Internal environment of business Essay Example

Internal environment of business Essay Example Internal environment of business Paper Internal environment of business Paper The structure and politics of an organization affects the manner in which the organization responds to environmental change. Furthermore, it can be difficult to change cultural attitudes when the nature of an organizations business environment has changed. Along with the external environment, internal environment Of an organization also keep on changing. The five elements of the internal environment which are physical, technological, social, political, and economic, influence how the manager functions will be performed. The physical element of the internal environment includes such factors as air quality, temperature, noise, dust, addition, and other conditions affecting me people health and safety. Managers revealed a high percentage of dissatisfaction with aspects of the physical environment of the workplace. The technological element of the internal environment relates closely to the physical element. It consists of the layout of the workplace; the process by which the work is performed; and the tools, equipment, and machinery used to perform the work. These factors in turn determine both the way work is processed and the requirements of the jobs performed by managers. The way in which work is organized affects interpersonal relations and in traction among the manager and employees within a work area. It influences the formation of in formal work groups and the degree of cooperation or conflict among manager and employees. The social element reflects the attitudes and behaviors of managers. Because of their influential place in the organizational hierarchy, top managers play an extremely important role in determining the quality of the social element. The rules and regulations they devise, the concern they have for employees, the rewards and support they provide, and the tolerance they have for raying opinions are major factors in determining the organizational climate. Politics is an important social process found in all organizations. Organizational politics, of course, has the potential for being helpful or harmful to organizations and individuals. The economic element of a firms internal environment reflects the organize Zions financial condition. The more favorable this condition, the more financial resources the organization will have to support its human resources, including employee compensation and benefits. An organ nations culture is particularly relevant to managers. These constraints are rarely explicit. Its unlikely that theyll even be spoken. But theyre there, and all managers quickly learn what to do and not to do in their organization. The link between values such as these and managerial behavior is fairly straightforward. If an organizations culture supports the belief that profits can be increased by cost cutting and that the companys best interests are served by achieving slow but steady increases in quarterly earnings, managers throughout the organization are unlikely to pursue programs that are innovative, risky, long term, or expansionary. For organizations that value and encourage workforce diversity, the and, thus, managers decisions and actions should be supportive of diversity efforts. In an organization whose culture conveys a basic distrust of employees, managers are more likely to use an authoritarian leadership style than a democratic one. The culture establishes for managers what appropriate behavior is. For instance, at SST. Lakes advertising agency in London, a culture shaped by the value placed on freedom of expression, a lack of coercion and fear, and a determination to make work fun influences the way employees ark and the way that managers plan, organize, lead, and control. The organizations culture is also reinforced by the office environment, which is open, versatile, and creative. An organizations culture, especially a Strong one, constrains a managers decision-making options in all management functions. Managers shape their culture by having an organizational stories typically contain a narrative of significant events or people including such things as the organizations founders, rule breaking, reactions to past mistakes, and so forth. For instance, managers at Nikkei feel that stories told about the companys past help shape the future. Whenever possible, corporate storytellers (senior executives) explain the companys heritage and tell stories that celebrate people getting things done. These stories provide prime examples that people can learn from. To help manager learn the culture, organizational stories anchor the present in the past, provide explanations and legitimacy for current practices, and exemplify what is important to the organization. Corporate rituals are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the values of the organization, what goals are most important, and which people are important and which ones are expendable. One of the best-known corporate rituals is Mary Kay Cosmetics annual meeting for its sales representatives. Looking like a cross between a circus and a Miss America pageant, the awards ceremony takes place in a large auditorium, on a stage in front of a large, cheering audience, with all the participants dressed in glamorous evening clothes. Salespeople are rewarded for their success in achieving sales goals with an array of flashy gifts including gold and diamond pins, furs, and pink Cadillacs. This show acts as a motivator by publicly acknowledging outstanding sales performance. In addition, the ritual aspect reinforces founder Mary Says determination and optimism, which enabled her to overcome personal hardships, found her own company, and achieve