Importance Of Values Essay Example for Free

Importance Of Values Essay Importance of Values 1. Values are guides for our behaviour. 2. It is signi? cant to our life and the society in general. 3. It gives direc? on to our lives. Its value are clear and consistent. 4. Values tell us the importance of people. What things are desirable and sa? sfying. 5. Values are principle by which individuals are guided on their proper behaviour in a society. 6. Values have something to do with the total forma? on of a person. 7. Value mean whatever is actually prized, esteemed, desired, approved, or enjoyed by anyone at a ? me. 8. Values allow the members of an organiza? on to interact harmoniously. Values a(ect their forma? on and development as individuals, and make it easier to reach goals that would be impossible to achieve individually. 9. Values is being itself or the richness of being in as much as it has power to a+ract the cogni? ve and appe ve poten? als of men. 10. Values refer to the major priori? es that one chooses to act on. 11. Values are seen as growing from a person’s experiences. It is, therefore, expected that di(erent experiences would give rise to di(erent values. Process of Valuing Louis Raths, et al. de? ned value or the process of valuing as having seven aspects and made it clear that unless all the seven are present, then what person has chosen is not a value. Values possess criteria which can be divided into three categories: CHOOSING, PRIZING, and ACTING. Hence: C – Choosing 1. To choose freely 2. To choose from alterna? ves 3. To choose alterna? ves a=er considering the consequences of such alterna? ves. P – Prizing 4. To cherish and be happy with the choice 5. To be willing to a? rm the choice publicly A – Ac? ng 6. To actually do something about the choice 7. To act repeatedly to a? rm the choice publicly. In the area of choice, the value must be chosen freely and he person is totally accountable for the choice he made. The choice must consider the consequences of the alterna? ve evident. Essen? al to the valuing process is that the choice must be acted upon and should become part of the life of the person. Finally, the person must be happy with the choice, a choice that enhances the emo? onal and spiritual development of that individual. Values, therefore, are major priori? es that a person choses to act on, that crea? vely enhances his life and the lives of those with whom he associates. Our live are mo? vated and guided by values. In the words of hall, all of life is worth living when we have sincerely commited ourselves top the realiza? on of our goals. Fr. Jaime Bulatao, a Filipino psychologist in his ar? cle â€Å" The Manilenos Mainspring,† gave four large areas of values from the total ? eld of values: 1. Emo? onal closeness and security in a family. In any society, the home always provides love, understanding, acceptance, a place where, no ma+er how far or how wrongly one has wandered he can always return. The Filipinos are noted for manifes? ng close ? es in the family. As many Filipinos would say, â€Å"There is no place like home. † 2. The authority value. This may be de? ned as â€Å"approval by the authority ? gure and by society. † A part of the Filipino tradi? on is that children may marry only with the consent of parents; even when they elope, the parents are s? ll expected to work for reconcilia? on. Authority ? gures must be respected and obeyed within the limits. Authority ? gures are feared and served with awe, but some? mes are not really loved. One looks at authority ? gures for help in obtaining a job and other bene? ts. 3. Economic and social be? erment. This value o=en refers to a desire to raise the standard of living of one’s family, or of one’s hometown. O=en it is repayment of one’s debt of gra? tude to parents and rela? ves. 4. Pa? ence, su? ering, and endurance. This value has been fused with the religious value since it seems that God is called upon when other means fail. It is associated with women more than with men.

A study into Reflection and the factors it achieves

A study into Reflection and the factors it achieves According to Fish and Twinn (1997) reflection can be defined as systematic, decisive and inspired thinking regarding certain act with the purpose of understanding its roots and procedures. According to Fish and Twin (1997), reflection has three stages- The learning opportunity The collection of information and critical analysis The changed prospective ( Spalding, 1988) So from the stated definition it can be presumed that reflection is a daily process where we reflect as a person in order to face everyday problems and situations. In other words it can be said as moveable processing of beliefs and judgments regarding an incident. So the reflection can be presented as: Considerate reflection (Tickle, 1994) Learning from What is reflection?Experience (Spalding, 1998) Systematic, decisive and inspired thinking (Fish and Twinn, 1997) So the purposes of the Reflective analysis report is to identify gaps between the learning and skills, to analyze multifaceted and testing situations, to analyze the group dynamism and inspect the technique we normally use for decision making. (Bolton, 2001) In order to translate the personal reflection in to formal procedure, Kolbs (1984) reflective practice can be discussed. Experience Action Conceptualization Reflection Figure- Kolbs cycle of reflective practice (Taken from Experimental learning, prentice Hall) Action Here in this applied management project the main action from my point of view is to review the literature on market segment from a consumer managers prospective. Another mentionable action is the analysis and discussion part where I need to analysis the effects of new technology on market segmentation. Experience In case of completing this applied management project, the challenges I face are a lifelong experience to me. This applied management project is intended to imitate a realistic business situation, giving me the opportunity to show my ability in case of using knowledge and expertise obtained through the structure of the program. Through this applied management process I have successfully able to carry forward the learning of realistic business scenario in to the academic field. In addition I have also learned to underline the relationship among the variables of the program by synthesising and discovering new areas in details. Reflection In the academic prospective the true reflection of this project will come when I will receive grades for this module. But the important point for me is the reflection in my career. That means how this project will help me to advance forward to face the challenges offered by the corporate world. Conceptualization My overall impression regarding the writing of this applied management project is that this project will make me stronger and completive before I confront with the corporate world. Chapter-2 Recollection of Experience In order to demonstrate the experience I have faced in case of completing this applied management project, I would like use Gibbs (1998) cycle. Descriptions (What Happens?) Action plan (If it arose again what you will do?) Feelings (What were the feelings?) Evaluation (What was good and bad regarding the experience?) Conclusion Description (What sense can you make of the situation?) Figure- Gibbs (1998) reflective cycle (Taken from A guide to teaching and learning methods, Oxford Brookes University) Stage-1 Description of the event As a part of the post graduate course Msc in Marketing and Business Management I was asked to ask to complete an applied management project as my final module of the masters program. My project topic is on market segmentation and the effects of new technology into its effectiveness. As a part of this event, University authorities organized a whole week of tutor support sessions where topics such as plagiarism and Turnitin UK, discussion regarding the subject matter of reflection report and relevant information for referencing were discussed. That whole week of support session is worked as introductory pillar for this project. Satge-2 Feelings Before the tutor support session, I was very nervous about the applied management project. As I have never done this types of project in my previous academic events. In fact the system of study I have faced in UK is very new to me and that was adding the pressure even more. But after that particular session where the full guide lines about the project was given, I felt relatively relaxed and confident of how I should approach this project. Stage-3 Evaluation After the tutor support sessions I formally started to plan about how to approach this project. At that point of time, I have two and half months in my hand to complete this project. First thing I have done was to prepare the notes about the lecture given at that study session. After that I prepared notes on daily basis. But one bad experience I have felt that when I heard that no formal tutor supports will be given after that particular event. Finally my over all experience at that