Case study: Managing Customer Quality Service Essay

There are number of reasons show the difference of LCV between these two stores. First of all, when people go in a shop, they look for what they want, and then the first important consideration comes up from their mind is the PRICE. Price is the amount of money that charged for a product or service. In reality, people like comparing prices on the same brand of product from different shops to find out which one can meet their budget. In the case study, Laura spends more amount of money in the second newsagent each week is probably because of its price is higher than the other one. However, â€Å"Price alone rarely provides a long-term competitive advantage.† (Jacques Horovitz 1990, p.30) This statement emphasises even if a business sells its products at a lower price, but in the long run, the business may still not compete against the other businesses because today’s customers want more psychological needs rather than cheap price, and they are increasingly difficult to satisfy. This statement also leads to the next point. Lastly, the element that goes after price would be QUALITY SERVICE. Nowadays, the quality of service is usually twice as important as price and it has become a major factor in many purchase decisions. For example, one day I went to a coffee shop to buy a cup of coffee, the assistant kept talking on her phone so I stood there for about three minutes and waited, but she still ignored me, therefore I rather went to Gloria Jeans to buy an expensive cup of coffee instead of standing there and wasting my time. â€Å"Service comes from people, not companies.† (Catherine Devrye 2000, p.8) This statement indicated that service only exists in human experience. If we cannot provide quality service to our existing customers, they may hide from their dissatisfaction with service; but if customers dissatisfied with their first experience are almost always lost customers. So, Laura prefers to go to the second newsagent which may cost more but she paid for what she wanted and it is worth because she can have Chris’s friendly smile and kindly greeting. Thus, the difference in price and the level of service quality in business can lead to a difference in LCV of each store. Q2) How would you rate the level of service provided by the two newsagents? Why?I would give two out of 5 of the service provided by the first newsagent  because in the article it says † The owner never appears to recognise her.†, which indicates that the owner has no interaction or communication with customers and this also shows that he does not concentrate on the service he should provide. Despite, the store has a large range of goods and is well laid out and clean, but the owner doesn’t treasure this as an opportunity to attract more new customers. On the contrary, he provides bad service or even no service to customers which may due to people start leaving his business and work for his competitors. For the new newsagent, I would rate four out of 5 to the service it provides to its customers because the owner, Chris, greeted Laura with a smile and asked if she needs any help. This is a good example of good quality service. â€Å"Service goes beyond friendliness or kindness.† (Jacques Horovitz 1990, p.3) So, by asking questions and listening carefully to the answers can make customers feel that they are not by themselves, they got someone to look after and finally they enjoy going in there. Moreover, Chris understands the concept of treating customers as long-term appreciating asset, will help to build image and trust of her store and hence to attract more new customers and increase their loyalty. Q3) Although Laura shopped at the first newsagent regularly, was she loyal? Do you think the first newsagent confused â€Å"satisfaction† or even â€Å"nowhere else to go† with loyalty? Why is this dangerous for a business? How would you advise the first newsagent to proceed if she is to retain her customer base? In your answer, include a discussion on meeting the psychological needs of customers. Although Laura shopped at the first newsagent regularly but she was not loyal to the business. I think the first newsagent confused the concept of both â€Å"satisfaction† and â€Å"nowhere else to go† with loyalty. Satisfaction is a form of attitude that contributes to customers. â€Å"Customer satisfaction is the ultimate objective of every business: not to supply, not to sell, not to service, but to  satisfy the needs that drive customers to do business.