Managing Customer Relationships: Case Studies on Loyalty

Managing Customer Relationships: Case Studies on Loyalty CRM This component will focus on managing customer relationships with the organization in order to enhance customer loyalty. Moreover, it will also discuss on the aspects of the virtual world and the strategy which will be implemented to use YouTube as a vehicle to communicate with the customers. Business Dilemma Yes I believe that the most influential person in cafà © is the customer. Customers can help the Broadway Cafà © by increasing the sales of the cafà © and also they can help in promoting our cafà ©. For instance, if a customer comes to our cafà © and finds the service good and enjoys the food then that particular customer would definitely go and tell his/her friends and families about our cafà © and in this way many more customers will start coming to our cafà ©. In order to attract more customers we need to understand the needs of the customers and we need to find ways in which our cafà © can satisfy their needs. Customers will go away if the cafà © does not meet their expectation since customers nowadays have become more demanding. Moving on, it is very essential to give proper service to customers because customers can also hurt the cafà ©. If proper service is not provided to them then they can easily make a complaint about our cafà © and this can harm our reputation in the market. Sales of any business are based on customers and in order to maintain the customers we need to develop a customer relationship management strategy. We need to find ways in which we can improve our services and attract more customers because customers play an important role in the success of our cafà ©. As seen in I hate Dell.net that customers and employees are allowed to post their complaints on websites so it is very important for every business to serve its customers properly so that they dont post any complaints and hurt the reputation of the business. (SN Web Consulting), (I hate Dell.net). Yes our employees also believe that customers are the most important part of the cafà ©. Employees who work in our cafà © understand that it is very important to provide customers with proper service. Every top management expects their employees to practice a good customer relationship. Employees are employed in any company so that they can work and serve customers and they are judged upon how well they serve their customers. The Broadway cafà © can offer reward programs such as bonus to its employees in order for them to work hard and maintain customer satisfaction.   Therefore, employee that is most helpful to customers can be rewarded. Making Business Decision 1 â€Å"Virtual world can help people meet, collaborate, plan, visualize, train and learn together.† (How virtual world can help real world business, 2010). Second life and virtual world are playing an important role in a success of a business. Many businesses are developing virtual world in order to incorporate it into their business and increase profits. Also now businesses have realized that doing business in virtual world can solve problems which are faced in real world such as, communication, costs and training etc. In real world it is very hard for every employee to interact with other employees and work together but through virtual world it becomes easier to communicate with every employee and work together. (How virtual world can help real world business, 2010) Moving on, Advertising in virtual world can maximize our customers and this will also lead to a reduction in production costs. Many customers nowadays like watching videos on internet and they mostly like those videos that are presented in funny structure and which has all information regarding the product. Hence, with the use of videos we can advertise and in this way it will reach to customers more quickly and it would be far more effective. Also there will be a reduction in travelling costs as people can communicate in virtual world and save time and costs on travelling down to each others office for meetings etc. (Lowe, 2009). In virtual world products are displayed in different forms for different businesses and in some you can test out the product how it looks on you and it allow people to see or use them before you actually purchase the product. Virtual world is a very useful tool for people to be able to meet virtually and also get full information about a particular product. Also it increases brand visibility and facilitates a new customer base. Therefore, it could be said that virtual can really make work easier for business in real world. (Saltzman, 2008). Customer relationship will be different in a virtual world is through that there will be no physical interaction amongst customers and employees. In virtual world customers can express themselves properly for what they want and they can also state their views on which type of product they are looking for. Here customers will get an experience of how things will be at store, the surrounding and the types of products that are sold. Moving on, in virtual world customers will be able to make complaints about the product but they will have to wait on the response from the company regarding their complaint. In order to manage customer relationships in this new virtual environment you need to be prompt while providing feedback to customers. For instance you should try to answer a customers query within 24 hours. Also try to deal with customer complaints in correct manner so that they dont get offended. You need to be polite and attentive with customers either in real world or virtual world customers are one of the major factor in contributing to business world. Furthermore try to follow up with every customers concern. (Baley, 2011). Supporting traditional customers are the customers in real world. Supporting second life customers will be different in a way that in second life it will be more advanced and more expensive to implement. In second life only those users who are fully equipped with the latest computing hardware can have equal access to second life. Also in second life a new customer will need to take some time getting familiarize with the second life world while for traditional customers it is not so complicated. (Chia Yao Lee, 2007). In second life customers can interact with the employees at the same time in its avatar forms but on web site customers are unable to interact they are just able to email each other. If any product is displayed on web site, then a customer can only view the image of the product and price of it and can just place an order while in second life customers get chance to try