time was very effective in case of completion of this project. Stage-4 Analysis From the beginning I have prepared a plan regarding how to approach this project. As a part of my plan firstly I started collecting journals on daily basis. On the basis of those journals I started making notes regarding the subject matter. I took help of the hand book in order to break down the report into sub-parts. I also estimate the words allocation for each part. After that I started writing my project. So the experience I have gained in case of preparation of this project will be helpful for rest of my career. Stage-5 Conclusion After the successful completion of my report I can conclude that the challenges I have faced in the time of preparation of this project was to relate the articles of several authors to my designated topic. At the time of preparing this project I felt that the primary data such as questionnaire would make this project better. But we were limited to use only researched based secondary data and that is one of the limitation I have found. Stage-6 Action Plan If I am being asked to prepare an applied management project again in future, I will definitely do that particular task in a different way. Because from my point of view, if I do what I have done previously then I will only have what I have already got. So I will try to reflect the experiences I have gained through this particular project. Last but not the least, from my point of view the reflection cycle will be the same in case of the second task but the approaches, feelings, evaluation and analysis of that reflection will be more mature, as I will have the experiences of writing a reflective report before. Chapter-3 Personal feelings and learning from the experience In order to exhibit by my learning experience at different stages I would like to use Kolbs and Frys (1996) experimental learning cycle. Concrete Experience Observation And Reflection Testing in new Situations Forming Abstract Concepts Figure- Kolbs and Frys experimental learning cycle (Taken form Experimental learning: experience at source of learning and development, prentice-Hall) The four stage of learning will demonstrate how my learning experience converted to reflection in the time of completing this applied management project. The first stage concrete experience gives the learners opportunity to learn at the field level (Kolb, 1996) my learning at the tutor support session was a concrete experience for me. As according to the requirement of our applied management project, we dont need to do any primary research at the field level. From my point of view that was a missed opportunity of gaining concrete experience. The second stage concentrates on Observation and Reflection where a learner seriously considers and remembers about the experience gained at the first stage. (Kolb, 1996) According to my learning cycle, the period when I started to take the notes, regarding what happened to the tutor support session was the observation and reflection period. According to Kolb (1996), the third stage is Abstract conceptualization where learners try to build a mode l or theory based on the observations made at the previous level. With no difference with other learners I have also gone through this stage. The time when I built a format of this applied management project based on the observations made during and after the tutor support period. On that session I also identified sub-sections of the project. At the final stage of Kolbs (1996) learning cycle (Active experimentation), learners try to test the model and plan for upcoming events. In case of my scenario, the period where I was implementing the observations made at the earlier stages and time when I started thinking about this particular reflective report was the stage of active experimentation to me. Chapter-4 Group dynamics and learning from the experience According to dictionary.bnet.com, group dynamics can be referred as communication and interpersonal relationship among the group members. Basically it gives the direction, in which a group is formed and functioned. Although this applied management project is an individual task, but in order to facilitate our work we were formed in a group initially by the module coordinator. In order of develop an effective group there are certain stages. (Tuckman, 1965) they are- Forming Storming Norming Performing Adjourning Figure- stages of group development (Taken from Management and Organizational Behaviour, 7th edition, p-532) Forming- This is the first stage when number individuals are bring together for the initial formation of our group. In case of our group, the stages of forming the group took place in the middle part of the tutors support session before we were handed out the AMP project. Storming- In the second stage of group development, the members of the group let themselves know about each other and it is better for any group to give their opinions regarding any particular subject matter. The first storming session for our group held on the last three days of that particular session when students have the accessibility of taking helps from several tutor. On the first day of our meeting we formally get introduced to each other and have general discussion about the project. Norming- This stage of group development involves conflicts and hostility among the group members. As our group members are from three different locations, we have differences in attitudes and norms. In the time of group sessions, we have certain conflicts regarding any particular subject matter but those brainstorming are constructive rather than distractive. Performing- When any group overcome the previous stages of group development successfully, then we can assume that it has developed the structure and cohesiveness to perform. After the general discussion, the first task we allocated to ourselves as group is to collect one journal which relates to our project. Through that activity we formally started performing as group. Adjourning- The final stage of group development was the time when the support session was over. From then we share certain information related to our project through mail and started giving concentration towards writing the project. In order to identify the cohesiveness of our group, factors that are contributing to group performance can be used. Group Size Level of participation in the group Managed Diversity Group Cohesiveness Level of conformity to norms Group Identity Emphasis on goal accomplished Success Figure- Group cohesiveness and performance (Taken form Management and Organizational behaviour, 7th edition, p- 529) Group Size- Our group for this applied management project has consisted of nine members. Five of them including me are Bangladeshi. Two of them from India and rest of the two are from Libya. Managed Diversity- In case of diversity, the more homogenous the group in terms of characteristics such as shared backgrounds, interests, attitudes and values, the more successfully the cohesiveness works. ( Mullins, 2005) In case of our group, the group members are from three different locations and thats why we need to cope up with the diversification factors such shared value. Group Identity Out of nine members of our group five of them including me are Bangladeshi, two of them are Indians and rest of them are from Libya. Success- The more cohesive the group, the more likely to be successful. Success is a big motivational factor in a group. Our main motivation as group is to get good grades in the project from the academic prospective. But from the career point of view the reflection of this group work will be a great lesson for our future career development. Based on those features the following outcomes will come: Level of participation in the group- After the formation of the group, we assign sever task among the group members. All our group members participated equally in the specified task selected by ourselves. For example on the first day of group meetings, we were assigned ourselves to collect a journal each and with the help of those articles we discussed several issues regarding matters related to our topics. Level of conformity to norms- As previously mentioned our group members are from three different locations, we have certain disruptions and conflicts amongst us in regard to certain issues. But those conflicts help each of us as several issues were come out because of those sessions. So although the conformity of our group was low at starting level but we began to jell together as a team as our discussion goes on. Emphasis on goal accomplished- In those group sessions, our main goal was to complete this applied management project on time. But before that we have set certain objectives for our group in order to achieve the main goal. For example we have discussed regarding structure of the project. After that particular group session we focused on our individual task which is to writing the project individually. Chapter- 5 Lessons for future projects Finally from the learning and experience I had in terms of completion