Museum Marketing Mix

MARKETING TRAVEL AND TOURISM PRODUCTS AND SERVICES I – Introduction I have been offered a short period placement in the National Maritime Museum. As part of my team projects in the Marketing Department, I have to produce a brief report to describe the marketing mix of the organisation in order to examine different aspects of marketing. The National Maritime Museum located in the heart of Greenwich where is home to historically buildings and most important national collections.It is the museum itself and also is a visitor attraction, which is funded by the Government to maintain its World Heritage Site. Each year the museum attracts many visitors from all over the world to come and see a wide range of displays and to have the understanding of the seas, oceans, time and space, planets and the universe and know the importance and their relationship with people. As a tourist attraction, the museum has to produce a marketing plan to meet the needs of the market and the visitors.Mar keting mix is an essential part affect customer’s motivation for all organisations in terms of products, price, place and promotion. II – Marketing Mix 2. Products Visitors, of course, come to museum to see the arts, galleries, collections, displays and models. In the National Maritime Museum visitors can explore the astronomy and time by seeing how stars and planets are born, the Solar systems, Harrison timekeeper at the galleries. There are over two million collections relating to seafaring, astronomy, time measurement and navigation with over 9000 objects and 12,000 images in the museum.The other reason for visitors to come to the museum is that Greenwich is also a tourist destination itself, well known as a World Heritage Site. Specifically, the museum is made up of three significant sites, which are: the Royal Observatory, famous as the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and the Prime Meridian Line (Longitude 0 degree, the Queen’s House – the first building b uilt with the classical style in England and the National Maritime Museum galleries (Maritime galleries). These three main sites can also be separate products.They have Observatory Galleries, Planetarism in the Royal Observatory; rare portrait collections by the most famous painters Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Hogarth and Reynolds in the Queen’s House. The museum does not target any specific type of customers, they do a lot of activities to attract families with children, adults, group visit, school trips and businesses: †¢ Permanent and temporary exhibitions [pic] The museum runs many exhibitions for all people throughout the year. For example, North-West Passage, Astronomy Photographer, Jeremy Millar: Given are three highlighted exhibitions. pic] Besides, tour exhibitions are quite popular and normally full-booked as they complement activities on-site and make a tour through many places in the UK such as Beacon, Glasgow, Hull, Aberdeen, Great Yarmouth, etc†¦ Some big tour exhibitions are: Beside the Seaside on tour, Turmoil and Tranquillity on tour, Your Ocean on tour and on tour – Skin deep: a history of tattooing. [pic][pic][pic] They also offer exhibition specialise for children called All Hands and the Bridge Interactive Galleries open to families every Tuesdays weekly and uring school holidays. It all designed for children at all ages, they will be able to send a semaphore signal, load a cargo ship and more exciting is firing a cannon. This exhibition is also use for school group as a superb resource. †¢ Special Events The National Maritime Museum produces a variety of events include family events, adult programmes, school programmes, and sign-interpreted events. [pic] A lot of fun activities are offered in family events for all, for under five years old and five years old plus in particular.There are some more special events for summer holidays, half-term holidays, which are Explore Saturdays, Discover Sundays, Family Treasures and Creative Cargo. More over children can also have the opportunity to create and build their own models and stuffs such as Victory boat model, rocket, sea-monster mask and global and quadrant. [pic] Adults programmes are events supposed to help adults to go in deep the concepts and ideas of history, features in terms of the sea, time and stars which are related to the Museum’s collections through courses such as GCSE Astronomy, Introduction to Astronomy or The Solar Systems.The methods of teaching are lectures, study days, film seasons, workshops, panel discussions and tours. Study programmes are not only for adults; there are plenty of courses, study days for students from Primary, GCSE to A-level studies include Science, History, Physics, Citizenship & Geography, Business Studies, and Travel and Tourism. Provided by excellent, enthusiastic teachers giving great opportunities for students to experience and enjoy all fun activities.Especially for school visits, they provid e education resources in particular subject. [pic] [pic] Students on study day Girls doing school projects in â€Å"Your Ocean† galleries If you visit any tourist attraction we can easily see the souvenir and gift shops selling toys, books or other products related to that place. Obviously, visitors come to visit the attractions and would like to bring something home to remember that day or just to buy presents for their friends or families.In the National Maritime Museum, there is a wide range of stuffs linked to their collections and to be found by subjects such as Cards, Time and Timepieces, Telescopes & Binoculars, Maps, Globes & Exploration, Clothing and Personal accessories, Books, Toys, Kids’ bookshop, Corporate gifts, Teachers’ resources and many other things. Another essential section in the museum is restaurant and cafe area, as all visitors get tired after the whole day exploring the museum, they need to have a rest at the coffee shops and fill in the ir stomachs in the restaurants.There are two coffee bars in the Museum, The Galley where visitors can have delicious soups, hot food or they can have salads, sandwiches if fancy cold food. And the other is Paul where they can find light snacks and enjoy the seasonable drinks in the Museum. [pic] [pic] Summer drinks at the Museum Volvo corporate event The National Maritime Museum is also one of the unique venues hold many conferences, events and weddings. Businesses hire the venue not only because of the beautiful place, they want to experience the fabulous views across London and glaze the stars by having private telescope after the meetings.The Museum also provides food and drink at the venue, corporate services and photographic services. [pic] [pic] Corporate event on the Upper Deck during Queen’s House southwest parlour set up the evening for a meeting †¢ Product life cycle [pic] As I have illustrated on the graph above, there are 4 main periods of a product life cycl e which are Introduction, Growth, Maturity and the last