Loyalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Loyalty - Essay Example Marketing has become one of the most important disciplines in business administration. The level of success an organization achieves depends on its ability to satisfy the needs of the customers by providing products and service they seek at reasonable prices that add value. A strategy that many multinational corporations have pursued for many create a brand image that will help companies achieve customer loyalty. Customer loyalty can be defined as a deeply held commitment to re-buy or repatronize a preferred product or service in the future despite situational influences and marketing efforts having the potential to cause switching behavior (Kotler, 2002, p.294). This paper examines the concept of loyalty in order to evaluate the statement there is no such thing as customer loyalty anymore. Customer loyalty is key business strategy utilized to increase the levels of customer retention within a firm. A high customer retention rate adds value to a company because these customers represent future stream of revenues that the company can achieve with minimal marketing investment. There is a basic marketing rule that states that 80% of a company’s sales come from 20% of their customers (About, 2009). This implies that building a solid foundation of customer is extremely important for the long term success of a company. The stronger the sense of loyalty a customer feels towards the product of a company, the less likely this individual will purchase the goods or services from a competitor. A marketing quantitative analysis performed by Hughes (2009) of Fast Lube Corporation revealed that the longer a customer is retained the more the person spends annually with the company. One of the basis reasons marketing exist is to help a firm increase its sales totals. The sales of a company increase if the company is able to growth its customer base or if the

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art - Essay Example This paper talks about the some of the works of Auguste Rodin in regards to their detailed compositions like texture, color, form and matrial. Auguste Rodin Auguste Rodin was a french sculptor in the modern era who did not rebel on the past. Unlike other artists who deliberately changed their ways and created masterpieces that had undertones of mockery of the previous period, Rodin remained a traditional sculptor and took a craftsman-like approach to his works. He possesed a unique ability to work on complex materials. Most of his famous sculptures, departed from the traditional themes of mythology allegory, were criticized that made him become sensitive towards his critics. Nevertheess, he continued on his style, far away from the used-to-be themantic sculpture of the predominant figures of the past, and celebrated realism and individualism. As time went by, accompanied by a series of works, his stature in the artists' social ladder increased a few notches higher and gained increase d favour from the government and the artists community. Modernism 3 The Age of Bronze One of Rodin's works that troubled the critics and enticed them to lambast him for not having a conrete theme was The Age of Bronze. Speculations were in the air that Rodin intentionally scuplted his work without a theme. But due to its realistic and lively figure, it gained the attention of the many, which aslo fueled the critics to accuse him of surmoulage. He strongly denied the accusation and defended his work. He wrote and presented photographs of his model to newspapers to show how the sculpture differed. The Age of Bronze became one of Rodin's most famous works due to the controversy it brought to the eyes of the critics. The intricacy of the details of a man's nude body, held an unconventional pose, was sculpted well-enough for it to look alive. It takes a genuinely brillant artist to be able to sculpt a bronze material and still come up with a realistic form of a nude man. Tagged with perf ect lights and shadows, they made the sculpture an intriguing work of art, which eventually led to being bought by the state. The sculpture was purchased for 2,200 francs. Rodin drew inspiration for his first full-scale sculpture from Michelangelo's Dying Slave and was shown at the Paris Salon in 1877.(Rilke & Rodin, 2004, 27) St. John the Baptist Preaching St. John the Baptist Preaching is Rodin's second full-scale work and again a nude man. Due to the charge of surmoulage for his previous work, he made his second piece bigger than a life-size statue. The statues gives an appeal that he is walking towards the audience while both feet are on the ground. The odd positions of Rodin's works became his signature. The peculiar sense of movement of Rodin's model was captured in his product. Modernism 4 Rodin's interpretation of St. John the Baptist is a man preaching while walking. Although it may appear that the stance of the man is a bit odd, since both feet are on the ground, it depict s a walk of a determined man, emotionally firmed on his preaching. Rodin later explained how he came up with the two phases of a stride in order to suggest a movement. It is evident in the sculpture that the man, St. John, is preaching to a a group and his conviction is noticed. According to studies, the form of the model was excellently sculpted with an outstanding delivery of its message. The shadows on the ribs, the details on the facial expression and the