of this applied management project, I have generated five lessons which can prove useful for the future projects. Critical Analysis- The first thing I want to mention, after the successful completion of this applied management project, is the analysis abilities. If I wish to do better in such kinds of projects in future, I will need to use the experiences and knowledge gained from this project, so that I can analyse certain issues much more critically and constructively. Synthesis/creativity- After the successful completion of this applied management project, I have understood that creative thinking is very important in case of handling these kinds of project more efficiently. If can synthesise information unconventionally, generate new hypothesis and redefine previous knowledge to develop new ideas, I will able to improve my performance for future group activities and projects. Evaluation of the situation- Another key lesson I have learned through this applied management project is the ability to evaluate certain situation. In order to do well in future projects, I will have to evaluate recent research autonomously, need to use the methodologies appropriately and will have to justify the work of self and others. Enhanced level of confidence- Before the start of this applied management project, I was feeling very nervous regarding the matter of how should I approach this project. But towards end part of this project the lessons I have learned have increased my confidence level to a certain level that will help me in case of handling any future group task or any other individual project. Time consciousness Final lesson I have learned is the time awareness. By completing this project I have learned how I need to utilize the timing factor more effectively. Chapter -6 Conclusion Finally at the end of this reflection report it can be concluded that peoples visualization may vary person to person but its important not to go far away from our main topic. This report is basically the reflection of work that I have done in my main project. Form the word reflection we can presume that it is a middle process of turning experience into learning. (Boyd and Fales, 1983) So form the above definition we can say that reflection is the process through which person can become efficient in one behaviour by repeating the same behaviour again and again or may learned from his previous experiences in order to improve his techniques. Last but not the list, in order to increase generic skills outcomes, presentation and evaluation skills more effectively we need to utilized the concept of reflection in the academic purposes as well as outside the academic field.

The Concept Of Research Design Information Technology Essay

The Concept Of Research Design Information Technology Essay In this chapter we will cover the research questions concerning the impact of CRM implementation on company performance. In the first section, we will explain the concept of research design and the different research designs types. In the second section, we will define the research design that we will use in our thesis. First, we will define the problem and explain the objectives of our studies. Second we will define the research method that we are using. Third, we will explain the different concept of scaling. Fourth, the will explain the design of the questionnaire and the sampling process. Section 1: The concept of research design In this section we will explain the different concept and methodologies of the research design in order to use the correct research design type in our thesis. 1. Research design The research design is defined as a framework with specific procedures for collecting and analyzing the necessary data from different sources, allowing the identification of the research problem (Emory and Cooper, 1991). The successful research design should cover the following tasks: it should define the research problem, select the required information when it is needed, specify the measurement and scaling procedures, make a pre-test questionnaire, define the sampling process and the sample size, select the correct plan for data analysis and tabulation, define the time and financial constraints and follow up on the completed research study ( Brierty and Al,1998). The Nature of the study defines which research method should be adopted. It exist three different types of research, the exploratory, the descriptive or the causal. 1.2 The exploratory Research type The objective of exploratory research is to help the researcher to understand the problem situation. The results of using this type of research are guidelines for a better comprehension of the problem and encouragement of the personal explanation and creativity of the researcher (Sudman and Blair, 1997). Usually the exploratory research is used for the following reasons: developing hypotheses, in case we dont know much information about the research issue, to isolate the variables and relationships for advanced examination, for positioning studies, familiarization with customers, to establish precedence for auxiliary research, getting new ideas, to describe process, to defines a problem more specifically and developing an approach to the problem. The exploratory research is necessary when the information is loosely defined that leads to unstructured working format. This type of research allows high flexibility in the research, since it allows changes in the procedures and protocols (Tull and Hawkins,1993). In addition the exploratory research can be divided into four categories: expert surveys, secondary data analysis, pilot studies. First, the expert surveys are conducted by consulting persons that have experience in a specific field, which help the researcher to collect technical data about the studied subject. Second, secondary data analysis is based on another research area which is economical and ready to use. Secondary data help the researcher to identify and define the research problem, to develop clear research design approach for the problem, to allow analyzing the primary data more astutely and to answers some research questions (Malhotra, 1996). Third, pilot studies are small scale exploratory researches that are used to understand the research problem setting (Zikmund, 2000). In general the exploratory research use the focus group , which is an interview conducted with a small group of respondent in a free-flowing manner. Focus groups have many advantages, since it is much quicker to collect information compared to interviewing individuals, the level of excitement increase when the topic stimulates the respondents, the discussion is usually recorded and the researcher can refer to it later, the moderator controls the discussion and he doesnt allow respondents to deviate the topic, respondents feel more comfortable in group discussions and they will express their personal ideas more freely which produce a wide range of information and ideas. In other hand, focus groups have some disadvantages, since they are difficult to moderate and sometimes they are misjudged , results can be misused and can be considered not to be representative of the whole population (Malhotra,1996). 1.3 The descriptive research type The descriptive research is used to describe a phenomena and it studies the relationship between variables (Churchill, 1998). The descriptive research should be the most accurate as possible allowing the understanding of the research problem. The results of successful descriptive studies can answer any question with high precision. The descriptive research is used for the following reasons: for define the perceptions of problem characteristics, to explain the decision making process and its impacts, to get specific predictions, to explain the characteristics of groups such as customers and organizations, and to determine the differences in needs among subgroups. The descriptive research is characterized by the formulations of explicit hypotheses, which leads to a research design more structured and contains several statistical methodologies. In addition, the descriptive research can be applied using four different methods: panels, secondary data, observational data and surveys. First, the panels are group of people that answers to a number of telephone interviews or mail or personal interviews for a period of time. The observation includes recording the behavior of the respondents in a methodical way to obtain the needed information about a proposed problem. Second, the surveys include interviews with a number of people by using a questionnaire about the studied subject (Tull and Hawkins,1993). 