period is either Re-growing or Decline.From my point of view, I think the National Maritime Museum is on the Maturity period as the Museum is an old organisation. Besides, to avoid declining, new events, exhibitions, study programmes are coming every month to attract more potential visitors and more coming back visitors. Moreover, they keep maintaining the attraction by planning conservation and new capital projects. They are working on the major new wing project and will be opened in 2012 in time for the London Olympics in order to grow the volume of visitors both from domestic and international. There are five key features of the new project: ? new entrance from the South new spaces for special exhibitions ? an open archive research centre ? a stylish new cafe, brasseries and shop and upgraded visitor facilities ? flexible new learning spaces [pic] The Sammy Ofer Wing Project – National Maritime Museum We can say the M useum is stepping to the re-growing period after all. Obviously, their new wing project will bring a massive growth of tourists from all over the world. 2. Price †¢ Strategies Entry to the Museum is fee as it belongs to the nation and is funded by the Government to remain the World Heritage Sites. There was a debate ages ago about the admission costs of the Museums.We all know that if the Museums increase their admission fees, they can use that income source to contribute to image-building, marketing purposes in order to reach the specifics markets. However, there were some evidences proved that the number of visitor decreased after the announcement of charging the Museum entrance fee. According to the survey result in 1988, the number of visitors at the National Maritime Museum fell by 37% in the year they imposed charges. †¢ Competitor analysis Almost Museums in the UK are fee of admission such as the National History Museum, Science Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum.Th erefore, what they are going to do to gain competitive advantage? The answer is adding value to their products and services. Although people visiting the Museum do not have to pay the admission fee, they still want to see the value of products and services offered at the attraction. The National Maritime Museum sends the message of â€Å"good value† to visitors by providing the unique collections, special exhibitions, the upper-class services to ensure that they will have a good experience when visiting the Museum without paying any money. †¢ DiscountingAlthough the Museum is funded by the Government, but it can not cover the staff’s salaries, maintenance costs, new projects and other expenses. Because of that they need to earn from other income sources as I have mentioned in the Products description above. The Museum does discounts for some products such as half-price, bye one get one free at souvenir and gifts shop, discounts for Planetarium Shows, free for chil dren under 3 years old and reduce prices for students (full time), unemployed (ES40 holders), holders of ISE youth cards, disabled visitors and seniors 60+.For disabled visitors, there is no charge if they need a helper. To have more benefits, visitors can apply for the Museum membership receiving: ? 20% percents discount on all food and drink ? Exclusive membership events and private views ? Lively programmes of talks and lectures ? Access to planetarium shows for free ? Free entry to all special exhibitions ? Free entry to Maritime Museums in the UK and Worldwide ? Exclusive access to the Members Room (tea and coffee) ? 10% discount on all products at the Museum’s shop 20% discount on river trips with City Cruises [pic] Membership subscriptions annually at National Maritime Museum (www. nmn. ac. uk) †¢ Seasonality During the winter time, people stay at home due to cold and wet weather. The Museum offers up to 20% discount on the planetarium shows and some discounts on special events and exhibitions. 3. Place †¢ Channels of distribution Visitors wish to attend the Museum’s events; exhibitions and shows can book online or get the tickets directly at the Museum. The tickets also can be sold by email Bookings.All information about booking tickets can be found easily through the Museum’s website which is www. nmm. co. uk. Besides, visitors can use telephone booking or access to the Greenwich Tourist Information Centre to buy the tickets. If people wish to buy maps, books, or other products related to the Museum’s collections, they can stay at home, see the new products and shop online through the Museum’s website. †¢ Physical location [pic] The Museum located in the heart of Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Sites. Surrounded by beautiful scenes and spectacular views.Visitors are impressed by the fabulous historic scientific sites, the stunning view from Greenwich Park where they can stand on the Meridian line, th e elegant Tulip Stairs, the Great Hall in the Queen's House, the Time Ball on top of Flamsteed House which used to tell the time at the earliest year. These features make the Museum unique. [pic] †¢ Accessibility Transport to and from the attraction: The Museum situated in Greenwich, where easily accessed by the public transports. There are many ways travelling to the Museum, which are: ;;The nearest Docklands Light Railway station is Cutty Sark. From the station, it only takes approximately six to ten minutes’ walk to the Museum. There are two underground tube stations, which are Greenwich and Maze Hill stations. It takes about 12-15 minutes from Greenwich station and 8 minutes from Maze Hill walk to the National Maritime Museum. [pic] Recommended routes from main London terminals (www. nmm. co. uk) †¢ Buses There are numerous buses service to Greenwich town centre, Greenwich Park and Royal Observatory from many parts of London.The table below shows the bus routes to Greenwich town centre: [pic] Bus routes to Greenwich Town Centre (www. nmm. co. uk) Interestingly, visitors can also take the sightseeing cruises operate from London Eye, Westminster, Tower and St. Katherine’s piers to Greenwich Pier. From there it is just over 5 minutes walk to the Museum. By taking cruises, they will enjoy the gorgeous sights along the riverside include the Palace of Westminster (Big Ben), London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe, The Tower of London, Tower Bridge. By foot Exploring the Heritage Sites by walking through the long-distance walks around the Museum is such an exciting experience. Visitors can take public transports to the walking sections such as the circular Greenwich Millennium Heritage Trails, the Tower Hamlets Walks – North Thames Path to Greenwich, Lea Valley Walk, and Thames Path National Trail – Tower Bridge to Greenwich. †¢ By road Visitors can travel by their own cars by taking the M25, M11, A406, A12, and Blackwall Tunnel from the North. M25, A2 from the South.They can take the A2, M2, and A2 direct to Greenwich from Dover and M20, M25, A2 from Channel Tunnel. Accessibilities