their own mind. People are searching for liberty. People in London are abandoning the church because there lives are going so wrong Every Blackning Church appalls. The word plagues really gives us the impact of the place he was walking through, its a very pungent word. In this Poem, Blake uses disconnected stanzas, almost to describe the place where he is , nothing is stable, including peoples life. The rhythm of the poem is monotonous, there is not one positive image or feeling. There is also assonance to reinforce what he is saying. In this Poem, Blake starts to describe London, but as soon as he does, he describes the way people live and how they drastically lack liberty. Dover Beach is a melancholic poem. Matthew Arnold uses the means of pathetic fallacy, when he projects the human feeling of sadness onto an inanimate object like the sea. A repetition of neithernor in stanza 4 underlines a series of denials: . . . neither joy, nor love, nor light/ Nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain; (l. 33-34). All these are basic human values. If none of these do truly exist, this raises the question of what remains. With these lines, Arnold draws a nihilistic view of the world he is living in. Throughout the poem, the sea is used as an image and a metaphor. At first, it is beautiful to look at in the moonlight (ll.1-8), then it begins to make hostile sounds (grating roar (l. 9); tremulous cadence (l.13)) that suggest a general feeling of sadness. In the third stanza, the sea is turned into a metaphoric Sea of Faith (l.21) a symbol for a time when religion could still be experienced without the doubts brought about by progress and science (Darwinism). Now, the Sea of Faith and also the certainty of religion withdraws itself from the human grasp and leaves only darkness behind. Matthew Arnold, not only describes Dover beach, he describes he thoughts on the world, and why things are the way they are. To conclude with both the poems I have looked at, have reinforced the statement: A Poets response to place is rarely purely descriptive I have shown by using London and Dover beach that a poet always does so much more than simply describe a place, the poets own thoughts and feelings shine through. The reader gets taken deep down into the poem ,and finds out why the poet feels the way he/she does. Each poem is an insight to the way poets feel about places. Neither poems just describes a place, therefore I empathize with the above statement.

Effectiveness Of The Early Intervention Approach

Effectiveness Of The Early Intervention Approach Within this essay I am not going to list the reasons to believe in the effectiveness of the early intervention approach. The usefulness of early intervention itself is not in dispute. I will, however, be discussing the strengths and weaknesses of different types of early intervention. I will discuss the reasons to believe that some intervention schemes are better than others concerning ways to handle social issues. This essay will discuss the definitions of the terms used in the title. I will look at the motivations behind the schemes and discuss ways of analysing their effectiveness. In relation to the importance of child participation and the amplification of childrens voices, I would also like to look at childrens views on their own situations and why they feel like they should engage in acts that would qualify as a social issue. Defining the key words Using the term social issue in reference to children and families tends to suggest childhood delinquency, drug abuse, violence, teenage pregnancy, crime and etcetera. The word issue implies that there is a problem that should be dealt with; an issue is not an acceptable or desired means of behaviour and it opposes the social ideal. However, many questions arise concerning who has created the definition of this ideal. The language used in the title suggests that the ideal consists of the eradication of all social issues. (which the Government has highlighted.) Used in CTC Effectiveness is an expression that is used by the Government when evaluating early intervention. In the UK, The government drives forward the need for evaluation and assessment of early years practices (Lewis Utting, 2001). It is a commonly held assumption that to achieve the goals of evidence-based practice and cost-effectiveness, evaluation is a necessity, not a luxury (Ghate, 2001, p23). Preventative early intervention initiatives have become more common since the arrival of the New Labour government in the late 1990s (Ghate, 2001). Whether they are led by the government or by other organisations, an early intervention programme generally has the aim of reducing negative social outcomes the children may contribute to when they grow up. Within this essay, I will be using examples of two different types of early intervention scheme: government-led and community-led. Different types of intervention Government-led Throughout the 1990s, there was a growing recognition that wider social, political and economic factors were negatively influencing the families and communities that children grew up in (Hannon Fox, 2005; Glass, 2001). Shortly after New Labour was elected to power in 1997, Tony Blair stated that by 2010, the number of children living in poverty within the UK would be halved and by 2020 it would be eradicated ( ). As a result of this, the New Labour government introduced a number of early intervention initiatives with the aim of reducing social exclusion due to poverty (Clarke, 2007). The New Labour government has shown a serious commitment to the early intervention approach, having invested hundreds of millions of pounds into one initiative in particular: Sure Start (Hannon Fox, 2005). To begin with, Sure Start was targeted primarily at working with parents of young children from the most socio-economically deprived areas in the UK. By doing this, therefore, the government aimed to potentially tackle future issues that their children might create. One statement of Sure Starts intentions is described by Clarke (2007); (Sure Start aims to avoid) social exclusion in adulthood, primarily by enabling children to realise their potential within the education systemà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ (p.699). Sure Start reflects its aim by working both directly and indirectly with the child; directly by providing such things as pre-school childcare; and indirectly by providing services for parents and the wider community (Belsky Melhuish, 2007). Other government early intervention approaches that have