1.3 The causal research type The causal research type is to recognize the cause and effect relationship between the variables in the problem model. In general, the descriptive and the exploratory research lead the way for cause and effect relationship studies. The descriptive research allows examining the associations between variables, and the causal research explain the relation between those variables, for example a change in one variable affects the other variables. The causal research can be used in the following cases: to define which variables are the cause, the independent variables, and which variables is the effect, the dependent variables, of a phenomenon, and to explain the nature of relationship between the dependent and the independent variables. The causal research has a structured design and should be carefully planned. The design explain how several independent variables are manipulated to see its effect on the dependent variables in a well-defined environment (Malhotra, 1996). The causal research has some disadvantages, since it is expensive, difficult to administer, doesnt reflect the real population opinions (Walker et al., 1999). 2. Selecting the research approach In general, the nature of research and the researcher personal discretion defines which research design should be adopted in the study (Zikmund, 2000). The previous researches can direct the researcher to the right direction for choosing the correct research design. In general, it is always recommended to start the research design using the exploratory research if the research problem is of an ambiguous nature. Researchers use the descriptive research when they are aware of the research problem but they need more understanding of the different aspects of the problem. In case of the research problem is clearly defined, the researchers use the causal research method. The exploratory research allows forming hypothesis and the causal or descriptive research are used to statistically test the hypothesis. In order to choose the correspondent research approach it is very important to compare every approach characteristics, and to choose the research method based on logical examination of the research problem aspects. The purpose of our study is to determine the impacts of changes resulting from the implementation of the CRM solution on the Lebanese firms performance. In addition, we will use the exploratory research to formulate the hypothesis and the causal research since we will evaluate the effects of the CRM on the firm. In order to achieve the required results of the study, the researcher should define the stages of activity which must be worked through to achieve a reliable study (Johnson, 1994). Those steps are : establish the purpose of the study, identify the specific objectives of the study, define the research method, develop the research instrument and access, collect the required data, ordering the data, analyzing the data, writing results and conclusion. The measurement procedure is defined by assigning numbers to the different aspects of objects based on certain pre-defined rules, to produce accurate data (Malhotra, 1996). In our thesis, we use statistical numbers to analyze and communicate the responses of the employees and the customers. In addition, scaling allows the generation of a continuum upon which measured objects are located (Malhotra, 1996). Section 2: The research design In this section we will define the research design that we will adopt in our thesis. We will explain all the aspects of the adopted research design. 3. Problem definition: The research problem is divided into different interconnected steps allowing the researcher to deeply study the proposed subject and it defines the direction of the study. The challenge that researchers face in the research problem definition is that the defined should not be defined too broadly or too narrowly. The caution should be exercised when defining the problem to avoid defining a symptom instead of the real problem (Cravens, 2000). The purpose of our study is to evaluate the impact of changes brought by the implementation of CRM on the firm performance in the Lebanese market. Firms are implementing CRM to increase their competitive advantages. This implementation has several impacts on firm performance, such as financially (Profits and ROI), customer loyalty and employees productivity. From here we will study the impact of CRM implementation on firm performance. 4. The objectives. In order to achieve the required results from the study, researchers need to have clear understanding of the research purpose (Sigmund, 2000). The main objective of our research is to evaluate the impact of CRM implementation on the firm. The success of CRM process starts with the implementation phase, by including the entire firm departments in the implementation and by focusing on the processes re-engineering. The research objectives are defined as following: the importance of change management plan before implementing a CRM system, the importance of people in the CRM, the importance of customer satisfaction, the ROI of the CRM implementation and the productivity of the employees. The managers having experience with the implementation of CRM provides the research with the necessary background information and the employees working the CRM (customer service) solution provide us with the necessary operation information. 5. The Problem definition After the implementation of CRM in the firm, the managers in the Lebanese organizations cannot evaluate the impact of the CRM Solution on their organization performance. The evaluation of the CRM starts from the implementation phase before going to the after implementation phase. The managers cannot define clear criteria for controlling the results of CRM on the firm. Furthermore, the reason is that the impacts of CRM cannot be viewed directly and it requires a long period to see tangible results. In order to clearly define the problem researchers need to view the problem from different aspects. The first issue that we need to evaluate after the implementation of CRM is the success of the implementation. This can be evaluated by studying the change management strategy adopted. Based on our literature review, most of the projects failures are due to the absence of clear change management strategy. The second to evaluate is how the CRM affected the firm performance; this can be evaluated by studying the customer retention and satisfaction in addition to the employee productivity. In order to define all the dimensions of the problem, a questionnaire should be prepared. In the questionnaire we will include all the objectives of our study. First we will focus how to manage an information technology driven change in the firm from the change management perspective (change management strategy, planning and budget). Second, we will study the impact of CRM on people in the organization (Training, evaluating their productivity and rewarding) and resistance problem. Third, the questionnaire will include the importance of customers background and satisfaction in CRM implementation (Customers trends, and customers feedback). At the end, we will the study the Return on investment of CRM. Our research will evaluate different change aspects resulting from the implementation of CRM in the Lebanese firms. 6. Research methods In this section will explain the research method that we will adopt in our thesis. We will define the work field and the different aspects of the research methods. 6.1 Surveys The research method is the base of the research project, since it defines the methods to collect the necessary information for the project. The research method defines and justifies the methods to collect the required data, and to develop a questionnaire allowing us to obtain the required information. It also specifies the sampling of the respondents. The first step in the research method is to select the respondent for the survey, to allow the collection of the primary data. In our thesis the population is employees from Lebanese firms, and the respondents are managers and employees from three Lebanese organizations that have implemented CRM. The surveys have many benefits for the researchers, since it is low-cost and efficient to get the required information about the population. The surveys are simple to administer, it allows the researcher to have control on the sample, and the use of fixed responses decrease the variability in the results (Birks, 2003). It exist several forms of surveys such as emails and personal interviews (Zikmund, 2001). In our survey, we will use two methods, the email form and the personal interviews method. The personal interview is personalized and it allows direct interaction with the respondent, but it is time consuming for the researcher. Personal interviews assure high response rates, and better observation of the respondent behavior. The personal interview is based on the direct communication with respondent and the researcher asks the questions face to face. Personal interviews have many advantages for the researcher; he can change or adapt the questions depending on the interviewee reaction. In addition, personal interviews increase the response rates and increase the number of the participants in the surveys. The disadvantage of personal interviews is that respondents sometimes find difficult to answer face to face personal questions. In other hand, the online survey provides the researcher with instant feedback and it is inexpensive to distribute especially for large samples. However the main disadvantage of online surveys is the inaccurate data in the answers of the survey. Thus, online surveys depend on people to be honest especially about their personal information such as age, gender and location. The inaccurate data may affect the results of the study. 