material success. It conveys to her salespeople that reaching their sales goals is important and that, through hard work and encouragement, they too can achieve success. Your second author had the experience of being on a flight out of Dallas one year with a planeload of Mary Kay sales representatives headed home from the annual awards meeting. Their contagious enthusiasm and excitement made it obvious that his annual ritual played a significant role in establishing desired levels of motivation and behavioral expectations, which, after all, is what an organizations culture should do. Many organizations and units within organizations use language as a way to identify members of a culture. By learning this language, me beers attest to their acceptance of the culture and their willingness to help to preserve it. For instance, Microsoft, the software company, has its own unique vocabulary: work judo (the art of deflecting a work assignment to someone else without making it appear that youre voiding it; eating your own dog food (a strategy of using your own software programs or products in the early stages as a way of testing them even if the process is disagreeable); flat food (goodies from the vending machine that can be slipped under the door to a colleague whos working feverishly on deadline); facsimile (actually talking to someone face-to-face; considered by Microsoft employees a technologically backward means of communicating); death march (the countdown to shipping a new product); and so on. Over time, organizations often develop unique terms to describe equipment, key response, suppliers, customers, or products that are related to their business. Managers are free intently overwhelmed with acronyms and jargon that, after a short period of time, become a natural part of their language. Once learned, this language acts as a common denominator that unites members of a given culture. When the financial health of a firm is strong, there is a tendency to expand managers activities such as training and development, employee assistance programs, and recreational activities. If the organization is growing, there is the possibility of expansion leading to manager recruitment, selection, and orientation. Conversely, when financial re sources are low, an organization tends to reduce its manager budget and to cut back the managers services it offers to its employees. The way in which work is organized affects interpersonal relations and in traction among employees within a work area. It influences the formation of in formal work groups and the degree of cooperation or conflict among managers. More and more, technological systems are being integrated with the social sys teems of an organization, creating what is referred to as a esthetically system. Job design is based on human as well as technological considerations.

Migration of human beings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Migration of human beings - Essay Example International trade is another factor that is seen to be supporting globalization in the world today. When people from different parts of the world are involved in trade, they tend to have a relationship that will go beyond trade. With international trade, specialization of products is realized a country produces what it can best and then distribute it to the rest of the world. This kind of trade really facilitates globalization. Integration of financial market and rapid movement of capital on the other hand supports the concept of globalization. For the case of an international company, it brings about movement of capital and integration of financial market thereby facilitating globalization. In cost globalization divers it entails the factors of production differences in different areas, high product development in some areas, rapidly changing technology, global scale economies and sourcing efficiencies. In government globalization drivers, it entails common market regulations, unrestrictive trade and investment policies and compatible technical standard. When these factors are harmonized in the world, they facilitate globalization. Globalization effects are felt in different perspective depending with the impact it will have as a whole. Inflation effects are felt due to the globalization meaning the monetary policy is greatly affected.

Business Process Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Process Management - Assignment Example as an overall aim of controlling and monitoring the organization’s processes while seeking to enhance effectiveness of its workflow (Perficient, Inc 2014, p. 1). Moreover, organizations abhor BPM with an aim of enhancing its capacity to adapt to the numerous changes in the business environment. Indeed, Business Process Management has been an effective methodology in ensuring that the organization responds to challenges in the business environment in an efficient, cost-effective, and reasonable manner (AIIM 2014, p. 1). To enhance the implementation of Business Process Management, organizations must integrate information technology and management. Notably, BPM has been very fundamental in setting out the methods, techniques, and tools that organizations must use in designing, controlling, implementing, and analyzing effective business processes (AIIM 2014, p. 1). As such, it is clear that Business Process Management has an optimal goal of fostering communication and establishing rational business process that guarantees the overall success of the organization. Most importantly is the fact that for any business to succeed, it must rely on business process management, which equally relates to people change management. Indeed, we can establish that business process management entails people, applications, documents, people, and various sources of information. Ideally, people change management relates to business process management in any organization within the business environment. It is factual that business process management entails a combination of processes, technologies, and people to enhance the overall performance in the organization and boost customer value (Perficient, Inc 2014, p. 1). People change management relates to the people’s perception on organizational change in a business environment. Indeed, business process management allows the management to design and implement people solutions that relate to the environmental and organisational culture

