EU’s Fifth Action Programme Essay Example for Free

EU’s Fifth Action Programme Essay The introduction of European Union’s Fifth Action Programme into the continent pollution control mechanism has wide range benefits, several of which will be discussed in subsequent sections of this paper. Indeed, the application of the programme will completely change how people in the continent deal with pollution issues. One reason for this change is fact that most of pollution control measures would be done at the grassroots level as opposed to the traditional model of having measures develop and implemented at national and continental level. In explaining benefits of the programme, the paper is divided into five sections, each of which addresses a specific benefit. I. Creation of Responsibility Culture Decentralisation of solution to pollution issues in EU will lead to situation where individuals at the local level take responsibility for pollution problems in their respective localities. In this regard, it would be possible to develop measures that in line with local demands. This is because members of local community understand bets what could be ailing their environment. In addition, having an understanding that there’ll never be outside help will create a culture of responsibility among locals. This could be achieved through preventative measures ensuring that pollution is avoided in the first place, or even minimise effects minimal pollution that might occur. Individual communities and households will that start depending on themselves in matter pertaining to controlling pollutions. This is because they will understand that solutions would only come from local efforts. This factor has the benefit of cultivating competition between communities, because they would have been equalised under the programme. Such competition has the potential of leading to less pollution as communities try to out do each other on the ones that are more prosperous in terms of being pollution free. All this would lead to increasingly pollution free communities facilitated by residents themselves. By implementing the programme, individual communities and countries would not have anyone to blame for the status of their environment’s pollution levels. The involvement of people shall be a boon to stakeholder initiatives directed at reducing pollution. This is because people and groups shall feel freer in dealing with issues that have for many years been preserves of governmental organisations. In addition, stakeholder groups that have been pushing for individual efforts in the protection of environment in localities will now start becoming active. It has to be understood that localised stakeholder groups help individuals in societies to come together to develop initiatives that lead to better communities. Fact that the EU Fifth Action Program will provide them with a voice is indeed of great importance. In addition, individuals that are not in a position to participate in stakeholder groups will be free to develop their own mechanisms to control pollution in their own neighbourhoods. This can even be doe at the family level, where members of the same family join hands in protecting their small environment from pollution. Doing this in several private properties enable the creation of pollution free neighbourhoods. Fact that all this would be done through initiatives developed at local levels is something to be desired, because, as discussed later in the paper, policymakers at national and regional level would be able to concentrate on other pressing matters. Other than leading to productivity in the protection of protecting environment at local level, the programme is also a vital tool of education member of public that it is possible to make changes in their communities without depending too much on the European Union. People in the region will further understand that they have power to make changes. At the end, the mentality that successful measures can only be achieved through intervention of national and regional authorities will be demolished completely. This will lead to the genesis if self dependency in solving pressing issues at local levels without rushing to authorities for help. II. End Paternalism Application of the program in pollution control will also help members of public understand the role of European Union in their day-to-day lives. At it currently happens, members of the public in the region might tend to think that EU exists to solve problems like pollution. In this regard, the people will have to understand that EU’s environmental mechanisms are developed to help member countries harmonise their frameworks. In other words, member countries come together and help develop best frameworks to deal with environmental issues; it is up to the countries and their citizens implement these mechanisms and ensure of they are working. Fact that paternalism has become popular in most European countries could be leading to mentality that EU exists to improve lives of member country citizens. The application this program may help in the process of disseminating that mentality completely. In this regard, people will stop looking for top to bottom solutions in their problems and thus developing bottom to top solutions. In addition, leaders at the local level would feel empowered to lead their congregation in ways that would directly benefit the local community. This new process of solution finding would be good because it has the capabilities of developing preventative measures in the first place. The localisation of decision making processes would also help communities adapt to changes that get effected in the process implementing policy changes. This is a great move from the traditional frameworks that has tasked national governments with responsibilities of helping community members at the lowest level adapt to policy changes. In the new model, it shall be up to local leaders and authorities to help the community. This has positive gains because people have easy access to leadership that would help them in the process. Having the leaders being located close to the people will also improve passage of information between stakeholders, and with it deliver the desired message to the people. As mentioned earlier, the localisation of decision making and policy implementation would lead to competition between communities has the advantage of resulting to greater efficiency. The comparison of performance between communities would help in understanding best practices in the localities would help the areas performing poorly to copy from best performers. This copying from the best would help in the implementation of pollution policies, because each locality would take best practices and tailor them in accordance to local demands, which would be a shift from the traditional model of having one size fits all mechanisms developed at regional and national levels.