† (Mack Hanan / Peter Karp 1991, xi) Every business needs to generate some level of customer satisfaction in order to increase loyalty. Otherwise, no satisfied customers, it would have no business. Unlike satisfaction, â€Å"loyalty can be defined in term of buying behaviour.† (Jill Griffin 1995, p.31) A loyal customer is the one who makes regular repeat purchases, has a specific bias about what and who to from and generates â€Å"word-of-mouth†. It is dangerous for a business because the owner who might assume the customers keep coming back because he satisfied their wants and they are loyal, but in fact they are nowhere else to go. Besides, if a new and the same type of business opens in the same area, it can be a disaster, new challenge and obstacle to the existing business because people always like to try new things and new businesses always generate attractive promotions to attract new customers such as discounts, join member for free or free gift etc. As a result, it can cause the existing business starts losing its regular customers because of poor customer service or higher price in products. Eventually it leads to a loss in sales and profits, reputation and cost a lot of time to reform and attract new customers. There are many ways to retain customer base in the first newsagent. Firstly, there is a simple way to learn about customer satisfaction in your business which is to conduct a satisfaction survey. A satisfaction survey is an important tool for business to collect customers’ opinions and points of view, and it also gives the insight of what most customers want and expect. Therefore, the questions in the survey need to focus on the various aspects of quality and customer service. Once the survey results are collected, it is necessary to analyse and identify each one of them and finally applies to the newsagent where it is necessary,Secondly, the owner in the first newsagent needs to generate more interactions with her customers because talking to your customers is a good chance to build up their loyalty and understand more about their wants. â€Å"Customers are not loyal to products.†Ã‚  (Mack Hanan / Peter Karp 1991, p.155) Customers are loyal to your service. If you can provide good quality service and satisfy their wants, they can become your loyal customers. Meanwhile, the owner needs to meet customer’s psychological needs such as to greet customers with a smile on your face and ask if they need any help in particular, because some people are scared or shy to ask questions. So that, by asking questions and listening carefully to the answers would make customers feel you understand what they ask for, and you are looking after them in order to satisfy their wants. Lastly, the owner should search for some special touches with her customers regularly such as discounts, longer working hours, join member for free or free gifts. That will help the business to stand out from the crowd because customers always want you to take an extra step to please them. Thus, by conducting a satisfaction survey, meeting customer’s psychological needs and providing special touches with customers will help the first newsagent to retain its customer bas and hence to increase revenue, loyalty and reputation of the newsagent. Q4) What opportunities are there in a newsagency to provide sensational moments of truth?There are number of opportunities to provide sensational moments of truth in a newsagent. The aisles are clear of debris. Customers always receive correct change. Customers wait in a queue less than three minutes. The person at the checkout is efficient. All staffs greet customers with a smile, have a small talk and customise goodbye to customers. Goods that customers want are stocked and attractively displayed.

