Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Willingness to Pay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1
Willingness to Pay - Essay Example The contingent valuation methodology was adopted in drafting the questionnaires that were used in collecting the data to be used in the analysis. An approximate 72% of all the participants who responded to the questionnaires indicated willingness to pay for the conservation though at varying levels. This therefore pointed out that the public in many instances are willing to contribute towards the improvement of the quality of the environment. The study employed use of logistic regression procedures in comparison of the persons who were willing and not willing to contribute actively in improving the environmental quality. Through the contingent valuation analysis, the use value as well as non-use value of natural resources and environmental quality can be established. This method therefore involves a hypothetical scene to establish the willingness to pay of individuals on such natural resources and quality of environment. Hypothetical case studies are often used in such a situation where after describing such a case to the respondent, he/she is then expected to quote the amount of money he/she would be willing to pay for the environmental quality. Reasons expressed for willingness to pay would therefore form the basis of policymaking especially as regards to legislation on environmental conservation and management. In often cases such as was revealed through the case study, non-use values like existence value were cited most as reasons why many people would be willing to pay for conserving natural environment or such a natural park. This study therefore shows that valuation of gains from natural reso urces and environment would contribute greatly towards efforts and willingness of people to pay for such conservations. Han, F., Yang, Z., Wang, H., & Xu, X. (2011). Estimating willingness to pay for environment conservation: A contingent valuation study of kanas nature reserve, xinjiang, china. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment,
Monday, October 28, 2019
The relationship marketing
The relationship marketing Introduction Relationship marketing has become a widely applied and recognised way in which the hotel industry has been able to sell itself to guests. Prior to the start of the essay, the definition of relationship marketing must be addressed. Kotler et al. (2007) defines relationship marketing as the process in which the construction, cultivation and strengthening of strong value laden relationships with customers and other stakeholders occur. Another way relationship marketing can be defined is as with Dwyer et al. (1987, p. 12) both business marketing and consumer marketing benefit from attention to conditions that foster relational bonds leading to reliable repeat purchase. With this in mind, the idea that relationship marketing is a marketing strategy used in the context of the hotel industry for increased benefits both financial and otherwise via repeated purchases will be applied to within the scope of this essay. Recent shifts from the traditional side of transactional marketing to the inception of relationship marketing in recent times has seen a softer approach rather than a dominant approach to making sales transactions, and thus increases the relevance of the application of relationship marketing to the hotel industry. (Gummesson, 1999) While there are many perceptions as well as views to the notion of relationship marketing, this essay intends to focus on the advantages as well as the drawbacks of relationship marketing within the hotel industry, recommendations as well as propositions with regards its future directions will too be discussed with relevance to the question. Pros of Relationship Marketing Customer Loyalty A significant benefit that can be derived from successful relationship marketing (RM) in a business is the development of loyalty in customers. Hennig-Thurau, Gwinner Gremler (2002) mentioned that customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth recommendations are usually the two outcomes of effective RM. Furthermore, it is further emphasised by Reynold Beatty (1999) that RM can provide exclusive benefits for customers, consequently reducing competition from other businesses that offer the same product which can thus assist in the achievement of consumer loyalty. Oliver (1997) defines loyalty as a close bonding between the consumer and the seller which results in frequent purchase of a certain product or service from the same supplier, despite the influence from other competitors which has the potential to evoke switching behaviour in consumers. The concept of customer loyalty has long been regarded as an important aspect of the integral operations occurring in organisations nowadays, as companies are becoming increasingly aware of the rewards to be reaped in the form of superior financial performance in the long run. This is further supported by Dowling Uncles (1997) purporting that loyal customers are more likely to spend additionally and often make favourable recommendations to other potential customers. In addition, McMullan Gilmore (2008) noted that greater knowledge and understanding of customer loyalty may allow companies to align their management strategies to meet the different needs of its customers in a more effective manner and hence, resulting in a more profitable business. Therefore, many hotels in todays world have implemented their own customer relationship management (CRM) system in order to offer their customers a unique and satisfying experience by accurately identifying the various needs of customers. Lo, Stalcup Lee (2010) stated that the concept of CRM has evolved over the past decades into a strategy employed by many organisations to integrate the different aspects present in the company, so that a greater understanding of their customers can be attained and ultimately, resulting in a long-term profitable relationship between the customers and themselves. However, it is crucial for hotels not to overlook other areas that are closely related to the concept of customer loyalty, instead of just merely focusing on the establishment of an effective CRM system. Customer loyalty is often linked to other service management concepts such as customer satisfaction and customer centricity. Businesses including the hotel industry should be mindful and take into consideration these other concepts that might affect the development of customer loyalty the ultimate aim of successful RM. It is also critical for hotels to recognise the obstacles impeding them from instilling loyalty in customers. One of the more noteworthy obstacles includes unresolved areas of dissatisfaction in consumers which, if left unattended, can result in dropping sales and profitability (McMullan Gilmore 2008). Therefore, a two-way communication becomes all the more essential for businesses to understand what customers want and knowing how to