Principles of Marketing Essay

Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to: 1. Define marketing and outline the steps in the marketing process 2. Explain the importance of understanding customers and the marketplace, and identify the five core marketplace concepts 3. Identify the key elements of a customer-driven marketing strategy and discuss the marketing management orientations that guide marketing strategy 4. Discuss customer relationship management, and identify strategies for creating value for customers and capturing value from customers in return 5. Describe the major trends and forces that are changing the marketing landscape in this age of relationships 1-2 Chapter Concepts 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. What Is Marketing? Understanding the Marketplace and Customer Needs Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Preparing an Integrated Marketing Plan and Program Building Customer Relationships Capturing Value from Customers The New Marketing Landscape So, What Is Marketing? Pulling It All Together 1-3 What Is Marketing? Marketing Defined Marketing is the process by which companies create value for customers and build strong customer relationships to capture value from customers in return 1-4 What Is Marketing? The Marketing Process 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Understand the marketplace and customer wants and needs Design a customer-driven marketing strategy Construct a marketing plan that delivers superior value Build profitable relationships and create customer satisfaction Capture value from customers to create profit and customer equity 1-5 Marketing process Determine needs and wants Design customer driven marketing strategy Construct marketing program that delivers superior value Build relationships and delight the customer Capture value from customer to achieve profits Figure 1.1: Core Marketing Concepts Needs, Wants & Demands Markets Core Marketing Concepts Marketing Offers Exchange & Relationships Value & Satisfaction Understanding the Marketplace and Customer Needs Customer Needs, Wants, and Demands †¢ Needs are states of deprivation †¢ Physical—food, clothing, warmth, safety †¢ Social—belonging and affection †¢ Individual—knowledge and selfexpression 1-6 Understanding the Marketplace and Customer Needs Customer Needs, Wants, and Demands Wants are the form that needs take as they are shaped by culture and individual personality Demands are wants backed by buying power 1-7 Understanding the Marketplace and Customer Needs Market Offerings—Products, Services, and Experiences Market offerings are some combination of products, services, information, or experiences offered to a market to satisfy a need or want 1-8 Understanding the Marketplace and Customer Needs Market Offerings—Products, Services, and Experiences Marketing myopia is focusing only on existing wants and losing sight of underlying consumer needs Exchange is the act of obtaining a desired object from someone by offering something in return 1-9 Understanding the Marketplace and Customer Needs Customer Value and Satisfaction †¢ Expectations †¢ Customers †¢ Value and satisfaction Set the right level of expectations †¢ †¢ Marketers †¢ Not too high or too low 1-10 Understanding the Marketplace and Customer Needs Exchanges and Relationships Exchange is the act of obtaining a desired object from someone by offering something in return Relationships consist of actions to build and maintain desirable relationships 1-11 Understanding the Marketplace and Customer Needs Markets are the set of actual and potential buyers of a product Marketing system consists of all of the actors (suppliers, company, competitors, intermediaries, and end users) in the system who are affected by major environmental forces †¢ Demographic †¢ Economic †¢ Physical †¢ Technological †¢ Political–legal †¢ Socio-cultural 1-12 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Marketing Management Marketing management is the art and science of choosing target markets and building profitable relationships with them †¢ What customers will we serve? †¢ How can we best serve these customers? 1-13 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Selecting Customers to Serve Market segmentation: Dividing the markets into segments of customers Target marketing: Which segments to go after 1-14 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Selecting Customers to Serve De-marketing: Marketing to reduce demand temporarily or permanently; the aim is not to destroy demand but to reduce or shift it. 1-15 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Selecting Customers to Serve Marketing management is: †¢ Customer management †¢ Demand management 1-16 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Choosing a Value Proposition The value proposition is the set of benefits or values a company promises to deliver to customers to satisfy their needs 1-17 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Marketing Management Orientations †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Production concept Product concept Selling concept Marketing concept Societal concept 1-18 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Marketing Management Orientations Production concept is the idea that consumers will favor products that are available or highly affordable 1-19 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Marketing Management Orientations Product concept is the idea that consumers will favor products that offer the most quality, performance, and features for which the organization should therefore devote its energy to making continuous improvements 1-20 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Marketing Management Orientations Selling concept is the idea that consumers will not buy enough of the firm’s products unless it undertakes a large scale selling and promotion effort 1-21 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Marketing Management Orientations Marketing concept is the idea that achieving organizational goals depends on knowing the needs and wants of the target markets and delivering the desired satisfactions better than competitors do 1-22 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Selling Versus Marketing Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy Marketing Management Orientations Societal marketing concept is the idea that a company should make good marketing decisions by considering consumers’ wants, the company’s requirements, consumers’ long-term interests, and society’s long-run interests 1-23 Societal Marketing Concept Society (human welfare) Consumers (want satisfaction) Company (profits) Preparing an Integrated Marketing Plan and Program Marketing Mix The marketing mix is the set of tools (four Ps) the firm uses to implement its marketing strategy †¢ Product †¢ Price †¢ Promotion †¢ Place 1-24 Preparing an Integrated Marketing Plan and Program Integrated Marketing Program Integrated marketing program is a comprehensive plan that communicates and delivers the intended value to chosen customers 1-25 Building Customer Relationships Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Customer relationship management is the overall process of building and maintaining profitable customer relationships by delivering superior value and satisfaction 1-26 Building Customer Relationships Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Customer perceived value is the difference between total customer value and total customer cost Customer satisfaction is the extent to which a product’s perceived performance matches a buyer’s expectations 1-27 Building Customer Relationships Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Customer Relationship Levels and Tools †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Basic relationship Full relationships Frequency marketing programs Club marketing programs 1-28 Building Customer Relationships The Changing Nature of Customer Relationships Relating with more carefully selected customers uses selective relationship management to target fewer, more profitable customers Relating for the long term uses customer relationship management to retain current customers and build profitable, long-term relationships Relating directly uses direct marketing tools (telephone, mail order, kiosks, Internet) to make direct connections with customers 1-29 Building Customer Relationships Partner Relationship Management Partner relationship management refers to working closely with partners in other company departments and outside the company to jointly bring greater value to customers 1-30 Building Customer Relationships Partner Relationship Management Partners inside the company is every function area interacting with customers †¢ Electronically †¢ Cross-functional teams Partners outside the company is how marketers connect with their suppliers, channel partners, and competitors by developing partnerships 1-31 Building Customer Relationships Partner Relationship Management Supply chain is a channel that stretches from raw materials to components to final products to final buyers †¢ Supply management †¢ Strategic partners †¢ Strategic alliances 1-32 Capturing Value from Customers Creating Customer Loyalty and Retention Customer lifetime value is the value of the entire stream of purchases that the customer would make over a lifetime of patronage 1-33 Capturing Value from Customers Growing Share of Customer Share of customer is the portion of the customer’s purchasing that a company gets in its product categories 1-34 Capturing Value from Customers Building Customer Equity Customer equity is the total combined customer lifetime values of all of the company’s customers 1-35 Capturing Value from Customers Building Customer Equity Building the right relationships with the right customers involves treating customers as assets that need to be managed and maximized †¢ Different types of customers require different relationship management strategies †¢ Build the right relationship with the right customers 1-36 The New Marketing Landscape Major Developments †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Digital age Globalization Ethics and social responsibility Not-for-profit marketing 1-37 The New Marketing Landscape The New Digital Age †¢ †¢ †¢ Recent technology has had a major impact on the ways marketers connect with and bring value to their customers Market research Learning about and tracking customers †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Create new customized products Distribution Communication Video conferencing Online data services 1-38 The New Marketing Landscape The New Digital Age Internet—creates marketplaces and marketspaces †¢ Information †¢ Entertainment †¢ Communication 1-39 The New Marketing Landscape Rapid Globalization †¢ †¢ The world is smaller Think globally, act locally 1-40 The New Marketing Landscape The Call for More Ethics and Social Responsibility Marketers are being called upon to take greater responsibility for the social and environmental impact of their actions in a global economy 1-41 The New Marketing Landscape The Call for More Ethics and Social Responsibility Social marketing campaigns encourage energy conservation and concern for the environment or discourage smoking, excessive drinking, and drug use 1-42 The New Marketing Landscape The Growth for Not-for-Profit Marketing †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Colleges Hospitals Museums Zoos Orchestras Religious groups 1-43

Summary on “Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods”