The rhetoric and reality of employee involvement Essay Example for Free

The rhetoric and reality of employee involvement Essay Introduction – The acceptable business paradigm changed over time. There was a time when the accepted concept of effective management relied largely on what the top management thinks best for the company, leaving the rest of the company especially blue collar workers with little or no participation at all in how a company grows and changes over time. As what Gupta and Sharma (2004) wrote, â€Å"The old fashioned view of employee involvement employee following the employers instruction in return for wage encourages employees to be passive, take a little initiative and often view themselves as adversaries of the enterprise and its management (Gupta and Sharma, 2004, p. 203).† But today, many business analysts believe in the concept of employee involvement and participation. This is a broad concept which includes many things (i.e. employee empowerment, proactive approach towards policy assessment, etc), but the basic precept of employee involvement is the conscious effort of the management to design a workplace that allows employees to actively participate in the manner by which the company moves towards its direction. The concept of employee involvement and participation is an important aspect in successful management of a company. Gennard and Judge (2005) wrote, â€Å"There is this important assumption behind employee involvement theory namely, the employees are an untapped resource with knowledge and experience which can be used by employers if they provide opportunities and structures for worker involvement (Gennard and Judge, 2005, p. 182).† But the main problem today is this: despite the fact that many worker’s rights advocates and business analysts points to the significance of employee involvement in a company, it seems that the concept of employee involvement remains to be a myth; that present organization and structure still renders employee involvement and participation as something that has no bearing at all. Thesis – With the growing surge in the development of professional service consultancy firms, people are also wondering about the exact role and impact that human analyst and employees make during the key stages of analysis. In the age of smart computers and complex software that aids people to think and opt for the best possible option and assists in company management, the question now is (externally) how significant really is the role of the human analysts in the designing of the options for decision making for the company’s client, and (internally), how significant is employee participation in the direction and growth of the company like Analysys Mason Ltd. As a company, Analysys Mason Ltd greatly depends on the skill of its employees so that it can deliver solutions that pushes away existing or prospective problems that a company might face. This act is a clear example of the role of human intervention and role in problem solving. But is this particular solution, the employing of the human role and intervention – is the same formula at work when Analysys Mason Ltd is faced with the task of solving its own internal problems, or does the company exercise a policy that greatly marginalizes the role and participation of the employee in how internal corporate concerns are being addressed in the company? T o be able to ascertain the role and participation of employees in the external and internal efforts of the company and to know whether the company is either suffocating the avenues wherein employee involvement would thrive or ignoring the possible contribution of employee involvement towards company growth, it is important to make an in-depth study of the company as well as review news and other materials that may contain information that can prove the real situation of employee involvement inside Analysys Mason Ltd. To be able to further understand the concept of employee involvement and participation and connect it with the current situation present in the selected company, it is important to also review the available literature that tackles the issue of employment involvement, like the work of Bratton and Gold (2001), who wrote about how â€Å"the aim of employee involvement is to promote workers’ interest in the success of the organization (Bratton and Gold, 200, p. 300).† Conclusion – The analysis of the level of employment involvement using a target company is an ideal approach to creating a company based-assessment from which future studies can be referenced from.   Through studies like this, other important information like the pooling of the needed resources to allow the success of employment involvement strategies can be identified. Bibliography Bratton, John and Jeffrey Gold. (February 2001). Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Byron, James S. and Vitalo, Raphael L. (April 2004). Using Working With Others Training Sessions to Drive Employee Involvement [Internet], Vital Enterprises.Available from: http://www.vitalentusa.com/learn/drive_ei.php [Accessed 4 June 2008]. EmploymentInvolvement.com (2005). [Internet]. http://www.employeeinvolvement.com/ [Accessed 4 June 2008]. Employment Involvement Advisor. (April 23, 2008). Engaging Employees [Internet]. Available from: http://employeeinvolvementadvisor.blogspot.com/ [Accessed 4 June 2008]. Employee Involvement Association (2006). The Employee Involvement Association [Internet]. Available from http://www.eianet.org/ [Accessed 4 June 2008]. Gennard, John and Judge, Graham. (2005). Employee Relations. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. CIPD Publishing. Gifford J, Neathey F, Loukas G. (December 2005). Employee Involvement Information, Consultation and Discretion [Internet]. Report 427, Institute for Employment Studies. Available from http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/pubs/summary.php?id=427 [Accessed 4 June 2008]. Gupta, Jatinder N. D.   and Sharma. (2004). Intelligent Enterprises of the 21st Century. Idea Group Incorporated. Insightlink Communications (April 2005). Employers and Employees Making the Marriage Work: The Importance of Employee Commitment [Internet] Available from: http://www.insightlink.com/employee_commitment.html [Accessed 4 June 2008]. The Official Website of Analysys Mason Ltd. Available from: http://www.analysysmason.com/ [Accessed 4 June 2008].