been introduced since 1997 with the aim to break the cycle of poverty include: child tax credits, working tax credits and child benefits. Government policies and green papers such as Every Child Matters (2003) support the early intervention approaches by outlining the standards for child well-being and suggesting guidelines to help professionals reach these standards. The 2007 Childrens Plan recognises the importance of providing support for parents, in order to gain their enthusiasm for their childs education. Parental enthusiasm and involvement is a key factor when trying to initiate an intervention scheme ( ). Government programmes and large scale intervention programmes such as Communities That Care (CTC) are not the only types of early intervention. Communities themselves have long developed programmes that tackle issues important to them. Sure Start was to be focussed on relatively small areas of need, reflecting the desirability of action at the level of communities (Hannon Fox, 2005, p3) Community-led Non-government led organisations have been set up all over the country in response to different communities needs. One example is Kids Company, a charity which aims to provide practical, emotional and educational support to vulnerable inner-city children and young people (Kids Company Website, 2008). This statement seems very similar to the one Sure Start uses. Kids Companys methods of early intervention, however, differ significantly from those of Sure Start. Kids Companys effectiveness lies in its provision of innovative, flexible and child-centred services. Kids Company provides targeted therapeutic and social work interventions, and universal class and group access to the arts. (Gaskell, 2008, p4) Personal relationships with people they are reaching. Self-referal. Accessibility is an important factor for intervention schemes. If parents or children do not access intervention (whether it be through choice or lack of knowledge) The assumption is that behind every child is a responsible adult, who will navigate the path to services (Camilla Batmanghelidjh, 2006, p15). Sadly, the truth for many children who would benefit most from intervention services is that their main carers are not willing or cannot be bothered (uninterested?) to allow their child to attend (Batmanghelidjh, 2006). Motivations behind intervention schemes Politics Childrens welfare? Money The intention for the Sure Start initiative was that it should be based on the best evidence of what works (Glass, 2001, p14). Lack of funds can mean that some children get overlooked by local authorities and social services. In her book, Camilla Batmanghelidjh (2006) describes coming into contact with children who were suffering from lack of food and neglect, referring these children to social services, but discovering that they were not eligible for help due to lack of resources and too many cases of sexual and physical abuse. Many children drop out of the education system and are never pursued by the system because the behavioural and emotional difficulties of the children are too much of a burden to school staff (Batmanghelidjh, 2006). Many interrelated factors place children at risk of adopting behaviour that could be seen as a social issue. Many children who already practice such behaviour are likely to have been conditioned by their familys socio-economic circumstances. Socially unacceptable behaviours can lead to social exclusion, which can, in turn, result in the next generations social exclusion (Clarke, 2007). Childrens attitudes, achievements and behaviour are shown to be linked to the environment in which they grow up in. The largest influence is shown to be that of the family (Parton, 2007). Talk about EPPE. The key, when looking at dealing with social issues, lies in tackling the underlying factors. This could be by the means of providing services and/or resources. These factors include poverty, poor nutrition, emotional neglect and underachievement. There is an overall understanding that these factors cannot be isolated from one another (find evidence). Intervention is a term that suggests that an outside source will come in to intervene with whatever is going on and disappear again once too issue is fixed or eradicated. Analysing effectiveness (research) Evaluating larger scale early intervention programmes Early Effects of CTC (Hawkins et al, 2008) Reports positive effects, but the results are quantitative looking at if the children have taken drugs or shown signs of delinquent behaviour. Not looking at the childrens views of how the project may have changed their lives issues such as being listened to, valued and feeling part of the community. if services cannot specify what changes they expect to see for `successful users, evaluators certainly cannot measure them, let alone pass judgement on whether the service has proved effective. (Ghate, 2001, p25) Strengths of early intervention approaches imply that these are the reasons for perceived effectiveness. Contrary to the strengths of early intervention projects, their weaknesses reveal the space for improvement within the services. The New Labour government has introduced several interventions that aim to benefit families. Much research would support the idea that early intervention schemes such as Sure Start have a positive benefit on childrens well-being ( ), but how far can research reflect the true picture of what is happening to under-privileged children in this country? This pressure to measure a settings effectiveness can detract from the amount of time practitioners can spend with the children: Time and energy is, therefore, increasingly sapped from those providing services to fill in forms for external purposes, rather than supporting children. (Lewis and Utting, 2001, p4). Ironically, this could negatively affect the effectiveness of the intervention. Accessibility- If many people are accessing services, then the likelihood of them having an impact is increased. Alternatively, if there are not enough staff members to meet the needs of the attendees, then the likelihood of effectiveness is inevitably decreased. Before an educational outcome there needs to be an emotional one (Batmanghelidjh, 2006, p23). Successful outcomes or effectiveness of an intervention service are not instantly noticeable. It may take years for disturbed children to engage in behaviour they were previously unable to. Their outcomes are personal, and their successes are often individual and emotional first, before they become visible in the world of academia and