The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci | Painting Meaning

The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci | Painting Meaning By the end of the fourteenth century, the Black Death killed off a third of the European population. After the event, people were all set for a transformation. Gradually, new ideas and viewpoint started to spread from Florence Italy. All through the Renaissance, there was an upsurge of new ideas, attitudes, and art work of the new era. These new ideas stimulated new look on these artwork, literature, and judgment. Leonardo Da Vinci was a key figure in these new ideas and paintings during the Renaissance Period. The Renaissance is described as The humanistic revival of classical art, architecture, literature, and learning that originated in Italy in the 14th century and later spread throughout Europe. This movement lasted approximately from the 14th to 17th centuries. Commencing in Italy, this significant art movement rapidly expanded all through Western Europe. Historians consider that the humanist approach paused at a point halfway flanked by medieval supernaturalism and the modern scientific and critical manner. Medievalists perceive humanism as the terminal product of the Middle Ages. Humanism is regarded as a philosophy, not a religion. Humanism started as the traditionalist drifted clear of medieval Christianity and resulted in bold independence of the medieval tradition. Humanism was based on the idea that life on Earth had a point of its own; a person did not have to reside unhappily on the way to heaven. Humanists consider that life was filled with beauty, waiting to be discovered. In this paper I will be analyzing The Last Supper, by Leonardo Da Vinci. It is a fresco, signifying that it is directly painted on a wall. The Last Supper is fascinating in several ways. In its massive simplicity, the arrangement of the setting is masterful; the strength of its appearance hails from the eye-catching distinction in the attitudes of the twelve apostles as juxtaposed to Christ. Leonardo did not select the depiction of the traitor Judas long-established in the iconographic tradition; he depicted, rather, that instant of maximum nervousness as associated with the New Testament, One of you which eateth with me will betray me. Each and every one of the disciples-as human beings who do not comprehend what is about to take place-are disturbed, whereas Christ alone, mindful of his divine assignment, sits in lonesome, transfigured tranquility. Only one other person shares the undisclosed information: Judas, who is both part of and yet barred from the movement of his companions; in this seclusion he becomes the second lonely character- the guilty one-of the group. The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci All through history, numerous works of art are both produced and damaged, and it is only the real works of art that people commit to memory and hold on to for years following their creation. Leonardo Da Vincis The Last Supper is one of these pieces. It is more than five hundred years old, but still one of the most renowned and familiar paintings in the present day (Lewis and Susan, 1995). Nearly everyone is familiar with the Last Supper. As stated by the bible, significant events occurred during the Last Supper, including a declaration by Jesus that one of his disciples would deceive him and the first communion. In addition, the Last Supper was a profound Biblical event, in which Jesus shared a final banquet with his disciples. Even though this subject matter occurs in several works of art for instance, works by Tintoretto (Kren and Daniel, 2008), The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci is the most celebrated and has been the focus of many discussions. I chose Da Vincis The Last Supper is since its a work of art that I am familiar with. Ive spotted it before, and its very well known. You can ask any person about it, and virtually everyone has heard of it and is familiar with its description. Its very famed, and is an extremely well known piece of art. In actual fact, it is regarded as one of the most famous portrait and spiritual paintings of all time, together with The Mona Lisa and Michelangelos Creation of Adam (Kren and Daniel, 2008). In addition, it is a painting that is frequently seen in pop culture, for example in Mel Brooks History of the World, Part 1. In spite of seeing the painting repeatedly and in many different ways, I still wasnt familiar with the history behind the painting. I didnt know precisely at what time it was painted, where it was painted, what type of painting it is, and why Da Vinci decided to paint it. I thought it would be nice to write about this piece with the aim of learning more about it while writi ng my paper. As already acknowledged, The Last Supper was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci, an Italian artist from the town of Vinci. He is one of the most extraordinary painters, architects, and gifted philosophers of all time. Da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, in the neighborhood of Vinci but spent a large part of his life