EU’s Fifth Action Programme Essay Example for Free

EU’s Fifth Action Programme Essay The introduction of European Union’s Fifth Action Programme into the continent pollution control mechanism has wide range benefits, several of which will be discussed in subsequent sections of this paper. Indeed, the application of the programme will completely change how people in the continent deal with pollution issues. One reason for this change is fact that most of pollution control measures would be done at the grassroots level as opposed to the traditional model of having measures develop and implemented at national and continental level. In explaining benefits of the programme, the paper is divided into five sections, each of which addresses a specific benefit. I. Creation of Responsibility Culture Decentralisation of solution to pollution issues in EU will lead to situation where individuals at the local level take responsibility for pollution problems in their respective localities. In this regard, it would be possible to develop measures that in line with local demands. This is because members of local community understand bets what could be ailing their environment. In addition, having an understanding that there’ll never be outside help will create a culture of responsibility among locals. This could be achieved through preventative measures ensuring that pollution is avoided in the first place, or even minimise effects minimal pollution that might occur. Individual communities and households will that start depending on themselves in matter pertaining to controlling pollutions. This is because they will understand that solutions would only come from local efforts. This factor has the benefit of cultivating competition between communities, because they would have been equalised under the programme. Such competition has the potential of leading to less pollution as communities try to out do each other on the ones that are more prosperous in terms of being pollution free. All this would lead to increasingly pollution free communities facilitated by residents themselves. By implementing the programme, individual communities and countries would not have anyone to blame for the status of their environment’s pollution levels. The involvement of people shall be a boon to stakeholder initiatives directed at reducing pollution. This is because people and groups shall feel freer in dealing with issues that have for many years been preserves of governmental organisations. In addition, stakeholder groups that have been pushing for individual efforts in the protection of environment in localities will now start becoming active. It has to be understood that localised stakeholder groups help individuals in societies to come together to develop initiatives that lead to better communities. Fact that the EU Fifth Action Program will provide them with a voice is indeed of great importance. In addition, individuals that are not in a position to participate in stakeholder groups will be free to develop their own mechanisms to control pollution in their own neighbourhoods. This can even be doe at the family level, where members of the same family join hands in protecting their small environment from pollution. Doing this in several private properties enable the creation of pollution free neighbourhoods. Fact that all this would be done through initiatives developed at local levels is something to be desired, because, as discussed later in the paper, policymakers at national and regional level would be able to concentrate on other pressing matters. Other than leading to productivity in the protection of protecting environment at local level, the programme is also a vital tool of education member of public that it is possible to make changes in their communities without depending too much on the European Union. People in the region will further understand that they have power to make changes. At the end, the mentality that successful measures can only be achieved through intervention of national and regional authorities will be demolished completely. This will lead to the genesis if self dependency in solving pressing issues at local levels without rushing to authorities for help. II. End Paternalism Application of the program in pollution control will also help members of public understand the role of European Union in their day-to-day lives. At it currently happens, members of the public in the region might tend to think that EU exists to solve problems like pollution. In this regard, the people will have to understand that EU’s environmental mechanisms are developed to help member countries harmonise their frameworks. In other words, member countries come together and help develop best frameworks to deal with environmental issues; it is up to the countries and their citizens implement these mechanisms and ensure of they are working. Fact that paternalism has become popular in most European countries could be leading to mentality that EU exists to improve lives of member country citizens. The application this program may help in the process of disseminating that mentality completely. In this regard, people will stop looking for top to bottom solutions in their problems and thus developing bottom to top solutions. In addition, leaders at the local level would feel empowered to lead their congregation in ways that would directly benefit the local community. This new process of solution finding would be good because it has the capabilities of developing preventative measures in the first place. The localisation of decision making processes would also help communities adapt to changes that get effected in the process implementing policy changes. This is a great move from the traditional frameworks that has tasked national governments with responsibilities of helping community members at the lowest level adapt to policy changes. In the new model, it shall be up to local leaders and authorities to help the community. This has positive gains because people have easy access to leadership that would help them in the process. Having the leaders being located close to the people will also improve passage of information between stakeholders, and with it deliver the desired message to the people. As mentioned earlier, the localisation of decision making and policy implementation would lead to competition between communities has the advantage of resulting to greater efficiency. The comparison of performance between communities would help in understanding best practices in the localities would help the areas performing poorly to copy from best performers. This copying from the best would help in the implementation of pollution policies, because each locality would take best practices and tailor them in accordance to local demands, which would be a shift from the traditional model of having one size fits all mechanisms developed at regional and national levels.