I will be writing a summary of the journal article â€Å"Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods† written by David J. Harding (2009), who argues that, â€Å"cross-cohort socialization by older neighborhood peers is one source of socialization for adolescent boys† (Page 445). He uses primary data collection from 60 adolescent boys in three Boston neighborhoods to â€Å"understand the causes and consequences of these interactions and relationships† (Harding, 2009, Pg. 445).In the journal article â€Å"Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods† by David J. Harding, Harding (2009) suggests that disadvantaged neighborhoods influence how adolescents make romantic and educational decisions. Adolescents are also more likely socialized with the more accessible older people in the neighborhood who don’t have a job, and work on the streets. The young peo ple feel that socializing with older men in their community that work in the â€Å"underground† economy helps with navigation through the dangerous streets and the older men influence their decision.The social isolation theory â€Å"argues that lack of participation in the mainstream labor market isolates residents of inner-city communities from middle-class social groups, organizations, and institutions† (Wilson, 1996, pg. 446). That theory, according to Harding (2009), suggests that kids in communities that are have high unemployment, don’t experience a life that is organized around their families work place, so some don’t feel like they need to join the work force in the future for a source of income.They see their community make a living on the streets. One hole in the social isolation theory is that it does not address that in inner-city neighbors, people do, in fact, share some of the same ideals as other social classes such as the desire to get mar ried and the importance of education (Harding, 2009). In ghetto-cultured neighborhoods, even decent families are competing with their child’s peers when it comes to influencing their decisions on sex, crime and school.Adolescents look up to young men who are higher ups in the neighborhood due to their success in the streets (Harding 2009). Violence in inner-city neighborhoods is also a way to move up in the social totem pole of the community showing your masculinity and earn respect. Harding suggests his own theory; he had a methodology for primary data collection. He interviewed 60 adolescent boys between the ages of 13 to 18 in three ghetto locations in Boston.In his investigations, he found that violence in disadvantaged neighborhoods is rarely random or accidental; it is directly related to interpersonal relationships and on going conflicts (2009). Another observation was, â€Å"the younger adolescent boys of Roxbury Crossing and Franklin struggle to cope with the ever-p resent threat of violence, relationships with older peers are one strategy for securing at least a measure of protection†¦By contrast, adolescent boys in Lower Mills face a much lower threat of victimization.Their social lives are not structured by strong neighborhood identities that restrict social networks or the use of geographic space, so strategies for reducing the threat of victimization are less necessary† (Harding, 2009, Pg. 452). In Harding’s investigations, he takes note that there is big distinction between neighborhoods. He gives the example of a kid named Marcus that has a neighbor who owed him $4, but since he didn’t want to fight his neighbor, he threatened his neighbor’s friend that lived in another neighborhood to get his money back.There is a large amount of respect between people in the same neighborhood and big rivalries between different neighborhoods (2009). Parents in Lower Mills don’t have to worry about their children g etting jumped or fighting. They go to the park and have a good time. On the other hand, parents of children in Roxbury and Franklin are constantly worrying about whether their children are getting involved with dangers on the streets. Neighborhood identity has a lot to do with violence (Harding, 2009).Violence is a defining characteristic of impoverish neighborhoods and it structures kids lives and socialization (Harding, 2009). According to Harding, â€Å"With respect to social organization theory, this article shows how the failure of a community to control violence can have spillover effects in other domains through the impact of violence on the age-structure of peer networks† (2009, pg. 462). References Harding, David. (2009). Violence, Older Peers, and the Socialization of Adolescent Boys in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods. American Sociological Review. 74, (3), 445-464.

Leisure Profile Assignment

My personal philosophy towards life and leisure is founded in the belief that one should seek out those moments, events, people and attitudes that bring happiness to one’s life. I believe in spending time with the ones you love and the ones who love you in return as it is these people who help shape your reality, attitudes and life in turn. Since the truth is that no one cares if you are miserable except yourself, I make sure to surround myself with people who enrich my life; those who uplift me and help bring me higher and strive to better myself. I believe it is important to take time to do activities that one loves doing. It doesn’t matter whether these activities are enjoyed alone, with friends or with family, just getting out and doing these activities is beneficial to one’s state of being. When a person takes time to do those things they love, a contentedness results and regardless of any hurt, pain, stress or struggles, they are able to enjoy themselves in that moment. I believe attitude contributes a lot to one’s state of mind and also one’s physical being. All of my life experiences, good and bad alike, have taught me a lot and have helped me grow into the person I am today. I try to remain positive no matter what situation I find myself in. A major driving force in my life is my family. I am a firm believer that one of the most important aspects in life is family. I have a two year old daughter who has changed my life in a positive way and feel truly blessed to have her in my life. Life has changed since her arrival but it her presence that gives me that extra push to stay focused on my goals and on those aspects of life that really matters to me. If you had asked me what my personal philosophy toward leisure is 3 years ago, it would have been completely different to what it is now but with all my life experiences, knowledge learned and knowledge shared I can now say that while I am a young, I wouldn’t change a thing. Definition of Leisure In our lecture notes leisure is defined as any activity or state of mind experience that is freely driven or happens spontaneously during work time, obligation time, and/or discretionary time; and is permissible by the norms of society and is culturally specific, meaning that it is derived according to the values, traditions, or more of a specific way or lifestyle of a particular cultural group(s) and Canada as a whole. (Karlis, 2004) My definition of leisure is a similar one. I believe that leisure is the freedom to do those activities you desire to do with your free time. Leisure time is the time away from work and/or work related activities. It is the time and freedom from your responsibilities, whatever they maybe, and it varies for each individual. Leisure time encompasses those activities that help in reducing and relieving stress and those activities that result in positive contribution to an individual’s health. Every individual lives a different life and lifestyle thus the way a person spends their time will be different. One individual may enjoy spending time with the important people in their life, while another may enjoy participating in activity’s that he/she enjoys partaking in alone and/or with those important people in their lives. Any activity that brings a sense of happiness or joy to an individual’s life is leisure. My Leisure Activities As I am now a mom, my leisure activities have changed since 2009, they are family orientated and child friendly activities. I do not have the freedom to do everything and anything I would like however I have adapted and made changes to my life that result in fulfillment to both myself and my daughter. I do my best to ensure that both my daughter and I enjoy ourselves in whatever activity I choose for us to partake in. I am lucky that my daughter plays well both alone as well as in those moments where she has the opportunity to play with other children. I, along with most mothers, want my daughter to be happy, however I believe that in order for her to be so, she needs a happy mom. With this in mind I try to take advantage of my alone time while she is in daycare and when she is asleep at night. In January, my daughter and I moved from Thompson, Mb. and her da (my spouse) stayed in Thompson to work. With this change in our lives our activities are usually consist of just her and I. We consider ourselves lucky when family comes to visit and take as much time to soak in these times when they do occur. My activities I enjoy with my daughter: * Visiting and playing with the extended family we do have here in Winnipeg (Cousins, both my age and her age) * Swimming for fun I try to take Mila to McDonald’s Play place once a week (while she does this I get time for myself to drink tea or catch up with a friend or family member) * We go for runs together and since she loves being outside I push her in the stroller and bundle her up nice and warm. * In the summer time we go to different parks, long walks/wagon rides to get ice cream or a slush, and/or go to the bea ch * Watch movies together and cuddle * We Skype and Facetime a lot with our close family who are located in Thompson, Mb. * When her dad is visiting, we enjoy any activity so long as we are together * Family trips and traveling Dinner with family and friends * Read books, make crafts, color, and paint My activities: * Workout at my gym, go for a run or swim by myself when I can * Participating in a group workout class; group spin, yoga etc. * I like to go for a tan and relax after a hard workout * Going for tea and dessert with friends * I enjoy shopping with my close friends and family * Getting dressed up and going dancing with my girlfriends * Dinner and alone time with my boyfriend when he is in town * I enjoy Facebook and social networking * Getting my hair colored monthly Catching a movie with my boyfriend or friends Activities I do most often The activity I try to do the most is to go to the gym. I aim at going 5-6 times per week for about one hour and half to two hours and afte r a hard workout I enjoy a relaxing tan however as I am aware this can have long term effects on my health I do this only twice a week. The activities I do the most with my daughter would be: watching movies together, reading books (especially at bedtime), and Skyping and/or Facetiming with our family in Thompson. As we miss our family, it is important to us to have regular contact with our immediate family. My Favorite Activity/Why? I am a certified personal trainer and thus my favorite activity which promotes happiness and balance in my life is my time at the gym. My aim during my workouts is to try to target every major muscle group. One of my fitness goals is to compete in a fitness competition within the next year. During my workouts I always workout with a friend, this enables me to time to work on our shared fitness goals and also provides me with social time where I can catch up with my girlfriend(s). Previously, when I resided in Thompson, my favorite activity was working out with a friend and/or my spouse. I enjoy running and swimming and I like to change up my workout routine. I have found that participating in group spin class with other people who have similar fitness goals has been both beneficial and motivational to me. Working out and staying active is therapeutic and very important to my well-being. It improves my overall self-esteem and frame of mind and I have a fun time doing it. My favorite activity to do when my spouse is here visiting us is simply going out for dinner. I enjoy being able to sit down together, the one on one time and of course a good meal. It is those times that I am most thankful and feel blessed for everything that I have. Motivation My daughter and my family are the driving forces that motivate me. The reason I moved here in January was to pursue a Kinesiology degree and I can say with honesty that it has been the hardest and most stressful thing I have done in my life. I left my comfortable lifestyle, my spouse, my family, and my friends in Thompson, Manitoba so that I could better my life and my daughter’s life. This experience has made me a stronger person and I am thankful for every opportunity I get for myself to grow as an individual. I am always writing down my goals and ambitions and I re-evaluate these every two to three months, doing this helps keep me focused and motivated on what I want for my life. My goals vary from what I want in a year’s time, five years time, and what I’ll accomplish in ten years time. I have education goals, fitness goals, and relationship goals with my spouse, and my daughter. Being a good mom is my main priority and is very important to me. My daughter deserves to be happy and I want to provide a good life for her, this is why she is the reason I stay focused, organized and goal orientated. Satisfaction I get so much pleasure from my leisure activities. When I work out, I feel happy, healthy and strong. As a mom my daughter needs me to be all those qualities that it takes to be a good mother to her. It is time I take time to myself to â€Å"not worry about being a mom† and all â€Å"the mom† responsibilities I have taken on in the past two years. I feel great about myself as a mom and a person and feel I am capable anything I put my mind too. This attitude helps in all aspects of my life. The time I spend with my daughter and my spouse together as a family creates the ultimate happiness in my life and I feel blessed to have them. My family has been through a lot of up’s and down’s and I know we are a strong family unit. Constraints Constraints in our lecture notes was defined as barriers, inhibitor’s, obstacles, or restraining factor’s – perceived or real – that influence (preclude or limit) an individual’s participation, frequency, intensity, duration, quality, or freedom of choice in leisure activity. E. L Jackson, 1988) Having just moved here in January, away from my spouse and other immediate family, has been a constraint, both to my physical well-being as well as to my emotional well-being. I have found that being on a student salary with my daughter is very constraining of both time and money. All of these obstacles limit the activities that my daughter and I can do a s we are limited by when, where and how often we can carry out our work and leisure activities. With a budget in mind this creates more barriers as I cannot afford a babysitter. I find that I do not have as much freedom as I did when I lived in Thompson, where my family was available to babysit at a moment’s notice. When I lived in Thompson, my spouse and I had 1 household and I was able to work. Being able to work enabled me to to afford a new vehicle, get my hair done when I wanted or shop online as I pleased. Things are different now, I am in a new city, in a new home (additional household), and I really have to watch what I spend my money on now. If my daughter is sick I miss school, a workout, or have to cancel any prior plans I had. I also am unable to work since I cannot afford a babysitter. Ultimately, deciding move was a large constraint to my personal, leisure and financial life but it will be beneficial when I’m done school. What I can do to remove constraints Being a mom on my own, my daughter does take up a lot of my time. I try to find activities we can do together, and as she gets older I know she will be able to participate in more activities. I go to the gym when she is at daycare and if I want to go on the weekend my gym has a daycare where she enjoys it too. If I want to go for a run I simply put her in her stroller and off we go together. If I want to go for tea with a friends we go to McDonald’s where Mila can play and where I am able to socialize. When her dad does come to visit I am able to get my free time in to do whatever I want. My daughter’s grandparents live in Lac Du Bonet and they are also willing to take her once in awhile. I believe if you really want something you can make it happen and with a few adaptations you can make any situation work. My daughter isn’t going to be two years old forever so I’m going to enjoy the time we have now together. Stress in my life My current major stress issues are trying to get my finances in order. I have car payments and monthly rent and utility payments. This is my first time living on my own and is also the first time living alone with my two year old daughter. This change was a scary change not just for me but for her as well. Another major stressor in my life is my relationship with my spouse. Our relationship has been an on and off relationship and not the healthiest relationship either. I have lost weight as a result of being hurt and stressed out, my education has suffered and my relationships with my other family members and friends have suffered. Another contributor of stress in my life is raising my two year old daughter by myself and with everything combined it can be overwhelming at times. Activities that reduce my stress When I upset or need time to myself I really enjoying swimming or going for a long run to help clear my head and sort out my thoughts. If I need to talk to someone about something I usually workout with a good friend so I can get a workout in and another person’s perspective on my current problem or issue, whatever it may be. After a good workout I always feel great and it helps me to remember to think positive regardless the situation. I believe everything will always work out for the better in the end and it usually does. My mom, sister, and close friends are always a phone call away so it is comforting to know I can phone them and they will be there for me no matter the situation or problem. Positive thinking while I’m engaging in any activity I enjoy is a great way for me dealing with stress and life in general. I always try to surround myself with positive people; people who are going to lift me higher and who help me cope with stress. When I am frustrated I cry, I have found that crying is a great release and that after doing so I always feel better. Rather than viewing crying as a weakness I view it as a strength, it takes more to admit one is overwhelmed than it does to always pretend to everything is ok and if it results in a happier me then it must be positive. Activities that reduce my stress: * Working out with a close friend * Running or swimming alone * Talking to a close family member or close friend * Going for a tan * Going for a long walk with my daughter * Watching a movie and cuddling with my daughter * Crying when frustrated How can I use Leisure differently to reduce Stress? I feel that I have a good overall balance of how I control my stress. Managing stress is all about taking charge; taking charge of my thoughts, my emotions, my schedule, my environment, and the way I deal with my problems helps me cope with stress. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun, plus the strength to hold up under pressure and meet life’s challenges head on. I admit that there are moments where I may crack under pressure but I’m human and it is completely normal to have these moments. I know that I can improve on my time management when it comes to my daughter and my education time. I think that partaking in a yoga class once a week will help improve my stress levels. Also finding more free community family programs will be beneficial for daughter and me as well. It will help us to meet more families who may possibly be in a similar situation as us. The influence of my Cultural background on my Leisure I am of Metis background, my mom is aboriginal and my dad is from Nova Scotia. My mom is a residential school survivor and raised me and my siblings the western Canadian way. We do not practice aboriginal culture and tradition. While I have participated in smudging before and I have been to a few pow wow’s, I can’t say that my cultural background has contributed to my leisure in a large way.