deal with dissatisfaction Lastly, managers should always assess the pros and cons of a loyalty program before implementing them, so that resources get measured and managed. Focus on Customer Retention Another advantage derived from relationship marketing is the increased profitability that stems from the retention as opposed to capturing new customers. Firstly, customer retention can be defined as the ability of a firms offer for a customer to purchase or patronage its product over a specific time period. (Shajahan, S, 2004. p.109) This occurs when, in the context of this essay, a hotel adopts a customer management orientation where it seeks to apply RM to retain its customers. Customer retention reduces marketing costs and as such benefits the hotel financially. This means that hotels need to spend potentially less money to attract customers they have lost as a result of the defection of its existing ones. This was exemplified in a study showing increase in profit by 25% to 125% in a company when it retained 5% more of its customers. (Reichheld, F Sasser, WE, 1990) This can be done by the hotel developing a customer retention strategy and thus focussing its energies on particular customers in which they would like to retain. This is as not all customers are worth the additional effort as well as cost to retain, certain customers are with more important with regards to their perceived value to the company as well as potential for development in the future (Buttle F, 2009). In the context of a hotel for example, a hotel might want to centre its attention on the higher spending, more affluent members of its clientele, as they represent more profits for the c ompany as compared to the ordinary spending customer that patronises the hotel. With these measures and understanding of customer retention in place, hotels can reap increased profits as an advantage of relationship marketing. Word-of-mouth (WOM) Advertising As mentioned earlier in this paper, one of the desired outcomes of successful RM is the positive word-of-mouth recommendations by satisfied customers. WOM has been regarded as a powerful tool of communication which can influence consumers purchasing behaviour and judgements (John 1994). Sweeney, Soutar Mazzarol (2008) further elaborated that WOM behaviour plays an influential role in promotion and it is very important especially in businesses that provide services such as hotels. Zeithaml (1981) reinstated that WOM creates significant impacts in service organisations because the intangibility of service made it impossible for consumers to pre-trial the product before purchasing it. Hence, it is paramount that hotel operators are aware that WOM behaviour can affect them to a large extent. Though significant repercussions may prove to be an issue if negative words about the company were to spread around, operators of hotels should be forewarned of the positives that WOM marketing can provide for them. For instance, WOM can reduce geographical boundaries that used to exist in traditional marketing, especially true with the increased affluence of internet in our modern society today. This is supported by Trusov, Bucklin Pauwels (2009) stating that the use of Internet can provide many various platforms and avenues for users to share their views and opinions with one another. In addition, it also serves as an advertising channel which can lower costs and ensure that consumers receive the message in the shortest possible time. Costs Savings for Businesses As most organisations face difficulties in nurturing and maintaining long-term relationships with their customers (1999), the advancement of information technology (IT) has significantly improved efficiency and decreased the costs associated with RM. For customers, RM through the use of IT will ensure a better understanding and better fit for marketing efforts (Xu, Yen, Lin Chou 2002). For hotels, RM through the use of IT means moving from general market segmentation to a more definitive segmentation while enhancing the level of intimacy between the hotel and her guests (Gummesson 1994). Barlow (1992) concurs that generally, guests desires to be communicated with on a one-on-one basis. Based on past data collected through the use of information systems and property management systems, hotels are able to utilise sequential data in RM (Grà ¶nroos 1995). Berry (1995) perceives that the use of IT in customer RM will facilitate information exchange, allow possible tracking of buying patterns, and the personalisation of service experience. This translates into cost-savings for the hotel for their marketing efforts. Understanding the Market Relationship marketing can be taken advantage to narrow the demand gap for accommodation rooms caused by seasonality of tourism demand. As mentioned by Butler (2001), seasonality in tourism exacerbates problems relating to capital access, retention of skilled labour and the under-utilisation of resources such as hotel rooms. Generally, the two main causes of seasonality in tourism has been identified as natural causes and institutionalised causes (Hartmann 1986). Weather conditions can often lead to the seasonality of demand in tourism (Kozak Rimmington 2000). As such, the ski industry has a large turnover rate of employees and often, ski resorts are vacant during the summer (Ismert Petrick 2004). Based on the geographical environment that it is in, hotels can actually sell nature tourism to potential guests during the off peak seasons. By having leisure activities at the destination, it creates a compelling justification for travellers to stay over. This form of marketing would be best communicated via the use of relationship marketing as hotels will have a better understand of guests preferences. Similarly, hotels can utilise existing guest records to target those that do not have work obligations for instance, and those that they deem as potential guests. During the low-peak seasons, hotels can make use of that as a selling advantage. A different group of guests may be attracted as a result of marketing the hotel to be quiet and peaceful. For example, by creating special packages that addresses accessibility issues, and includes a wide variety of leisure options and accommodation standards for the elderly, the hotel is able to tap on the retired greying population and boost room occupancy rates even during these periods. Cons of Relationship Marketing Importance of Recognising Cultural Differences One of the disadvantages of RM, and especially so for global hotel businesses, is that cultural differences are not being recognized when a single approach is being implemented for different societies. Culture must be first defined in this essay as an integrated system of learned behaviour patterns that are distinguishing characteristics of the members of any given society (Czinkota, MR Ronkainen, IA, 2007 p.54) This would mean that different cultures adopt different mindsets on various issues, attitudes and feelings. In the context of this essay this means various