Ecologically Sustainable Development In Australia Environmental Sciences Essay

Ecologically Sustainable Development In Australia Environmental Sciences Essay Introduction The realities of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) are emerging issues that are impacting on commercial property sector worldwide. The world today uses ample of natural resources which radically polluting the earth and destroying the natural environment. Over the past decade, green buildings and ecological sustainability began rising throughout the world.], and have emerged in the Australian property sector as a vigorous movement to create high-performance as a sustainable investment. One of the earliest general definitions of sustainability was adopted in 1987 by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), which defined Sustainable Development as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs (Muldavin 2010). Australian property sector is obliged to play a major role in meeting the ecological sustainability which improves occupants comfort and well-being. It als o minimizes environmental impacts whilst gives a good investment returns. The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) was formed to highlight the principles and practices of ecological sustainability through the Green Star Rating System. Kato et al. (2009) demonstrated that investors appetite is on the rise in which the sustainability is now set to become much more rampant in the property sector. Researchers have showcased those properties with a five-star National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) accreditation is expected to have an increased value up to 9 per cent whilst Green Star ratings accredited to a premium of up to 12 per cent. It also illustrates that energy efficient buildings leads to occupancy, sale price and rental premium. According to Beder (1996), sustainable investment has an increased significance in the property sector among all the relevant stakeholders to help save the environment, increases property values and ensures the economic growth to be continued in the future. Hence, it is vital to incorporate green features because it has great investment benefits gives an opportunity to use the resources effectively and efficiently while generating healthier and improved environment s for its occupants to live in over the entire life cycle of the building (Choi 2009). The evolution of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) in Australia The concept of sustainable development has been evolved primarily with the establishment of Our Common Future report which is published by the World Commission on Environment and Development (WECD). The report, constituted as an important turning point for the concept of sustainable development which is comprehensively produced with partnership forged around the global. The report has been the catalyst for the evolution of the other conceptualization efforts. The chronology of sustainable development in Australia proximately relates to the evolution of the sustainable development at the international level. The policy statement on the environment entitled has been released by then Prime Minister following the release of the Brundtland report. This release began the Commonwealth Governments process of adapting the concepts of sustainable development for Australian conditions (Fisheries Management Paper 2002). To emphasize the importance of the environment in sustainable development, the Australian government adopted the term Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) to make sure that there is a balanced approach to dealing with economic, social and environmental issues. In 1990, the release of Ecologically Sustainable Development: A Commonwealth Discussion Paper and the formation of nine ESD Working Groups has further established the concepts, definition and principles of ESD. Thus, the National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development or NSESD has been established with the development of the reports from these groups, along with deliberation of the relevant international plans and reports. Today, NSESD is still being the major policy document for sustainable development in Australia. The NSESD, which was endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) in 1992, includes the official definition of ESD, a set of core objectives and a number of guiding principles. The related regulations are NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, NSW Protection of the Environment Administration Act 1991, The NSW Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), The Natural Heritage Trust of Australia Act 1997, and The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The definition listed in the strategy is that, ESD is development which aims to meet the needs of Australians today, while conserving our ecosystems for the benefit of future generations. In fact, the NSESD itself fulfils Australias obligation entered into in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 to implement Agenda 21 which has been the basis for the policy making (Fisheries Management Paper 2002). Each action implemented by Environment Australia was closely related the same basis as the NSESD and the COAG were from courses of action that aim to protect forests, the ocean, water, biological diversity and a greenhouse strategy. Australias policies were based on international strategies based from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit in which Australia through the federal government led by John Howard at the time was a signatory. The Green Building Rating Tools The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) launched the Green Star rating system for buildings in 2003. The Green Building rating tool is an important attribute of the GBCA, as it helps the building occupants, owners and investors to monitor and measure the sustainability and environmental impact of their buildings, hence to improve the buildings performance toward ecological sustainability. It leads the property sector to achieve real cost savings, improve occupant health and productivity, showcase innovation in sustainable building practices and reduce the environmental impact of buildings. Green Building rating system uses stars to rate the environmental performance of a building. Green Star is a comprehensive, national, voluntary environmental rating system that evaluates the environmental design and construction of buildings. Green Star was developed to set a standard of measurement for green buildings. Also, it promotes integrated, whole-building design, recognize environmental