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 17

English - Essay Example There are advantages and disadvantages to mobile phone technology, and pros and cons can be explored to find a good balance. Just ten or twenty years ago, mobile phones were being dismissed as a fat or a passing phase. But today, everyone has to have the latest phone. Most people have the latest mobile and their own reasons to have their mobiles in their hands. The young generation seems to have more of these mobile phones than anyone else. It allows making and receiving calls and text, playing games, surfing the internet and listening to music. Often, all of these tasks are in one machine, so that there is integration. The features that attract the users to mobile phones are that people like ringtones, mp3, wallpapers, camera, video recordings, picture messaging (MMS), and Bluetooth mobile technology. These technologies are constantly evolving, and making communication faster and better between people. Unfortunately, it is not always cheap. But mobile phones can also be affordable, such as pay-as-you-go plans and simple phones without a lot of internet or 3G/4G extras. If you want to imagine the importan ce of mobile phones to people, just ask them to leave their phones separate from them for a day, and then see their reaction. That shows how people became dependent on their mobile phones. According to a survey that was done In Germany there were used to be 2.4 million mobile phones in 1994 but in 2007 it has increased to 97.4 million and now worldwide it is about 3 billion (Alexander, 2008). This shows a short period of growth but a very rapid growth in the amount of people using wireless phone. Especially with the introduction of internet-capable cell phones, people have been expanding their options. Mobile phones made the life of each person that uses it is easier, fast and more comfortable, it allows a person to stay in touch with his family, friends whenever and wherever they need to. It is

Summary and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summary and Analysis - Essay Example To be more specific on which particular rape, the writer of the review on the books by two Japanese authors target the involvement of the Japanese military personnel in the rape of the women from the countries that they were able to occupy during the Second World War; Nanking included. The writer’s review on the perspectives given by two authors had brought about different points of views concerning the main topic that is aimed to be discussed: the rape of women by the Japanese military during World War II. As much as Nanking is not the main focus for rape as the chosen source, the article provides a different perspective of the topic on rape. Wakabayashi makes use of the start of his review with a question as to whether the activist scholarship that shows support of the litigation be the best form of justice that has long been due to the victims of the rape in the era of wars (223). The writer then starts to speak of the perspective of the Japanese writers with concerns to the common topic at

Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 74

Leadership - Essay Example This trait would be most useful in an athletic department especially in the area of delegation of authority, for example, in the selection of a team captain. The team captain would have to be a person who has a very high achievement drive. The rest of the players look up to the captain of the team as their natural leader bath in the field and as a team. The captain must therefore have demonstrated high levels of effort both during practice and in competition situations. He must be able to rally the team into action through his/ her natural charisma as this acts as a booster of team morale (Arvey, 2006). The captain must have a demonstrable high ambition for the team and other team members so that he is a holistic team player. High energy levels in the captain must be evident as this will serve to revive the team when they are undergoing a slump during competitions or practice sessions. Personal initiative is very desirable in a team captain as this will make him a very effective situ ational leader on the field and also off-field (Yukl,