cultures respond differently with respect to RM in hotels. For example, Chinese tourists attach great significance to ritualistic behaviour such as a smile, greeting or a hand-shake as part of a service orientated experience which represents respect and importance of the guests. In the UK, however, ritual greetings by hotel employees are rare; furthermore interactions with guests from Chinese cultures are inclined to be h indered by language barriers. (Wang,Y. Vela,MR. Tyler, K.2008) This means that tourists from a Chinese culture would be affected in ways that guests from for example, a western culture would not be. Hotels therefore are faced with the constant challenge of providing a positive service experience for a variety of visitors with different expectations and needs. It is also noted that RM in the Chinese cultural setting is approached in a different manner than how it is done in western cultures. In the former, it is custom to establish kuan-hsi (networking/relationship) first followed by the business dealing. However in western cultures, a closer relationship is fostered only after the business dealing, with the view of acquiring further business opportunities. (Gilbert, DTsao, J,2000) In the hotels context this would mean that international hotel chains such as Starwood would have to deal with local suppliers or partners in different ways with regards to business dealings. A deal in China would not be approached in the same way as a deal in New York, lest offending or putting off potential suppliers. Hence the challenges faced by global hotel brands in RM with regards to different cultures. Involvement of High Costs for Training and Software Because of the different approaches to RM and a need to recognise these different cultural elements, hotel employees are required to undergo a stringent training process. As Zelkowitz (2005) advocates, the high costs related to relationship marketing generally spawns from the recruitment and training of staff. Thus, it contributes to the additional costs of the hotel. Furthermore, managing relationships have now been rarely limited to just the customer and the business, but also relationships with other stakeholders such as agencies and other suppliers which have different levels of integration and ways of operating. As a result of these complexities identified, many hotels are utilising integrated RM software to simplify their business operations process and effectively manage these multiple relationships. As such, this technology acquisition contributes to ongoing operating costs for the hotel and can be viewed as a form of maintenance (Little Marandi 2003). Counter Productivity of Relationship Marketing While trying to meet the needs of existing loyal guests, RM may have an adverse impact on customer loyalty. Sending unsolicited promotional materials such as mass customised emails to guests may risk jeopardising the relationship the hotel has with the guest (Brown Muchira 2004; Prasad, Ramamurthy Naidu 2001). At the same time, RM can result in guests being bombarded with promotional messages from various hotels that they have previously lived in. Bowie and Buttle (2004) believe that customer loyalty can only be dedicated to a small number of brands. Thus, overloading of information via marketing might be counterproductive and will eventually result in less benefits for both the hotel and the customers (Jayachandran, Sharma, Kaufman Raman 2005). Although RM might be able to anticipate guests needs and wants by accessing sequential records in the information system, it is important to remember that individual guests may not always desire for the same product and service even when b eing at the same property (Bowie Buttle 2004). Negligence of Existing Customers RM can be detrimental to any business if used in an improper manner. For instance, certain hotels may tend to use RM or tailor their strategies toward acquiring new markets whilst at the same time, lesser emphasis is placed on managing existing guest relationships. As previously established, the cost of attaining a new customer is five to six times more than retaining a loyal guest (Ndubisi, Malhotra Wah 2009), meaning some hotels suffer from the leaky bucket syndrome as they seem more interested in attracting new customers rather than retaining existing ones (Dowling Uncles 1997; Gummesson 1994). Limitations and Recommendations It has been widely accepted that the main objectives of relationship marketing and management is to establish long lasting relationships between the hotel and its guests through the increase in consumer knowledge and also establishing a two way relationship which is mutual and beneficial for both parties (Llamas-Alonso, Jimenez-Zarco, Martinez-Ruiz Dawson, 2009). The aforementioned points suggest that sound relationship management can lead to several benefits that increase the value of the hotel, provide competitive advantages, and enhance its competitive market positioning, which is then translated to the improvement in the hotels financial performance (Ryals, 2005; Boulding, Staelin, Ehret, Johnston, 2005). However, evidence also points out that effective relationship marketing requires heavy investment in information and communication technologies (ICTs) and also much effort in order to maintain these long-term relationships (Little Marandi 2003). Henceforth, this section aims t o explore existing limitations pertinent in the implementation of a relationship marketing strategy in hotels and subsequently, propose recommendations to address some of these issues identified. A plethora of research have been done in the area of CRM and they all seem to concur that the CRM framework no longer refers to just relationships between the business and the consumer, but also other organisations and parties interconnected within the framework, one where Gummesson (2004) has termed as a complex network of relationships. Several authors continue to expound on this, stating that these relationships frequently involve different mechanisms of governance, instruments of authority and control, levels of integration, and purposes which thus contributes to this complexity (Achrol Kotler, 1999; Rindfleisch Moorman, 2001), making CRM difficult to implement successfully. According to the Gartner Group ( 2002) and authors Srinivasan Moorman (2005), this complexity also mean certain aspects have not been addressed and thus constitutes to one of the reasons why a high percentage of CRM projects have failed and not liven up to the expectations of it. Hence, it is now understoo d that while these challenges are difficult to address, overcoming the complexity is integral for relationship marketing strategies to be successful within any hotel business. The multidimensional nature of relationship marketing entails proper foundations be established by the hotel management before the implementation of any CRM strategies. It is therefore recommended that the strategic objectives to be achieved by implementing CRM be defined clearly in the early in