leadership, identify building life-cycle impacts and raise awareness of green building benefits. Buildings are evaluated based on nine environmental impact categories. The nine categories of Green Star Rating Tools are; Management, Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ), Energy, Transport, Water, Materials, Land Use Ecology, Emissions and Innovation. Within each category, points are awarded for buildings that have met the overall objectives of Green Star. The implications of Green Buildings in Property Investment Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) has been a paradigm favourable change towards green buildings practices in context of property investment, becoming progressively more prominent with each passing year since late 1990s. The Property Council of Australia and the Australian Property Institute are recently giving more importance to Ecologically Sustainable Development and Green building concepts and practices. Many well-establishes principles of ESD have been embraced in Australian Federal and State Government Legislation for a number of years now. The Property Investment sector has been showing a balanced concern towards the environment where they live, work and play, placing a balanced value to the well-being and integrity of the ecological system and the environment on top of the economic well-being, health, education, law and order, infrastructure. The Property Investment sector has been continually shifting towards sustainable development. This shift towards sustainability is due to the drives for profits and also building an image for the property sector. There are many implications in embracing the concept of green buildings in the context of property investment. These are some of the most prominent implications for the operational functions, both now and in the future. With the green building practices, there is a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and reduction in wastage of valuable scarce resources such air, water and energy in the usage of commercial buildings thus provides greater recyclable usage. Also, it gives a reduction in polluting activity and toxicity levels, pertaining particularly to the use and management of industrial buildings. This is because there is a need for a greater emphasis on eco-friendly over the full life-cycle of commercial buildings and a need for greater energy efficiency in general, where commercial buildings are concerned. Besides, there is a change over from old-fashioned, highly polluting-based fuel and energy sources, to newer, cleaner, more eco-friendly and eco-efficient alternatives such as solar-based, wind-based and hydrogen-based sources. Green buildings are inexpensive to operate as they are built for water efficiency and high energy. There is a reduction in operating cost as they can save up to 20-30% of energy savings compared with industry standards. Green buildings delivers a higher return on investment and have a greater tenant attraction where it provides a healthy, environmental friendly and productive workplace that shows their obligation to corporate social responsibility. There is an enhanced marketability as green buildings have many prospective tenants in the waiting list. Green buildings have a greater comfort and productivity compared to non-green buildings in terms of fresh air, access of views of outdoors, natural light and has the control on individual workplace lighting and t emperature which directly affects the productivity. Moreover, green buildings have a reduced risk and liability. In addition, it gives a competitive advantage, command higher capital values with shorter vacant periods, slower depreciation, ultimately trading at a rental premium. Overall, as demand increases for ecological sustainability, it is seen as a more secure investment as shown by vacancies in green buildings as it offers better investment returns. Conclusions In respect to all of the ecologically sustainable development (ESD)-related legislation and the principles and practice of green buildings which has been adopted in Australia, it is now clear that buildings take responsibility in providing comfortable, safe, and prospective living or working environment for its occupants. This is because; comfort, productivity, functionality and energy efficiency are essential elements for ESD, not only for future generations, but also a necessity for current generations. Crook (2001) indicates that the term sustainability must embrace environmental, economic and as well as the social objectives. In the recent years, green buildings have captured serious attention and awareness. The current demand shows that a trend favoring green buildings are moving like hotcakes compared to those buildings that are not in terms with the principles and practice of ecological sustainability. Robinson (2008) states that getting a green rating is certainly an intelligent option in the context of Property Investment. In the rush to draw in environmentally conscious tenants, many building are promoting their green star certificates, often with no understandings of the green star rating system, how they work and what are the actual implications does the concept of green buildings have (Carter et al. 2007). The industry first of all needs to educate itself on the true meaning of Green and Ecological Sustainability. Developers and architects tries to create buildings or structures that are deemed to be iconic, but the new trend is for this status to be conferred by innovative design or sustainability rather than sheer size, as very tall buildings approach their use by date. According to Gomez (2006), green buildings have higher relative investment returns, higher market value for asset, increased productivity, higher rents and marketing advantage. Integrating Green building features into the construction of a building promises a good investment. However, further studies highlighting areas of perceived deficiency and flaws in green buildings and a more targeted effort in meeting the needs and expectations of investors in terms of workplace satisfaction, and areas that require specific attention in transitioning to green buildings are important. Ecological sustainability goals are possible to achieve but at a cost that involves a large amount of research, funds and commitment. Despite further study and data limitations and, the findings of this report concludes that building green is considered to be of great importance within the Property Investment sector because the growth and development of our communities has a large impact on our natural environment over the entire life cycle of the building.