Business Ethics Dilemma

The Internet today is a major resource and tool for many people. Computers have been around since the 1950s’. However, the popularity of computers didn’t take off until the 1990s’. Many businesses today market, promote, and have their own website. This is important as it serves as avenue of business to promote their products, sell their services to their customers, and continuously inform the public on their performance. The Internet also provides various search engines in 2011 with popular search engines such as Yahoo, MSN, Google, and newer search engines such as (Microsoft) Bing.This paper will ssummarize and analyze the ethical dilemma between Google and (Microsoft) Bing search engines. In addition, discuss why the behavior is unethical and the impact it has on the organization. It will also include the theory of ethics that explains the unethical behavior and suggest ways to improve the behavior to avoid the problems in the future. Internet When did the Inte rnet start? Back in the early 1960s’, ARPANET was created by many sophisticated engineers, computer scientists, and mathematicians.The ARPANET design allowed computers to connect, run on different operating systems, and without ARPANET, the Internet wouldn't look or behave the way it does today, it may not even exist. As technology advanced technicians began making advancements with combing the ARPANET network to the Satellite Network (SATNET). The technical term for the connection between the networks is inter-networking or better known today for many as the Internet. In 1990, Tim Berners-Lee developed a system designed to simplify navigation on the Internet which became known as the World Wide Web.As the years went by, and as the technology advanced so did the internet search engines. Microsoft's full scale entry into the browser, server, and Internet Service Provider market completed the major shift over to a commercially based Internet. Google vs. (Microsoft) Bing On Febr uary 3rd, 2011 the Harvard Business Review has reported that, â€Å"Google has sparked a media uproar by alleging that Bing â€Å"copies† Google results and Bing unequivocally has denied it. According to the article, when user’s search information through the Bing toolbar the user’s browser sends information to Microsoft to collect data, track information and watch to analyze behavior patterns. The Harvard Business Review article also has reported the following, â€Å"Google staged a setup for gibberish search terms Google made up which caused the search engine to serve up random pages Google selected arbitrarily. Then Google told its employees to run Google searches for these gibberish terms, and to click the artificial results Google had inserted.The employees did this on computers running the Bing Toolbar and IE Related Sites, so their click patterns were sent to Microsoft just as Microsoft's privacy policy and other disclosures said they would be. Microsof t used this data to improve its search results to present in Bing results the links these users seemed to favor, again just as Microsoft said it would. † Google is making an allegation that (Microsoft) Bing has copied their search results process through the use of the toolbar functionality.According to the Harvard Business Review article, â€Å"Microsoft received user permission for these observations and information about users' click patterns is users' information not Google's. † In a post at WebmasterWorld, Google's Matt Cutts, wrote as follows, â€Å"It's my personal, unofficial belief that using toolbar data in the future to augment our crawl is not only a good idea, but specifically allowed by the original policies we posted. † Ethical DilemmaThe dilemma here is that Google is not practicing in an ethical manner as their organization is making an allegation that Bing is infringing on their toolbar process and tracking user patterns is not appropriate. Base d on the Harvard Business review Matt Cutts further said: â€Å"A good idea,† when using this method but now that Microsoft uses this very approach, suddenly Google argues it's improper. Microsoft – Bing has the same right to use this method to track information and based on the Google Toolbar Privacy Policy it is disclosed that Google reserves the right to track and use pattern information to enhance their search engine.Conclusion Based on the information in the Harvard Business Review article, Google has violated the ethical code of customer confidence. This is due the fact that Google is operating in the same fashion as Bing by monitoring activity searches through its toolbar portal to enhance the information that it is displayed through their website. This affects the employees of Google because the corporation is making a false claim, and this may leave a negative feeling with employees because the organization may not be completely clear with it s full disclosure policies.Google could have been prevented these false claims by having an internal compliance team conduct research and with their findings could have advised Google on a better approach to address competition efforts from (Microsoft) Bing. This reinforces the purpose of having a code of ethics within an organization and that every employee of all levels abides by it.ReferencesInternet. (2011). When did it start. (2011). Retrieved on February the 6th, 2011 from: http://computer. howstuffworks. om/internet/basics/internet-start. htm Harvard Business Review. (2011). Google Policy. (2011). Retrieved on February 6th, 2011, from: http://www. webmasterworld. com/forum80/21-1-30. htm Internet. (2011). Internet History. (2011). Retrieved on February 6th, 2011, from: http://www. walthowe. com/navnet/history. html Ethical Dilemma. (2011). Google vs. Bing. (2011). Retrieved on February 6th, 2011 from: http://www. businessweek. com/managing/content/feb2011/ca2011024_853469. htm