EU’s Fifth Action Programme Essay Example for Free

EU’s Fifth Action Programme Essay The introduction of European Union’s Fifth Action Programme into the continent pollution control mechanism has wide range benefits, several of which will be discussed in subsequent sections of this paper. Indeed, the application of the programme will completely change how people in the continent deal with pollution issues. One reason for this change is fact that most of pollution control measures would be done at the grassroots level as opposed to the traditional model of having measures develop and implemented at national and continental level. In explaining benefits of the programme, the paper is divided into five sections, each of which addresses a specific benefit. I. Creation of Responsibility Culture Decentralisation of solution to pollution issues in EU will lead to situation where individuals at the local level take responsibility for pollution problems in their respective localities. In this regard, it would be possible to develop measures that in line with local demands. This is because members of local community understand bets what could be ailing their environment. In addition, having an understanding that there’ll never be outside help will create a culture of responsibility among locals. This could be achieved through preventative measures ensuring that pollution is avoided in the first place, or even minimise effects minimal pollution that might occur. Individual communities and households will that start depending on themselves in matter pertaining to controlling pollutions. This is because they will understand that solutions would only come from local efforts. This factor has the benefit of cultivating competition between communities, because they would have been equalised under the programme. Such competition has the potential of leading to less pollution as communities try to out do each other on the ones that are more prosperous in terms of being pollution free. All this would lead to increasingly pollution free communities facilitated by residents themselves. By implementing the programme, individual communities and countries would not have anyone to blame for the status of their environment’s pollution levels. The involvement of people shall be a boon to stakeholder initiatives directed at reducing pollution. This is because people and groups shall feel freer in dealing with issues that have for many years been preserves of governmental organisations. In addition, stakeholder groups that have been pushing for individual efforts in the protection of environment in localities will now start becoming active. It has to be understood that localised stakeholder groups help individuals in societies to come together to develop initiatives that lead to better communities. Fact that the EU Fifth Action Program will provide them with a voice is indeed of great importance. In addition, individuals that are not in a position to participate in stakeholder groups will be free to develop their own mechanisms to control pollution in their own neighbourhoods. This can even be doe at the family level, where members of the same family join hands in protecting their small environment from pollution. Doing this in several private properties enable the creation of pollution free neighbourhoods. Fact that all this would be done through initiatives developed at local levels is something to be desired, because, as discussed later in the paper, policymakers at national and regional level would be able to concentrate on other pressing matters. Other than leading to productivity in the protection of protecting environment at local level, the programme is also a vital tool of education member of public that it is possible to make changes in their communities without depending too much on the European Union. People in the region will further understand that they have power to make changes. At the end, the mentality that successful measures can only be achieved through intervention of national and regional authorities will be demolished completely. This will lead to the genesis if self dependency in solving pressing issues at local levels without rushing to authorities for help. II. End Paternalism Application of the program in pollution control will also help members of public understand the role of European Union in their day-to-day lives. At it currently happens, members of the public in the region might tend to think that EU exists to solve problems like pollution. In this regard, the people will have to understand that EU’s environmental mechanisms are developed to help member countries harmonise their frameworks. In other words, member countries come together and help develop best frameworks to deal with environmental issues; it is up to the countries and their citizens implement these mechanisms and ensure of they are working. Fact that paternalism has become popular in most European countries could be leading to mentality that EU exists to improve lives of member country citizens. The application this program may help in the process of disseminating that mentality completely. In this regard, people will stop looking for top to bottom solutions in their problems and thus developing bottom to top solutions. In addition, leaders at the local level would feel empowered to lead their congregation in ways that would directly benefit the local community. This new process of solution finding would be good because it has the capabilities of developing preventative measures in the first place. The localisation of decision making processes would also help communities adapt to changes that get effected in the process implementing policy changes. This is a great move from the traditional frameworks that has tasked national governments with responsibilities of helping community members at the lowest level adapt to policy changes. In the new model, it shall be up to local leaders and authorities to help the community. This has positive gains because people have easy access to leadership that would help them in the process. Having the leaders being located close to the people will also improve passage of information between stakeholders, and with it deliver the desired message to the people. As mentioned earlier, the localisation of decision making and policy implementation would lead to competition between communities has the advantage of resulting to greater efficiency. The comparison of performance between communities would help in understanding best practices in the localities would help the areas performing poorly to copy from best performers. This copying from the best would help in the implementation of pollution policies, because each locality would take best practices and tailor them in accordance to local demands, which would be a shift from the traditional model of having one size fits all mechanisms developed at regional and national levels.