the planning stages. This ensures that it is clearly aligned to the overall hotel objectives and will thus be able to contribute strongly to hotel operations. As managing multiple relationships become more complex, it is also recommended that a performance management tool specifically catered toward CRM should be established in order to evaluate the success of the CRM strategy. This proposal builds upon the works of Sin, Tse Yim (2005), which proposes a potential tool for measuring performances in relationship marketing, defining the concept as a multidimensional construct consisting of four broad areas strategy, people, technology and processes. Therefore, this approach of recognising other dimensions will enable the hotel to take on a more holistic approach toward relationship marketing and CRM. Furthermore, with technology being increasingly relied on in managing these relationships, these evaluative tools will be able to measure the success of these information systems to ensure it delivers its intended outcomes. As mentioned earlier in this paper, relationship marketing not only refer to creating strong and long-lasting relationships with hotel guests, but also extends to other stakeholders such as suppliers and potential and existing employees (Christopher, Payne Ballatyne, 1991). Employees play a decisive role in managing relationships with guests since they become partners and co-producers in the customer experience (Llamas-Alonso et al., 2009). While most CRM strategies have tended to focus on guest satisfaction, guest loyalty and other areas relation to customer attitudes toward the hotel brand, it is then recommended that equal emphasis be placed on managing employee relationships and suppliers alike in order to increase the probability of successfully delivering the intended outcomes of the overall relationship marketing strategy. Benefits of Recommendations The development of measurement systems will allow hotel managers to anticipate how CRM will work and determine the way CRM will influence the achievement of the hotels strategic objectives. By designing and implementing a balanced, complex, and multi-dimensional measurement system, hotels will then be able to anticipate the future ability of CRM to achieve its objectives through a predictive performance measurement system or establish the level of real success achieved by CRM through an evaluative performance measurement system (Llamas-Alonso et al., 2009). Additionally, the implementation of evaluative measures in hotels will be able to provide important information to key decision-makers, allowing them to determine whether their efforts are on track with the overall relationship marketing strategy. Also, it will help managers to understand whether their programs are succeeding or failing by signalling potential managerial problems when the performance indicators are not able to track in the desired function (Llamas-Alonso et al., 2009). Above all, these measures will encourage hotel managers to take initiative and be accountable, at the same time, clarifying the process for the expectations and requirements of policy makers. The implementation of Performance Management and Control Systems (PMCS) with a predictive orientation will essentially help to minimise the risks of decision making and pave the way for hotel strategies to be executed, consequently improving the return on investments associated with the implementation of relationship marketing programs (Argyres, 1999). Furthermore, as Llamas-Alonso et al. (2009) purports, comparing the predictive and achieved objectives in the hotel will be able to establish the divergences between the expected results and the achieved results, thus improving efficiency and efficacy of the relationship marketing strategy as well. Conclusion After a thorough analysis of the relationship marketing concept within the of hotel industry, it is evident that relationship marketing if utilised appropriately, can lead to significant potential benefits for the hotel business. Such benefits include positive word of mouth recommendations to future customers as a direct result of customer loyalty, greater cost savings for business, increasing occupancy rate during off-seasons and also, customer retention all of which translates into higher profits and improving the overall functionality of the hotel. Despite the benefits gained, relationship marketing can also present several drawbacks to hotel operators. In todays world, globalisation has allowed the interactions between people of different ethnicity and cultural practice to take place more frequently. This means that understanding different cultures and learning to deal with different people becomes all the more relevant and could potentially sap large amount of time and effort. In addition to this, the costs required to establish a CRM system and training employees to be proficient in it can be exorbitant. It should be noted however, that these are investments that need to be made in order for relationship marketing to be implemented successfully and thus entail proper planning and objectives setting. Furthermore, the multidimensional nature of relationship marketing means hotels face much complexity. Hence, it is imperative that performance measures with an evaluative focus should be utilised in order to ensure the success of a relationship marketing strategy. It was also noted in this paper that relationships with suppliers and especially employees need to be managed as well, since the latter contribute to delivering the overall guest satisfaction. The adoption of a relationship marketing approach involves a great challenge for the firm, since it means a different way of understanding the marketing strategy, the market and the approach to the guest. Above all, hotel businesses need to be able to communicate this strategy to its staff, and ensure that the relationship marketing strategy is fully embraced and the organisation fully aligned to it in order for the business to face the multitude of challenges for the future. List of References Achrol, R. S. Kotler, P. 1999, Marketing in the network economy [special issue], Journal of Marketing, vol. 63, pp. 146-163. Argyres, N. S. 1999, The impact of information technology on coordination: Evidence from the b-stealth bomber, Organisation Science, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 162. Barlow, R 1992, Relationship Marketing The Ultimate in Cstomer Services, Retail Control, vol. 60, no. 3, pp. 29-37. Berry, L 1995, Relationship Marketing of Services Growing Interest, Emerging Perspectives, Journal of the Academy of marketing science, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 236-45. Boulding, W., Staelin, R. Ehret, M., Johnston, W. J. 2005, A customer relationship management roadmap: What is know, potential pitfalls, and where to go, Journal of Marketing, vol. 69, pp. 155-166. Bowie, D Buttle, F 2004, Hospitality Marketing: An Introduction, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford. Brown, M Muchira, R 