in Florence where he started painting and after a particular period- painting. When he was fourteen, Leonardo began working as a studio boy to Andrea del Verrocchio, who at the time was one of the most acclaimed painters (Kenneth, 1939). He grew to be a self-dependent master in 1478, at which time he started being commissioned for a variety of works of art. Da Vinci commenced painting The Last Supper in 1495 for his patron Duke Ludovico Sforza (the Duke of Milan), whom he started to work for in 1482. Leonardos Last Supper is a priceless piece of art with a great deal of concealed meaning and noticeable talents  conferred upon a wall. He was capable of using hisskills in prod ucing a very comprehensive and naturalistic piece of work that would be kept in mind forhundreds of years. He was also capable   of creating persons with remarkable uniqueness. Not only was hisdepiction of the characters superb, but the symbolism he employed which lay emphasis on the story being toldin the Last Supper. The Last Supper was painted in the refectory of the Dominican Church of S. Maria delle Grazie in Milan, and was destined to be a symbol of religious devotion (Chubb, 1968). Some people maintain that that the painting took more than ten years to finalize, whereas many others say it was completed in two years. Its imperative to note that if finished in two years, it was quite an achievement for Da Vinci, who had a habit of procrastinating his work, and left several of his works incomplete. Leonardos Last Supper was in the past thought to be a fresco. Nevertheless, it is not a true fresco since it was painted on a dry plaster rather than a wet one. He wanted to make the painting as detailed comprehensive as possible, as he wanted to portray human appearance and feeling on the characters faces. Da Vinci was trying out new techniques of painting and, regrettably, his new technique was not of high-quality for protecting art over lengthy episodes. The masterpiece is painted on a layer of dry plaster. He chose this medium due to the need for more time to paint precise expressions, which was unworkable on wet plaster as he would get a very short duration (Kenneth, 1939). The Last Supper, painted on dry plaster is in reality Leonardo Da Vincis trial method of painting. Nevertheless, this technique is regarded a failure, as it has not endured the test of time. Prior to starting the painting, Leonardo covered the wall with a coating of resin, which is a mixture of pitch and mast ic. In addition, he utilized chalk in the process of coating. To cordon the painting he used tempra which permitted him to emphasize the particulars of human emotion. Unfortunately, the substance proved unsuccessful, and by 1517 the piece began to deteriorate (Edward, 1928). By 1556, the painting was by now regarded as ruined and unrecognizable- a painter Giovanni Batista Armenini said that the painting was so badly affected that not anything is noticeable but a mass of blots (Lewis and Susan, 1995). The painting has kept on decaying in the subsequent centuries. In fact, it was so unrecognizable due to additional damage made by careless artists who were trying to restore the painting and by the addition of an entrance way put in the lower part of the painting. It took many years of wide-ranging refurbishment so as to have the piece look as it was initially painted. The very last and the most successful restoration of the Last Supper painting occurred from 1978 to 1999 (Kren and Dani el, 2008). The dining room of the convent was cordoned off and the temperature settings inside the room were kept under control for the aim of restoration work. The life of the Last Supper painting has been significantly extended owing to the latest restorations. As previously mentioned, The Last Supper by Leonardo Da Vinci is the primary great figure work of art of the High Renaissance and the ultimate understanding of its theme. The painting depicts Jesus and his twelve disciples at the last supper, right at the instant where Jesus informs them One of you shall betray me. They are seated at a long table that is parallel to the picture plane. The room is open and tranquil, and Christ has his arms held out in willing trust. The twelve apostles are all clustered into sets of three and all display expressions of shock upon hearing Jesus declaration except Judas, the one responsible for betraying Jesus. He is inclined back into the shadows, and is shown to be holding a bag of money to his chest (Chubb, 1968). Prior to Da Vincis era, it was customary for portrayal of the last supper to include Judas detached from the rest of the group. Da Vinci positions him in the painting right in the heart of things, yet he still manages to disconnect him from the rest of the disciples. The painting exactly conveys the story of the last supper in one setting. Presently, Leonardos Last Supper is still a significant work of art, as it was significant when it was first painted. Much like the way Judas was painted in with the rest of the disciples was an innovative thought; the look on the disciple faces was as well new. Several paintings of Jesus and his disciples at the last supper have been created, but by no means has one appeared quite as real. The looks on the disciples faces make them appear like real people acting in response to something they have listened to. The group is in deep and dramatic excitement, with their hands out in astonishment and question at Jesus words. They come out lifelike in the piece, similar to people who have in reality heard shocking news. The observer can just sense the anxious excitement sweeping through the group of disciples. The disciples are assembled into groups of three and attached all the groups together through their hand movements giving this piece