being independent Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Graduating and getting out on your own is a difficult step to make. There are a lot of things that you have to take into perspective. The choices that you make when you get out of highschool believe it or not are crucial and life altering. Decisions that you have to make are ones like what you want your career to be, where you want to live, and a big decision is buying a house. In making these decisions you have to do a lot of research and things to be prepared. I did a lot of research in hopes of finding a career that I would like and three things that I could see myself doing was owning my own spa ($100,000 yearly salary), managing a spa($60,000 yearly salary), or being an Esthetician. After thinking long and hard about it however, I decided I would like to be en Esthetician. An Esthetician is a person who gives care to skin in a non-medical way. An Esthetician makes a decent amount of money which is important to have if I want to be able to afford a house.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being an Esthetician would be fun because I enjoy working with people and I am good at working with them. I am also good with my hands which is necessary in my job Making other people feel better about themselves makes me feel better about myself. One set back in that job however would have to be foot fungus. Feet aren?t my favorite thing on the human body especially with any kind of fungus on them. Going into a job that has a high paying salary often requires experience or schooling. I would have to take classes and work hard to get my license so that it is easier for me to find a job. To become an Esthetician it is only required to have at least 17 weeks of classes which would cost under $1,000.00 and at the end of the classes I would graduate with my license in esthetics. I looked at job offers and have came to the conclusion that if I was an Esthetician I would make an estimated amount of $50,000.00 a year. That salary however can vary depending on your qualit ies and experience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I plan on living in Long Beach, California and the reason being is I have always had the desire to live near the beach. Living far away I would have to take into consideration transportation. Being on my own requires you to be financially stable. So I figured out that if I had a 2002 Jeep Gand Cherokee La... ... in Long Beach which is a wealthy town. So the price of my house is very reasonable for the area I am going to be living in. It could be cheaper to take out a 20 year loan and pay $100 a month more which would cover the interest but with my salary it is better for me to take a 30 year loan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I asked myself two questions at the beginning of this project, one being what if I run out of equity on my home with a reverse mortgage? I found that answer on www.google.com and it said that you can?t run out of money and they can not force you to move out of your home. Another question was, when I am old if I have to go to a nursing home what will happen to my house? That answer was also found on www.google.com and it was that if you are moved out for a year or longer then my home can be sold. All of these things and more have to be considered before you even buy a house. So researching and taking your time thinking about every detail is extremely important. You want to be able to afford what you have and still have money to save or spend at your discretion. I hope that one day this bit of research gives me some backing for when I actually do move out on my own.

Measuring Customer Satisfaction at ImageStream Essay

ImageStream Internet Solutions, Inc. is a privately held company in its 9th year of operation. ImageStream engineers, manufactures, and distributes Linux-based routing products for network and Internet applications. ImageStream products are used by Internet service providers (ISPs), governments, schools, and businesses in more than 75 countries around the world. As ImageStream moves toward its next decade, market forces require it, like most high technology companies, to be fast and responsive. The company faces constant change in demands and needs along with the pressures of mission creep in the face of limited resources. It is against this backdrop that ImageStream started its ISO 9000:2000 certification process. This process requires not only the implementation of quality processes, but measurement of their efficacy as well. ImageStream conducts key manager meetings twice monthly, and a company-wide review on a semi-annual basis. During these managerial and company reviews, the senior executives identify key metrics driving the success of the company’s mission, including those metrics that would benefit most from significant improvement. This proposal outlines the use of a customer satisfaction survey and seeks to answer the management question: What is the current customer satisfaction with the level and type of customer service provided by ImageStream? The study will explore the conceptual framework of service quality, the positive and negative impacts of service quality on ImageStream, and the effect of favorable and unfavorable customer intentions on perceived quality using survey research. Armed with the statistical analyses outlined below, the operations management team will identify current trends in customer satisfaction in a proactive attempt to resolve to any issues. Background and Literature Review The study and development of customer service techniques and customer  retention management programs has blossomed into its own industry. This increasing focus on customer satisfaction is not surprising, given the