for special needs The Museum provides facilities for wheelchair users, lifts are highlighted on the map for all units, and coffee bars and restaurants are all at the ground floor for easy access. Moreover, there are provisions for people with difficulties such as deaf, blind and partially sighted visitors. Those provisions include free large-print touchable guide, audio guides and BSL signed Planetarium monthly shows for deaf visitors. pic] 4. Promotion †¢ Methods Promotion is a very important part and cannot be missed out in the marketing mix, as they need to raise awareness of new products and services or the museum’s developments. The first and most common method is advertising by distributing leaflets, posters, and press releases. The second method is sales promotion by using discounts vouch ers for joint promotion. The next method is direct marketing by sending direct mails in order to encourage people to visit the Museum and event bookings.They also hold exhibitions as trade shows target group organisers and tour operators. In addition, the Museum use different types of media such as national and local newspapers, radio stations, transport sections. †¢ Materials As a public sector organisation, the Museum cannot spend a lot of money on advertising. TV advert is very expensive then it is not necessary, the budget way of advertising is distributing leaflets, posters, and flyers to promote campaigns, special exhibitions, three Museum sites, and activities for all ages: [pic] [pic]Leaflet promoting the ‘Explore Oceans† A selection of NMM leaflets [pic] [pic] ‘Inspiring minds for free' 2006 poster campaign Joint promotion is the effective way by sharing the costs with other travel and tourism organisations. The Museum connects with those organization s to have a wider range of customers and to add value of money when people buy holidays as packages bring advantages for both sides. Discount vouchers are offered when comprising with other tourist attractions, tour companies, hotel groups and magazine promotions.The National Maritime Museum also has joint promotion with transport sector, which is c2c Train Company with 10% off at the Museum’s shop and a free pot of tea or coffee when spending over ? 4 in the cafe. [pic] c2c joint promotion Press releases are essential in marketing, as all relevant information in the Museum have to be kept up – to – date. In the museum there is a press office covers all angles from press coverage to media interest. Press officers have to produce press releases to inform the national and international media all developments at the Museum.Furthermore, they will have to work out the unique images and the ideas to use for campaign posters or to be published on newspapers. [pic] An i mage from the front cover of the Independent on Sunday, 24 March 2002, promoting the ‘Skin Deep' exhibition [pic] A 4-sheet poster on London Underground for the ‘Skin Deep' exhibition III- Explanation of how the 4Ps work together as a marketing mix in the National Maritime Museum Marketing is sending a message to keep people satisfy.Basically, marketing is all about creating false needs that means they comprise all marketing elements in order to make the wants become needs. Organisations always have to think about what people want in the future and work out what they can do to attract potential customers. Marketing elements cannot go separately, we need to put them in a pot, mix them together and that is the only thing we can alter to end up success or failure of a business. The following graphic shows the relationship between the 4Ps in the National Maritime Museum:In the National Maritime Museum we can see the mixture of products, price, place and promotion. In the mar keting mix, products and price are the most important then we use place and promotion to bring the business to the highest point of selling. All three components: Price, Place and Promotion affect the selling of Products and Services. There is no admission fee for Museum entrance, many free events and exhibitions. The word â€Å" FREE† has a big influence to every single person, therefore, more and more people coming in to see what is provided in the Museum.All planetarium shows charge with a very reasonable price (under ? 10) appeal audiences come to see the shows. In every business, normally, the Price makes a strongest influence to the selling of products and services. New products and services need to be advertised in order to raise public awareness. The Museum use leaflets, posters, flyers to promote their new shows, events and exhibitions; buy a space on the newspaper, an advert on the radio station, places big posters in the on underground station with the same purpose of driving people to their products and services.The Museum spends some money to make some money. Although they choose the budget ways of promoting to avoid not spending a large amount of money but they spend a little to make a lot. Internet booking system is the most convenient way of selling products and services. The National Maritime Museum provides many booking options in order to give the best convenience to customers to buy their products and services. The Museum is unique because of its’ Heritage Sites, people come to explore the Museum and to see the surroundings attractions.That means the Place also bring customers to the Museum, which we can understand as Products. However, the Price and Promotion are linked together as they use the Price to promote the products and services. The Museum reduces the price to have price promotion such as discount vouchers for joint promotion (10% off on all products at Museum’s shop, free a pot of tea or coffee at cafeâ€℠¢ when spending over 4 pounds). Some exhibitions are free with a purpose of promoting and targeting groups of visitors. Promotion also affects the channel of distribution.One of the promotion methods used by the Museum is direct selling. They open exhibitions, inviting people and sell directly to group organisers, tour operators, and other travel and tourism organisations. Generally, marketing mix plays a very important part of the marketing strategies. In order to reach the market changes and to gain competitive advantage, the National Maritime Museum has to work out more future plans to maintain the ever-growth volume of visitors and to attract both domestic and international visitors. Bibliography Text books: BTEC National Certificate in Travel and Tourism – Book 1 †¢ Marketing in Travel and Tourism by Victor T. C Middleton Websites: †¢ www. google. co. uk †¢ www. nmm. co. uk †¢ www. books. google. co. uk [pic] —————â €”—– Place Promotion UNIT 5: MARKETING TRAVEL &TOURISM PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Fall 08 Assignment Title: The Marketing Mix 5A Centre name: Hammersmith and West London College Learner Name: Kim Thu Dao Subject Lecturer: Matthew Cooper Deadline: 15/10/2009 BTEC NATIONAL CERTIFICATE IN TRAVEL &TOURISM YEAR 2 Price Products