2004, Investigating the Relationship Between Internet Privacy Concerns and Online Purchase Behaviour, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 62-70. Butler, R 2001, Seasonality in tourism: issues and implications, Seasonality in tourism, pp. 5-21. Buttle, F 2008, Customer relationship management: concepts and technologies, 2nd edn, Elsevier, Amsterdam. Christopher, M., Payne, A., Ballantyne, D. 1991, Relationship marketing. Oxford, UK: Butterworth-Heinneman. Czinkota, M Ronkainen, I 2007, International Marketing, 8th edn, Thomson, Mason. Dowling, G Uncles, M 1997, Do Customer Loyalty Programs Really Work?, Sloan management review, vol. 38, pp. 71-82. Dwyer, F.R., Schurr, P.H. and Oh, S. (1987), Developing buyer-seller relationships, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 51 No. 2, pp. 11-27 Gartner Group 2002, Use the balanced scorecard to executive CRM strategy, Stamford, CT: Author. Gilbert, D Tsao, J 2000, Exploring Chinese cultural influences and hospitality marketing relationships, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 45-54. Grà ¶nroos, C 1995, Relationship Marketing: The Strategy Continuum, Journal of the Academy of marketing science, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 252-4. Gummesson, E 1994, Making relationship marketing operational, International Journal of Service Industry Management, vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 5-20. Gummesson, E. (1999), Total Relationship Marketing, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford. Gummesson, E. 2004, From one-to-one to many-to-many marketing, Plenary Session Presentation at QUIS 9, Karlstad, Sweden: Karlstad University. Hartmann, R 1986, Tourism, seasonality and social change, Leisure Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 25-33. Hennig-Thurau, T, Gwinner, KP, Gremler, DD 2002, Understanding relationship marketing outcomes: An integration of Relational Benefits and Relationship Quality, Journal of Service Research, vol. 4, issue 3, pp. 230-247. Ismert, M Petrick, J 2004, Indicators and standards of quality related to seasonal employment in the ski industry, Journal of Travel Research, vol. 43, no. 1, p. 46. Jayachandran, S, Sharma, S, Kaufman, P Raman, P 2005, The Role of Relational Information Processes and Technology Use in Customer Relationship Management, Journal of Marketing, vol. 69, no. 4, pp. 177-92. John, J 1994, Referent Opinion and Health Care Satisfaction, Journal of Health Care Marketing, vol. 14 (Summer), pp. 24-30. Kandampully, J Duddy, R 1999, Relationship marketing: a concept beyond the primary relationship, Marketing Intelligence Planning, vol. 17, no. 7, pp. 315-23. Kotler, P., Brown, L., Adam, S., Burton, S., Armstrong, G. (2007) Marketing, Pearson Education Australia, NSW. Kozak, M Rimmington, M 2000, Tourist satisfaction with Mallorca, Spain, as an off-season holiday destination, Journal of Travel Research, vol. 38, no. 3, p. 260. Llamas-Alonso, M. R., Jimenez-Zarco, A. I., Martinez-Ruiz, M. P. Dawson, J. 2009. Designing a predictive performace measurement and control system to maximise customer relationship management success, Journal of Marketing Channels, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 1-41. Little, E Marandi, E 2003, Relationship Marketing Management, Thomson Learning, London. Lo, AS, Stalcup, LD, Lee, A 2010, Customer relationship management for hotels in Hong Kong, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 139-159. McMullan, R Gilmore, A 2008, Customer loyalty: an empirical study, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 42, no. 9/10, pp. 1084-1094. Ndubisi, N, Malhotra, N Wah, C 2009, Relationship Marketing, Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis From an Asian Perspective, Journal of International Consumer Marketing, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 5-16. Oliver, RL 1997, Satisfaction: A Behaviourial Perspective on the Consumer, McGraw-Hill, New York. Prasad, V, Ramamurthy, K Naidu, G 2001, The Influence of Internet-Marketing Integration on Marketing Competencies and Export Performance, Journal of International Marketing, pp. 82-110. Reichheld, F Sasser, WE 1990, Zero defections: quality comes to services, Harvard Business Review, vol. 68, pp.105-111. Reynolds, KE Beatty, SE (1999), Customer benefits and company consequences of customer-salesperson relationships in retailing, Journal of Retailing, vol. 75, no. 1, pp. 11-32. Rindfleisch, A. Moorman, C. 2001, The acquisition and utilisation of information in new product alliances: A strength-of-Ties perspective, Journal of Marketing, vol. 65, pp. 1-18. Ryals, L. 2005, Making customer relationship management work: The measurement and profitable management of customer relationships, Journal of Marketing, vol. 69, pp. 252-261. Sin, L. M., Tse, A. C. B., Yim, F. H. K. 2005, CRM:Conceptualisation and scale development, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 39, no. 11/12, pp. 1264-1290. Srinivasan, R. Moorman, C. 2005, Strategic firm commitments and rewards for customer relationship management in online retailing, Journal of Marketing, vol. 69, pp. 193-200. Shajahan, S 2006, Relationship marketing: text and cases, Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi. Sweeney, JC, Soutar, GN Mazzarol, T 2008, Factors influencing word of mouth effectiveness: receiver perspectives, European Journal of Marketing, vol. 42, issue  ¾, pp. 344-
Friday, October 25, 2019
Comparing the Three Statues of David Essay -- Donatello Michelangelo
Comparing the Three Statues of David The pieces of art I will be comparing and contrasting are the three statues of David, by Donatello (Donato di Niccolà ² di Betto Bardi), Michelangelo (Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni), and Bernini (Gian Lorenzo Bernini). The statues are modeled after the biblical David, who was destined to become the second king of Israel. Also most famously known as the slayer of the Philistine giant Goliath with a stone and a sling. The sculptures are all based on the same biblical hero, but differ from one another. Each David is unique in its own certain way. A good deal is known about Donatello's life and career, but little is known about his character. Donatello was born in Florence, Italy in 1386 and died in 1466; he was never married and had no children. He was a master of sculpture in bronze and marble and is considered to be one of the greatest Italian Renaissance artists of his time. The first sculpture is of Donatello?s David, 1425-1430. Its material is bronze and stands 5? 2  ¼? and is currently located at Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence. The sculpture is a nude and is contrapposto. The scene being depicted is after the clash with Goliath. Donatello?s statue of David was the first large scale, free-standing nude statue of the Renaissance. The sculpture helps to strike a balance between classicism and the realism by presenting a very real image of a boy in the form of a classical nude figure. Although Donatello was inspir...