the product on themselves and if it suits them only then they purchase it. Advertising on web site is much cheaper compared to second life but in this modern world second life is more acceptable as it provides customers with maximum satisfaction in regards to what a customer actually wants and is looking for. The security issue which you might encounter in second life is authentication and identity theft. People ‘interact in virtual world via avatars and new accounts can be opened†. (Beer, 2007)There will be times when there will be multiple avatars and it will be hard to ensure which avatar represents whom and even if that particular avatar represents to actual person then it will be hard to know to whom it is actually associated to. Moving on, confidential and sensitive information shouldnt be discussed in a second life because it is not so secured. For instance, the information exchanged texts and chats may not be private. (Beer, 2007). Also theft of virtual objects example, stealing of avatar clothes, virtual buildings designs etc. There can be unauthorized use of real world brand name and trade mark. Furthermore payment and transaction integrity can be an issue too. As there is a risk for virtual wallets and inventory to get stolen. (Chia Yao Lee, 2007). Some of the ethical issue is â€Å"defamation and disparagement meaning spreading of false rumors and misleading information. There can be disparagement of virtual and real world products† (Chia Yao Lee, 2007) . Moving on, people having fake identity are not an ethical behavior. Also â€Å"vandalism and harassment† (Chia Yao Lee, 2007) is an ethical issue, damaging of virtual objects and virtual locations. (Chia Yao Lee, 2007). Making business decision 2 YouTube would help in communicating with customers about the unusual long waits for frappachunios and cappuccinos through a video. As JetBlues founder apologized to its customers via YouTube for the cancellation of flights, thats how Broadway cafà © can show a video to their customers on the implementation of new espresso machine and how employees are still getting used to it. You can show in the video that customers who are willing to have frappachnios and cappuccinos, they can place their order in advance, so once it gets ready then the employee can contact their customers and then customers can come and have their farppachnios and cappuccinos and enjoy the drink rather then waiting in lines for the order and getting frustrated. Since most of the people go on YouTube so it will be best to upload a video about this problem on YouTube so that majority of the customers will see the video and place their order in advance. Moving on, the four new employees who have been employed recently are having difficulty understanding the new machine, so the old employees are most of the time assisting the new ones. In this way much time is wasted and employees are not able to attain to customers. Therefore, you can also upload a video on YouTube regarding on the usage of the new machine so that new employees can view that video and can learn from there on how to use the new machine rather than always asking the old employees assistance. In this way the problems can be rectified. Some of the Pros of using YouTube as a customer communication vehicle are that many people nowadays watch videos on YouTube and thus, advertising on it will be very beneficial for the cafà ©. You can watch the video for free and also Broadway Cafà © can express its creativity of the cafà © and its variety of products on YouTube easily and in more advanced form. Furthermore, advertising on YouTube will result in reduction in marketing cost and it is very useful and much effective then advertising in real world. (Feldman) Some of the cons of using YouTube as a customer communication vehicle is that, the video uploaded on YouTube can be viewed by everyone. Since it is viewable by everyone so everyone who views it can post comment. Some times some people post bad comments which can harm Broadway cafà ©s image and reputation. (Feldman).â€Å"Try to avoid spam approach otherwise viewers will stop watching any video that has been uploaded by the cafà ©.† (Feldman). Yes there are other technologies which could be used as a customer communication vehicle. Websites such as social networking for instance, MySpace, Facebook. Nowadays people enjoy social networking, so publishing on website such as Facebook will be very beneficial since many people will get to view the Broadway Cafà ©s website and this will attract more customers. We can also use Blogs. It can be used to promote products, therefore, Broadway cafà © can use Blogs to promote their products and increase sales. (SN Web Consulting). Apply Your Knowledge Currently the Broadway cafà ©s quality of data within the system is low. It has become difficult to determine which customers are ordering what type of food or music. Having quality information means, to have accurate and up to date information. As for Broadway cafà © their data is not up to date and accurate. Quality information should be free from duplication error meaning not having two names for a particular product which becomes hard to identify under which product name the product should be charged. There shouldnt be any confusion while obtaining certain information. (What is data quality). It is very important to have high quality information because it will determine the success of the cafà © in future and also enable for the cafà © to have a good reputation in the market. Most of the times customers are dissatisfied with the low quality information presented by businesses therefore, it is extremely important to have high quality information so that customers are satisfied. Proper information makes it easy for customers to place orders and also it becomes easy for employees to understand the order and serve the customer with the correct order. High quality information would lead to better decisions to be made and boost more profitability for the business. It can obtain competitive advantage in the market and also achieve employees and customer satisfaction which would enable cafà © to achieve the organisational goal. Furthermore, low quality information simply means not having accurate and up to date information about a particular product. Low quality information mostly results in lose of customers because of customer dissatisfaction. Customers who places order expects to receive the correct product. Moving on, Cafe is facing difficulties in determining which customer has ordered which product. This is due to, the poor quality of data been entered into the system. Low quality information will result in poor decisions