Frankenstein: The Meaning behind the Words Essay

Upon receiving all the books that we had to read during this course, Frankenstein was the one that I was looking most forward to reading. Most horror fiction novels have the same story line with no actual meaning behind the writing, but as I opened this novel and continued to read, I really became interested in the deeper meaning of Frankenstein and I just had to continue reading to find out more. Unlike most horror fiction novels, Frankenstein in my opinion has the ability to keep its readers interested instead of boring them. Mary Shelley used her writing ability to tell a great story that involved the relationship between man and mans creation. A major observation that I made while reading Frankenstein was of all the several themes made throughout the whole entire book. Some themes where obvious, others you really had to think about it. All though many people may think Shelley’s Frankenstein is just another normal horror fiction novel, I believe this novel provides several themes throughout the entire story line because it shows the themes of human injustice towards outsiders, ignorance is bliss, and society’s sexist viewpoints. The main theme that I noticed while reading Frankenstein, was the idea of human injustice towards outsides. All throughout the novel, the monster has to face man’s cruelty to those who are different. Frankenstein’s monster is indeed an outcast and he doesn’t belong in human society. The monster’s alienation from society, his struggle for revenge, and his unfulfilled desire for a companion, are all shared by his creator. I noticed while reading the novel how quickly Victor became similar his creation. Both Victor and his creation live in isolation from society, they both hate their miserable lives, and both Victor and his creation are suffering. Shelly did a very good job showing the relationship with man and his relationship with outsiders, and how cruel society can be when it comes to being different from everyone else. The monster states, â€Å"When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, the, a monster, a blot upon the earth from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?† This quote explains itself. The monster was different, and therefore he was alone in the world. This was the easiest theme to recognize, in my opinion, because this theme plays a big role in society. Shelly’s writing shows exactly what people in society that are different go through, by showing it through Victor and his creation. A second theme that really stood out to me was the idea that ignorance is bliss. With the power of human reason, through science and technology, it challenged a lot of concepts about world and man’s relationship with his creator. This was the idea of Shelley’s time. Although this was a big concept, many questioned stressing the limits of human capacity. Shelley uses this theme in her book. She uses the idea in chapter four when Victor warns Walton to not follow in his footsteps stating, â€Å"Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow† (38). During Shelley’s time, including many others, some aspects of nature should never be discovered by man. Shelly used both the new sciences of chemistry and electricity of life to conjure up the bodies of the dead. Victor is a man that clearly wanted to discover and did discover these aspects of nature and he stole the idea of creation from God and used it for his own ill-advised purposes. The third theme that I analyzed while reading Frankenstein, was the indicting towards society for its sexist viewpoints. Throughout Frankenstein, Victor sets the view for women as weak, suffering, non useful human beings who live to serve and depend on the men in their lives. Many people believe Shelly could have experienced these sexist points at one point in her own life, but she may or may not have agreed with it. In Frankenstein, Victor puts the name of a barbarian to the monster because the monster has a very good notion of the opposite sex. The monster, unlike Victor, believes that men and woman are equal and both should be treated equally. The monster, throughout the novel seeks companionship from a female, which does not convey a desire to rule a women or that a woman should have to depend on the men in her life. The monster states, â€Å"I am alone and miserable: man will not associate with me; but one as deformed and horrible as myself would not deny herself to me. My companion must be of the same species and have the same defects. This being you must create† (129). His desire for companionship just shows the monsters need for equal companionship with someone to share his sufferings. Frankenstein expressed several different themes all throughout the novel. The three themes discussed in this paper really stood out to me and I felt they played the biggest parts in the novel, but many of the other themes expressed in Frankenstein played a big role in making the novel what it is today. Shelly used these themes for her novel Frankenstein, to suggest the monster from the novel is some sort of metaphor of our own culture. Shelly’s way of using actual real world themes in her novel allowed her to show how these themes are actual portrayed in the world. Frankenstein is definitely one of the best horror fiction novels; not just because of the story, but because of the deeper meanings you can get from reading the novel. WORKS CITED Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. New York: Dover, 1994.

Developing Personal Management Skills Assignment

Developing Personal Management Skills - Assignment Example Like any other business, organizations have little or no interest on good management and emphasize on exciting and glamorous work of leadership. Nevertheless, managers are subjects for good performance. Generally, managers should translate their leadership skills to high productivity and good governance. Whereas leaders bring forth vision, motivation and challenge, all these things are in vain if there is no effective implementation as a result of good management. Essentially, a good manager should be equipped with vast skills, ranging from planning, communication, and delegation to motivation. Since there are several management skills required for proper management, it is very tricky to build skills in areas you are not comfortable. Leaders have different management skills, and their applications vary (Mcgrath, 2009). However, for good results and long-term success, it is worth analyzing your personal managerial skills, knowing your strengths and weaknesses and capitalizing on your best management skills. As if this is not enough, pose a challenge to your to improve in your weakest points. This helps you to identify your strong and weak areas, take advantage of past and manage the latter (Hannaway & Gabriel , 2005). Communication is a very crucial tool in the management. In any organization, you have to communicate with your workmates, seniors, juniors and the stakeholders. This tool has given me confidence in place of work and build a lot of trusts. As long as I know what am talking about, worries have no place. It implies that as I communicate with staff, I should have substance so that they can listen to me. Likewise, as they pass information, they should have a clear conscience of what they want to pass across. Communication is a very critical skill for managers. For a number of years, employe es in one of the organizations, I once worked went for a strike because of reshuffling their supervisors. Essentially, there was a  need to make changes, but most of them were unwilling. When I joined as one of the managers, the tension was all over. I took some time to study the organizational structure and the entire set up, and I realized there was need indeed to reshuffle.  

Throughout history, individuals have had a significant impact on the Essay

Throughout history, individuals have had a significant impact on the outcome of events and on the development of cultures and so - Essay Example The change had enormous effects on the political arena as both Iran and America severed all its ties with each other; capturing of American hostages by Iran for 444 days, American subsequent unleashing of Saddam Hussein which ultimately led to the disastrous Iran-Iraq War. Under his government the most evident change that occurred in Iran was the change in its societal system. Iran was considered one of the most liberal countries in the world but after his taking of power its social order changed from a relatively free to strict conservative order. Women, at one point, were allowed to go down the street without Hijab; after Khomeini came into power all that changed and Hijab was made compulsory for women. Other effects on the societal system were that Iran had relatively stable religious communities which were not prosecuted under the Shah’s dictatorship but now they were openly targeted because of the contradiction of their faith with Islamic faith. A prime example of this is the Jewish population of Iran; during the times of Shah, the Iranian population was close to 80,000 to 90,000 but after Khomeini came into power it decreased to merely 20,000.

Robert Darnton's Peasants Tell Tales Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Robert Darnton's Peasants Tell Tales - Essay Example In a piece of writing "Peasants Tell Tales" published in the New York Review of Books in February 1984 Darnton asserted that Europe's fairy tales presented an unusual door into "the mental world of the early modern peasantry", for the reason that those tales integrated centuries of peasant acuities. To Darnton, the fairy tales of Perrault plus the Grimms took on an influential new implication, due to their potential to imitate peasant worldviews and quick looks of lives lived in centuries past. Darnton further recommended in his article "Peasants Tell Tales" that French and German variant of the same storyline consistently measured national characteristics as well as national differences. The influence of Darnton's essay lay in his collection of familiar contentions on the subject of the origins and spread of fairy tales. Nineteenth-century postulations had turn into twentieth-century verities.