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Transport of Karachi
Karachi is the economic and financial hub of Pakistan generating approximately 53. 38% of the total national revenues. Approximately 75% of the population falls in category of poor or low income groups while the rest constitute middle or high income groups. Urban transportation system of Karachi has no mass transit system and people rely mainly on bus services. The people on average take 13. 5 million mechanized trips per day, of which 52% is made by public transport. Urban Bus Scheme and Karachi Circular Railway are major project deemed to relieve the congestions on the roads of the city. Only Urban Bus Scheme, however, has yet shown considerable activity on part of public transport planning and implementation. This system lacks inter-modal integration and sustainability due to which this system has failed to cater to the growing commutation demands of masses. This research study aims to investigate the demand and supply gap of the sector in light of institutional capacity to develop and maintain. Also, this study attempts to compare public transportation system of Karachi with comparable metropolis like Mumbai, Delhi and Beijing. In last, the study attempts to explore socio-economic reasons behind delay of Karachi Circular Railway. The study has adopted descriptive and thematic analysis approach to achieve the objectives. All the analysis, hereon, are done on secondary data gathered for the purpose. This study concludes that an integrated, multi-modal and sustainable public transportation system can only be achieved by giving a holistic approach to planning, execution and capacity building of the sector. 1. 1Population Overview During the last 50 years, Pakistan’s population has increased from 33 million to 152. 3 million in FY 2005, thus, making Pakistan the s1- LITERATURE REVIEWeventh most populous country in the world (Karachi Mega Cities Preparation Project, 2005). According to the 1998 Census Report, Karachi had a population of 9. 2 million in 1998 compared with 5. 2 million in 1981, a growth rate of 4. 5% per annum. In 1998 the National population was 130. 5 million, and that of the Sindh province 30. 4 million. Growth rates since 1981 were 2. 61% and 2. 80% respectively, indicating rapid urbanization in Karachi, which was also much higher than the national average growth for urban areas of 3. 5% and also for that of Sindh at 3. 52%. On this basis population in 2015 for Karachi would reach 20. 7 million and 26. 4 million in 2020. (Karachi Mega Cities Preparation Project, page 4, 2005) Karachi, the capital of Sindh is the commercial hub and the gateway of Pakistan. It generates approximately 53. 38% of the total collections of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR Report, 06-07). The city handles 95% of Pakistan’s foreign trade; contributes 30% to Pakistan’s manufacturing sector; and almost 90% of the head offices of the banks, finan cial institutions and multinational companies operate in Karachi. The country’s largest stock exchange is Karachi-based, making it the financial and commercial center of the country. It also comprises about 40% of the total banking and insurance sector of the country. Karachi contributes 20% of GDP, adds 45% of the national value added, retains 40% of the total national employment in large scale manufacturing, holds 50% of bank deposits and contributes 25% of national revenues and 40% of provincial revenues. Karachi Mega Cities Preparation Project, page 3, 2005) The CDG (City District Government) of Karachi is divided into 18 zones or towns. These towns are governed by the town municipal administration. Each town administration is responsible for infrastructure and spatial planning, development facilitation, and municipal services (water, sanitation, solid waste, repairing roads, parks, street lights, and traffic engineering) in a town, except those functions which are retained within the CDG. Intra-city transport now falls under the Local Government. Karachi Mass Transit Cell, City District Government, 2006). Apart from in-migrants from Pakistan’s provinces, a large number of migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and other South Asian countries have settled in the city. With an average monthly household income of Rs. 15000, there is considerable variation in income distribution. Roughly 75 percent of the households fall in the category of poor and low income groups, and 25 percent constitute the middle and high income groups (Karachi Strategic Plan 2020, 2007). It is no longer possible to overlook the urban decay in Pakistan. Streets are littered with waste, drains are overflowing with sewage, low-lying communities are inundated after rainfall, traffic congestion is ubiquitous, and the violent crime in urban centers is on the rise. The State either has divested from, or is no longer able to offer, reliable mass transit, good quality and affordable primary education, and healthcare. This has given the opportunity to the private sector to take up ome of these roles (Vision 2030, 2006) 1. 2Transportation – Facts And Figures The population of Karachi City District relies almost entirely on the road network for urban transportation. There is currently no mass transit system per se, although many commute using the network of bus routes. There are nearly 13. 5 million mechanized trips made each day within the CDGK area, of which 52 percent are made by public and 48 percent by private transport. There are 1. million registered vehicles in Karachi (almost 50 percent of the national total) and private vehicles – mainly motorcycles and cars – now constitute 83 percent of total registered vehicles while buses and min-buses constitute only 1. 5 percent (Karachi Mega Cities Preparation Project, page 14, 2005). In 2002 the total registered vehicles and cars were growing at twice the growth rate of the population while the vehicle fleet is dominated by cars and motorcycles, which account for 92% of the vehicles as compared to 6% for para-transit vehicles and 2% for public transport vehicles. The buses/minibuses are the most important mode of public transport in Karachi and better transport management strategies, service, accessibility, and affordability can help reduce the use of private vehicles (Urban Transport and Sustainable Transport Strategies, 2007). The intra-city road network has a radial pattern, consisting of a series of arterials, a few circumferential roads with inconsistent links and a disproportionately large number of local and collector roads. In terms of connectivity, the network is deficient in secondary roads that provide feeder service to major thoroughfares. The weakness has basically arisen from the piece-meal development focused on residential schemes in the past (Karachi Strategic Plan 2020, 2007). The availability of public transport has not grown at the same rate as the population in Pakistani cities (Sohail et al. 2006). With growth rates for private vehicles at over 9 percent, there are now over 280 new vehicles added to the streets of Karachi each day (Karachi Mega Cities Preparation Project, page 14, 2005).