work. (Batmanghelidjh, 2006, p 22) The problem with presenting outcomes in the way that they are being demanded is that clinicians try and exclude children from their services who are likely not to provide positive outcomes. p.23 This is not through cruelty, though, but because the clinician relies on the money they earn for doing their job effectively. Money is essentially the reason why so many children do not receive the services they should. Children are being dehumanised by being treated as statistics that keep adults in their jobs. So many of our current interventions with vulnerable children come from the perspective of the well-adjusted adult, needing to preserve our own sense of safety. (p 153) Short-term initiatives, where the practitioner enters the childs situation, offers a quick-fix cure and then disappears again, are merely cosmetic. This kind of intervention offers no real solution to the issues that disadvantaged children face. The government thrive on statistics that have been distorted to reflect their political goal (find some). The public want statistics to show them that issues are being resolved. It is to do with how committed people are to seeing change. Short-term initiatives are ineffective, due to the fact that people are complex beings. Effective early intervention programmes have recognised the need to build relationships with the people behind the issues. Conclusion Children who carry out anti-social behaviour are sometimes referred to as being delinquent (Hawkins, 2008). This reflects the medical model of disability, that which implies that the fault lies within the child and needs to be fixed. The aim of some early intervention programmes can be to benefit wider society rather than the child. Blair (2008) spoke of a new political initiative that would identify those most at risk of offending at birth. This kind of intervention would not be beneficial to the child. Being labelled from birth as a potential offender could produce a self-fulfilling prophesy. The most effective early intervention programmes are those that make a commitment to the children themselves; that aim to make them feel valued as members of society and offer them the best opportunities. Many of the early intervention programmes explored, such as Communities That Care (CTC) concentrate on notions of bringing the community together and building social capital from within the community. We cannot expect children to act as responsible members of the community unless they are treated as such. Not just gathering their views but involving them, involving them in planning and developing of programmes as will see constant criticism from the children is nothing actually happens Disenchantment The delinquent child (Hawkins, 2008) Looking at how the child is framed within early intervention programmes. Is it to make them feel valued, important and give them the best opportunities? Or is it to sort them out for the sake of wider society? Government initiatives: Identifying those at risk of offending at birth (Blair, 2008). Fits with governments crack-down on anti-social behaviour and ASBOs. More positive: Sure Start, parenting programmes. Want to prevent the problems before they start, but such approaches label the child before they have even offended. This is likely to alienate them further from society. Not helpful! Distribution of power CTC Programme is systematically applied from the outside Community driven and the community identifies problems they believe need addressing But, research by (Brown et al 2007) into the Community Youth Development Study: Leaders were those who already held leadership positions i.e. mayors, city managers, police chiefs, school superintendents. These were the people who were interviewed, alongside five referred leaders No effort to break down power relationships. Study itself is not representative. We do not hear the views of different community members. Older respondents and those from law enforcement were more likely to report higher baseline levels of collaboration than younger respondents or those from other community sectors (Brown et al 2007). So again criminal justice system taking the lead. Ultimately, people sacrificing their time and finances can do such impressive things for the need of their communities. And I think thats what our world is desperately in need of lovers, people who are building deep, genuine relationships with fellow strugglers along the way, and who actually know the faces of the people behind the issues they are concerned about. Shane Claiborne (The Irresistible Revolution, 2006) Define what can be meant by social issues in this essay. What does it mean to deal with social issues? What is effectiveness? How can we measure such a relative/ idiosyncratic thing? What types of early intervention are there? Government programs Surestart Voluntary sector- charity work/ people choosing to live in disadvantaged community to help change for the better. Education? Therapists? Health? NHS, midwives, health visitors etc. What reasons are there to believe that these methods work? CTC data (large no.s of opinion surveys do these fully reflect true picture?) Case studies? Government studies (truly reliable? Short term? Who are they financed by and for what purpose?) What alternative approaches are there to early intervention?! (What are we comparing early intervention to to make the assumption that it is the most effective approach to deal with social issues? Other countries (Norway and Sweden) Are families engaging with intervention projects? Non-engagement (Anning and Ball 2008) Intervention or need of resources Arnold et al (2003): Specific needs of communities and the individuals themselves within such communities need to be addressed. Great diversity of needs It is the environment that needs changing not the individual. Brown et al (2007) CTC organizes the adoption of a science-based approach to prevention into five stages that correspond to Rogers (1995) stages of innovation diffusion. Each stage is guided by a set of milestones and benchmarks that are used to monitor CTC implementation p181 Diffusion is the process through which (1) an innovation (2) is communicated through certain channels (3) over time (4) among the members of a social system (Rogers, 1995). Most individuals evaluate an innovation, not on the basis of scientific research by experts, but through the subjective evaluations of near-peers who have already adopted the innovation. Diffusion is essentially a social process through which people talking to people spread an innovation.