How can the company FX-Solutions Financial Services Ltd improve interna

Internal communication is essential for creating a culture of transparency between management and employees, as well as among all employees. Quirke (2008) noted that the role of internal communication is to â€Å"illuminate the connections between different pieces of information† (p. xv), and its job is â€Å"to provide employees with the information they need to do their job† (p. xv). It includes both official communications, such as guidelines, policies, memos, etc. - and unofficial communication. There are three interdependent areas in the company FX-Solutions Financial Services Ltd where problems occur and must be addressed in order to improve the internal communication: †¢ Company’s culture and environment. †¢ Clear definition of what needs to be communicated and by whom. †¢ Systems, which company creates to allow and support the internal communication. Let me state some examples of the communication issues within the company. Insufficiency in interdepartmental communication, people do not communicate when required or do not communicate issues to the all co-workers whose job is related to this issue/change, which causes misunderstandings and mistakes that leads to decreased quality of provided services. Evident lack of appropriate â€Å"downward† communication, where employees are most of the time provided with either incomplete, modified or no information, what affects their day-to-day job. Therefore, the aim of this report is to present directions and solutions that should be implemented in order to strengthen and maintain an efficient flow of information inside the company. To begin with, in order to establish good internal communication the first step should be towards creating an â€Å"open† working environment which encourages smooth flow o... ...y using appropriate ways, it is essential for the company to regularly monitor the internal communication- by asking for feedback from employees, testing the information flow, or making regular comparison of previous evaluation with current ones. Works Cited Gillis, T. L. (2011). The IABC Handbook of Organizational Communication: A guide to internal communication, public relations, marketing, and leadership (2nd ed.). Retrieved from Books24x7 version database. Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, F.P. (1997). Joining Together: Group Theory and Group Skills. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Quirke, B. (2008). Making the Connections: Using Internal Communication to Turn Strategy Into Action (2nd revised ed.). England: Gower Publishing Ltd, p. xv. Peters, T. J., & Waterman, R. H. (1982). In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-run Companies. New York, US: Harper & Row.