Diversity Action Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Diversity Action Plan - Research Paper Example This is important because a diverse workforce without discrimination can influence substantially on the effectiveness and efficiency of a healthy and safe working environment along with that of multicultural interaction and communication directing the organization eventually to achieve higher competitive advantage. This paper briefly addresses the initiatives of the diversity action plan of Starbucks organization and tries to explain important issues regarding the challenges and opportunities caused by diversity. One of the most significant concerns for the organization is the current trends in population growth, which can impose direct impact on the organizational workforce while creating various advantages as well as challenges. The paper also looks into the consequences of population growth on workforce diversity. Starbucks Corporation is the largest coffeehouse company in the world with its retail stores all over the world. Starbucks provides its retail stores over 50 states in the United States alone and over 43 countries across the globe along with a long chain of company-operated and licensed stores (Starbucks Coffee). The Seattle-based organization envisions a diverse workforce that provides quality business services while maintaining a healthy working environment. As a global company, Starbucks believes in the concept of inclusion embracing differences and celebrating cultures. Diversity is a significant issue at Starbucks. The diversity action plan for the company emphasizes on all the relevant aspects of workplace diversity in order to meet and set new goals for an inclusive business. With higher value products and services, the organization is committed to providing environment-friendly working conditions, developing innovative and flexible solutions, and bringing up environmental leadership in all facets of business. Principles followed by the diversity plan of Starbucks are: Starbucks is a

Rules that the baby boomers rejected Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rules that the baby boomers rejected - Essay Example The Vietnam War was one of the costliest war in terms of resources and human loss that America has ever engaged in. Moreso, it was an unnecessary war because America does not have to engage Vietnam in conflict. American involvement in the war was not a matter of security threat but rather an ideological differences with the communist as they attempted to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam to contain communism. It was viewed by the Vietnamese instead as a colonial takeover instead of ideological containment and fought American soldiers. It was a costly war for America in terms of human lives and resources. Back in the United States, the war also did not have a popular support from the baby boomer dominated population. The liberal and â€Å"hippie peace† environment during that time prevailed with the milieu of Beatles song calling for love, peace and equality instead of war. Protest after protest headed and populated by the boomers ensued during the Vietnam War until the government stopped the war and suffered a humiliating loss. Another meaningful protest that the baby boomers engaged in was the counterculture protest. Counterculture was the rule at that time. As the baby boomers matured, they began to resist the consumerist suburban indulgence. In a way, it was a spiritual age as people tended to root back to the basics and essentials of life. Instead of engaging in mundane endeavors, the baby boomers called on for the â€Å"social, economic and political equality and justice for many disadvantaged groups: African-Americans, young people, women, gays and lesbians, American Indians and Hispanics† (history.com 2013). Without the baby boomers counterculture protest movement concept such as womens liberation, American sense of equality and justice, equal pay for equal work, non-discriminatory workplace and others socially important issues would not have prospered to be adopted by the

Laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Laws - Essay Example Albeit there was considerable opposition to Miranda warnings for more than fourteen years after the decision, these days, little practical impediment exists in the police ability to procure a confession. In Dickerson v United States, the fact that law enforcement groups did not en masse, file amicus briefs urging the court to overturn Miranda showed how much things have changed since 1968, when law enforcement lobbies prevailed in Congress to enact an unconstitutional statute (18 U.S. Code sec. 3501), which purported to overturn Miranda. As detailed by Sociologist Richard Leo (university of California-Irvine), â€Å"police use a variety of deceptive techniques to extract confessions these days. Because the confessions are not â€Å"coercive† (according to judicial interpretation), the resulting confessions are almost always admitted into evidence†. (Leo) Why do so many people confess? Professor Leo explains the incidence thusly: that suspects are often put into a physic al environment –such as a small isolated room-which is designed to make them talk. After the isolation, the appearance of a police officer may seem like a welcome form of human contact, then the police routinely deliver the Miranda warnings in a perfunctory tone of voice and ritualistic behavioral manner, effectively conveying that these warnings are little more than a beaucratic triviality. (Leo)

Bampton Manor Hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bampton Manor Hotel - Essay Example The report relies heavily on responses from key staff within the hotel that provide the picture of the internal operations of the business. It therefore brings to the limelight issues in the various departments including marketing, human resource, operations, as well as, finance (Bowie, 2002, p.34). The hotel initially served as wedding hotel but later changed due to frustrations in the business. The appointment of a new chef with experience in managing Michelin Restaurants was a step forward in ensuring the hotel positions itself as a boutique country hotel with a fine dining restaurant. Due to the high quality of the restaurant, the business has received three rosettes from the AA, thus enhancing its corporate image although the Michelin star would have given it much reputation (Balakrishnan, n.d, 2). The main marketing tool as per the marketing manager was the websites although no real data was available to analyze the same. Although the hotel had most people rating their services as excellent, they also received negative reviews with some complaining about prices being high while others categorized their services as poor especially during the busy periods. In addition, reviews indicated cases of staff rudeness, uncooperative behavior, and in some cases, others indicated that they were not aware of their roles. One of the issues was the shortage of staff experienced on Fridays and during the weekends more so because the current staff struggled to cope with the pressure. In addition, there was lack of enough training and orientation for the temporary staff that were brought in to work over the weekends. In this case, some of the staff did not know their roles as well as whom to report to. This is also notable with the operations manager’s frustrations that the head chef was not able to use the systems introduced to manage reservations and finance (Colvin, 2000). The operations manager was

Trifles deals with gender perception a sensitive reading of the drama Essay

Trifles deals with gender perception a sensitive reading of the drama involves understanding how the men view the women, how t - Essay Example "Trifles" deals with gender perception; a sensitive reading of the drama involves understanding how the men view the women, how the women view the men, and how the women ultimately triumph over the men. Men are presented as an egoistic species that reserve the back roles for the women right from the beginning of the play. Throughout the development of the play, women seem to be placed in the dark and they consequently withdraw themselves to trivial details that men count as unimportant in the case. â€Å"She didn't pay much attention,† are examples of words men use in the play to refer to women (vcu.edu, 6th conversation by Hale). At one point in the play, women are depicted as a species that concentrates on trifles at an instance when men plainly mock them for linking a quilt to murder case evidence. "Trifles" deals with gender perception; a sensitive reading of the drama involves understanding how the men view the women. Other trivial details that the women fall on in their assistance to unravel the murder are equally rejected by the chauvinistic men in the play. In aromatic turn of events, the very rejections termed trivial become the main pieces of reliable evidence.