positive correlation between happy customers and successful companies illustrated in countless marketing research studies. This study will outline the relationship between customer satisfaction with service and customer retention at ImageStream. To support the findings, we will conduct an empirical study focusing on the relationship between perceived service quality and customer intentions. Weinstein and Johnson (1999) recommend that companies like ImageStream should spend â€Å"75% of its marketing budget on customer retention strategies† and to strengthen these relationships. Once customers commit to a product platform, and the longer they use and deploy that platform, the more profit ImageStream can realize. Longstanding, satisfied customers will generally continue, or often increase, purchasing, require less operational and customer service support, and be more willing to pay price premiums to remain with the company–all without incurring new customer acquisition costs (Pine, Peppers, and Rogers, 1995). This paper will analyze how ImageStream’s service relationship with its customers produces customer behaviors indicating whether or not a customer will remain an ImageStream customer. The methodology used will follow Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman’s study on this topic (1996). Since replacing lost customers requires new customer acquisition costs, customer retention should be a fundamental performance measure for ImageStream’s executive staff and a key component of the company’s incentive programs (Zeithaml et al., 1996). According to the American Management Association, acquiring a new customer can require five times the investment needed to keep an existing customer (Weinstein et al., 1999). Literature Review Customer service, not surprisingly, has been researched extensively: from the conceptual framework of service quality, to the positive and negative impacts of service quality, to the effect of favorable and unfavorable  customer intentions on perceived quality. We review these concepts in recent literature, and investigate an empirical study focusing on the relationship between service quality and customer behavioral intentions (Zeithaml et al., 1996). Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman (1996) offer a conceptual model of service quality. The researchers postulate that the quality of customer service will determine whether a company retains its customers or loses them to defection. Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman (1996) highlight seven key points: 1.Customer defection has a negative relationship with an organization’s profitability. 2.Retaining current customers costs less than acquiring new ones. 3.Customer retention should be a fundamental component of incentive programs. 4.Companies must advertise not only to attract new customers, but to replace lost customers. 5.Advertising, promotion, and sales costs are required expenses when attracting new customers. 6.In general, at the beginning of a customer/vendor relationship, the customers do not generate a profit for the company. Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman estimate that acquisition cost recovery can take as long as four years. 7.Positive customer assessments of service quality lead to positive behavioral intentions, strengthening the relationship between the customer and the company. Negative assessments, on the other hand, create unfavorable customer behavioral intentions. The unfavorable conditions weaken the customer/vendor relationship. Based on their research and observations, Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman  (1996) believe that expressed or observed behavioral intentions can indicate whether or not customers will remain with an organization. Reinartz and Kumar (2000) challenge Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman’s assertions that customer retention always leads well-managed companies to profitability. Reinartz and Kumar (2000) argue that long-term customers are not always the most profitable customers, and dismiss research assuming that loyalty equates with profitability as a gross oversimplification. Reinartz and Kumar (2000) contend that managers should not automatically assume increased lifetime spending, decreased costs of service, and decreased price sensitivity for long-term retained customers. Reinartz and Kumar (2000) go further in also disputing the idea that long-term retained customers require lesser marketing investment by companies. Their research concluded that long-term customers often have inactive purchasing periods unrelated to their retention by an organization (Reinartz and Kumar, 2000). During these dormant periods, these customers are at best a break-even proposition for organizations, and often consume marketing and service resources resulting in net losses during periods of inactivity. Reinartz and Kumar (2000) found that short-term customers may be as significant to customers as longtime clients. Other research indicates that organizations struggling with a single approach to satisfy all customers can end up with â€Å"inefficient and inappropriate levels of service† (Cohen, Cull, Lee and Willen, 2000). Cohen, Cull, Lee and Willen (2000) conclude that organizations must customize their service to meet each customer’s individual needs. Superior service generates favorable behavioral intentions in customers, including increased future spending, acceptance of price premiums, â€Å"word of mouth† referrals, and, ultimately, customer retention (Zeithaml et al., 1996). Research suggests that most employees have a â€Å"true customer orientation† in that they understand their customers’ needs, and possess empathy and respect for their customers (Bitner, Booms and Mohr, 1994). Quality