a symmetrically aesthetic sensation. Furthermore, Da Vincis painting is a masterpiece due to his exceptional application of point perspective (Kenneth, 1939). The way it is painted on the wall makes it seem to be a continuation of the room. Jesus, the most important person in the painting, has been positioned in front of three windows that are in the rear of the room, and he is framed by the center window with an arched pediment. His head functions as the central and vanishing point of this piece, plus all lines lead right to him. The viewers eyes and attention is immediately attracted right to Jesus. It is apparent that Jesus functions as the vital magnet. The use of proper perspective was quite a novel idea when it came to painting, and Da Vinci utilized it superbly. A few individuals even argue that it is one of the greatest applications of one point perspective ever produced. Despite being such an extraordinary painting, The Last Supper is still very much talked about and viewed in the present day. Leonardos Last Supper has many theories behind it, such as the stories that the same model was utilized for painting Jesus and then years later used for Judas. Or that the apostle sitting to the left of Jesus is not really John, but rather a woman, Mary Magdalene (Edward, 1928). There are even some individuals who consider the dishes, food, and hands positioned on the table construct notes on a music staff, and that there is a song concealed in the painting. Also, the analysis of this painting by Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code has generated a stir regarding the identity of Leonardo Da Vinci and in addition about his works as an artist (Kren and Daniel, 2008). From 1513, Leonardo began living in Rome where he was acknowledged along with one of the renowned artists of the time- Michelangelo and Rafael. Even though his early work of brilliance was Madonna and Child, which led to his more famous work The Last Supper, Leonardo also drew up plans for court festival arenas for the Duke (Chubb, 1968). In addition, he was very engrossed in his own research drafts which are, as we are familiar with presently, in various disciplines of biology as well as science and engineering. These rough drafts contain drawings on how the heart would impel the blood to the muscles. He also created amazing drawings of how humans could fly. By examining birds, he created the glider, parachute, and a machine that would later on permit humans to fly- the helicopter. Nevertheless, this part of his intelligence wasnt truly valued at his time since these inventions were too bold and impractical for his coevals (Edward, 1928). On the whole, Leonardo Da Vincis The Last Supper is a remarkable work of art, and has been for generations. Da Vinci sketched the first relaxed portraits with misty landscapes in the background. He utilized warm and passionate colors to produce the misty appearance on the landscapes. He had a unique way of painting with mixing colors and didnt put eyebrows on his paintings. Although it The Last Supper has disintegrated to the point of being unrecognizable, many people have worked very hard to make sure that it will stay put for upcoming generations to see. Da Vinci was a very accomplished artist, and it is illustrated through his works like The Last Supper. Even to this day, his painting The Last Supper is known far and wide and visited by many tourists each year. The memory of the Last Supper could be due to the holiness of the parting meal. Visual Image Title of artwork- The Last Supper Artist- Leonardo Da Vinci Media-Tempera and mixed media on plaster

Policies In Atlantic Canada :: essays research papers

From the period of early contact from 1534-1736 it was concluded that Indian religion was useless and therefor did not pose an impediment in the process of converting Indians to Christianity. The process of conversion included a period of persuasion and instruction followed by baptism. The French missions were successful in areas where there was permanent Aboriginal settlement. These efforts influenced all areas of social policy especially the belief that all Aboriginals should be converted to Christianity. The period of the Royal Proclamation from 1783-1839 was a result of British Military policy that recognized the importance of First Nation allies in the victory over France. In 1755 during the initial stages of the war, the British developed an Indian department with a complete suerintendent of Indian Affairs. This was not successful in preventing colonists from appropriating First Nation land. When Britain was successful in the war with France, France ceded most of it’s North American territory and the First Nations were not satisfied being under British rule. This led to Pontiacs rebellion where several British forts were captured. The Royal Proclamation was essentially drafted on the advice of the colony concerning measures to reconcile with First Nations. It was the first constitution under British rule that recognized that the territory outside of the colonial boundaries was reserved as hunting grounds for First Nations. The Royal Proclamation was the legal base for British-Indian policy. The transition of the Royal Proclamation into Canadian social policy occurred when colonial correspondents indicated that First Nations were not longer military allies. Colonial policies were changed by an administration aimed at civilizing First Nations way of life. Of particular importance was the schooling of First Nation children. Gifts that were originally used to compensate for land surrendered to the British were now conditional on the basis of whether or not First Nation parents sent their kids to school. Those parents who did not abide by this rule were subject to criminal charges.