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Every Child Is Special
In this world, children exist with exceptional behaviors. Their behavior is hard to accept for the society. Teachers play a very vital role in making them educated. First of all teacher should be trained to work in the  school where there are children with exceptionalities. Sometimes it becomes very hard for the teacher to react in a right manner when they teach. The students with behavioral issues needs extra of teaching and attention. The small classes would help a lot in teaching them effectively. Also there must be a room for visiting faculty to come and take extra sessions. This not only comes out to be beneficial for children but also is a help to the teachers. There could be a new technique of teaching or handling the students and could be advantageous. The visiting faculty proves out to be change for the students. The good teacher is, who emphasize on child's ability not disability. The disability must be removed but without depressing a child. A child must know about his disabilities, but he must also that he has abilities which are more in number than his disabilities. A teacher must teach with a mentality that every child has some incapacities. Teacher should help a child in bringing up his abilities and should curb the disabilities silently. Expectations should be high, because every child can achieve some position in a society according to his potential, but this needs assistance. Environment of class should be positive and  friendly. This depends on a teacher that how she maintain the environment. Because the positive environment boost the learning capabilities of a child. Also the behavior of a child depends on his surroundings. If a child feels threatened by something then it is obvious that his behavior would  change. Sometimes it become very important for a teacher to know about child's likes and dislikes. Every child has an individual goal, so from time to time teachers should keep themselves updated that how far he has progressed. The grade does not tell everything about what the child has learned so far. The emphasis on grade should be low. Teacher should know what he has learned so far or in which field is he lacking behind. This also boosts up the confidence of a child. The whole learning process makes a child tired. This not only effects their learning abilities but also distracts them. Therefore a teacher should employ proper techniques for relaxing in a class. A child with attention disorder gets mentally tired soon. There should be proper relaxing techniques like listening to soft music or playing games. Playing games not only ease a child but also keeps them healthy. The first thing a child should  learn is to take care of himself. They should be made self dependent. Taking, basic example a child must learn to tie his shoe laces. The dependent child always has a low confidence level. There must be short extra sessions to teach the students, how to take care of themselves, or how to be more organized. There should be also be sessions to prevent behavior issues. Sometimes teacher takes a child as a normal child, she does not lay stress on the behavior problems. But she does not know that the lack of attention by a teacher encourages the problem in a child. But sometimes these session proves out to be futile as students continues to misbehave, then it is necessary to know that they are misbehaving because of these sessions. Because the sessions does not fit to their needs every time, and they wait for someone who can help them in personal. In case of higher education there are many faculties who are taking a single class. The coordination between these faculties is a must so that the students does not get confused between  all the faculties. A teacher has its own style of teaching and if another teacher comes and teaches them in totally different style it becomes hard for the students to know, which one they should follow. Therefore all  the faculties teaching a particular class should know about each other teaching styles, it becomes easy for a student to learn. Teacher should make sure the behavioral improvements and achievements generalize to other situations. They should make sure that what they teach should apply in most of the real world situations. The generalized teachings proves out to be more beneficial to the students, as they come to know the particular thing  that they have learned can apply in the most of the problems. This type of teaching method proves out to be very beneficial because students can learn more things with less stress on their brains. Students should learn to socialize with other students who may or may not be disable like them. The interaction with other students should be started at the beginning of their year. Their should be learning centers that promote social interaction for these children’s. Necessary social skills should be taught in the learning centers. If the school is finding it difficult to start learning centers then skills should be taught in the lunch time or in the free period. Literature Review:- Teaching strategies for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder:– Unable to pay attention, hyperactivity, impulsive are the signs of ADHD. There are about three to five percent of the students  in United States who are suffering from ADHD ( American Psychiatric Association, 1994 ). The students suffering from ADHD fail to finish their homework and are careless. Older students with ADHD are less communicative and react spontaneously. The main symptoms are:– 1) Restlessness 2) Unable to concentrate 3) Difficulty in following instructions 4) Losing things 5) Doing little mistakes 6) Great deal of mood swings Teacher should start with evaluating the child's needs and strengths. The assessment should be done on the behavior and academic needs. After evaluating all their needs appropriate practice should be chose. The selected practice should gain the attention of the child and is appropriate to their age. It should be kept in mind that the practice that is selected should be a additional benefit to the students who do not have ADHD. After selecting all the practices they must be wrapped up in a single program. After the conclusion of each  lesson the selected practice should achieve its goal. The lessons must be presented in a different manner. Teacher should prepare the lesson and the activities planned in advance. The review of the previous lessons also proves out to be beneficial for the students. Teacher must identify all the materials needed in the classroom, because sometimes it becomes very difficult for the children to identify the materials on their own. It is very hard for the students with ADHD to change from one topic to another. Therefore revision of the previous lecture is a must. The use of audiovisual materials helps the students a lot. Describe how students can identify and correct their own mistakes. For example, remind students that they should check their calculations in math problems and reiterate how they can check their calculations; remind students of particularly difficult  spelling rules and how students can watch out for easy- to – make errors. If the teacher tries to lower the noise level in the classroom it helps a child in