Intel Case Study Essay Example for Free

Intel Case Study Essay Exhibit 6 shows the comparative intellectual property consideration. 2. DRAM was standard, and all competitors faced the same fixed cost, chip price depended on the learning curve and how aggressively competitors expanded capacity, thus manufacturing was not the Intel’s strength at that time, the Japanese companies were ahead of US companies in many different ways, such as mass production which reduced the cost, the high yield percentage 70%-80% in their fabs compared to 50%-60% for US, and that’s because they had disciplined approach to manufacturing, and they concerned with defects and control methods, and down in the learning curve. . Through integration in different industries Japanese companies built its competitive advantage, their DRAMs were used heavily by industries like, electronics, computers and telecommunications. Besides, these companies supported the Japanese equipment manufacturers to improve the DRAM manufacturing machinery to increase yields, which in return decrease cost of the DRAM, and better quality for their products, which were also competing the US. As a conclusion, Intel focus was toward building better design, better performance and capacity for the DRAM, and did not concentrate on building the competitive advantage. PC industry and added value (Q2-3-4-6) IBM had the largest added value, and this is because they adopted an open standard that made the IBM-PC nonproprietary, which catalyzed a massive structural shift in the computer industry, where it became horizontal. By adopting this strategy, IBM hoped that software developers to write new programs for the IBM PC, and one of the key contributor to the growth of the PC industry is the availability of packaged software and that the market being less fragmented. Intel initiated â€Å"project crush†- in 1980 – where it secured the 8088 to go into IBM’s first PC. Market less fragmented. IBM success in the market in 1983- 1985 catpulated Intel to the market lead in microprocessors. Intel built the reliability of this product. Intel created its value: Intel initiated sales campaign called â€Å"checkmate† after cutting the number of licensees to four, this step reinforced Intel’s position as the industry standard. By second source strategy, Intel recognized that they are giving away their technology to other companies, and they are losing a lot of profit, so they made the bold decision to be the sole-source manufacturer, and cut with AMD, and became the sole producers of CPUs and kept full control of the pricing. That is when they produced the 386 that was adopted by Compaq, users were willing to pay for the premium for additional performance. Intel protected its intellectual property rights; it was well ahead of its competition in intellectual property. It had trade secrets in design and production as well as patent, these resulted in substantial negotiating power in its cross-licensing agreements. See exhibit 6 Intel captured value Awareness campaign were conducted to target end users through â€Å"Red X† and then by â€Å"Intel Inside† campaigns, and co-op fund advertisement. They used the OEM to advertise for their products. At this point Intel built its brand and became widely adopted. Intel achieved its added value as a profit, by adopting the strategy of new products in short supply, where it was able to sell at the premium price, as production capacity increased and cost declined, the price would quickly scaled down to stimulate consumption in the mass market, as exhibit 7 shows for the 3 generation Pentium processors, the prices declined with time, and within less than a year, Intel was able to produce new generation with premium price, and decline the price for the previous generation. Another way of achieving the profit of the added value is investment in software development to leverage the advantage of the high performance processors. And that was achieved by development of complementors, although Intel had a relationship with Microsoft, but it was enough, since it required Microsoft years to develop the software, were Intel is moving faster, by adopting the strategy of complementors, Intel build its capital. Intel strategy was to invest in companies that fit strategically into Intel’s business strategy as well as offered a financial return. Threats and Actions PC computing was the center of computing during the 1990s, but the internet took over the next decade. Cellphones are sold more than PCs, and that is because they can access the Net. Network and communication became more important to people, whether it is in the home, small business or enterprise. Intel response to the changes in the environment by investing a lot of money in four areas, client platforms, server platforms, cellular and wireless, and communication and networking. Despite the fact that Intel took several steps toward making a position for it in the mobile and internet market, the threat of being behind the competitors in technology is high. Intel used to sell performance, but now it should innovate at the architectural level, to be the building supplier for to the worldwide internet and communication technology. One of the steps that may put Intel on the map is to start joint ventures to secure the position in the whole world economy. Investing in other communication industry to integrate Intel products.