6.2 Survey research errors: The error is necessarily a part of any survey, and it exist different type of errors. The first error is associated with the respondents that answer the survey. This type of error occurs when the sample is drawn from larger population and there are chances that the sample differs from the total population (random sampling error). Furthermore, the way the sample is designed and selected can influence how much the sample shows the real characteristics of the population. The random variation from the real characteristics of the population should also be taken in consideration in the sampling process. In our thesis, the random sampling error is reduced since the target population is specifically selected. We will select number of firms that have implemented CRM, which operates in the Lebanese market. In addition, the sample should be representative of the Lebanese market. The second type of error is the systematic error that occurs from some mistakes in implementing the research. The systematic errors are non-sampling errors which are divided into two categories: the administrative error and the respondent error. First, the administrative error is caused by confusion or by neglecting some aspects of the survey or improper administration of the survey. The administrative errors are divided into four types: the data processing error, the interviewer error and cheating, and the sample selection error. In order to reduce this type of errors we will double check the data processing. Second, the respondent error depends on the respondents answers; if the answers are not accurate the results of the surveys will not be significant. The non-respondent error occurs when a number of respondents of the sample fail to answer the survey questions. Third, the response bias occurs when the respondent like to take a pre-defined direction for the answers and this doesnt represent the correct opinion of the interviewee. The respondent may give answers that differ from the way he really thinks. In order, to avoid the response bias we will use clear and well defined questions to minimize the ability of the respondent to direct the survey in a pre-defined way. 7. The concept of scaling A scale is considered a series of arranged items and every item is placed according to its quantification. The scale is divided into four types ordinal, nominal, ratio and interval. The ordinal scale type is ranking the data according to have more or less characteristic. The ranking have logical order. Furthermore, this type of scale allows the measurement the degrees of difference but not the specific amount of difference. The nominal scale, provide the respondent with series of possibilities in the objective of categorizing events or attributes. The nominal scale does not express any relationship between the variables. Furthermore, the only statistical operation that can be done by using the nominal type is the frequency run. It is important to include all the possible answers in the nominal scale, and it is important to provide the respondent with the choice to choose other. The ratio scale demonstrates growth relationships between items and time periods. It allows comparing items in the same graph, starting at different levels. In other hand, the interval scale is an advanced notion of ranking items, since the distance between adjacent points are equal. In order to determine if a scale is interval or not it is important to underlie intent regarding the equal intervals. For example, dates can be measured on interval scale because differences are measured in years and no ratio can be given to a ratio of times (Collins, 2003). In our thesis, we will use three interval scales, the nominal, ordinal and interval scales to explain and compare the different aspects of CRM impact on the firm. First, we will use the nominal scale to collect data concerning the demographic data concerning the respondents and the Lebanese firms. Second, we will use the ordinal scale to allow respondents (employees and managers) to rank the answers. This allows us to know which answer is the most important for the respondents. Third, we will use interval scale to identify the importance of the answers by using the Likert scale. In natural science, the validity and reliability of the research is essential to assure the integrity of the research and assure the achievement of the desired objectives. The reliability is concerned with consistency. The consistency has three aspects, the first aspect is when reproducing the study again, the same results are found. This is defined as stability over time. The second aspect is equivalence; this means that the study can be done elsewhere, for example in a different country. The third aspect is internal consistency which means that the results of one section is confirmed by the others sections (Bryman, 2001). Validity is concerned with accuracy and which method provides the most accurate answers which is the integrity of conclusions (Gorman and Clayton, 1997). The internal validity is when we assure that any causal relationships found are related to the variables and the external validity is that the result can be applied outside of the current research context. Furthermore, the face validity and criterion validity are necessary elements to assure the reliability, which means that the information fit the expected pattern, and assure the accuracy of findings by using a different method. In addition, to enhance the reliability and the validity each item in the survey is clear and easily understood, each item should be analyzed in the intended way, and the relation between the items and the objective of the study is clear (Suskie ,1996). In order to assure high reliability and validity of the collected data we address the questionnaire to managers and employees that are directly related to the CRM, in Lebanese firms. 8. Designing the questionnaire Designing a questionnaire is based on setting specific questions allowing the researcher to get the required information. The well designed questionnaire minimizes the response error and pushes the respondents to complete the questionnaire (Malhotra and Birks, 2003). The benefits of the questionnaire is to ensure comparability of the data , increase the speed and accuracy , and facilitate the data processing (Kotler, 2000). It is necessary to choose the right type of questions and the optimized ordering. In order to collect data related to our pervious hypothesis we prepared two questionnaires. The first questionnaire is addressed to the employees and managers in the Lebanese firms that are directly related to the implementation of CRM. The second questionnaire is addressed to customers that are buying from these firms. The questionnaires will be divided into two parts. In the first part, we will collect information about the background of the respondent and the profile of the company. In the second part, we will collect information about each of the research objectives. The questionnaire starts by asking general simple questions such as the respondent opinion about CRM and the firm. This will increase the will of the respondent to proceed with the questionnaire. In addition, we will ask the sensitive questions at the end of the questionnaire such as costs and ROI of the CRM project. The questions will be asked with third-person approach and we will use structured and unstructured questions. In addition, we will include open ended questions and structured questions. The structured questions provide the respondent with several alternatives for answering the question. In addition, structured questions take the form of dichotomous, multiple choice and scale. The open ended questions allow the respondent to provide personalized answers. For the firm employees and managers the questionnaire will include the demographic information about the respondent, attitude about the CRM system (Five point Likert scale), dealing with the implementation of CRM system, CRM implementation information and working with CRM system. For the customers, the questionnaire will also include the demographic information, attitude toward firms that have implemented CRM, general feeling about the relations with the firms that have implemented CRM, the will customers to pay more to gain more services, likelihood to keep dealing with the same firm, and wanting to have stronger relationship with the firm. After developing the questionnaires we will run pretests, to identify the problems in questionnaires directions and design. Furthermore, pretests are run with a small group of respondents. We will provide small sample of people (ten persons) with the questionnaires to evaluate the questionnaires direction and quality. The sample will include three middle line managers and three employees and four customers. After answering to the surveys questions we asked the respondent about their opinion and about the problems they found in the surveys. This helped us to improve some aspects in the surveys and adding some new questions. 