Photovoltaic cells Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Photovoltaic cells - Research Paper Example PV cells energy conversion efficiency has now crossed mark of 20 percent. Several companies, universities and research institutions are doing intense research and development work to reduce the cost further so that its economics fare favorably to other competing energy systems. There has been considerable headway in the research and it is quite likely that it will become one of the most prominent technologies among all renewable sources of energy in next 10 years. Being eco friendly, it has the capacity to meet the current and future energy needs of mankind. Introduction Photovoltaic Cell is a technique to generate direct current through solar radiation using semiconductors. The PV cell technology is useful to produce electricity particularly, at the location where grid system is not available. This paper will study the technology, types of photovoltaic cells, current status, its economics, engineering issues, technological advances, future scope and the direction that the industry m ake take. Off-the-Grid Systems Off-the-grid system is useful when electricity demand cannot be met through grid due to its isolated locations. The benefit of the off-the-grid system is that it is self reliant, not dependent on any outside source, using some renewable source of energy such as solar. ... Solar radiation falls on PV cell to energize the electron producing DC current. Inverter converts DC current to AC. Energy is stored in array of batteries. The efficiency of photovoltaic cells is a key parameter to convert solar energy into usable energy. Van Geet home is a typical off-grid system for generating energy based on solar power. It is a remote location near Denver in Colorado. Several renewable-energy features along with energy-conservation measures have been incorporated in this home. The design of this home is studied as an ideal research home. It has photovoltaic based solar power system. The house is said to have achieved 89% energy savings. The system uses 1000-watt amorphous silicon PV with a tracking controller. It surpasses the norms of 70% HVAC and energy savings for Building America research homes. It has been now recognized as a model home and taken for further study and research as energy saving designs in US. (Barley et al 2004) Below mentioned diagram shows a typical off-grid energy system. Source: http://homepower.com/basics/solar/#MainDCDisconnect Mobile homes also use similar PV based energy system to meet their energy needs. Major components in such systems are PV Cells, Charge controller, Battery Bank, and inverter. PV Cells Working of Photovoltaics Solar energy is converted to electricity through photovoltaics. The technology exploits the photoelectric property of certain material that absorbs photons of light to release the electrons. These free electrons cause electric current to flow that can be used for our needs (Knier 2002). PV Cell is a chief component and the heart of such energy systems. More than 50 percent of the cost of the energy system is attributed to PV module. For this reason, the

Six sigma method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Six sigma method - Essay Example Firstly, process outputs usually confront variations that are reduced by continuous efforts of the executives, in order to develop the business in an effective manner. Secondly, measurement, analysis, and controlling of different business processes, such as manufacturing, supply, marketing, etc. is done by the people at managerial positions. Thirdly, entire organization should be encouraged to participate in the different business processes, in order to achieve a quality position of the company. In this regard, every employee from the top-level management to the clerk has been emphasized in the Six-Sigma method. In definition, when quality production according to the specifications is acquired by the highly capable procedures and strategies, the ability of these processes has been referred as the Six-Sigma. Particularly, improvement of all the processes involved in a business is the major objective of the Six-Sigma method. In the year 1986, Motorola Company registered the service and trademark, Six Sigma. One of the major achievements of utilization of Six-Sigma method is the savings of more than fifteen billion dollars that was achieved by the Motorola in the year 2006. In addition, some of the major multinational companies have acquired and implemented the strategies of six-sigma method in their practices and have achieved significant results, such as Honeywell International, General Electric, etc. In specific, standard deviation of a population is generally represented by the Greek letter '' in lower case and referred as Sigma. In this regard, every item can be produced and supplied according to the given specifications, is the chief objective and theory of the six-sigma method. However, a number of experts have criticized the practicality of its approach, but this method has been able to achieve implementation in a number of companies around the globe. (Brue, 2002) A business process that implements a six-sigma method usually results in the production of approximate four defective parts out of every million production according to the definition of a six-sigma method, which has been significantly accepted by most of the business companies around the world. In terms of supply, 3.4 products will be supply beyond the specifications in every one million products in a six-sigma method. The process mean and the closest limit of specification share the number of standard deviations that is referred as the sigma in a capability study. The six-sigma method usually implies perfection rather than imperfection; however, the creators of six-sigma method have accepted that this method usually works effectively in short term processes, rather than the long-term procedures that usually produce more products that are defective. Methodology Generally, two important methodologies of six-sigma method have been accepted by most of the businesses around the world. In this regard, W. Edwards Deming was the first person to introduce and inspired others to the two strategies of the six-sigma method. Specifically, DMAIC and DMADV are the two abbreviations of the important methodologies found in the six-sigma method. When efforts are made to improve an existing business process, the efforts under the six-sigma met

Major American employment-related laws and regulations Case Study

Major American employment-related laws and regulations - Case Study Example Harassment in the workplace is any form of discrimination that violates Age discrimination in employment Act 1967, American with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Equal Pay Act of 1963, Pregnancy Discrimination Act and other regulations that aim at prohibiting harassment in workplace (Hemphill & Haines, 1997). Covey (2007) asserts that harassment is unwelcome conduct that is based on color, race, religion, sex, national origin, pregnancy, disability or age and leads to discrimination and unequal opportunities in employment matters. Harassment is outlawed when enduring the offensive conduct is a condition for employment or when the conduct creates a hostile work environment that is considered as intimidating, abusive and hostile to the employee (United States Department of Labor, 2013). Sexual harassment in the workplace includes ‘quid pro quo’ harassment that occurs when employment decisions or treatment is based on submission to unwelc ome sexual conduct or hostile work environment that leads to unwelcome sexual conduct of customers, supervisors, and contractors (Dale, 2005). Some behaviors that perpetuate unlawful sexual environment include commenting on the physical attributes of the employee, unnecessary touching, discussing sexual activities and displaying of sexually suggestive pictures.   In this case, the Department of Labor (DOL) policy prohibits all forms of harassment in the workplace and the employer must implement a harassment policy. that facilitates reporting and investigation of instances of the unlawful behaviors that contribute to harassment (LeMoncheck & Hajdin, 1997). Harassment hinders employee productivity through increased turnover and absenteeism. In addition, harassment negatively affects the organizational reputation and may lead to costly legal suits (Weizer, 2002). Pamodoro Ltd must ensure the workplace is free from any materials that are sexually offensive such as graffiti and nude po sters. The management must implement a strong anti-harassment policy and provide training to the employees, customers and suppliers. The policy must prohibit sexual jokes, comments on person’s body or sex life, sexually demeaning comments, sexually suggestive gifts, touching or patting in a sexual manner, or blocking a co-workers movement (Badgett & Frank, 2007). According to U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2013), the management must pr

Strategic Management 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Management 2 - Essay Example In this regard, effective strategic leadership has become an extremely important factor for companies for attaining competitive advantage (Pettigrew, 2012). A lot of factors can initiate the process of internationalisation of firms during the period of globalisation. These factors can either be traditional factors that include objectives like, resource and market seeking or emerging objectives like, attaining economies of scale and competitive positioning (Sminia and De Rond, 2012). This essay discusses the case of British Petroleum, a London-based oil and natural gas company and evaluates various aspects of strategic management of the company so as to identify the competitive advantage and elaborate on leadership of the company. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the organisation’s current competitive advantages based on resource and capabilities view and dynamic possibilities. The international expansion of the company and its strategies in doing so has also been described. Leadership issues of the organisation during the period of international expansion have also been discussed in the final section. British Petroleum is one of the largest oil and natural gas companies of the world. The company has its headquarters in London and was incorporated on 1909. The BP group of companies works under BP Plc. The basic business model of British Petroleum comprises two main parts (BP plc, 2011). The first part is exploring and locating the natural gas and oils; and the second part is extraction of hydrocarbons making them commercially available. The company has a wide business model, which encompasses extraction, production and retail services of petrochemical products around the world. The petrochemical products produced by the company are used in production of a wide range of products, which are used in everyday life (BP plc, 2013). The exploration and production departments

Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Analysis - Term Paper Example As the market is changing and including more and more firms in the business scenario, a proper screening of the environment is part and parcel of a firm’s success. ‘It is essential for a business enterprise to keep itself aware of surrounding environment because the success of business depends to a great extent on its awareness about surrounding environment’ (Jain et al. 2010, p.84) PESTLE Analysis In order to analyze the business environment for M&S we will first use the PESTLE analysis. ‘Political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental (PESTLE) analysis is an analytical tool for assessing the impact of external contexts.’ (Basu 2011, p.21) a. Political The UK retailer is faced with the changing setup in terms of the political environment. Although the company enjoys a fairly stable government with stable policies regarding the economy and the retail business as a whole, but changes have been brought into the system due to the rece nt terror vibes. However the efficient UK government has tapped this issue with proper security plans. The company is a part of the system where the tax net is not too high as compared to other countries. Also the international trade agreement with China for instance has been relaxed with the new double tax treaty that reduces taxes, thus facilitating opportunities of global trade. b. Economic The economy in which Marks and Spencer is operating is one of the largest economies of the world with a loose monetary policy and a stable employment scenario. The company does face the risks of sudden financial upheavals like the 2007-2009 financial crises that originated in the US mortgage market but influenced the entire world especially the larger economies. So M&S have to keep a continuous check on the global outlook and the UK’s economic indicators and their trends in order to fully capitalize on the economy. c. Social In terms of the social factors M&S has to analyze the local en vironment as well as the foreign territories in which the company operates. The company needs to take into account the youth as they are the lucrative target market for clothing and apparel. Its loyal customer base is now in the age bracket of 50 plus years. It needs to analyze the UK’s youth for their lifestyle which is independent and trendy and portray such vibes in their clothing line. d. Technological The company faces a technological lag as compared to its competitor. The company did not use the plastic money till the 2003 and had no loyalty card schemes for its customers. The company started these cards and schemes along with vouchers and reward points in 2003 much later than its competitors. The technological advances are the most speedy ones these days, with companies using technology in terms of product availability in the form of online deliveries for better customer service etc. M&S needs to keep on adapting to the technological change in order to compete well wit h the rivals. Also UK like other big economies is witnessing an era of online shopping frenzy and this hype needs to be catered through proper implementation of correct design of customer friendly website and the accompanying distribution strategy. e. Legal The laws in the UK are always changing for the better. M&S keep a check on all the new legislations through yearly training. Health and Safety laws, Packaging laws, commercial laws etc have to be maintained