Cable Based Television †Retaining Customers

Cable Based Television – Retaining Customers The industry of communications has grown exponentially during the past years allowing cable and satellite television companies to capture a large piece of the market. According to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association cable television was introduced since the late 1940’s in the USA while satellite TV was introduced in the early 90’s. According to the Television Bureau of Advertising (tvb.org) Cable television has lost significantly part of its market share to the newly introduced Satellite TV providers. According to research by Nielsen Company reported by tvb.org in February of 1999 the percentage of TV per household receiving cable television was at 70% while 9.1% came from any form of Satellite receivers while in July of 2009 only 62.2 % belonged to cable transmission while 28.6% to satellite receivers. This data is somehow alarming to cable companies all around. Even though they still remain as a top provider they have lost a significantly share of the market over a rather short period of time. This calls for action from the cable companies to analyze and evaluate new strategies to retain customers and eventually gain back the customers lost. This situation might change depending on the providers of the services, also affecting other things such as quality of the service, installation processes, prices and even customer services. While Satellite providers started appealing to a higher income percentage of the population now they are working their way down the income latter to appeal with better prices and bundles. The present marketing plan aims to draw a clear strategy that will start locally in the area of Tampa and surrounding cities. If the implementation is effective then it shall be replicated to all the other states and cities were the company in question, Bright house Networks, works as a Cable provider. Having in mind that cable is something that people can definitely live without, it is a harder task to preserve the nee d especially during rough times as perceived by the public in general. With the introduction of technology the addition of internet service provider to the cable companies has been a very smart way to create an increased need for the services and the effect of this shall be explored within the marketing plan, including the differences between the different services offered by the satellite TV and Cable TV providers which are often a deal breaker when deciding to stay or change companies. Company Overview Bright house Networks is a cable provider company established in 1994, it was merged with Warner Cable and other local cable providers to form the new company with new goals in mind and definitely different managerial styles. According to Bright House Networks, LLC Company Profile on Yahoo Finance it has over 2 million subscribers in the areas of Alabama, California, Florida, Indiana, and Michigan. Recently, Bright House Networks ranked highest in customer satisfaction for the fourt h year in a row by J.D. Power and Associates for Home Phone and for the delivery of High Speed Internet in the South Region. (Brighthouse.com/company overview) The company has a very important presence in Tampa and surrounding cities. It is the main cable provider in the area offering also other services such as high speed internet and telephone services which they cater to both households and business alike.

Change theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Change theory - Assignment Example As such, people have to be made aware of the proposed changes and benefits and develop higher efficiency in them through motivation and in-depth understanding of the situation. Exchange of information and communication forms the key component of nursing and patient care. Bedside handovers constitute an essential part of this process whereby nurses provide relevant and latest patient information and health data to other nurses resuming the second or the third shift. Traditionally, bedside handovers comprised majorly of in-charge nurses providing the details. However, it lacked individualized care, psychosocial components of nursing and in a way; two-way interaction was absent (Chaboyer et al. 2009). Another shortcoming is the requirement of in-charge nurse to be present to handover the clinical details to the resuming nurse. But sometimes, it leads to irrelevant and outdated details which cause dissatisfaction among patients that they are not being properly taken care of. Further, information was not available to others involved who might need it any time and can have access even without the presence of the nurse in-charge. This calls for a change in the practice of bedside handovers whereby the way of reporting and communicating patient clinical information has to be addressed (Chaboyer et al. 2009). Apart from verbal information, it will take into account other modes which can deliver information on the current status of patients, better bed side reporting techniques and more personalized attention to the patients (Appendix 1). Various theories are applied to various planned changes. However, all change theories are not standard fit that can be applied on every project. As for this case, the need for change has been recognized by the management which has to be communicated to the nurses and patients first. Though there are several change models like Lewin’s model of unfreezing, moving and freezing; Lippitt’s Theory of introducing a

Milgram Experiment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Milgram Experiment - Assignment Example In light of such revelations, the researcher exposes the entire study to some level of inaccuracy since the respondents alter their responses, as human being inherently condition themselves to behave in a certain manner to stimuli. Respondent behavior or operant behavior has widely been studied to reveal that respondents act in a certain way to fit in the expectations following psychological perception of the stimuli. The results obtained in such study must factor in some level of alteration as an assumption since respondent behavior becomes very central to the expected outcomes (McLeod, 2007). The author accounts for a way to deal with the alteration of perceptions using Milgram’s study of obedience where the procedure applied is concealed in form of a deception. McLeod (2007) argues that it is allowed to alter the respondents’ perception on the procedure but not in a material way such that the respondents remain protected in the study. The deception must be kept at its minimum possible level aimed at eliciting the expected results and avoiding alterations from respondents’ perceptions. It therefore means that the ethics can slightly be constricted but the researcher must ensure that it is not materially tampered