9. Sampling Sampling process has to answer some basic questions: how should we select the sample? Second, which process should be used? What is the size of the sample? How can we adjust the non-response errors? In general, the more diversified sample assures an accurate research. The random sampling error varies depending on the sample sizes (Hawkins et al., 2000); with the increase of the sample size the results reliability decreases. In order to determine the sample size several factors should be taken into consideration such as the resource constraints, the variance of the population, the previous studies, and the confidence interval (Hawkins and Tull, 1993). The first step in the sample selection process is defining the target population; the collection of objects that the researcher considers having the necessary information is considered as the target population. The target population should be chose based on the sampling units, the time and the elements (Malhotra and Birks, 2003). The elements of our research are employees and customers of Lebanese firms that have adopted CRM .The extent of the survey is Lebanon, and the period is between December 2012 and January 2013. 9.1 The sampling technique In order to create the sample, we used the sampling without replacement technique. Adopting this sampling technique means that when an element is selected, it is removed from the sampling frame and it cannot be selected again. Furthermore, we adopted the non-probability technique in order to define the correspondent sample for our study. The non- probability depends on the personal opinion of the researcher and doesnt rely on chance to choose the sample elements (Malhotra and Birks, 2003). In addition, the convenience sampling technique is also adopted; the convenience sample is used to select a sample of correspondent elements that helps to achieve the objectives of the study. In general, the interviewer selects the convenient units (Malhotra and Birks, 2003). The convenience sampling is the least expensive in comparison to other sampling techniques, it is the least time consuming and all the sampling units are cooperative and accessible. In other hand, the convenience samples may not represent any definable population. 9.2 The sample selection The sampling design includes several criteria to select the correct sample, such as size and kind of sample. In our thesis, the firms studied are employees and customers of Lebanese firms that have implemented CRM which are considered the population. The respondents are the employees and managers that work with CRM. In addition, the customers sample is selected from the CRM database in the same firms. In our research, we chose three (3) Lebanese firms that have implemented CRM from different industries, and we selected three (3) managers from each company, and five (5) employees from each firm. In addition, we selected ten (10) customers that deal with these firms. Population Employees and customers of Lebanese Firms that have implemented CRM Sample Three (3) Lebanese Firms employees and customers Managers Nine (9) Employees Fifteen (15) employees Customers Thirty (30) customers Table 2: The population and the sample of the study 10. The Data collection The data collection for our thesis started in December 2012 till January 2013. We distributed the questionnaire by two ways, by email and personally. The respondent of the questionnaire were in general cooperative and most of them completed all the questions of the survey. The selection of three Lebanese firms in different industries allowed us to have a variety in the respondents perceptions.

Television Violence :: essays research papers

Television Violence The article â€Å"Television Violence: The Power and the Peril† is an article written by George Gerbner in 1994 that covers information about television violence over a period of twenty one years. Gerbner’s purpose in this article is to address the audience about the problems that exist in television today. This article covers a very big controversy that has brewed up in our society. The controversy is that there is way too much violence on television, and therefore it could be affecting the way that we think and act on a regular basis. In this article Gerbner presents the audience with poll results and statistics about what we actually see on television.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I thought Gerbner’s article was a very affective piece about television violence. Although I thought this article seemed to a little repetitive and confusing at times, I think Gerbner does a good job in presenting the audience with bunches of facts about what we are actually watching on our television. The most appealing thing about this article in my opinion is the fact that the study in this article was a study that took over twenty years. In twenty one years of research, someone can get a real feeling of what is actually happening. Gerbner is real effective in getting his point across about the abundance of violence on television. Cherry 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, I think Gerbner is most affective in this article with the facts and evidence from the Cultural Indicators project (CI), which began in 1967. This shows that â€Å"by 1994 its computer archive contained observations on 2,816 programs and 34,882 characters coded according to many thematic, demographic and action categories† (Gerbner 15). From this study they were able to break down characters in shows from their behavior, their ethnic background, or even their social status. This study shows that â€Å"average viewer of prime time television drama sees in a typical week an average of 21 criminals arrayed against an army of 41 public and private law enforcers. There are 14 doctors, 6 nurses, 6 lawyers, and 2 judges to handle them† (Gerbner 16). To go with these characters, there is â€Å"an average of 150 acts of violence and about 15 murders† (Gerbner 16) that happen every week.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gerbner’s article is also affective because he does not fail to leave anything out. Every counter argument that could be derived from this article, I think is covered by Gerbner. Television Violence :: essays research papers Television Violence The article â€Å"Television Violence: The Power and the Peril† is an article written by George Gerbner in 1994 that covers information about television violence over a period of twenty one years. Gerbner’s purpose in this article is to address the audience about the problems that exist in television today. This article covers a very big controversy that has brewed up in our society. The controversy is that there is way too much violence on television, and therefore it could be affecting the way that we think and act on a regular basis. In this article Gerbner presents the audience with poll results and statistics about what we actually see on television.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I thought Gerbner’s article was a very affective piece about television violence. Although I thought this article seemed to a little repetitive and confusing at times, I think Gerbner does a good job in presenting the audience with bunches of facts about what we are actually watching on our television. The most appealing thing about this article in my opinion is the fact that the study in this article was a study that took over twenty years. In twenty one years of research, someone can get a real feeling of what is actually happening. Gerbner is real effective in getting his point across about the abundance of violence on television. Cherry 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, I think Gerbner is most affective in this article with the facts and evidence from the Cultural Indicators project (CI), which began in 1967. This shows that â€Å"by 1994 its computer archive contained observations on 2,816 programs and 34,882 characters coded according to many thematic, demographic and action categories† (Gerbner 15). From this study they were able to break down characters in shows from their behavior, their ethnic background, or even their social status. This study shows that â€Å"average viewer of prime time television drama sees in a typical week an average of 21 criminals arrayed against an army of 41 public and private law enforcers. There are 14 doctors, 6 nurses, 6 lawyers, and 2 judges to handle them† (Gerbner 16). To go with these characters, there is â€Å"an average of 150 acts of violence and about 15 murders† (Gerbner 16) that happen every week.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gerbner’s article is also affective because he does not fail to leave anything out. Every counter argument that could be derived from this article, I think is covered by Gerbner.