service builds customer faith in the organization, and â€Å"is essential for maintaining competitive advantage† (Berry, Parasuraman and Zeithaml, 1994). Since quality customer service can generate positive behavioral intentions, quality service strategies are effectively profit strategies for organizations. Research illustrates this link between service and profitability, as Keaveney (1995) found that customer defections can cost an organization future revenue stream. As customers’ intentions toward a company improve, the results include new customers, increased business with existing customers, fewer lost customers, and added pricing power (Berry et al., 1994). Berry and Parasuraman (1997) stress the creation of customer feedback channels as a component of quality service. Listening and responding to the customer’s needs in a quality way has a â€Å"direct effect on the quality of service provided† (Berry and Parasuraman, 1997). This focus on customer feedback drove the purpose of this series of papers. Evidence, such as Keaveney’s study, highlighting the role customer loyalty plays in making an organization more profitable makes it imperative that companies quickly and proactively address concerns, complaints and other unfavorable behavioral intentions among their customers (Tax, Brown and Chandrashekar, 1998). Tax, Brown and Chandrashekar’s point also applies in a comparative sense as well. Organizations can potentially provide satisfactory service that nonetheless lags other competitors’ service offerings. In these cases, customers may defect because of the attraction of comparatively superior service offerings from a competitor. Managers of service departments and service companies must recognize this comparative measure, and realize that some customers will defect even when they are satisfied with a former provider (Keaveney, 1995). Customers display favorable intentions such as praising the company, expressing a preference for the company to the company or to other consumers, continuing and/or increasing purchasing volumes, paying price premiums, and making recommendations to others based on their satisfaction with the company (Zeithaml et al., 1996). Satisfied customers stay loyal to an organization longer, pay less attention to competitive products, exhibit less price sensitivity, offer service improvement or expansion ideas to the organization and cost less to service over time than new customers (Weinstein et al., 1999). When dissatisfied, customers display unfavorable intentions such as expressing an eagerness to leave the organization, decreasing purchase patterns, voicing complaints to the vendor, complaining to others, or taking legal action against the organization (Zeithaml et al., 1996). When customers do leave an organization, many choose to do so quietly with the intention of â€Å"getting even by making negative comments† to others about the organization (Tax and Brown, 1998). Since defecting customers can impact current and future revenue streams, properly identifying dissatisfied customers and understanding why customers defect can be valuable tools in improving customer retention management programs. Companies must implement strategies to overcome potential customer defections. Retention efforts should begin as soon as organizations acquire new customers. The organization should proactively attempt to learn and address customer needs and resolve any complaints or concerns quickly (Weinstein et al., 1999). Weinstein et al. (1999) suggest several ways to build loyalty and increase favorable behavioral intentions in customers. They suggest that organizations could embed sales staff at the offices of their best customers, participate in their customer’s events or promotional efforts, interview their customer’s customers, conduct retreats with major customers to share best practices and to train customers on company products and services, develop a preferred customer pricing strategy, reward customers for referring new business, solicit feedback on product development roadmaps, and even partner with key accounts on industry research projects (Weinstein et al., 1999). SERVQUAL Among the most popular assessments tools of service quality is SERVQUAL, an instrument designed by Berry, Parasuraman, and Zeithaml (1994). Through numerous qualitative studies, they evolved a set of five dimensions ranked consistently by customers as central to service quality, regardless of the  service industry. Berry, Parasuraman, and Zeithaml (1994) defined these dimensions as: *Tangibles: the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials; *Reliability: an ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately; *Responsiveness: a willingness to help customers and provide prompt service; *Assurance: the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence; and *Empathy: the caring, individualized attention the firm provides its customers. Based on the five SERVQUAL dimensions, the researchers also developed a survey instrument to measure the gap between customers’ expectation for excellence and their perception of actual service delivered. The SERVQUAL instrument helps service providers understand both customer expectations and perceptions of specific services, as well as quality improvements over time (Berry, Parasuraman, and Zeithaml, 1988). Analysis of customer responses to a SERVQUAL questionnaire presents numerous potential practical implications for companies and their customer service teams. Scope We will conduct a study of all ImageStream customers (the â€Å"population†) by e-mailing or mailing a questionnaire to companies listed in ImageStream’s internal records. The study will take less than one month to complete. We will contact all customers and direct them to the