Inventory Accounting for Product Lines Case Study

Inventory Accounting for Product Lines - Case Study Example The custom auto and motorcycle paints are not distinguishable items as distinctively as the automobile kits. They have a shelf life of 60 days which means that paints entering the inventory must be leaving it within 60 days or else they will be identified by the expired coloration. This suggests a running inventory line where the inventory moves linearly. The paints bought first are sold first and the paints bought last are sold last. But since the inventory is not linearly distributed i.e. it cannot be ascertained as to how many days a particular paint has been sitting in the warehouse, the most appropriate inventory costing system would be average costing. This would mean that the cost of goods sold will incorporate the linear movement of inventory and allow for averaged costs over time. Average based costing would ensure that the proportions of the paints sold would be used to estimate the final COGS - weighted averages have significant accuracy in such inventory models. The other items in inventory (bulbs, stickers, fuses, etc) are low-priced items and the shuffli

Rheumatoid arthirits and assessment for exercise prescription Essay

Rheumatoid arthirits and assessment for exercise prescription - Essay Example The main affect is on the joints where there is inflammation of synovium which then proceeds toward the breakdown of cartilage and ankylosing of the joints (Robbins  et al 2005). The joints which are involved include the joints of the hand, feet, ankles, knees, elbows and the spine (EHRMAN 2008) Rheumatoid arthritis is a pathology which is believed to be caused by autoimmunity. Te disease is also considered to have a genetic predisposition (Gregerson 2003). The autoimmunity results due to the action of CD4+ T helper cells. These cells lead to the release of factors which cause inflammation which eventually leads to destruction of the joint (Firestein GS 2003 and Lee DM 2001). The autoimmune reaction also involves the formation of rheumatoid factors which are actually auto antibodies against IgG. The triggered autoimmune response leads to accumulation of T cells, plasma cells as well as macrophages in the joints. There is also evidence that the HLA-DR4 gene is found in people who develop rheumatoid arthritis (Levinson 2008). Rheumatoid arthritis begins with an acute presentation in most patients with pain in the joints. The patient complains of pain in the body, a feeling of being unwell and fatigue. The symptoms begin with the small joints which are the metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints of the hand and the metatarsophalangeal and interphalangeal joints of the feet. Te next sequence is involvement of the wrist, ankle, elbows, knees and finally the cervical spine (Robbins  et al 2005). The diagnosis is based upon certain signs and symptoms which include stiffness in the morning, the involvement of more than 2 joints, inflammation of joints in a symmetrical manner, nodules on the skin which are known as rheumatic nodules and the presence of rheumatic factor in the serum. An X-ray also assists in the diagnosis (Robbins  et