Expression of Desires In Arabic Women’s Novels :: Arab Culture Cultural Essays

Expression of Desires In Arabic Women’s Novels Picking an original and engaging topic that is able to span all five of the very different authors’ novels we examined this semester proved to be a difficult task. Though there are certainly similarities between each book and overlying themes that connect them, ultimately I didn’t want to get tied down into the shifty and unsafe territory of placing novels together solely because one, they are all written by women; or two, they all emerge out of the Arabic world. However, there are certainly broad themes present in all of the novels, and I chose to focus on how women express, or can’t express their desires and wants, and how the ability to do so leads to agency and freedom in one’s own life. A woman’s desires, sexual and otherwise, seems surprisingly suppressed or not allowed in each novel. When it does emerge, it seems that too often one’s own desire is replaced with the need to be desirable for men, and so these women’s wants are placed aside in favor of the male protagonists’ wishes. I want to explore this topic in each novel, taking a look at when a woman is able to express desire, when it must give way and take second place to a man’s wants, and how, ultimately, it seems to free the women who chose to make their own path according to their wants, dreams, and goals. As we finish the semester and conclude our discussions on Arabic women, I think it’s important to note that though at times these women have agency in their lives, quite often, despite different upbringings, social/political/economic status, regions of habitation, and direct contact with Western influence, they are ultimately unable to take total control of their own lives. Obviously there are varying degrees to which this is applicable, and certainly some of the women are stronger than others, but overall, I think a very key message that all of these female authors are sending out is that women’s struggle for freedom and equality is still a battle that is being fought-- all over the world for sure, but certainly in the Middle East. Pillars of Salt, perhaps the novel with the strongest female character, is the one novel where desire is seen and nothing stops Maha from expressing her wants, both sexually and when it concerns her husband, son, and father.

Markting Mix

Marketing Mix Activity 2. Zara's Objectives, Strategies and Problems. 2. 1 Objectives The first objective for Zara is to continue their expansion in countries like Switzerland, Italy, and Czech Republic and also on other continents: Latin America and Asia. A second objective is to continue their stores' growth in the countries where already exists in order to consolidate its position and increase its market share. By the accomplishment of the two objectives Zara is looking to create enduring profitable growth. 2. 2 StrategiesI will start with the product market penetration used by Zara and more precisely with the product line stretching (one of the tactics allowed by the product market penetration) and we can see in OUR MISSION STATEMENT ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY Through Zara’s business model, we aim to contribute to the sustainable development of society and that of the environment with which we interacts. The company's commitment to the environment is included in Inditex Groupà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Corporate Responsibility Statement, published on our website: www. inditex. com.The following are some of the objectives and actions included in the framework of the group's environmental commitment and have a direct impact on our shops and customers: AT THE STORE * – We save energy. * – The eco-friendly shop. * – We produce less waste, and recycle. * – Our commitment extends to all our staff. * – An environmentally aware team. We save energy. The eco-friendly store.? We are implementing an eco-friendly management model in our shops in order to reduce energy consumption by 20%, introducing sustainability and efficiency criteria.This management model sets out measures to be applied to all processes, including the design of the shop itself, the lighting, heating and cooling systems and the possibility of recycling furniture and decoration. We produce less waste and recycle. Recycling hangers and alarms, which are picked up from our shops and processed into other plastic elements, is an example of our waste management policy. Millions of hangers and alarms are processed each year and both the cardboard and plastic used for packaging are also recycled. Our commitment extends to all our staff.Increased awareness among our team members.? We hold In-company awareness campaigns and specific multimedia-based training programmes to educate our staff in sustainable practices, such as limiting energy consumption, using sustainable transport and modifying behaviour patterns. WITH THE PRODUCT * – We use ecological fabrics. * – Organic cotton. * – We manufacture PVC-free footwear. We use ecological fabrics. Organic cotton.? Zara supports organic farming and makes some of its garments out of organic cotton (100% cotton, completely free of pesticides, chemicals and bleach).They have specific labels and are easy to spot in our shops. We produce PVC-free footwear. No petroleum derivatives or non-biodegradable mater ials are used in the production of our footwear (PVC free). IN TRANSPORT We use biodiesel fuel.? Zara's fleet of lorries, which transport more than 200 million items of clothing a year, use 5% biodiesel fuel. This allows us to reduce our CO2 emissions by 500 tons. Zara’s Marketing Strategy Posted on September 16, 2011 by Conrad Chan The fashion company Zara has a marketing strategy that is quite unique. Zara only spends about 0. % of their revenue on promotion. This would be the reason Zara does not appear on television or poster advertisements. Zara focuses heavily on their product, place and pricing as opposed to promotion. Zara rarely advertises any store sales or   have sales promotions other than sale items unlike other retailers. It is also interesting to note that Zara never places their brand or logo on their products. In contrast to local retailers like J2 Clothing, Zara’s sales associates do not need to focus on personal selling. Their customer service with in the store is rather weak.It is their innovative products and affordable pricing that keeps customers returning to their store. Their products seemingly advertises itself. In addition, Zara has remarkable logistics and they are able to get a product from design to the shelf in just two weeks. With such efficiency, they are able to produce thousands of new designs a year. In fact, Zara produces new products every week as said on their website. Zara is known for their fast fashion, which means popular products may disappear off the shelf within days, forcing customers to constantly check for new items.Zara also markets it’s brand through rapid expansion. With more than 1,500 stores around the world in over 70 countries, they open around 150 new stores every year. With the brand becoming world renown, the company is also focusing on sustainable marketing by opening stores which consume 30% less energy compared to the average conventional store. The new stores also save 50% of water consumption and maintains their CO2 emissions below 150 toms a year. It is no wonder  a  Louis Vuitton  spokesperson described Zara as â€Å"possibly the most innovative and  devastating  retailer in the world†.Zara’s Success Strategy for Dummies Zara, or more precisely its parent company Inditex, has become the world’s largest retailer. Here is how they did it in 3 steps! But first, just a few impressive numbers†¦ * Annual sales: â‚ ¬13. 