Stereotyping Essay Example for Free

Stereotyping Essay Many would agree that stereotyping can be seen as an individual’s preconception about another individual depending on race, color, gender, or religion. Once an individual has built a stereotypical opinion he or she would view the communication and actions individuals of a different race, color, gender, or religion with prejudice. Racial stereotyping is an extremely detrimental facet of stereotyping. It actually paves the way for outright racism, which can cause communication barriers on multiple levels. For example, a stereotypical individual feels that some people are more intelligent that others due to their race, or the color of their skin. Racial stereotyping can lead to the suppression of the minority population in an area by the dominant culture, and this hinders societal development. The practice of racial stereotyping through the use of the media has been used throughout history by some members of society to attain various goals. The most effective way to get peoples reaction about an issue is through the media. Racial stereotyping is perpetuated highly through the film and television media, so it is important for people to mind what they watch, and how sincere the materials are being represented. In addition, a lot of movies are racially stereotypical. For example, in the movies members of gangs are most times, big black guys. This can be misinterpreted as showing that black people are usually gang members, which is not necessarily true. Furthermore, when a particular group is stereotyped, they will begin to internalize the inherent negative image, and might actually mimic some behaviors that have been portrayed in the negative imagery. The fact that they are already being criticized, can lead people to actually portray the action in reality. As mentioned above, the media can affect the way people react to certain matters, so when people are stereotyped negatively, they could change themselves in response to what is shown in the media. Ronald Takaki observed that â€Å"the pressure that the majority puts on a minority being stereotyped is high because their upward mobility will not reach equality† (Takaki, Ronald 1990 p. 101). This can cause people who are being stereotyped to feel isolated and can lead to a barrier being created between communities. In addition, a common reaction to stereotyping and criticism is that people become extremely defensive. This is a natural reaction, which most people tend to do when they feel trapped or scared. Racial stereotyping occurs between different races because many people are scared of being seen as different. For example, when a black or Hispanic family moves to a place like Canada, some people around might be initially reluctant to interact with them due to their racial difference. Hence, a communication barrier might be built between them. Stereotypical people are afraid of the idea of being different, and this is why they try to criticize others. They might also try to persecute the minority in the community, so that they would feel unwanted and eventually leave their country. As Anna Lisa Raya indicates her experience of having to define her self as what others thought in the article â€Å"it’s hard enough being me†. Overall, the idea of racial stereotyping will always be in our lives. However as time goes by we become more humanism because people are learning to not judge others by their race, gender, or religion. Therefore, we shouldn’t be afraid of being different and we should allow more cultural diversity into our lives, as stereotyping can lead to the suppression of minority populations by the dominant culture.