made .Also many customers who will be dissatisfied with the service provided will also stop coming to the cafà © and this will affect the cafà © and its profitability. The way in which the Broadway Cafà © could understand its customers is by knowing how much each customer purchases and who all are the valuable customers. This can be done by taking account of the customer ID and calculating the sales for the particular customer for all the years. In this way we will better understand our customers and find ways to retain them. Moreover, by evaluating the products and stock on hand figure. Broadway Cafà © can focus on marketing of those products more which are selling fast, because this would satisfy the customers needs and also increase sales. There are many data quality issues as noticed in CRM_AYK.xls. The data presented is very confusing. For instance, the product name  ½ cup of coffee for coffee sales, it is stated two times differently. First it is named as  ½ cup of coffee and then named as  ½ Cup of Coffee, so when a customer places order for  ½ cup of coffee the data is entered incorrectly. Therefore, to avoid confusion they should just keep one properly spelt name of  ½ cup of coffee. Also data presented under heading ‘Other it does not state any dollar value so we can not state that what actually the figures under the heading ‘Other depicts and how to take account of the figures. Some of the figures are negative so it is very hard to analyse that what the negative figure means. Maybe they are recording some products under one general heading as ‘Other. To avoid this issue the company can just record the products under its respective headings rather then putting it all under one as ‘Other which is ambiguous. It also shows negative amounts which needs to be clarified as, what it means and how it should be taken into account. The Cafà © needs to keep track of the stock and the system should automatically depict that how much stock is left for instance, if a Music CD is sold then the system should automatically decrease one Music CD from the stock record and also show how many more Music CDs are left. Moving on, when identifying the best selling product it is hard to indicate whether to take into account the highest number of sales of the highest number of product sold or the profitability of the products or whether to just take into account the highest number of product sold. We have assumed and taken into account the customer ID and the total amount of sales for each customer for all the years and have analysed upon the highest number of sales as the best customer. Upon analysing the customers with their highest number of sales amount for all the years we see that customer number 305668 has the highest sales amount of $49647.45 and is regraded as the best customer. In past 5years it could be said that these customers have purchased a lot from Broadway Cafà © which is very good and we need to retain these customers by providing them with better service and meeting their expectations. There are many marketing campaigns which need to be used in order to retain our valuable customers. The cafà © should increase in its customer satisfaction and loyalty and try to understand a customers needs. The cafà © can have a promotional activity such as rewards for best customer of the year and the best customer wins prizes. Moreover, cafà © can offer discounts to valuable customers in order to retain those customers. We have assumed that in order to determine the best selling product and the worst selling product we looked at the total sales figure of the best and worst types of products sold and not the units because it was a little confusing. We havent taken into account any value from column heading other because it is very ambiguous, it does not have dollar value so it is hard to determine whether the amounts are in terms of dollars or units. Also it has negative figures so if it is a sale amount then how can it be in negative and how to take account of it. Therefore, we have not taken any data from column heading other in calculation of all the questions above.

How the Authors Create a Feeling of Fear and Terror in The Ostler, The

How the Authors Create a Feeling of Fear and Terror in The Ostler, The Red Room and The Superstitious Man's Story In order to answer this question I read the relevant stories, i.e. 'The Ostler' by Wilkie Collins, 'The Red Room' by H.G. Wells and 'The Superstitious Man's Story' by Thomas Hardy in great detail. I will now attempt to compare the methods the authors have utilised to create the impact mentioned above. In order to see which one has been more effective in conveying fear and terror, suspense and the extraordinary, in my opinion. Furthermore, I will endeavour to point out the similarities and differences in tense, style and prose between the stories, using quotations where appropriate. Moreover, I will discuss the roles the various characters play. These people are important, as the reader needs to identify to some extent with the narrator and his description and interpretation of his 'human props' as well as the setting they are placed in. The opening to any story is crucial, since the reader may not decide to continue with his intention to 'read all' if he/she is not sufficiently interested in the first few sentences. In 'The Superstitious Man's Story' the reader is struck immediately by an air of mystery, and somehow feels privy to a secret. This is a story steeped in 'hearsay'. The narrator (the seedman's father) painstakingly talks us through every minute detail 'putting away the irons and things, and preparing the table for his breakfast in the morning.' By placing so much emphasis on mundane issues the impact of the extraordinary is in stark contrast. It is almost as if the reader is lulled into a sense of security, ... ...e unknown is intriguing to many. Even though the three stories have a different approach they all centre of the supernatural. They are all written pre-1914 - well before the advent of technology, which has accelerated at an alarming rate. Nowadays, our culture revolves around technology and people require proof. It is essential for an author to set the scene, draw the reader in and when that is accomplished deliver the punch line. All of the authors succeed in doing this. 'The Superstitious Man's Story' is too stark, and puts the reader 'on guard' as to its content. I prefer the gradual style of the other two stories. In 'The Red Room' and 'The Ostler' the settings and the characters enhance the plot immensely. The characters are not developed enough in 'The Superstitious Man's Story', and the setting is rather boring.