Explosion Of The Digital Era Public Relations

Explosion Of The Digital Era Public Relations Public Engagement is a modern paradigm in the PR context and sets out how professionals should be listening and engaging with their key stakeholders in the 21st Century. Marshall Manson, Director of digital strategy at Edelman UK, describes the terminology as advancing shared interest moving from an influence pyramid to a world of cross-influence (pg 5). According to Edelman there are four attributes of Public Engagement; it aims to be democratic and decentralized, inform the conversation, call for engagement with stakeholders and finally make it clear how reputation is important. Public Engagement has to work in all four areas (Richard Edelman, 2008). Trust building both internally and externally, reputation management and transparency are the hallmarks of successful PR initiatives besides positioning the CEO. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill and G D H Cole (1968) came up with the term Participatory Democracy, which was the forerunner of Public Engagement. Mills supported a representative government with some form of public participation but on a limited scale. Wholesale participation could endanger political decision making and hence democracy. (Pateman1970) Engagement in politics had been regarded as reactive but it is now perceived as proactive. Dialogue and engagement with all parties is important to prevent loss of public trust (Edward Andersson, Simon Burall Emily Fennell, Involve 2010). The Big Society introduced by David Cameron 19 July 2010 sought public dialogue and involvement in decision making. Business and government rely on PR to establish trust and dialogue. Public engagement, like any conversation, is all about listening. Our world can be likened to a conversation and in order to be successful we need to listen ( Richard Edelman 2008). New technology has presented the public with effective tools for engaging in these conversations at a level never experienced before. A white paper published by Arthur W Page Society (2007) is a good example of how Public Relations practitioners and company leaders must change their strategies and business goals to be more authentic in the 21st century. The study looked at how CEOs saw their roles change with the culture of the environment. Environment is changing because of the emergence of all things digital, a global economy and a new breed of stakeholders. However, what it fails to do is to provide a way that can be used to enhance the role of the communication department in the future. According to the paper it believes that communication departments have lost control. In order to move forward they must adapt to new technologies, audiences and engagement models. Transparency is a key part of performing well in the 21st century, it encourages trust on behalf of employees and the public and is in demand more than ever (Michael Smith, Richard Hunter, Ken McGee, Gartner 2010). Public opinion surveys have confirmed the need for transparency in business and managing trust (Grunig, J.E 2009). For organisations to succeed in Public Engagement, they need to be informed, transparent, prospective and adaptive to their key stakeholders (Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, 2008). Prior to current publications on Public Engagement, the term was mainly connected to the science world. A report written by Demos (2009) stated that the UK was now seen as a leader in public engagement within the science world. Public Engagement, it argued would only work when interest groups were included. Matthew C. Nisbet Dietram A. Scheufele (2007) argued that communication must be accessible to all sections of society. Advocacy, a term used by PR company Weber Shandwick, is defined as Public relations caught the first wave, the adoption of new technology to spread information But that first wave, sharing information with more segmented audiences, is cresting. A new one, a fundamental transformation of communication from information to advocacy, is rising (Jack Leslie, Chairman, Weber Shandwick Worldwide). It argues that personnel engagement is needed in order to be able to communicate with their audiences. It is evident that universities are becoming involved with the term Public Engagement. The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) is part of the Beacon for Public Engagement project. Their aim is to encourage a change in how universities engage with the public and their stakeholders. ___________________________________________________________________________ Social Media Traditional PR skills are still helpful in bringing transparency to communications with stakeholders (Schlesinger 2010) but the introduction of Web 2.0 technologies has changed the world of communications for PR (Pavlik 2008) and Philips and Young (2009). Grunig, J.E (2009) noted that digital media has the potential to make the profession more global, strategic, two-way, interactive and socially responsible (pg 1 Paradigms of Global Public Relations in an Age of Digitalisation). However, he comments that this new media is being used ineffectively by practitioners. Some are using it, as they did with the old media, as a place to write messages rather than using it to interact with the public strategically. Grunig (2009) concludes that it can only be used effectively if social media is used to its full capacity. Public engagement has created new networks of influences and special online forums leading to a world of communication through Blog, Twitter and Facebook among many, impacting all walks of life (Edelman, 2009.) In 2009, 625 million people worldwide had access to the internet (McCann 2009). Sharing of social networking sites has created huge paradigms for PR. It has increased challenges for organisations for the crucial role played by transparency, quickness and clarity in response (Pavlik 2008). The rise in digital interaction and the surge in social media present the practitioners with enormous opportunities. According to McCanns Wave 4 report (2009), social media platforms are becoming the norm to create and share. In his study he noted how they presented unique opportunities to listen and observe. One way messaging is now outdated and anyone understanding this new communication world will succeed (Weber Shandwick). It is important to recognize that social media is also important within organizations, encouraging employee engagement. Enterprise 2.0 is a form of web 2.0 which is used for businesses only. They provide services such as Yammer, a corporate version of Twitter, and Chatter- a social-networking service (Economist 2010). According to Mashable (2010) the top five engaged brands in social media are Starbucks, Coca- Cola, Oreo, Skittles and Redbull. Starbucks have created a digital platform for the participation of public through My Starbucks Idea for communicating with customers by just listening to customers suggestions. Companies are benefitting from listening and improving their services for all stakeholders including customers. Richard Sambrook (the former head of BBC news) believes that every company should be a media company he says. Big companies are going directly to the consumer to engage them now, rather than through display or spot ads and the traditional means of trying to reach consumers. You cant just be out there shouting at people about your brand, youve got to engage with them quite carefully PR is there to help organisations to be honest and engaged with the Public in this new age of media and should not spin stories to the press (Independent 2010) A Stakeholder can be defined as anyone who is affected by the actions arising from any organisation, whether a public or private entity. When engaged, stakeholders can provide organisations with valuable feedback on society expectations leading to the generation of creative solutions and earning the organisation valuable stakeholder support (Lawrence Weber 2008). With the advent of technologically enabled tools there has been a democratisation and socialisation of the media leading to a greater involvement by all participants. Breaking news is today likely to be captured first on Twitter, or the like, rather than a news agency (WrightHinson 2009). This in turn has necessitated greater transparency and in turn enhanced the role of PR professional teams in the management of organisations day to day operations. The status of employees and customers has now been placed on an equal footing with shareholders and other governing participants. (Authentic Enterprise 2007). Evolving through p ublic engagement, the corporate communication function is set to play the role of catalyst in this new environment and the PR practitioner can help empower corporate culture and stakeholder confidence (Miller 2010). At a local level internal communication has become more significant in shaping the management and image of organisations (Authentic Enterprise 2007). Trust is a valuable commodity which needs to be nurtured; in times of crisis the trust relationship will play a significant role in shaping the outcome of adverse events. Encouraging a listening culture within management will enhance the perception of trust (Mazzei and Ravazzani 2010). This is a function that PR needs to develop to accommodate changing communication platforms and models. Strategies need to consider the social and behavioural changes brought about by the internet. There have been many communication models put forward over the past 60 years the principal ones being the Shannon and Weaver model 1949, Shramms Interactive Model 1954 and Grunigs and Hunts 4 Models (1984). It is important to look at communication models to see whether Public engagement is a new paradigm or simply an extension of these. Shannon and Wavers (1949) Mathematical theory of Communication is accepted as one of the most important models from which communication studies has grown ( Johnson and Klare 1961), albeit biased towards the technical aspects of communication research (John Fiske 1982). In contrast to the above models Schramm went on to create his model which emphasised two-way communication (1954) and introduced the concept of feedback. In problem solving scenarios open ended questions need to be asked in order to gain feedback and results. The two-way symmetric model, Grunig and Hunt (1984) is probably the most popular and widely used in todays PR industry. This model is described as being one that can build relationships and resolve conflicts. It is where the stakeholders have a say in what an organisation does and can have some power over policies. This model employs research, listening, and dialogue as tools to cultivate relationships with both internal and external strategic parties. Pieczka (1996) criticised the model as she felt that the study was biased to the two way symmetrical model and questioned the validity of his model. According to Phillips and Young( 2009),social media is causing a new communication paradigm. They believe that communication is shifting from the traditional hierarchical arrangement to an audience model encouraging horizontal discourse. This is confirmed by Edelman (2009). A further study by Grunig developed a model for excellent public relations ( Grunig 2002 ,Grunig Dozier ) It was found that the most successful PR departments took part or contributed to the strategic decisions of the company. Once stakeholders had been identified the study showed that successful PR departments developed programmes to communicate with them. According to Grunig (2002.) Excellence is seen as the balance between an organisation and the public. It was seen as the management of communications on a level that aided the strategic management role whilst maintaining the attention and cooperation of the public. As such the PR role was enhanced and perceived in commercial terms whereby long term relationships could be forged between strategic parties. Philip and Young (2009 ) argued that the new PR challenges the Excellence model. LEtang (2006) was also critical stating that the power imbalance between organisation and public was a flaw in the theory of two-way communication. However Grunig insisted that the model was revised over the years. There appears to be a gap in communication models in regards to Public Engagement although Grunigs fourth model is possibly the closest to it. It is evident that a new model of PR is needed. Whether it is to be called Public Engagement is something which has to be decided.