Operations Management Of The Hotel Industry

Operations Management Of The Hotel Industry With the increasing sophistication of hotel guests and patrons, the continual improvement of hospitality services towards the attainment of unparalleled excellence in the business remains the only edge the hotel has to sustain its position if not attain the leadership in the industry. By adopting the ISO 9001:2008 framework, the acculturation of a learning organization into the consciousness of each employee of the hotel shall provide the impetus to strive and be better in providing service to hotel guests and patrons. A Quality Management System or QMS will govern the conduct of each of the hotels front liners. The QMS shall also provide the parameters for quality service while performance monitoring of each of the processes shall be through the process key performance indicators. Any flaw or parameter that fails to satisfy the accepted threshold of the performance indicator shall be subject to a root cause analysis to determine a corrective or preventive solution. The QMS requires regular review to ensure that the organization remains focus and faithful to its objective. The hotel employees performance shall be subject to evaluation by using the key performance indicators root cause analysis. For QMS, the hotel guests or patrons feedback, comment or opinion is accorded greater weight as it will not only change how the hotel will conduct its business but it will equally show how the hotel value their guests and patrons point of view with regard to the hotels operation. Contents Executive Summary 2 Contents 2 Introduction 4 METHODOLOGY 5 THE HOTEL 5 Design 6 Supply 7 Planning 7 Shop-floor control 8 The environment 8 Technology 8 The Hotels CUSTOMER SERVICE 9 CUSTOMER SERVICE Challenges 11 Summary 12 Bibliography 13 Introduction Revenue in a Hotel business shall anchor on two factors, namely: (1.) level of occupancy or guest traffic that includes patrons to its facilities, and (2.) Efficiency and Quality of its services (Cornell University, 2010). Thus, among other industries in the world, the Hospitality industry remains dependent on the market pulse and good business sense. Good business sense refers to the operation strategy and business strategy that would result to operation efficiency and quality service. The marriage of technology and human ingenuity are very much apparent in the hotel industry by deploying an Enterprise Resource Planning system. As applied to the hotel industry, it would ensure excellent customer experience from their reservation up to their next visit. The deployment of a Customer Relationship Management System would ensure that all issues are addressed and monitored and shall similarly ensure that the business is properly guided on how to become customer centric. However, technology will not work on its own as its success will be dependent on the employees who use the system and those who will execute the work instructions recommended by the system. A framework that will capitalize on the strength of the employee enabled by technology shall be the onus of this paper. The sole purpose of which is to ensure the customer focused operation of the hotel while practicing processes that feed on continual improvements to manage the bottom line. Using these strategies, Leadership in the industry and profitability should not be far behind. METHODOLOGY The valuable discussions in Operation Management have been the inspiration by this writer to seek out more knowledge in pursuit of excellence. Thus, it led to the discovery that the concepts presented herein have been in existence for some time, and various authors not only wrote extensively on the subjects but they have exhaustively been part of its continual improvement so to speak. Capitalizing from the experiences of these management gurus and the erudite deliberation in Operations Management this author therefore recommend a more comprehensive examination of the Hotels Customer Service. Using the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System framework, this author shall discuss the merits and wisdom of its implementation in this paper in support of the Hotels operation and primordial goal. It is ideal to implement the quality management system in all the processes of the Hotel to ensure that there will be no gap that can dissuade if not prevent the Hotel from being the center for customer service excellence. The ISO 9000 Quality Management System have previously been regarded as applicable only to the manufacturing industry since it normally refers to the quality in the creation of a product. However, in ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System the word product can alternately refer to as service  [1]  . The hospitality industry has long been recognized a service-oriented industry (Ramaswamy). Its main product is unlike any other industry since its product is the service provided by the hotel employees. The quality metrics of hospitality service is equal to the amount of satisfaction of each customer multiplied by the number of customer over a period of time. THE HOTEL The hotel is a five star hotel that is highly profitable and popular privately owned located in the center of an international city with a high level of tourist traffic, particularly international tourists. It boasts of a two hundred fifty suites, two dining rooms, one of which offers a standard menu and seats three hundred people while the other seats only a hundred but it offers discriminating a la carte choices for an upscale market. The hotel also has two cocktail bars; one that is publicly accessible from the streets while the other is for hotel guests only however both are open to guests and non-guests alike. The hotel is home to three kitchens, with the two serving the two dining rooms while the third serves the three function rooms rented for parties, weddings, conferences and other similar events. The function rooms seat fifty, two hundred and one thousand, respectively while each function room can have their own bars if required. The hotel similarly provides other facilities that would include a swimming pool, gym, sauna and a car park with one hundred and fifty private bays. The hotel employs both permanent full-time and part-time contract workers. Each area has its own supervisor, with qualified and experienced managers overseeing the supervisors for the respective departments. As indicated, not only does the hotel enjoy a modest profit from its operation, it boasts of a decent amount of guest and patron traffic from its hotel and facilities operation. Design Designing a particular type of service impacts the hotels customers to enrich their stay or their hospitality experience is a practical application of this concept as described by Slacks and Johnston in 2004. To illustrate: the design process in the formulation of a process that will provide returning guests with discounted rates if they return during the off-peak or lean days will ensure occupancy during the lean months and expand marketing exposure. Supply Raw materials used as ingredients to hotel food are sensitive to spoilage and contamination thus it is important to manage its handling from delivery, storage and inventory. The release of the goods from storage should be strictly enforced and implemented through proper tagging and warehousing strategy. To illustrate; Meat products can last for a certain period through refrigeration but must also consider volatility and seasonality to its supply. The system predicting the usage of the hotel base on its routine consumption and the scheduled events shall either place an order or forego an order automatically and later implement First-in-first-out in the warehouse with the use of the inventory tag. Planning Planning within the context of the hospitality industry often relates to Business Planning. Case in point, the hospitality business is sensitive to the time of the year particularly its occupancy. From July to August is normally the time when air travel is at its busiest due to the summer vacation in the United States and some countries. Hotels outside the United States that are vacation destinations of Americans are at its busiest. However, during the lean months, when occupancy is at its lowest, hotel managers and administrators creativity are normally put to test. To illustrate a viable business strategy during the lean months is to pre-sell the room through discount cards. The concept is to sell discount cards at a price of one or two nights stay that will be availed only during the lean months. Modest discounts may be availed by cardholders including the facilities or services offered by the Hotel. The card shall expire within one year from its issuance to give the hotel the opportunity to sell continuously the unoccupied hotel rooms during the lean months. Shop-floor control Shop floor strategies include Job and shift Scheduling, housekeeping, Process improvement and increasing process efficiency in the context of providing quality service. ISO 9001:2008 has closed the gap between a tangible product and service that both demand quality. According to the system, the best way to ensure quality service is to identify focus areas, then to provide measurable targets that are congruent with the focus areas goals. The environment Some hotels realize their impact to the environment of the local community and as part of their strict adherence to their corporate conscience social responsibility often adopts a sound environmental management system. Not only would this comply with the international initiatives regarding environmental concerns but in practice, this will also respond well to its corporate social responsibility initiatives. Technology The use of technology to lower the cost of operation through the automation of processes and increase the security at the hotel is a strategy that does not normally provide a tangible and visible result overnight. To illustrate: Supply Chain Management as envisioned is a technology driven strategy that will ensure that raw materials used as ingredients for food do not spoil or do not get contaminated. The strategy requires inventory immediate tagging in each delivery. By providing secure keys to every guest, a hotel management system would be able to adjust the room temperature and the Air Handling Unit load depending on the rooms that have activated keys. Using the secure keys inserted in its slot will enable the system to determine the additional load needed for the air conditioning requirement instead of the Air Handling Unit continuously operating even without any guest inside is a waste of energy. The Hotels CUSTOMER SERVICE The hotels customer does not start becoming a customer when he finally pays the initial down payment for a room or service, he does not start becoming a customer at the instant he shows up at the hotels premises or orders his first drink from the bar. A guest or patron starts becoming a customer as soon as he says the first word to any of the hotels staff, telemarketer or even parking attendant or valet (Borsenik Stutts, 1997). Ergo, all aspects of the hotels operation almost concern itself with customer service. Customer service is not merely providing the hotels service to the guests or patron, it is making sure that the customer is satisfied and fulfilled in the usage of the facilities including their encounter with the hotels staff (Michelli, 2008). Therefore, all processes that will affect the customer directly or indirectly are customer service providing processes. To illustrate the reservation clerk represents the hotel as its first liner when the customer called in to reserve a room or book the one of the services of the hotel. A pleasant conversation would result to immediate booking and a not so pleasant conversation is the loss of a potential client. The interaction with the valets or the parking attendants may be the second encounter of the hotel with its customer. The next would be the door person, the front desk, the concierge, the room boy, the hotel cleaners and then floor security for hotel guests. While for those partaking and enjoying the services of the Hotel would be entertained from the door person by the receptionist and then the floor manager or the facilities attendant. The guests would then be interfacing next with the waiters if they were at the bar or restaurant, the lifeguard for the swimming pool and fitness instructor for the gym and sauna. To illustrate the indirect service providers in the Hotel that ensures not only the satisfaction of the guests or patron they themselves are responsible for the behind the scene hospitality experience. These would include the kitchen staff that would include the chef and those responsible for preparing the food. The engineer that ensures the temperature of the pool and the gym is optimal or the safety engineer monitoring the safety levels at the sauna, the hallway and lobby temperature. The indirect service providers also include the cashiers that provide the correct change and charges, the security guards that ensures the safety of the guests and the surrounding. This also includes the janitorial staff that ensures the health of the guests by making the immediate surrounding garbage or dirt free. The processes that govern the operation and performance of the customer interaction of the services provided as described shall be the focus of the Quality Management System framework of ISO 9001:2008 (International Organization for Standardization, 2008). Aligning with the Vision, Mission, Values and Strategy of the Hotel the Quality Management System framework will allow the Hotel to define its own Quality Mission Statement that states the personality of the hotel. Each of the processes followed or implemented by the process owners as described above that interacts with the Hotels guests, patrons or customers, in general, shall be covered by the Quality Mission Statement. Juxtapose with the Quality Missions Statement aligned processes, Key Result Areas will be developed will remain the targets of the processes. The Key Result Areas should be customer centric and should work towards the attainment of the best hospitality experience of the guests or patrons as provisioned by the Hotel. In order to measure the success of the process owners in achieving their key result areas, metrics in the form of key performance indicators for each process are to be developed. To illustrate: The valet service is often neglected by most Hotels but its importance and the opportunity it presents to save the Hotels image from the customers bad experience from the services of the hotel is precious being the last process the customer has to go through before leaving the hotel. The possible key result area for the valet services could be the immediate return of the guests vehicle to him. The key performance indicators could be the amount of time it will take the valet to retrieve the car and return it to the owner. The idea would be the shorter the amount of time it takes to retrieve the car the more satisfied the customer would be. CUSTOMER SERVICE Challenges Cultural Sensitivities The primary challenge in any customer service is the differences in the personality or origins of the guests. Cultural sensitivities often create friction between the service provider and the customer. To illustrate: in the west shaking the head from side to side often means no, however in some culture particularly the Indian culture it means yes. Gender and Other Sensitivities At times, being chivalrous is being sexist while being helpful to people with disabilities is being offensive. A balance and clear criteria are should be studied depending on the area where the Hotel is located so as not to compromise quality service with sensitivities. Summary The hospitality industry has evolved from an industry that only provided board and lodging to transient travelers in the previous century to an actual destination that offers a myriad of services to weary travelers and to vacation and relaxation seekers. The Quality Management System as enabled by technology should provide the edge to the hotel in terms of managing its bottom line from the business perspective while also providing the framework in determining the best way to service its guests and patrons. The Quality Management System therefore will equally define the customer centric culture of the hotel geared towards providing the best, if not one of the best hotel experience to its guests. The continual improvement concept of the Quality Management System will engender excellence in the very fiber of the hotels staff. The key performance indicators shall provide the metrics to gauge the efficacy of the process including the performance of its employees. The root cause analysis as well as the development of the corrective and preventive solution is essential to the concept. One of the virtues of ISO 9001-2008 Quality Management System is that it would let the hotel develop its own Quality Management framework as derived from the hotels unique culture. The hotel shall not only reflect its personality but it shall be the driving force towards excellence in customer service. The commitment to customer service as driven by the Quality Management System shall therefore be personal not only for the organization, but also for the individual employees.