Starbuck’s: Delivering Customer Service

Starbucks: Delivering Customer Service Christine Day, Starbuck’s senior vice president of administration in North America, believes recent market research indicates customers are not satisfied with Starbuck’s customer service. To address this concern, she is proposing to invest $40 million to increase store hours in order to reduce customer wait times. Day believes there is a direct correlation between customer wait times and their overall satisfaction with service. Starbucks has implemented a â€Å"secret shopper† program in order to spot check stores on their service, cleanliness, product quality and average wait times.The goal for average customer wait time is 3 minutes. The secret shopper scores for the past 5 quarters have shown a negative correlation between customer service and average wait time (exhibit 1). As average customer wait time decreases, the average secret shopper scores increase. In response, Day feels that adding an additional 20 hours to each of the 4500 North American Stores will reduce the customer’s wait time and in turn, increase their overall customer satisfaction scores. Day’s plan will have the largest impact on the following three major stakeholders: shareholders, employees/partners and customers.Starbuck’s shareholders are primarily interested in the plan’s impact on retained earnings and long term growth. Investing an additional $40 million dollars will reduce the shareholder’s short term earnings. Investors who were looking forward to larger dividend checks would be disappointed, but investors who were interested in the long term growth of their portfolio may support Day’s plan if she could show how this investment would positively impact customer’s loyalty and improve the company’s future profit potential. Assuming the partners were looking for additional hours, this plan would be viewed favorably by store baristas and employees.During peak periods of b usiness, they would have another employee to help share the workload and it could reduce the stress of â€Å"rush hour† on each individual partner. The popularity of this plan would be different depending on each store’s location, layout and manning. Stores with insufficient work flows could create or enlarge bottlenecks and the additional manpower may actually increase wait times. On the other hand, stores who have a hard time recruiting employees may not want to burden their existing overworked employees with an additional increase in hours.In some stores, partners would prefer to reduce the quantity and complexity of available drinks instead of increasing available hours. Starbucks is known for innovative and seasonal drinks and over the years, the knowledge requirement for baristas has dramatically increased. Baristas are constantly challenged to learn more complex drinks and still perform to the 3 minute metric. Reducing the number of drinks offered may be an appr opriate solution if there is evidence to show that there are a number of very unpopular drinks, but we do not have any current sales or market data to support those decisions.Additional research needs to be performed in order to assess this option. Customers visit Starbucks for a variety of reasons and those who value short wait times may approve of the new manning plan if indeed it results in shorter wait times. Customers who visit Starbucks for the quality of their coffee or the inviting environment may not increase the frequency of their visits because of a shorter wait time. Customers who value the intimacy and personal attention their local Starbucks provides may actually disapprove of the plan to increase manning if it interrupts their established relationship with their trusty barista.In 2002, Starbucks surveyed their customers to find out what store qualities they attribute to customer satisfaction. The top 6 of these responses referred to the actual store, relationship with the staff and product quality. Wait time was ranked 7th on the list (exhibit 2). This survey suggests that investing $40 million to decrease the wait time might not have the desired impact on customer satisfaction. There is an inherent issue with self reported customer surveys that may have influenced these findings. Customers may not realize what influences their opinions and what constitutes good customer service.What they think they value and what they actually use to make purchasing decisions may be different. In addition, each customer will have their own bias when rating customer service because they all value different experiences and relationships with their local Starbucks. If you look at the secret shopper findings and the self reported customer service surveys jointly, you could devise that customers may give higher cleanliness, service and product quality scores if their wait time is shorter regardless of the store’s actual level of cleanliness, service and produ ct quality.The shorter wait time may have influenced the customer’s opinion on the other store attributes. Another measure of customer service besides secret shoppers and customer surveys is the number of repeat customers. Customers vote with their feet and if they continue to patron Starbuck’s stores, they are voting that they are satisfied customers. In exhibit 8 of the Starbucks case, it is reported that in 2002, 73% of Starbucks customers have been visiting Starbucks for over a year. Only 23% of customers were new that year. This report suggests Starbucks has done a good job at reducing customer churn and they are already satisfying their customers.A common error when trying to measure and improve customer satisfaction is using quantitative metrics. Customer service is a qualitative experience that is very subjective for each individual. Trying to influence someone’s overall customer satisfaction by improving only one quantitative metric may not give you the intended impact to your overall customer satisfaction scores. Day needs to understand the limitations with her single metric plan and realize that she needs to address all aspects of customer service for an overall improvement.In order to understand the variety and complexity of the issues impacting their 4500 