The Harmful Effects of Timbering

How does the role of politics and legislation that affect the timber industry today compare to that of a hundred years ago? In the early years of West Virginia†s statehood there was a government that tried to build it†s own identity. Starting out as an underdeveloped state that was rich in natural resources, there was an urgency to erect industry within West Virginia. Upon examination of West Virginia today, one can see the same desire to maintain and increase industry in the state. It is my belief that today, as well as a hundred years ago, the government views industry as it†s top priority versus state residents and the safety of the environment. I will now attempt to compare and contrast the role politics and legislation has played in the growth and development of the timber industry in the state of West Virginia for the last 100 years. In the early years of West Virginia statehood a definite emphasis was put on industrial growth. Before this industrial growth there was a revolution that took place. As a result of the Constitution of 1863, the law became more industry oriented and moved away from being a protector of philosophy and culture. Following the Constitution of 1872, there was a facilitation to allow the â€Å"transfer of land from smallholders to the coal and lumber companies (Lewis p.103-105).† One of the main goals in the early years of statehood in West Virginia was to establish a strong, striving capitalistic economy. However, their ideas on how to achieve this varied throughout the state. Should the state remain an agricultural society, or move to an industrial society? This struggle continued, and this is when the role government played in the economy was determined (Lewis p. 106). As the timber industry grew in West Virginia â€Å"lumbermen began to demand that the law help them to overcome their lack of capital so they could develop the state†s resources.† The greatest problem at this time was the lack of transportation. The government began to accommodate the timber industry. Corporations were given the right to dam streams or change their flow, with legal permission (Lewis p.107). Ronald Lewis, author of Transforming the Appalachian Countryside, writes that: Public subsidy to improve water transportation for lumber was never undertaken in West Virginia, especially in comparison to with the public assistance provided to railroads. The lumber industry during this period developed no giant corporations that could compare with the railroads, and so its ability to exert political power was comparatively limited. It was through indirect stimulus that the law promoted investment in the lumber industry, which conformed the theme of nineteenth century policy (Lewis p.108). The timber industry flourished through an â€Å"indirect stimulus† of breaks given and provided to the railroads. Legislators gave entrepreneurs many rights to assist with industrial growth, such as building dams across streams or changing the path of a stream, so long as it did not interfere with steamboats and other lumber companies. If a log washed up on someone†s personal property and they disturbed it within the first ten days, they were punishable by law (Lewis p.108). According to Ronald Lewis it is the belief of James Willard Hurst, a prominent legal scholar and I concur, that the government sided with business and exploited the people. There is enough evidence of court decisions and legislation that favors industry and business over the common man, to validate Hurst†s belief. The previous paragraphs depict an industry that thrived although it has slowed down somewhat in the last 100 years. Now, I am going to examine the timber industry in West Virginia today. My source will be Ken Ward†s articles that have appeared in the Charleston Gazette about the regulations imposed on the timber industry. Ward†s articles, in my opinion, are biased in favor of the timber industry. However, when writing upon a subject that is so controversial, it is nearly impossible to not show a bias. An examination of how things have changed, will not show a great deal. However, it is safe to say that more money changes hands today. Today there are more regulations, mostly where permits and licenses are concerned than 100 years ago. â€Å"Anyone who is conducting timber operations, purchasing timber, or buying logs for resale has to obtain a permit from the division of Forestry (Ward, State timbering law).† To attain and keep this license, applicants have to pay $50 a year. At every timber operation there has to be at least one person who has completed a certification course from the Division of Forestry. This person is trained in first aid, soil erosion prevention, and safe conduct of timbering (Ward, State timbering law). The Forestry Division is supposed to be notified within three days of any and all timbering operations. The notification should include the names of those who own the timber. There should also be included a sketch map of the location complete with roads used for the hauling and stream crossings (Ward, State timbering law). In Ken Ward†s article, †¦Critics say more rules are necessary, but backers say present law is sufficient, a Morgantown geologist, Richard diPretoro stated that he believes the timber industry is under-regulated, comparatively speaking. The coal industry, which is much bigger than timbering in West Virginia today, has much stricter regulations. Strip Miners have to return the land to previous contour when they are finished. Those in the timber industry can leave the land any way they so desire (Ward, Critics say more rules†¦). Loggers are supposed to follow a set of guidelines known as â€Å"best management practices.† These are a set of voluntary guidelines set up to protect the environment. Environmentalist would like to see regulations for the timber industry become more stringent. However, the director of the state Division of Forestry, Bill Maxey, feels that they have more regulations than they need. I†m not sure that Bill Maxey†s statement is free of prejudice, because the Division of Forestry is responsible for overseeing loggers and well as promoting the growth of wood product businesses. In my opinion, that would be conflict of interest. Many people interviewed in Ward†s article discuss how the environmental damage done by the coal industry is more harmful and will last longer than that of the timber industry. Joel Stopha, a wood products marketing specialist, states, â€Å"Poor timber harvesting practices will cause only a few years of water quality problems(Ward, Critics say more rules†¦).† We have the means to ensure that we have no water quality problems whatsoever. So, how does the role of politics and legislation compare in regards to the timber industry today to that of 100 years ago? I believe that the state government is still mainly focused on the growth of industry in West Virginia just as we were in the beginning of our statehood. Today we see more regulation in the form of different fees and licenses required. As with everything else in this world, things change. Of course, the timber industry is no different. However, other than the natural changes that occur, there really has not been a huge change in the fact that the state government still favors industry over the state residents and this is reflected in the way the state government is failing to enforce the laws that protect the bodies of water in this state by allowing the timber industry to contaminate bodies of water even if it is for â€Å"only a couple of years.†

What Are the Problems with the Uk’s Party System, and How Might They Be Resolved?