Relationship Between Leadership And Change Management Essay

Relationship Between Leadership And Change Management Essay Organizations have to endure significant and traumatic changes in order to survive in the dynamic and competitive business environment. Leadership plays a vital role in the implementation of organizational change. This study will discuss how leaders would effectively implement such strategic changes with specific approaches, theories and styles of leadership. The author will relate to appropriate organizational examples and incorporate academic frameworks models of leadership. Defining Leadership Although many people have tried to define leadership there is no single definition that would capture the essence of leadership. Daft suggested that Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers, who intend real changes that reflect their shared purposes (Daft 2008, p.4). Yukl stated that Leadership is the process of influencing others to understand and agree about what needs to be done and how to do it, and the process of facilitating individual and collective efforts to accomplish shared objectives (Yukl 2006, p.26).Both Daft Yukl gave similar view points and spoke about the ability of a leader to influence followers in order to achieve a shared objective. For some people, leadership is a trait or ability, for others it is a skill or behavior whereas still for others leadership is a relationship. Therefore it is evident that people have a wide range of perspective on leadership (Northhouse, 2009). Therefore it is taken into authors consideration that leadership is the ability to influence followers to improve performance in sequence to achieve a shared objective. For a leader to be able to achieve the objective he/she should possess the right attitude and right skills. . Defining Change Dawson (2003 , p.11) stated that there can never be a universal theory for organizational change, as change involves a movement to some future state that comprises a context and time that remains unknown. Whereas Matcheva (2010) mentioned that organizational change refers to the fundamental and thorough reorientation in the way the organization operates. Organizational change may occur due to several internal and external environmental factors. The external factors will consist of political, economical, social and technological stimuli where as internal factors will be factors such as organizations management policies and styles, systems, procedures and employee attitudes. (Buono, 2009) Perry (2006) argued that change is inevitable and therefore should be planned for and form part of the normal process of management. Burke (2011, p.1) gave a different view mentioning Organizations change all the time each and every day. The change that occurs in organizations is for the most part unplanned and gradual. Relationship between leadership and change Change has been a challenging area and has affected many organizations. Organizations have to endure such significant change in order to survive in the dynamic and competitive business environment. The change must be aligned according to organizational culture, values, people and behaviors to encourage the desired results. Therefore human leadership plays a key role in making change a success. Such transformation is difficult and will definitely result in resistance and resentment by employees. The social and psychological fear of change and the lack of technical expertise will affect the change process. Therefore Leaders should be equipped with skills that would enable effective strategic change. David (2004) also emphasized how leadership could help overcome resistance to change. He indicates that In order for World Class Organizations to survive, management must understand that change is inevitable and that they themselves are responsible for overcoming employee resistance through sound management and change-oriented leadership (David, 2004). Globalization, technological changes, knowledge management and cross boundary collaboration are the four major forces affecting organizational change. Change could occur either in the external environment or macro environment. Organizations are in need of innovative and creative visionaries who understand how to make decisions in such changes Tappin (2009). An effective change leader should have a sense of purpose and a vision, ability to manage people through tough situations, ability to take accountability and responsibility and motivate people to achieve respective goals. Once people believe in leaders, the excitement will drive them to achieve targets. Therefore it is evident that there is a strong relationship between leadership and change. Leadership plays a major role in minimizing resistance to change as well as ensuring smooth execution of change. Importance of leadership in change The most challenging aspect of a business is leading and managing change. With the business environment being subject to fast paced economic and social change modern businesses need to adapt and be flexible to survive. The main challenge in leading change is to manage human resources. As mentioned by Kotter (1999, p.19) More change demands more leadership Kotter emphasized the need of a leader to manage change. Nilakant Ramanarayan (2006) also mentioned the importance of leadership during each phase of change, mainly the execution stage. Kotter (1999, p.7) identified one of the most common errors of organizational failures during change as its inability to create a powerful guiding coalition. He stressed on the importance of strong line leadership during change. Kotter identified a 8 stage change process which consist of Establishing a sense of urgency. Creating a guiding coalition. Developing a vision and strategy. Communicating the change vision. Empowering broad based action. Generating short term wins. Consolidating gains and produce more change. Anchoring new approaches in the culture. (Kotter, 1996, p.21) In order to follow the above steps, an initiative needs to be taken which demands leadership. Through the above approach leaders would be able to act as a change agent minimizing resistance to change. Tappin (2009) mentioned that a leader needs to develop the following characteristics in order to manage change. A vision, and be able to communicate it to their organizations An orientation to serving An entrepreneurial mind-set A commitment to continuous innovation A global mindset Ease and confidence with technology Know-how in systems thinking (a broad view of the inter-relationship of an organizations parts, rather than a narrow view that is focused on one part or event.) A sense of ethics and appreciation of spirituality in the workplace A commitment to continuous learning, personal and professional development Tappin stated characteristics that he believes should be present in a change leader. An in-depth analysis need to be taken in order to identify the most effective approach a leader could follow when managing change. As the characteristics of a change leader have been laid down above. It is appropriate to carry out a thorough analysis on leadership styles and approaches and thus identify which style or approach is greatly suited. Styles of Leadership There have been many studies conducted to evaluate and identify different types of leadership styles. Goleman (2011) identified six leadership styles. They are Coercive, Authoritative, Affiliative, Democratic, Pacesetting and Coaching. He argued that leaders who have four or more styles especially Authoritative, Democratic, Affiliative and Coaching styles will be able to drive a better business performance and maintain a good climate delivering better results. According to Northouse (2009) the primary study on styles of leadership was conducted by Lewinn, Lippitt and White (1939). The main styles of leadership they identified are Authoritative, Democratic and Lassiez-faire. Northouse (2009) mentioned that a leader may display a combination of these styles and execute each of these styles in a given circumstance. Coercive style This style is also known as the Autocratic model. According to Goleman (2011) coercive type leaders expect immediate compliance from its followers. These types of leaders are very competent in self control, initiating and achieving results. The above style works best in crisis situation where quick change is required as well as situations with problem employees. But the coercive model may have a detrimental effect on the employees therefore should be used with extreme care. It may impact the morale and feelings of the followers and may negatively affect employee motivation. In almost all cases, autocratic leadership style helps improve organizational efficiency and contribute to the bottom line in the short-term. This improvement is however a quick fix, coming at the cost of erosion of a companys underlying assets and laying the foundation for permanent damage in the future (Nayab, 2010). Therefore this can be considered as the least effective style of all leadership styles since it has a negative influence on the overall climate of the organization. In 2007 Martha Stewart single handedly turnaround her ailing Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. In her we find a substantial amount of controversy but she continues to prosper with her organization and is effectively served by her autocratic style of leadership as well. But critics say that she wouldnt have reached the verge of bankruptcy and would have achieved more if she had not followed her autocratic style (Nayab, 2010) This example suggests that Martha was not able to reach her full potential and achieve success with her autocratic style during the turnaround because of its aggressive nature. Authoritative Style An authoritative leader is a person who guides people towards a vision and follow organizational goals and strategies. This is a more flexible strategy where the followers are permitted to be innovative, experiment and take calculated risk which will give the follower a sense of belonging and involvement to the organization (Goleman, 2011).This style of leadership works best when change is required in a new vision or clear direction is needed. His research indicates that this is the most effective style of leadership. But a leader who is working with experts who are more experienced will find it difficult to apply this style. The team members may sense that the leader is trying to dominate. Northouse(2009) also gave a similar view on authoritative style of leadership. He mentioned that Authoritarian leadership is used to give direction, set goals, and structure work. He identified positives and negatives of using such style for leadership. The positives are that there is a person to give direction and clarity to employees work which will bring about productivity and efficiency enabling accomplishments of goals in a shorter period. On the other hand this style will hamper individuality and will create dependence on the leader which will result in subordinates losing interest and becoming dissatisfied with their work. Both of the viewpoints above can be related to Mc Gregors Theory X. The assumptions he made are applicable for the followers of authoritarian leaders. He made three assumptions which are as follows. The average person dislikes work and will avoid it if possible. Because people dislike work, they need to be directed, and sometimes threatened with punishment or reminded of rewards to make them work. The average person prefers to be directed, wishes to avoid responsibility, has little ambition, and wants security more than choice. (Northouse, 2009) The authoritarian leader needs to provide direction to its followers and control them. Therefore they will be in charge and take up responsibility to control the group. Considering the above three authors ideas the authoritative style of leadership would be a suited style of leadership in managing change because during change the entire company needs to be given proper direction and their needs to be someone to take responsibility and take initiative by creating a vision to manage change. The CEO of Microsoft Bill Gates is considered an authoritative leader who was able to successfully move Microsoft in the direction he saw the industry moving. He is considered as a leader with a vision who aligned Microsoft with that vision (Authoritative Leaders,2006) CEO of DELL Michael Dell identified the requirement of change in their customer services department and executed a unique strategy of his own to retain and satisfy its large customer base, unlike other companies he introduced a strategy where customer queries are directed to a real human voice not a voice mail system. In an environment where the trend is towards voicemail systems Michael Dell introduced such a system (Franklin, 1998) This in fact displays his leadership and vision in understanding the work his people do at all levels as well as his understanding the requirement for change according to the trend. Affiliative style Affiliative style of leadership is a more human friendly style. Its a style which helps to create harmony and build emotional bonds. People come first always. Communication is considered a key element. This style is best suited to motivate people during stressful situations. Even though there are certain advantages of using this style constant use of this style will also have its drawbacks. When employees are over praised they might lose focus and may lead to poor performance. Over reliance on this model may lead the company to fail (Goleman 2009). Kotter (1999, p.37) mentioned Communication of ideas helps people see the need for and the logic of change. Therefore according to his findings the affiliative style could be considered a suitable style of leadership to adopt during change due to it focusing on communication as a key element. Democratic Style The democratic style of leadership gets the followers to participate and express their opinion. The leader builds trust, respect and commitment from the employees. Communication collaboration and team leadership plays an important role. The leader will listen to employees ideas and concerns thus learning how to keep the spirit of the employees high (Goleman2010). This style will work best when the leader itself is uncertain about the path to be taken. The drawback of such a style is that the leader will be receiving endless opinions resulting in difficulty of making a proper decision. Northouse(2009) also gave a similar view on democratic style of leadership. He said that democratic leaders always try to treat its subordinates fairly. This leader will not to be controlling rather they will listen and obtain support from all subordinates. This is a collective approach of leadership where the leader will be consulting subordinates. The democratic leadership style resembles the assumptions of Mc Gregors Theory Y. Which are as follows People like work People are self motivated People accept and seek responsibility. (Northouse, 2009) Since people are fully capable of doing their work alone theory Y stresses that people neednt be controlled by their leaders as they are self motivated. Kotter(2009, p.38) has also mentioned the importance of participation and involvement to overcome resistance to change . The democratic style concentrates on participation and involvement which will help overcome resistance to change. Therefore could be considered as a good style of leadership to manage change. Anne Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox also used a democratic style of leadership. She led Xerox through a major transformation. In the task of cutting costs quickly, she used the knowledge of employees and encouraged them to give their opinion. Together they were able to do so. (Helliriegel, Jackson and Slocum, 2008, p.509) Pace setting style This style focuses on developing people for the future. The leader set high standards and expect employees to follow them. The leader demands for excellence, therefore employees will feel that they are being stretched beyond their capability. This is best suited when quick results are needed from a motivated and competent team, but gives an overall negative impact on organizational climate (Goleman 2010). Since change in a company is a long term effect the pace setting leader may have a negative effect. They do more harm than good when an organization needs long term results (Chynoweth 2008). The 8th CEO of General Electric Jack Welch strongly believed in leading by example. He was a persistent and demanding executive and showed characteristics of a pace setting leader. He turned the company from $12 billion into a $500 billion market capitalization. He was renowned for his human process to drive change having respect for each individual in the process of change (Pace Setting Leadership, 2006) Coaching style Personal success purely brings achievement. Helping others succeed confers genuine accomplishment. Passion for success through others -the common aspiration of the consultant, counselor and coach is a source of synergy and a hallmark of leadership (Goldsmith Lyons, 2006.p.1). These types of leaders train new leaders for the future. The leaders help employees to learn and develop their skills even if it may take time and not achieve organizational goals. This style is the least used by leaders the reason being leaders not having time to go through teaching employees in a highly pressurized competitive business environment. The style will work best where the employees are willing to improve their performance and build long term strengths (Goleman, 2010). Other than Authoritarian and Democratic style of leadership Northouse identified the Lassiez-faire style which does not resemble any of the characteristics of the above six styles. Lassiez Faire Northouse (2009, p44) mentioned that The Lassiez-faire leader is a nominal leader who engages in minimal influence. This style has no relation to either Theory X or Theory Y. The leadership responsibilities are shared by all. This mainly relies on good team work and good interpersonal relationship skills also can be useful in businesses where creative ideas are important. Unlike the autocratic method this style of leadership can be highly motivational as people have control over their working life. (Northouse 2009). This style is suited for less critical areas of change where followers are specialists who are capable and independent. But it is arguable whether change could be successful with such a hands-off style of leadership. Gucci CEO Robert Polet uses the lassiez-faire style but within a framework so that he doesnt lose control (Gitman Daniel, 2009). He may have opted to choose the above strategy due to the drawbacks of the leadership style Theories of Leadership Trait Theory There are many different types of leadership attributes, traits and qualities; these may differ from person to person. E.g. Bill Gates is known for his intelligence and for being a visionary, whereas Oprah Winfrey is recognized by the world as a very influential leader and an excellent communicator. As listed by Northouse (2007) some of the positive leadership attributes are, trust worthy, positive, dynamic, honest, encouraging, motivational, builds confidence and intelligent. However there are also some negative attributes that leaders carry with them which are asocial, egocentric, loner, dictatorial and ruthless. One or more of these attributes are usually very commonly seen in every individual although they would differ from person to person. Leadership traits are the qualities that people often associate with leaders. As indicated by Shead (2007) the five most important leadership traits are, honest, forward looking, competent, inspiring and intelligent. Both Northouse and Shead mentioned the importance of honesty as a key attribute to leadership. When Toyota had to recall vehicles due to faulty brakes Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota handled the situation really well by being transparent and honest. He was brave enough to face a live interview. His quick response helped minimize the damage made to Toyotas reputation. Therefore it is evident that leaders should be equipped with the necessary skills and competencies to handle change. Transformational Theory Bass Riggio (2006, p.3) described transformational leaders as those who stimulate and inspire followers to both achieve extraordinary outcomes and in the process, develop their own leadership capacity. Transformational leaders behave inspire and motivate people, encourages creativity and stimulate followers, pays individual attention to its followers in order to become successful (Bass Riggio 2006). Hacker Roberts (2004, p.3) Transformational leadership is the comprehensive and integrated leadership capacities required of individuals, groups or organizations to produce transformation as evidenced by step functional improvement. The two statements above have a common thinking which suggests that the leader should be the transformer and has to act as the initiator. Hacker Roberts gave a broader view concentrating on the individual as wel the organization. Whereas Bass Riggio gave a more specific view as in how leaders could be transformational as an individual. To be successful at transformational leadership there are some components that were put forward by Bass and Riggio (2006). They mention four components that describe the transformation leader and leaders are strongly required to possess these components in order to be successful transformation leaders. The components put forward by Bass and Riggio (2006) are; Idealized Influence: Leaders should behave as role models; they can be counted on to do the right thing demonstrating high standards of ethical and moral conduct. Inspirational motivation: Leaders must behave in ways that inspire and motivate followers. Team spirit should arouse while displaying enthusiasm and optimism. Intellectual stimulation: Stimulate followers efforts to be innovative and creative, by questioning assumptions, reframing problems and approaching old situations in new ways. Individualized consideration: Leaders should pay attention to each individual followers need to achieve and grow by being a coach and mentor to them. The leader also improves communication between the followers and also must be a careful listener. Through idealized influence, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation and inspirational motivation, transformational leaders are likely to promote performance beyond expectations and achieve enormous changes within individuals and organizations. The above four components are evident in Sam Walton the founder of Wal-Mart. He showed his appreciation and thus inspired his associates and spoke to his customers by visiting all of the Wall-Mart stores around the country. His approach enabled to minimized resistance to change in Wall-marts culture of constant change (Bergdahl, 2006). Charisma could be considered a key ingredient in transformational leaders. Bass Riggio (2006, p.5) Transformational leadership has much in common with charismatic leadership, but charisma is only part of transformational leadership. Steve Jobs is also considered a transformational leader. His vision, charisma and communication skills are part of his success (Krietner, 2007, p.453). His vision enabled him to position his company in the changing world market by introducing cutting edge products like iMac, iPad and iPhone. Conclusion The global competitive business environment has changed dramatically over the past. As a result the need for competitive leadership to handle change is clear. One of the most difficult responsibilities of leadership is leading change. This study reveals certain leader skills and abilities necessary for successful organizational change. Leaders who exercise attributes such as a vision, good interpersonal skills, communicational skills, motivational skills and supportive team skills are more effective in driving change because they are the key elements through which successful results can be achieved. There are lots of arguments for and against each of the leadership styles and approaches. According to authors observation the lassiez-faire style, coercive style and pace setting style may considered least effective whereas affiliative, coaching, democratic style and transformational approach could be considered the most effective. There is no exact model of leadership that could be used; rather there are multiple models all of which have their place depending on the demands of the organization. The leader should be capable of identifying the best method appropriate in a given situation taking into consideration the individual leader and organizational environment. Different styles of leadership will suite different types of change. There is no hard and fast rule that a certain type of leadership is perfect for a given change situation. The leadership style will depend on the organization, individual skill levels and attitude of followers. Therefore authoritative style and democratic style could be recommended in general as the author thinks it is the most appropriate because it powers commitment, communication as well as direction.