on-line survey, and follow up with customers who have not responded after two weeks. We will end the study after four weeks, and expect 25%-30% participation. We base this estimate on the response rate of similar studies mentioned above. A response  rate of at least 10% will yield a significant sample, enabling us to make conclusive findings and recommendations. Methodology We identify three determinants of customer satisfaction with ImageStream: service quality, solution quality, and price (through a measure of perceived value). Data on customer satisfaction, service quality, solution quality and price will be collected through the attached questionnaire survey. The questionnaire adapts the SERVQUAL instrument developed by Berry, Parasuraman and Zeithaml (1998) and uses a combination of Likert-scaled, dichotomous and unstructured questions. The use of both bipolar Likert/dichotomous and unstructured questions allows us to benefit from the strengths of both quantitative and qualitative research. The use of quantitative questions allows us to obtain a high degree of reliability and validity using the scientific method, and enables others to more easily repeat or replicate our study. The qualitative questions provide background for customer responses, and help to identify any underlying issues highlighted by the quantitative research. Triangulation, in this case the combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, allows us to overcome the weakness of using only one research technique. We do not assume that there is only one reality and believe that different research methods will reveal different perspectives. Using quantitative and qualitative triangulation allows us to use different sets of data, different types of analyses, different researchers, and/or different theoretical perspectives to study customer service. The quantitative question results will provide data that we can subject to complex statistical analyses. We will combine the quantitative question responses to determine central tendencies and dispersion of the data, including measures of mean, standard error, median, mode, standard deviation, variance, kurtosis, skewness, and range. We will analyze the  results of each question and of the study as a whole. Based on the results of the analysis above, we will develop regressions to identify potential relationships between past service experiences, perceived quality, future purchasing behavior, and loyalty. A possible research design for the regression analysis follows. H1: There is a positive correlation between the level of superior customer service and positive future customer behavior. H2: There is a negative or no correlation between the level of superior customer service and positive future customer behavior. H3: There is a positive correlation between the level of inferior customer service and negative future customer behavior. H4: There is a negative or no correlation between the level of inferior customer service and negative future customer behavior. Using these results, we can make conclusions about the management problem defined above. Development of these findings will include the use of anecdotal evidence from the qualitative questions in the survey. We will use the responses to the qualitative questions to support the quantitative findings, and to highlight key issues not covered by the quantitative portions of the survey. Possible Findings Following Zeithaml, Berry and Parasuraman (1996), we believe that a positive relationship exists between quality service and positive customer behavior as defined above. Additionally, we believe that our research will show that favorable customer behavioral intentions will be higher among customers experiencing no service problems. Customers who have experience problems, but received service to resolve them will show the next highest level. Customers with unresolved service problems will show the least favorable  behavioral intentions. Conclusion Customer service and its effect on customer retention in an organization is a growing area of research, and one that is vital to maintaining quality at ImageStream. This paper examined customer retention and defection from an organization in the context of customer service quality, exploring four areas: 1.A conceptual framework of how service quality affects particular customer behaviors and the consequences for ImageStream, establishing the purpose for this study, 2.Empirical studies that focused on the relationship between service quality and customer behavioral intentions, 3.A triangulated quantitative and qualitative survey to study perceived service levels among ImageStream customers, 4.Follow-on research based on the survey results and statistical analysis, including a summary of expected findings Customer retention branches off into many other significant areas such as value-added services, supply chain relationships, use of information systems to service customers better, and very importantly perceived and expected performance. Organizations have a chance to learn from their customers. The more customers teach the company the more effective it becomes at providing exactly what they want and the more difficult it is for competitors to lure them away from the organization (Pine II et al., 1995). Learning about customers is what this whole retention topic is about. The customers tell the organization what to do to keep them. The strategy is for the organization to learn how to listen and respond. References Anton, J. (1996). Customer Relationship Management: Making Hard Decisions with Soft Numbers. New York: Prentice Hall. Berry, L., Parasuraman, A. and Zeithaml, V. (1988). A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and its Implications for Future Research. The