stores, Day needs to engage the store managers to fully understand what each store needs to improve customer service. Increasing available hours may help some stores while others may need new equipment or a re-designed work space. Day’s plan to uniformly increase labor hours over-simplifies the potential needs of the individual stores. Empowering the managers would encourage individual ownership and commitment. The manager’s guidance would ensure Day allocated the $40 million most ffectively to not only reduce customer wait times but to increase overall customer service. During this process, Day may find out managers are frustrated with Starbuck’s aggress ive growth. In metropolitan areas, growth has led to cannibalization of customers which undermines the manager’s efforts to increase customer loyalty. Quality customer service is an individual experience that requires a personal interaction between customers and employees. It is more difficult to create a lasting experience and relationship if customers are constantly changing from store to store.Manager’s will lose their motivation to encourage these relationships if they feel another Starbucks will open nearby and steal away the loyal customer base they have worked to create. Starbuck’s value proposition to their customers concentrate on three goals: quality coffee, excellent service and an inviting atmosphere. These three attributes are focused on building customer loyalty. Starbuck’s loyal customers (8 or more visits a month) account for 62% of their revenue. This group of established customers value high quality coffee and Starbuck’s meets thi s need through mass customization.Starbucks gives customers the ability to specialize their drinks to fit their individual tastes in order to create customer loyalty. This evidence suggests that Starbucks needs to continue to allow for individual drink customization in order to increase customer loyalty even though it may increase their average wait time above their three minute goal. Loyal customers are their largest source of revenue and if their perceived value is centered on quality coffee, they would not want to risk losing this source of steady revenue.Starbucks lacks a strategic marketing group who is responsible for managing their overall marketing plans, promotions and research. Marketing was internally viewed as the responsibility of all senior executives, but as their corporation continued to rapidly grow, the executives could not keep up with their primary responsibilities and effectively contribute to the strategic marketing plan. As a result, Day states â€Å"Weâ€⠄¢ve been operating with the assumption that we do customer service well. But the reality is we’ve started to lose sight of the consumer. In addition, Day admits â€Å"we tend to be great at measuring things, at collecting market data, but we are not very disciplined when it comes to using this data to drive decision making. † Both of these statements validate the concern that Starbucks needs to hire a senior executive who will make marketing their chief responsibility. They need a central department who will integrate their market research with top level decision making, and manage promotions, such as frequency programs, so they are using their resources in the most effective way to increase customer loyalty.The marketing department should not only collect data from their own customers, but they should consider hiring a marketing firm in order to ensure they are collecting unbiased information about themselves and their competitors. Using research on their competitors will allow Starbucks to have a more comprehensive view on their industry and growing trends or concerns from their available customer base. This will also give them the information they need in order to attract new customers from other competitors.Day’s preliminary research shows more resources need to be given to accurately capture their customer’s interests to ensure they are meeting high standards of customer service to create and keep loyal customers. Her original plan to invest $40 million to increase labor hours is not the most effective use of resources because each individual store’s needs are unknown. Quality customer service cannot be achieved by concentrating on a single quantitative metric. Customer service is a personal, qualitative experience only the individual store managers can gauge and deliver.Day needs to work with store managers and a marketing department to formulate a more comprehensive plan to measure and improve customer service. EXHIBI T 1 The AVG line is the average of the secret shopper scores for Service, Cleanliness and Product Quality. The compiled average increases as the average customer wait time decreases. EXHIBIT 2 These are the top 7 attributes grouped by category reported in Starbuck’s 2002 self-reported customer survey. Store Attributes, relationship with staff, product quality were all reported to have a higher impact on customer satisfaction than wait time.

Afghanistan s Development Of Afghanistan Essay - 1766 Words

Introduction Afghanistan has recently been in the news and in the living rooms of Americans with the increased activity and focus on the Taliban insurgency group that threatens the survival of the state. For many, they are the wild west where there is no law and anything goes. While there is some truth to that, Afghanistan faces serious problems in their quest towards becoming a developed nation. The Millennium Development Goals were created by the United Nations to help countries stabilize and develop faster in order to catch up with the rest of the world. It was also a matter of universal human rights and speaking up for those whose voices could not be heard. Afghanistan was a monarchy in the early twentieth century and became a pawn between British and Russia until they were later able to join the United Nations in the middle of the twentieth century. They have undergone continuous instability with military coups prevalent in the early and again in the late 1970s. Interstate warri ng between the Leftist Peoples Democratic Party and the Islamic traditionalist have put Afghanistan’s development status on the United