What are the problems with the UK’s party system, and how might they be resolved? This essay will analyse the challenges and problems UK party system is facing. The essay will look into public apathy and mistrust, resulting in low party membership and low electoral participation. The main argument is that political parties do not have strong enough incentives to connect with voters. Proposals to resolve these problems will be changing electoral system, further limiting donations to the political parties and banning their trade activities, forcing more ideological changes and showing strong real actions to ignite the political debates. As we all know, UK political system is dominated by main two political parties, Labour and Conservatives. Historically, most of the elections, apart from few exceptions, resulted in one party forming the government whilst other party being in opposition. Throughout the history, British political parties enjoyed large memberships and enthusiastic support from all sections of population during the elections. Voters were more politically aware and active in political life. British Election Study’s survey in 1964 showed that three quarters of population had strong or fair affiliation with a political party (Pattie & Johnston, 2007, p. ). In 1950’s Labour had 1 million members while conservatives had 2,800,000 (Fieschi, 2006, p. 143) However, political parties lost the trust and support of public. Membership of parties is at all-time low. According to the recent study, only 2 percent of voters in the UK are party members (Beetham, Blick, Margets, & Weir, 2008, p. 42). People abstain from voting in general elections, the trend observed especially amongst young voters. Pressure groups and lobbyists are gaining more influence and political parties are increasingly getting disconnected from the general public. Latest MP’s expenses scandal dramatically reduced the trust in politicians. The trend is not unique to Britain. Other European states observe the same decline in public participation. Therefore, many analysts declared that the age of mass party membership is over (Beetham, Blick, Margets, & Weir, 2008, p. 42). But what are the reasons that the political parties lost the trust of public? It is not true that people are not interested in politics anymore. Mass mobilisation of cross-party protests against the war in Iraq is the biggest example that politics still plays important part in public’s life. Almost all of the works and researches done on the subject of declining of party politics agree on one thing- the electoral system in the UK and subsequent â€Å"two party† system that results from it is the main obstacle for parties to engage with public. The argument is, political parties only concentrate on swing voters and taking the â€Å"safe votes† for granted (Pattie & Johnston, 2007, p. 7). However, Britain always had a two party system with FPTP. So, why parties did not concentrate on marginal swing voter areas before? The explanation given by commentators is that Britain used to be divided into two poles: conservative traditionalists and labour working class. But now, most of the population is more or less â€Å"middle class† and have moved to the centre (Garner & Kelly, 1998, pp. 255-256). Therefore, people have marginalised their party or ideological identities. This argument does not hold ground, as although political parties reformed greatly, the membership of both parties still declined. â€Å"But this is because voters don’t see the difference between parties and are confused† the critics say. But, is it not exactly what the two political parties used to be; having two distinct ideologies? Yet, membership is declining in both cases. So, one might think that it is inevitable for party membership and influence to diminish on the face of social developments in the UK. However, there is another explanation. Commentators are right to point out to parties only concentrating on swing voters. However, while before, party largely depended on their grass-root support and mass membership, political leaders tried to be â€Å"independent† from their supporters. Many laws were passed amid the opposition of most of the party members. Even the reforms of the Conservatives under William Hague could not produce effective â€Å"democratisation† of the party. Today, both parties are still centralised. Parties just don’t need the support of their members anymore, as parties can only focus on minority of voters and still win the elections. The argument of inevitability of party support declining in the face of rising middle class is also weak. Labour party did manage to almost double its membership in 1997 with the drive to recruit more members (Whiteley, 2009, p. 249). However, once Labour came to power, party became more preoccupied with â€Å"governing†, and disregarded grassroots party (Whiteley, 2009, p. 249). The conclusion from above analysis is that, given the right incentives, parties are able to recruit members. But political parties are more concerned with winning elections and holding office, and not concentrating on representing the people (Copus, Clark, Reynaert, & Steyvers, 2008, p. 6). But how could political parties do it? Do they not depend on members and supporters at least financially to survive? Well, this brings us to the second issue-the party funding. It is only natural that parties did suffer financially with the decline in membership. However, all of the major parties managed to find wealthy donors to compensate for the loss (Jones, Kavanagh, Moran, & Norton, 2007, p. 196). Apart from that, political parties have found ways of generating money through trade, although at the moment it constitutes only minority of their budget (Granik, 2005). The issue of party funding through wealthy individuals have been and still remains a controversy. The funding scandals in both main political parties triggered the need to review their funding and expenditure. Following Neill Committee report, drastic changes were introduced, including declaration of donations over ? 5,000, banning the donations from foreign donors, capping the spending in general elections at ? 