Rose For Emily :: essays research papers

In â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, William Faulkner tells a story about a young women who is overwhelmingly influenced by her father. Her father controls her live and makes all of her decisions for her. Without him she could not do anything except stay at home. When her father dies, Emily has to confront a new life without her sponsor. Since she is not able to function without the presence of her father, it is hard for her to adapt and accept the truth. When Emily’s father dies, women of the town call on her to offer their help, which is their custom when someone suffers a tragic loss. Emily denies that as she meets them in front of her house with no emotion in her face. She sends them away as she considers her father still alive instead of being death. Her father controls all over her life; therefore, she couldn’t accept the death of her father. In her thought, her father still exists in her house and he is the only one source that she can support to.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It’s time for her to make her decision herself. She spends majority of her time in the house where she feels comfortable and where her father still exists and protects her. She decides to live herself in the house regardless of changes outside in the world. She could not escape from her father’ ghost shadow. Everything changes; nevertheless, she still lives with the past. For example, when a new age of city authorities in town visit her house in order to collect taxes they feel she own; she explains that: â€Å"I have no taxes in Jefferson. Colonel Sartoris explained it to me.† Yes, it is true; however, colonel Sartoris has been dead almost for ten years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are two characters in this story described opposite to each other. They are Miss Emily and Mr. Homer. Miss Emily is described as a short, fat, aged and mysterious woman. She is very stubborn lady and very hard to change; Miss Emily refuses modern change into her desolate life; for example, she refuses to allow attaching numbers on her door and a mailbox for free mail service. All her attitude is a result of her father’s over-control her when she was very young. On the other hand, Homer is â€Å" a Yankee- a big dark, ready man, with big voice and eyes lighter the his face.