Nations agenda years before the Millennium development goals were created. Interstate warring and insurgent forces continued to develop and rise within the state, tearing it in half and increasing poverty and insecurity for all who lived there. Millions of people fled the civil wars as refugees into the surrounding states. As the Taliban regime grew inShow MoreRelatedThe Effect of War and Peace on Foreign Aid Essay1520 Words   |  7 PagesAid Dr. Toi Dennis Elaine Stewart SOC 300: Sociology of Developing Countries May 4, 2014 Introduction Afghanistan is a developing country; the country faced many difficulties soon after its independence. They faced difficulties in the development of their constitution and regulations. The selection of a leader was an issue and the first major task was to prepare a military for the defence and protection of the state. In orderRead MoreEducating Afghan Girls Education929 Words   |  4 Pageslike Afghanistan girls are marginalized and neglected the right to learn. Afghanistan is a country of war, where women and girls are often the worst victims. In 2011, Afghanistan was known as the most dangerous place in the world for a girl to be born (Kissane). Malala Yousufzai, a female education activist was also a victim of war. Yousufazi was shot in the head and neck for advocating for girls and their rights to have access to education. Similarly, to Yousufzai many women in Afghanistan standRead MoreThe United States’ Prolonged Stay In Afghanistan Has Lead1495 Words   |  6 Pages The United States’ prolonged stay in Afghanistan has lead some to label the war in Afghanistan a rerun of the war in Vietnam. While the two share some pertinent characteristics, the divergent characteristics of the wars far outweigh their similarities. That being said, some insights can be garnered from the war in Vietnam that are important to be considered in any conflict the U.S. should find itself in. An analysis of the U.S.’s entry, commitment, and exit in the Vietnam war indicate thatRead MoreOperation Cyclone : The United States Central Intelligence Agency ( Cia ) Program1452 Words   |  6 Pageswarriors in Afghanistan .The program inclined vigorously towards supporting activist Islamic gatherings that were supported by the administration of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in neighboring Pakistan. Operation Cyclone was one of the longest and most costly secret CIA operations ever attempted. Subsidizing proceeded after 1989 as the mujahideen fought the strengths of Moham mad Najibullah s PDPA amid the common war in Afghanistan. Nur Muhammad Taraki communist supporters, seized control in Afghanistan on 1978Read MoreThe Rise Of Taliban And The Crisis Of Afghanistan912 Words   |  4 PagesRise of the Taliban and the Crisis of Afghanistan The Rise of the Taliban and the Crisis of Afghanistan describes the journey and development of the Taliban from its beginning to its end. Many sociological perspectives are presented by many different sociologists. The perspectives are separated into different chapters and the entirety is edited by Robert D. Crews and Amin Tarzi. The collective theme is the movement and process of the Taliban and the development and decline of Central Asia. The IntroductionRead MoreDeveloped Country Vs. Developing Countries988 Words   |  4 PagesDeveloped Country vs. Developing Country Developed and developing are the titles that countries around the world are being labeled by based on the development of their economy and technological infrastructure. Although these countries may carry a likely similar name, they are however completely different in many ways. The two types countries usually differ in their environment, population, education , and living conditions. Most importantly, they obtain distinct economies, which makes them partRead MoreU.s. Relations With Iran955 Words   |  4 Pageswith Iran since the 1980’s after Iranian students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took 52 Americans hostage. Since then, conversation between Tehran and Washington has been done by mediators. The United States has drafted and supported UN sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program. Some analysts suggest relative-moderate President Hassan Rohani s election represented an opening for direct U.S.-Iran nuclear talks. While the Tehran support Bashar al-Assad s regime in Syria. WashingtonRead MoreAfghanistan Is Like A Goat On Which The Lion And The Bear Have Both Fixed Their Eyes?1466 Words   |  6 PagesAfghanistan , a buffer state between two super powers in the first half of 20th century, was pulled into war during the latter half, first against the USSR and then against the local rival groups or militias. The 21st century yet again brought this country into another conflict. This time it was the West led by the Americans and their puppet Pakistan, the former allies in driving out Russia from Afghanistan. The traditional buffer state of Afghanistan, due to its location at the cross roads of AsiaRead MoreModernization Process in Turkey Afghanistan †¢ Introduction: Modernization theory is a1500 Words   |  6 PagesModernization Process in Turkey Afghanistan †¢ Introduction: Modernization theory is a unilinear process in which stated that every society goes through the same process of modernization (Smelser, 1988, p.2). The idea of modernization came in Turkey while Mustafa Kemal Atatà ¼rk came into power after the world war one by defeating Ottoman Empire through Young Turks. Ottoman Empire was ruling Turkey for more than five decades; at first they were ruling Turkey through absolute monarchy latter theyRead MoreWhy Did The Us Invade Afghanistan1158 Words   |  5 PagesWhy did the US invade Afghanistan in 2001? Theoretically, it holds that the United States (US) invaded Afghanistan as a self-defense strategy following the 9/11 attacks. Practically, however, as US foreign policy is about conquest, self-protection and resource-extraction, it seeks strategic dominance of geographical space to sustain its global relevance. The rationality of the US suggests the need to continuously accumulate capital, resources and military proficiency to ensure autonomy. Therefore