IP2 Fortun 55 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

IP2 Fortun 55 - Essay Example The age of technology and innovation has imposed upon the employees and organizations extreme competition and hard work to keep with their sustenance. In such a competitive and rigid environment, it is the utmost responsibility of the organizations to keep their employees motivated and maintained through providing them the basic necessities, comfort and satisfaction on the job. This is done through different wellness programs which many companies introduce in order to keep w well-fed and motivated human resource base. Corporate Wellness Programs The corporate wellness programs, commonly known as workplace wellness programs, are sort of motivational programs which are the blend of various environmental, educational and organizational activities. These activities are normally formulated to assist the behavior and attitude which is favorable and encouraging towards the health of the organization’s employees. They are involved in these programs which comprise of health coaching, f itness programs, health education through holding fairs, medical screenings and the various educational programs which are designed with sophistication in order to bring a change in the behaviors and attitudes of the employees. This change is most likely to contribute towards the achievement of better employee health, and a drastic reduction in the possible risks linked to the health of employees. Thus, the basic goal accomplished through the designing and implementation of the wellness programs is the attainment of better health of the employees. According to a recent study presented by the US Department of Health and Human Services, it was indicated that the workplaces which offer the on-site exercise programs to their employees as a component of their wellness programs, experienced a decline from 75 % to 55% in their healthcare costs and the employees’ short-term leaves were also lowered from 38% to 32% , ultimately leading to a rise in the productivity of an average emplo yee from 50% to 52% (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). Thus, such wellness programs contribute big time to the health of the employees as well as the organization. Development of an Effective Wellness Program The wellness programs have become the need of time and the basic necessity which should be provided by the organization to all its employees. Here, the Fortune 55 firm is working with an estimated number of 500 employees, who are all busy working hard in order to steer the organization towards achieving its goals. Though, the old wellness program at the company was effective too, however, with the changing needs of the age and the shifting demands of employees, a newer and more effective wellness program should be developed which is capable of delivering further benefits to the employees. Since, the corporate wellness programs are a blend of the healthcare, medical and educational activities, the new plan of the Fortune 500 will follow a more sophisticated mi xture in the program. The elements of the brand new effective wellness program, to be developed and introduced, will include the following elements: Lifestyle Improvement Stress Management Online health coaching Appraisals and assessments of health associated risks Health content programs Employees’ mental health and well being These were the elements which already existed in the company’

Management - Psychological Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management - Psychological Contract - Essay Example Most employers try to retain employees is through making promises. However, most of the promises made may not be achievable. This process through which organizations makes promises is termed as psychological contract (O'neill, Krivokapic-Skoko & Dowell, 2010). The case provided is a clear example of the psychological contract. Failing to meet the promises lead to a phenomenon that is called psychological contract breach. Psychological contract breach is a significant problem mainly because it fosters a belief within employees that the organization does not support them. It is a main obstacle facing the employees in most of the organization today (Chen, Tsui & Zhong, 2008). Psychological contracts are those perceptions that employees have on employer related to the training, promotion, or any other promise not explicitly recognized in formal contract. These forms of psychological contract are normally used by most of the employers to entice the employees into accepting the job being o ffered by the employer. Principally, under normal situation, the employer-employee relationship is expected that the employer offer compensation to the employee for the performance of the job duties. Chen, Tsui & Zhong (2008) describes the psychological contracts as mental templates that sum up the perceived promises that employees believe that the organization has made to them in exchange for their efforts on behalf of the organization. As mentioned above, psychological contracts are beneficial and useful to both the employer and employee. For the employer, psychological contract constitute the best way in which an organization can advertise for the job vacancies. Psychological contracts are used to attract the attention of the applicant and make them loyal to the company. For the side of employee, psychological contract becomes beneficial only if they are fulfilled (Tyagi & Agrawal, 2010). Psychological contract breach is a term used to describe the inability of the employer to fu lfill the psychological contracts or the promises that he or she made during the recruitment period. The case study is a typical example of psychological contract breach. This is because the employer did not fulfill what he had promised the recruited. Just as the case depicts, psychological contract breach results in reduced performance, negative attitudes and more importantly, withdrawal behaviors. The problems associated with the psychological contract breach pose particular concern for organizations (Bordia, Restubog & Tang, 2008). Fundamentally, most organization tries their best to fulfill their psychological contracts but a number of factors limit them from meeting this objective. These factors include downsizing, outsourcing and rapid change. Consequently, avoiding psychological contract breach is a difficult task for the current organizations. The case presented in the case study implies that employees had higher expectation form the company. However, as they starts working in the company, they realized that they are not getting what they expected. They found out that the kind of jobs or duties they are given are below their standards. They end up becoming psychologically tortured. They also loss confidence in the organization. As they plan to leave their job, they feel that they may not get another job. This means that these employees need to be advised on what they should