maintaining his focus. Teaching strategies for students with emotional behavioral disorder:- For teaching the students with EBD teacher should encourage the positive learning techniques. The objectives of the lesson should be presented before which helps in predictability. The presentation should be exciting, and if the students performs well he should be given rewards. This helps a lot in dealing with the students with EBD. The vocabulary used in the presentation should be lucid and the feedback should be given immediately. The lessons should be started with the interesting items or questions. It should be kept in mind that if a teacher wants a child to be excited about learning then teacher should be excited about teaching. While taking up the lessons students should know that they are learning and making progress. After completing, the lesson must be revised and the students should be prepared to move to next lesson. The long presentations must be cut into short presentations, so as in case of long assignments. Extra time should be given to students for completing their work. The environment of a class should be healthy. Rules and regulations should be made and teach them to act in accordance with the rules. The environment of a class should be quiet as well active. Adequate materials should be provided  to them so that they do not feel shortage of resources in between the lecture. There should be enough room for the students to move in the classroom without disturbing each other and adequate space must be provided to them for their personal belongings. The classroom rules should be less and positive. They should emphasize more on like what students must do in class. Teacher should communicate with a child in a non threatening manner and should show the personal interest in a child. This makes a child feel good and boost up his confidence level. Proper gestures and body language is very important in communication. The gesture given should be holding  longer than normal. Speaking slowly and clearly are also very important. Proper wait time should be included because some students are slow learners. Managing behavior is very important in dealing with the EBD students. Sometimes it proves out to be very beneficial to ignore the negative behaviors, because sometimes a child behaves negatively in order to grab the attention. Punishment should only be used in a case when the behavior of a child is harmful for other students. There must be a social problem technique, which effectively identifies the problems and provides the best solution for it. Anger management is the main problem with the child suffering from EBD. Anger is natural so it useful to teach anger control techniques rather anger elimination techniques. The first step in anger management is to convince a child that he should change, teaching relaxation techniques helps a lot. Teaching strategies for the students having learning disabilities:- Learning disabilities is a problem in which a child finds difficulty in organizing received information, remembering them, manipulating them. But with the effective learning strategies they can be taught effectively. The common symptoms are difficulty in learning, poor memory, difficulty in remembering facts, confusion among the basic words, spelling and reading errors, impulsive behavior etc.  ·   The course load should be low, because the course load  will make them even more poor learners.  ·  Questions should be asked in a clarifying manner, the language used must be easy to digest.  ·   The key points of the chapter must be told before the beginning of the chapter.  ·   While writing on the board verbalize what is being written, the audio and video effects in teaching boost up the learning capabilities.  ·   The environment of the class must be peaceful so that the students do not feel diverted.  ·   The assignments should be given in oral form as well as in written form.  ·   They should be given more time to complete difficult assignments.  ·   The pace of teaching should be kept in accordance with their learning abilities.  ·   Using plenty of examples in the presentation makes their understanding level high.  ·   Encourage them to borrow the classmate’s notes if required.  ·   Colored apparatus must be used for high visual recognition. Group discussion helps a lot for the students having learning disabilities, for them group discussion is fun as well as is beneficial in learning. Encourage them to ask questions during or after the lecture to make sure that they have understood completely. Teacher must pay individual attention towards every child. Frequent sessions with a  child for proper assessment should be conducted. Using large fonts make their processing fast. Give individual conferences to guide students with learning disabilities to monitor progress and understanding of the assignment and of the course content. Examples of science role models with disabilities should be given to them frequently so that they do not feel depressed. Encourage them to ask for help whenever needed. It would be wrong to assess the potential of a child on the basis of test scores. Every child has its own strength and weaknesses. Summary:- The main aim of teaching is to educate individuals who are active members in the society at it’s various levels. Teachers are very important in our society because we need them to provide our youth with the knowledge and social experiences they will need to improve their  future and the future of the entire planet. While teaching students with exceptionalities teacher should keep in mind that every child is special. Teacher should not run from  their responsibilities, they can change the life of these children’s. Every child likes different environment, so it better for a teacher to try to educate them keeping in mind their likes and dislikes. Teachers can apologies to the government to issue the policies which are in pure favor of these children’s. Like in maximum countries reservations are made for these children. The teachers should motivate the society around them to take care of these children. We should all believe that there are hopes for those children’s and we  can do something for them. These children have their own qualities like others and they can help our society uprising. No one should take it as taken for granted because this can happen to any body, what if  they got suffered with  the  same. The society will surely   turn their face around from those children. But if we all together work for them then changes can be there. Questions: 1) Did you ever felt frustrated in teaching students with exceptionalities? 2) What are the important strategies adopted by you? 3) How you will handle  the disputes between the students? 4) Any special apparatus is required for teaching them? 5) What are the methods you have implemented to provide social exposure? 6) According to you what kind of environment do you think is best suited for them? References Adelizzi, Jane U.  &  Goss, Diane B.,  (2001), Parenting  children with  learning disabilities, Greenwood Publishing  Group, ISBN: 0897897722 Dockrell, Julie, & McShane, John (1993), Children's learning difficulties: A cognitive  approach, Blackwell Publishing, ISBN: 0631170170
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)