Rebel Without a Cause Essay -- essays research papers

Rebel Without a Cause   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the major themes that are presented throughout the whole entire movie is the dysfunctional relationship between one of the characters and their fathers. The movie portrays father figures as problematic which then shape the actions and the characters themselves as the movie progresses. We can see all three dynamics of the father figure presented through Jim, Judy, and Plato. Through Jim, the father figure that he is presented with is a father who is weak allows himself to be walked on by Jim ¡Ã‚ ¯s mother and grandmother. Judy ¡Ã‚ ¯s father, on the other hand, is quite the opposite of Jim ¡Ã‚ ¯s father in that he is the overbearing, masculine, and insensitive. Lastly, we see the absence of a father figure in the life of Plato which completes the list from all three sides.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We can see throughout the movie that Jim ¡Ã‚ ¯s father is cowardly and afraid to stand up for himself even to his own wife. There are multiple scenes in the movie where this is quite evident, but the scene that stands out the most is when Jim comes back from the  ¡Ã‚ °chicken run ¡Ã‚ ± and looks for reassurance from his father. Yet, what he gets is not a father giving him guidance and support, but someone who tries to please his son and agrees with everything he says. Instead of standing up for his own beliefs and standing behind what he tells his son at first, he continually switches what he says to find the easy way out of the situation. Jim ¡...

Aib Problem Solution

Aib Homework Wk3 Problem 1 The following data were obtained from a project to create a new portable electronic. Activity Duration Predecessors A 5 Days — B 6 Days — C 8 Days — D 4 Days A, B E 3 Days C F 5 Days D G 5 Days E, F H 9 Days D I 12 Days G Step 1: Construct a network diagram for the project. Step 2: Answer the following questions: (15 points total) a) What is the Scheduled Completion of the Project? (2 points) 32 -> CORRECT b) What is the Critical Path of the Project? (3 points) B,D,F,G,I -> CORRECT 2,4,6,7,9 c) What is the ES for Activity D? (2 points) 6 -> Correct ) What is the LS for Activity G? (2 points) 15 e) What is the EF for Activity B? (2 points) 6 -> Correct f) What is the LF for Activity H? (2 points) 32 -> Correct g) What is the float for Activity I? (2 points) 0 Problem 2 The following data were obtained from a project to build a pressure vessel: Activity Duration Predecessors A 6 weeks — B 6 weeks — C 5 weeks B D 4 weeks A, C E 5 weeks B F 7 weeks D, E, G G 4 weeks B H 8 weeks F I 5 weeks G J 3 week I Step 1: Construct a network diagram for the project. Step 2: Answer the following questions: (15 points total) ) Calculate the scheduled completion time. (3 points) 30 b) Identify the critical path (4 points) B,C,D,F,H c) What is the slack time (float) for activity A? (2 points) 5 d) What is the slack time (float) for activity D? (2 points) 0 e) What is the slack time (float) for activity E? (2 points)4 f) What is the slack time (float) for activity G? (2 points) 5 Problem 3 The following data were obtained from a project to design a new software package: Activity Duration Predecessors A 5 Days — B 8 Days — C 6 Days A D 4 Days C, B E 5 Days A F 4 Days D, E, G G 4 Days B, C H 3 Day G Step 1: Construct a network diagram for the project. Step 2: Answer the following questions: (15 points total) e) Calculate the scheduled completion time. (3 points) 19 f) Identify the critical path(s) (4 points) A,C,D,G,F g) What is the slack time (float) for activity B? (2 points) 3 h) What is the slack time (float) for activity D? (2 points) 0 e) What is the slack time (float) for activity E? (2 points) 5 f) What is the slack time (float) for activity G? (2 points) 0 Problem 4 The following data were obtained from an in-house MIS project: Activity Duration Predecessors A 5 Days — B 8 Days — C 5 Days A D 4 Days B E 5 Days B F 3 Day C, D G 7 Days C, D H 6 Days E, F, G I 9 Days E, F Step 1: Construct a network diagram for the project. Step 2: Answer the following questions: (15 points total) a) Calculate the scheduled completion time. (3 points) 25 b) Identify the critical path (4 points) B,D,G,H c) What is the slack time (float) for activity A? (2 points) 2 d) What is the slack time (float) for activity D? (2 points) 0 e) What is the slack time (float) for activity E? (2 points) 3 f) What is the slack time (float) for activity F? (2 points) 1