20 million and controls over spending on referendum campaigns (Jones, Kavanagh, Moran, & Norton, 2007, p. 196). Even before Neill Committee report, in 1976 and 1981 Houghton and Hansard Society reports respectively, proposed political parties being state funded (Garner & Kelly, 1998, p. 202). No action was taken by ruling Labour on Houghton report and Conservatives rejected Hansard Society report (Jones, Kavanagh, Moran, & Norton, 2007, p. 96). Proponents of the state funding claim that parties, like military or police are vital public bodies, therefore they need to be subsidised by taxpayer. It will also remove the reliance on donors, thus removing the undesired influence (Jones, Kavanagh, Moran, & Norton, 2007, p. 197). However, those arguments are weak. Although, it is true that the state funding might reduce the dependence on donors, it also removes the incentives for parties to recruit more members, thus stopping them further from engaging the people during inter-election times. Provided the public trust in political parties and politicians being record low, it will further raise the suspicions of the public, especially after the expenses scandal. The solution is not state funding, but limiting donations even further. Large donations from interested businesses and individuals should not be just declared, but banned altogether. Parties should be forced to, once again, rely on their members for funding. The claim that political parties are public bodies is untrue. They are voluntary bodies. Political parties are only good if they are fit for purpose, i. e. eing a link between a government and public. When they are successful in this task, they gain trust of public and their membership will soar. This automatically will solve their funding problems. Coming back to the issue of electoral system, most of the public agree that the FPTP is the most unjust type of representative system available. It is made worse by current decline in party allegiance among the popu lation. FPTP is also unfair to smaller parties. While major parties get disproportionately large amount of seats to the votes they received, for smaller parties it works the other way around. A more proportionally representative voting system will result in more parties competing in general elections, with new parties created to contest the elections. This competition will not only motivate parties to engage with public, as noted earlier, but also make people more politically active during the elections. Supporters of FPTP system say that it provides strong and effective government, while PR system likely to produce hanged parliaments and unstable coalitions. But political parties themselves are coalitions of many views, that’s why public is faced with non stopping rifts within the parties. Furthermore, coalitions can be persuaded to work with each other successfully, as it is the case in many European countries. Initially, labour government were committed to electoral reforms, with the promise of referendum on the issue in 1997 manifesto. A decade later, 2007 government green paper on constitutional reform had only one line, informing that electoral reform is still under revision (Brown & Straw, 2007, p. 46). This uncertainty and not delivering promises further alienates voters. â€Å"In 2009 Britain, a frighteningly large proportion of UK voters feel effectively disenfranchised† says John Ward of Guardian (Ward, 2009). One of his proposed solution to representation problem is reducing the power of party whips. He says that reduction of power of whips â€Å"†¦ is absolutely essential if backbench idleness, disillusionment and cynicism are to be curbed – and the executive controlled. Those few still in touch – the likes of Kate Hoey, David Davis, Dennis Skinner and Graham Brady – are popular because they understand widespread concerns (respectively) about rural life, personal liberty, uncompromising values and educational aspiration† (Whiteley, 2009). Problem of parties being too strict is actually good for their discipline. However, over the years one sees that the whip system is been abused to great extends, thus taking away the independence of politicians. There is a problem of people lacking political information. People lacking the political information are less likely to participate in politics. In 2006 Joseph Rowntree Trust’s â€Å"Power Report† was published, where the issue was identified amongst many others. In the report, the solution proposed was â€Å"The citizenship curriculum should be shorter, more practical and result in a qualification. † (Power Report, 2006, p. 204). As Power report admits, the curriculum has many flaws. It is unlikely that curriculum makes any significant impact on young people’s political participation. Therefore, political parties themselves should engage in educational activities. They should hold more meetings and rallies, explaining people why to vote and why to vote for them. Political parties should re-think their methods of appealing to public. Emphasis should be given to enlarging their membership and engaging with public. Rather than being a vote-calculating machines, they have to re-establish their clear ideological stands. Public disillusion with what they are voting fore can only be resolved with party philosophies and ideologies being distinct. They also have to find the ways of re-gaining public trust. For that, they need more action rather than words. Radicalism is missing in modern day politics. Mass rallies, public speeches are being replaced by appearances on mass media and point scoring PR campaigns. Of course, all the symptoms mentioned above are interconnected, so it would be wrong to analyse each separately and come to a negative conclusion. But we believe that old-fashioned traditional politics can work if politicians commit themselves more. If parties reform, they make their positions stronger, with respect and trust vested in them by public. Failure to reform will eventually lead to their doom. Bibliography Beetham, D. , Blick, A. , Margets, H. , & Weir, S. (2008, February). Power and Participation in Modern Britain. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from Democratic Audit: http://www. democraticaudit. org/download/PP_lowres. pdf Brown, G. , & Straw, J. (2007, July). The Governance of Britain (CM 7170, Green Paper on constitutional reforms. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from Official-Documents: http://www. official-documents. gov. k/document/cm71/7170/7170. pdf Copus, C. , Clark, A. , Reynaert, H. , & Steyvers, K. (2008). Minor Party and Independent Politics beyond the Mainstream: Fluctuating Fortunes but a Permanent Presence. Parliamentary Affairs , 62:1, 4-18. Fieschi, C. (2006). How British Parties Lost Our Favour. Parliamentary Affairs , 60:1, 143-152. Garner, R. , & Kelly, R. (1998). British political parties today (2 ed . ). Manchester: Manchester University Press. Granik, S. (2005). Invisible Business: The Unregulated World of Political Party Commerce. Politics , 25:2, 89-98. Jones, B. , Kavanagh, D. , Moran, M. & Norton, P. (2007). Politics UK (6 ed. ). Harlow, New York: Pearson Education. Mehdi, H. (2009, September 29). Do politicians matter? Retrieved November 15, 2009, from Guardian: http://www. guardian. co. uk/commentisfree/2009/sep/29/labour-conference-politicians-least-trusted Pattie, C. , & Johnston, R. (2007). Power to the People through â€Å"Real Power and True Elections†? The Power Report and Revitalising British Democracy. Parliamentary Affairs , 60:2, 1-26. Report, P. (2006). Power to the People. York: Power Enquiry. Ward, J. (2009, October 16). MPs have forgotten how to represent us. Retrieved November 11, 2009, from Guardian: http://www. guardian. co. uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/16/mps-representation-constitutional-reform Whiteley, P. (2009). Where Have All the Members Gone? The Dynamics of Party Membership in Britain. Parliamentary Affairs , 62 :2, 242-257. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. This year’s Ipsos Mori poll suggests that the politicians are the least trusted group of professionals, with only 13% of public trusting them. This is the lowest percentage politicians received in this poll in 26 years (Mehdi, 2009). [ 2 ]. For example Labour abandoning clause 4 and â€Å"modernising† the party [ 3 ]. Interesting to note that, although Conservative party was always associated with rich class and electorate dominated by working class, the party was always able to win the elections, gaining at least a third of working class. Especially during inter war periods; Conservatives were the most favourite party in inter-war period [ (Garner & Kelly, 1998, p. 56) ]. This reinforces our thesis that different ideologies could be overcome by concentrating in recruiting more grassroots party members. [ 4 ]. For example, Poll Tax of Conservatives, war in Iraq, 5 ]. The newly created â€Å"policy forum† to discuss the policies and national party conventions are only advisory and it became harder to challenge the leadership of the Conservative party (Jones, Kavanagh, Moran, & Norton, 2007, p. 287). [ 6 ]. Under this system, most of the votes are wasted. As we have observed before, parties take â€Å"safe seats† for granted and only campaign in â€Å"swing† constituencies. Public, on the other hand, knowing that their vote would not make a difference, abstain from voting. [ 7 ]. Evidence suggests that more competitive the elections, more people cast their vote (Pattie & Johnston, 2007, pp. 5-7).

Gadget Toy Companys Network

Gadget Toy Companys Network Drawing Network Gadget Toy Company’s NetworkAdvertising We will write a custom essay sample on Gadget Toy Company’s Network specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Purpose of Critical Path A critical path helps the management to identify the most crucial activity in every project. A critical path is the longest time that a project can take to be completed. At the same time, it is the shortest time that a project can take because it has no float time. Identification of the critical path helps the management in allocating resources and directing the activities in order to accomplish the project within the stipulated time schedule (Webb, 2002). The critical path shows activities whose duration can be reduced to reduce the overall production duration. Otherwise, reducing activities, which do not form part of the critical path, increases cost without reducing the overall project duration. The critical path outlines the most impor tant sets of activities which when implemented the project goals will be realized (Webb, 2002).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Tracking the project using the Critical path Critical path analysis allows management to monitor the development of the project while tracing its achievement (Webb, 2002). Through the critical path, the management can tell whether they will be able to meet their targeted goals or not. Any deviation arising are easily detected and remedial action are employed promptly to address any shortcomings. Moreover, the critical path helps the management to identify activities, which can be delayed in order to allocate limited resources to other activities without affecting the project duration. On the same note, the critical path helps the management make good judgments pertaining future changes in costs and other eventualities. To hasten project an alysis, Critical path is used to develop Gantt Charts, which illustrates the sequence in which activities are implemented (Webb, 2002). Gantt charts also shows which activities should be completed first before initiating others, without the critical path the management may find it difficult to understand which activities to implement first. Ways Preventing Project delays To keep the project on track the management may decide to switch some resource from an activity with float time to a critical activity. This process helps to ensure that all the critical activities are ran smoothly while delaying other activities, which are not critical (Webb, 2002). Delaying such projects does not affect the overall project duration. From the network drawn above, the management of Gadget Company may opt to delay activity D (Deliver material) to allocate more time for installing tools (activity E). Secondly, the management may opt to hire additional labor, or provide for overtime (work on weekends) in order to reinstate the project back on track. However such as measure means requires additional allocation of money to hire more labor. The other way that a project can be kept on track is by working at night so as to make up for the lost time. The other alternative would involve increasing supply so as to hasten the rate project completion time. However, any decision to increase labor and supply means incurring extra cost, which may not be readily available.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Gadget Toy Company’s Network specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Finally, Gadget Toy may opt to crash one of the critical activities to reduce the operation time. Crashing an activity involves reducing the duration taken by an activity at a higher cost. Crashing cost depends on the time reduced on top of the original cost budgeted for that activity. Ways of linking interrelated projects There are several ways of linking mu ltiple projects with interdependencies using the critical path method namely: Performance Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), Earned Value Management (EVM) Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT) Program Evaluation and Review technique According to Webb (2002) PERT forms the foundation of planning and forecasting thereby enabling the management to prepare in advance. Apart from this, PERT provide management with ample time when it comes to decisions making especially in interrelated projects and portfolio projects. This management tool not only helps in effective utilization of resources of resource but it also ensures that all projects are completed within the stipulated time. This is made possible by visibility provided by the project as single process is used for various projects. Finally, PERT is a reliable tool for handling uncertainties because all projects are laid in a horizontal manner that makes it easier for management to detect any delay or slack. Earned V alue Management (EVM) EVM is another popular method of linking project that is being used in the modern management practices. It involves analyzing various projects, portfolios and businesses, it provide management with information tools to handle several projects at ago. In addition, EVM provides insight for future changes in project implementation. In order for management to adequately prepare for the impending uncertainties, EVM provides room for prioritizing some projects while delaying others in order to facility a mutual relationship between them. Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT) GERT operates in a similar way as the Pert but have some differences because it allow looping, project branching and multiple projects handling. GERT is an improvement on PERT because it elaborates the status of a project whether it is successful or not. Incase a project branch fails to deliver the expected results the management switches attention to other branch.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Benefits of Linking Projects Linking project has become a popular method of handling various projects that are interrelated, through linking such project the management derives many benefits. Firstly, the management improves planning as linkages facilitate projecting the future trends of the projects in terms of time and money requirement. With such a foresight the management plans in advance on how to overcome such challenges by delaying some projects or by increasing labor to meet the stipulated deadline. Pennypacker and Dye (1999) asserts that connecting several interrelated projects provides room for identifying repetitive activities. This helps in streamlining operation since the criteria for handling this project remains similar from one set of activities to the other. Repeated action promotes managers dexterity and confidence in handling similar projects in future thereby improving their efficiency. Integrating projects helps the managers to reschedule activities to display p roject interdependencies and how such relationships stretch the available resources. However, with this challenge in the mind the manager ensures proper prioritization of activities for efficiency utilization of limited resources. With the modern state-of-the- art, linking projects has also provided room for development of software to handles multi-projects in one go. Such development has acted to the best interest of managers whose role has been reduced to monitoring the progress and checking for compliance with the set time limits. Additionally, the management has the challenge of dealing with conflicts between projects and ensuring optimal allocation of resource between such projects. Moreover, the managers have the obligation of allocating resources according to the priorities set for the conflicting projects. Nevertheless, setting priority for activities forming part of the critical path has proved to be cumbersome and as a result, the management should always remain vigilant a t such critical moments (Pennypacker and Dye, 1999). Reference List Pennypacker, S.J. Dye, D. L. (1999). Project Portfolio Management, Selecting and Prioritizing Projects for Competitive Advantage. West Chester: Centre for Business Practices. Webb, A. (2002). Project Management for Successful Product Innovation. Hampshire: Gower Publisher

Journal abstract Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal abstract - Assignment Example Data in this research was collected through interviews with the preschool mentors. The preschool mentors interviewed revealed that there are two fundamental perspectives that depict how special children can be provided the necessary educational support with. According to their first perspective, the interviewees said that nothing unique is done for the special children requiring support by the preschool mentors, in comparison to the opinion that special children require and acquire increased assistance from concerned staff in the daily preschool activities. The second of the two perspectives requires the preschool mentors to personally identify the particular education based support with respect to two basic themes, namely the direct and the indirect educational support. This research is of great significance to the preschool education and academic nurturing of children. The findings of this research are equally applicable on theory and practice. Through their study, the researchers have made a big contribution to the present body of understanding and knowledge apropos the special educational support which the needy children require in their preschool age. References: Sandberg, A., Norling, M., and Lillvist, A. (2009). Teachers' view of educational support to children in need of special support. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education. 1(2): 102-116.

Ebusiness strategy of netflix Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ebusiness strategy of netflix - Term Paper Example The internet has played a major role in shaping the businesses of today. Whether it is related to managing inventory, past data, customer data or complex functions like smart reimbursement of inventory levels, identifying consumer patterns or trends etc., the internet plays a significant role in the operations and management of almost every business of today. It has become so entrenched in today’s world that is imperative for businesses to maintain an online presence as well to interact with customers, spread product awareness and showcase their offerings. According to Michael E. Porter, the internet is not a new technology for today’s world. It has been there for more than a decade now and organizations should be smart enough to learn from the risks that can be associated with integrating business with the internet. Now is the age of accepting the internet as an ‘enabling technology’ that can help businesses cut down on their costs significantly, position their brand better and create a more competitive marketplace (Porter, 2001). This too is only possible if a strategically drafted competitive strategy is in place to attract the target market. Netflix is targeted towards dominating the Internet TV category. However, the internet does not bind the competitors as such and with the shift of its DVD business towards live streaming, the challenge does not remain in maintaining the best logistics system rather, it has shifted to maintaining relationships with the video providers. Netflix’s main competitor, Blockbuster, closed down recently but this is due to restructuring and not bankruptcy (Indiviglio, 2010). They are expected to come back into the market with bigger and better services that Netflix cannot ascertain completely at this point. Netflix accepts that the DVD rental is not feasible in the long run and has to be let go of at some point in time. However, it managed to aggravate a significant portion of its target