8 billion (? 11. 2 billion) * Garments produced in one year: 840 million * 5,900 stores in 85 countries * Zara has become a renowned fashion phenomenon with its ability to provide stylish interpretations of catwalk trends at a reasonable price and at exceptional speed. So how do they do it? STEP ONE: Find out what customers wantIt all starts with the store staff†¦ â€Å"What if this dress was a little shorter? Would you like this jumper in another colour? What if we added zippers at the ankles? â⠂¬ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ These are questions you often hear at Zara. This is because Zara’s store staff has been trained to find out what you want. Store managers are really motivated to do this because as much as 70% of their salaries can come from commissions. When the day is over and the store is closed, the staff turns into a sort of investigation unit, searching for clues in the pile of unsold items that customers tried on.They look for any evidence of colour, style and fabric trends. Geeky computer stuff†¦ Then, armed with Digital Assistants, they store their report on a very intelligent information system and combine it with the hard data captured at the cash register. Zara’s Headquarters in Spain can then access this information to find out current trends in what customers want. STEP TWO: Offer what customers want Designing†¦ From their Headquarters in La Coruna (Spain), designers and product developers look at all the data collected from the stores to create clot hes we have shown interest for.By the way, they design over 30,000 items a year versus only 4,000 by H;M†¦ WOW! Zara has often been accused of copying high-end brands, but always got away with it because they always change their design just enough to escape copyright laws. Producing†¦ The average time for a Zara concept to go from idea to appearance in store is 15 days, while it takes H;M about 3 to 5 months! This is because Inditex runs a vertical supply chain, which means that it possesses its own manufacturing and distribution capabilities.A Dolce ; Gabbana dress photographed on fashion week takes months to arrive on the shop floor, but Zara manages to produce something awfully similar in just a couple of weeks! How infuriating for designers?! By making roughly 40% of its own fabric and purchasing most of its dyes from its own subsidiaries, Zara gains a lot of flexibility and saves a lot of time. It actually dyes its cloth in its own factories as late as possible so it can react more quickly to any trend shift that might occur mid season. ? STEP THREE: Attracting customersFrequent and limited production†¦ Zara stores receive deliveries of new clothes twice a week. This constant arrival of new, limited-run items encourages us to visit Zara much more often and has created an urgency to buy. I definitely feel this. If I see a jacket I really like from Zara, I know I have to buy it now, or it will probably be gone by next week. No advertising†¦ it’s all about location! You will never see a Zara flashy campaign, that’s because Inditex doesn’t advertise. In fact, it barely even has a marketing department!As Mark Tungate describes it, â€Å"The secret to Zara’s appeal is that, although shopping there is cheap, it doesn’t feel cheap†. This phenomenon is due to Inditex’s heavy investments on the beauty and historical appeal of it’s stores. It wants its stores to look and feel like a luxury s hop. Zara will place its store very close to luxury brands, targeting each city’s smartest shopping areas, and then buy a grand, modern and spacious store. In fact, Zara bought the most expensive building ever sold in Manhattan: 666, 5th Avenue for the modest sum of $324 million!

Reaction Paper on Restructuring

Director of Pony Express called a strategic planning meeting. They predicted from numerous rumors some possible problems and potential competitions. Pony Express was a mail service delivering messages, newspapers, mail and simple packages from SST. Joseph, Missouri, across the Great Plains, over the Rocky Mountains, and the Sierra Nevada to Sacramento, California, by horseback, using a series of relay stations.It is the westerners most direct means of east-west communication before the telegraph was established and was vital for trying the new state of California with the rest of the country. (Wisped) Because of that time that there was so many opportunities of change, there are so many ideas that everybody is doing something to make a change, to make a name or something like inventing ideas and make them come possible. With a professor with them during the meeting, they started doing SOOT Analysis ad identifying their mission statement. Previously, I thought that nobody can ever thi nk something like breeding a six-legged horse. For me, reading the article seems to be unrealistic and the thinker is so desperate to meet the expectations of the customers and the demand of the changing environment. I have also noticed that there are instances that a rider must have a degree in master. Although it is a little bit exciting that horse riding instructors that time do have some opportunities that they have their profession upgraded by taking their masters.How about today, does still exists? Harcourt is the world's largest esquire college and provides courses university level (undergraduate and post graduate) BEET diploma and short courses. This is a college that has world- class esquire facilities students can bring their horses to live on campus. (http:// www. Harcourt. AC. UK/courses/esquire) With the ideas in mind of the Board of Director, why does Pony Express didn't last for long? According to Wisped, there were numerous attacks Pony Express have encountered.These attacks were done by the Indians during the Apatite War. Apatite Indians tribe in Nevada, does minor series of raids and ambushes which resulted in the disruption of mail services of the Pony Express. It took place from May through June 1860, through sporadic violence continued for a period afterward. Pony Express operated only once did the mail not go through. After completing eight weekly trips from both Sacramento and Saint Joseph, the Pony Express was forced to suspend mail services because of the outbreak of the Apatite Indian War in May 1860.In addition to their threats, maybe this has contributed large impact on the operations that they cannot manage during the time of operations. Having read this article, I now realized that SOOT Analysis is one of the tools from the many management tools that can be used in strategic planning. On the article that I have read, SOOT Analysis was the tool only used and none other tools were stated. Furthermore, I have earned that analysis are being done by the groups of the Board lust outsiders.Outsiders are the experts that can contribute much on the planning. They may be a number of different planners and/or experts and that can attend on numerous meeting until all such possibilities has been tackled perfectly. Now I have slightly developed me knowledge and understanding on our strategic planning. This makes me feel comfortable on our next strategic planning for the big project our Institute is facing. This knowledge could be essential to me as a learner, a practitioner, a leader, and a public servant.