Academy of Management Executive, 8, 32-52. Berry, L. and Parasuraman, A. (1997). Listening to the Customer: The Concept of a Service-Quality Information System. Sloan Management Review, 38, 65-76. Berry, L., Parasuraman, A. and Zeithaml, V. (1994). Improving Service Quality in America: Lessons Learned. The Academy of Management Executive, 8, 32-52. Bitner, M., Booms, B. and Mohr, L. (1994). Critical Service Encounters: The Employee’s Viewpoint. Journal of Marketing, 58, 95-106. Chase, R. and Stewart, D. (1994). Make Your Service Failsafe. Sloan Management Review, 35, 35-44. Cohen, M., Cull, C., Lee, H. and Willen, D. (2000). Saturn’s Supply-Chain Cooper, D. and Schindler, P. (2002). Business Research Methods (6th ed.). Burr Ridge, IL: Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Cronin Jr., Joseph J. and Taylor, S. (1992). Measuring Service Quality: A Reexamination and Extension. Journal of Marketing, 56, 55-68. Heskett, J., Jones, T., Loveman, G., Sasser, W., and Schlesinger, L. (1994, March-April). Putting the Service-Profit Chain to Work. Harvard Business Review, 164-174. Innovation: High Value After-Sales. Sloan Management Review, 41, 93. Joppe, M. (n.d.). The Research Process. Retrieved January 12, 2004 from http://www.ryerson.ca/~mjoppe/rp.htm Keaveney, S. (1995). Customer Switching Behavior in Service Industries: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Marketing, 59, 71-82. Pine II, J., Peppers, D. and Rogers, M. (1995). Do You Want to Keep Your Customers Forever? Harvard Business Review, 73, 103-114. Pitt, L., Watson, R., Kavan, C. (1997). Measuring Information Systems Service Quality: Concerns for a complete canvas. MIS Quarterly, 21, 209-221. Reinartz, Werner J. and Kumar, V. (2000). On the Profitability of Long-Life Customers in a Noncontractual Setting: An Empirical Investigation and Implications for Marketing. Journal of Marketing, 64, 17. Tax, S. and Brown, S. (1998). Recovering and learning from service failures. Sloan Management Review, 40, 75-88. Tax, S., Brown, S.and Chandrashekar, M. (1998). Customer evaluations of service complaint experiences: implications for relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 62, 60-76. Van Dyke, T., Kappelman, L., and Prybutok, V. (1997, June). Measuring Information Systems Service Quality: Concerns on the use of the SERVQUAL questionnaire. MIS Quarterly, 21, 195-208. Weinstein, Art and Johnson, W. (1999). Designing and Delivering Superior Customer Value: Concepts, Cases, and Applications. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Whyte, G., Bytheway, A., and Edwards, C. (1997). Understanding User Perceptions of Information Systems Success. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 6, 35-68. Zeithaml, V., Berry, L. and Parasuraman, A. (1996). The Behavioral Consequences of Service Quality. Journal of Marketing, 60, 31-46.

Essay about Eat Task 1 - 1167 Words

In the area of education, teaching language arts is one of the most crucial and critical elements in the process of learning. In elementary education teachers must ensure that an effective language arts program is a complete, orderly, and clear program that involves activities that fit to state and/or national standards teaching essential skills and strategies by using activities that are organized to meet those objectives. They must also engage students with active participation to foster learning yet set clear and high expectations and differentiate instruction according to assessed needs as progress monitoring and assessment is used to determine if those objectives and standards have been achieved. While reading, writing, listening, and†¦show more content†¦Once fluency is somewhat proficient vocabulary development and comprehension is enhanced. Writing, communication using written language, is equally as important as reading (Roe Ross, 2006). Elementary students will us ually begin learning how to write by writing their names and the letters in the alphabet in kindergarten while teachers begin to focus on neatness as words and sentences are copied from the board. Word walls are often found in many classrooms to assist children with their writing. Starting in first grade usually, organization and a focus to the writing will become more prevalent as students are exposed to process of prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. Penmanship also becomes highly important as the student learns how to write fluidly and legibly using correct form and spacing. To become an efficient writer the student requires a great deal of practice so the teacher should provide such practice as well as samples of completed assignments that are poor quality work and superior quality work. Students need clear expectations when given writing assignments which are often stated in scoring guides and rubrics. Listening, which is simply the understanding of the spoken language, is another vital part of language arts (Roe Ross, 2006). This skill is a receptive skill and is quite often not given enough attention in a classroom settingShow MoreRelatedEssay on Unit 205 Duty of Care771 Words   |  4 Pagesof dilemma that you may arise in adult social care work, and find out where to get advice and support to handle these. You will look at how to respond to complaints, making sure you know and follow agreed procedures. TASKS There are three tasks to this assignment. TASK 1 2 3 TASK 1 1. Identify the following requirements when dealing with complaints. †¢ Legal EVIDENCE Short answer questions Letter Case studies OUTCOMES 3.1, 3.2 1.1, 1.2 2.1, 2.2 For a legal complaint there must be evidence collectedRead MoreMy Schedule During The Week Essay744 Words   |  3 PagesI go play a video game, sleep, or eat. 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