Advantages Of Mixed Economy To Hilton Kuching Marketing Essay

Advantages Of Mixed Economy To Hilton Kuching Marketing Essay In this assignment we have chosen Hilton Hotel, Kuching as our research and analysis. Hilton Kuching is located at Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, which is at the center of the city. From Kuching International Airport, it usually takes 25 minutes to arrive Hilton. Surround the hotel; there are variety of shops such as the 24-hours convenience shop 7-11, the coffee shop, the lounge, bistro and shopping mall. It is very convenient for the guests who wish to have different kind of activities during their stay at the accommodation. Hilton Kuching provides guests with different types of facilities and services. For the business convenience, Hilton Hotel provide the guest with business center which is well equipped with the internet access, express mail, printer, photocopying service and etc. They also provide the businessman with the meeting room in order to allow the businessman meet with their client. Apart from that, the hotel also provides some service to the family who come for vacation. The service is such as the babysitting service, the family package offer, the cribs and the playground. For the other convenient of the guest, the hotel has provide the guest with the other service such as the concierge desk, the barber shop, the lounge, the safety deposit box, the guest recreation desk and the multi-lingual staff. During the time of the guests stay, Hilton Hotel provide the places for them to have their outdoor activities such as the swimming pool and the tennis court. For the food and beverage service, Hilton Hotel provides the restaurant where they serve different types of cuisine. For example, the Waterfront Restaurant that serves the guest in buffet style. They are opened for the breakfast, lunch and dinner. For the Toh Yuen Restaurant, they serve Chinese cuisine. The guests can have their meal their during the lunch and dinner time. Sometime, the Chinese will held the wedding at that restaurant. Apart from that, the hotel also provides the guests with fine-dining service at the Steakhouse. They serve the western food for the guests and the well known dish that recommended by the chef is the steak and sirloin. These are the 3 main restaurants that located in the establishment. Apart from these 3, there are other lunge and bistro such as the Senso bar where the guests can taste the variety of cocktails, the Cafà © Cino where is full with the aroma of coffee and serve the freshly baked bread. They also provide the wireless service to the guests. Lastly, the Hilton Hotel provides the guest with 7 types of room with different room rates. The room type is such as the King Deluxe Plus, King Guestroom Plus, King Hilton Guestroom, Twin Guestroom Plus, Twin Hilton Guestroom, Suites and the King Executive Suite. Every different type of room will have their own room rate and the highest rate is the King Executive Suite. The Hilton Hotel is experiencing a mixed economy in Kuching which means that the economic system that combined the private and states enterprise. Hilton Hotel does not have the full control on their establishment. The mixed economy which is experienced by the Hilton Hotel brings them the advantage and disadvantage. We will look into the details of what advantages and disadvantages has bring to the hotel in the coming pages. Executive Summary In this assignment, we have chosen Hilton Hotel, Kuching as our research and discussion. Hilton Kuching has experienced a mixed economy in Kuching. Mixed economy is an economic system that combines the private and the state enterprises. It is the common form of national economic organization, somewhere between the command economy and a market economy. The degree of government intervention is the basis of most political division in countries using this system. The objective of this assignment is to enable us to know more about the economy that experienced by the Hilton Kuching which is mixed economy. It also enables us to understand the advantages and disadvantages for Hilton Kuching to have mixed economy. Through this assignment, we will be able to understand the details of mixed economy but not the surface only. It also helps us to improve our knowledge and look into detail of the economic world. Nowadays, teenagers do not concern about the economy of particular country and with this assignment, we have the opportunities to look into the articles and the news of mixed economy. It helps us to improve our knowledge on the economic field. As a conclusion, this assignment can guide our concentration to a new environment and new field which is economic environment and this will help us a lot in our future. Advantages of Mixed Economy to Hilton Kuching Hilton Kuching is experiencing a mixed economy and this has brought them few advantages. We will look into detail on how the advantages influence the hotels operation. The first advantage of the mixed economy to Hilton Hotel is that the business can make their decision by their own is some areas. They do not need to follow exactly what the government has stated down. They have their own rights in making decision. For example, the top management of Hilton Kuching can choose to have a foreigner as their manager and in charge in the particular department. Apart from that, the food and beverage department can also import the ingredients for their food from the other country. It is such as some of the seafood that the restaurant needs to import from Japan or Korea. The second advantage is that the government has limited control which is good for the structure. Sometime, due to the regulation that has been set by the government, the public need to accept it but with the mixed economy, the operation has much more freedom in controlling and running their operation. They are able to have their own idea as long as they do not have any illegal act. At the same time, they are able to get the help from the government. The third advantage is that Hilton can get the active government support and direction in their operation while at the same time; they can have their own idea and doing what they wish to do. They can have their own plan; own mission, own vision and also their own target on how they want to achieve the target that has been set. For example, when they are having financial problem such as the problem in turnover, they can get the support and help from the government in order to help operation to overcome the problem. The fourth advantage is that all national resources are utilized under the mixed economy. This is because both public and private sectors work hard to bring out more production and this can helps a lot in the growth of economy of Hilton Hotel. The production can be in the term of promotion, which the government helps to top up their sales of room, in the term of producing food and beverage and etc. The fifth advantage for Hilton Hotel to have mixed economy is that by the using of mixed economy, the both parties are able to strengthen their relation and create a more stable condition of the operation. They help each other in growing up on the economy where as the Hilton will help to grow the economy of Kuching while the government will help to grow the economy of Hilton by helping them to earn more profit. So these are the advantages of the mixed economy bring to the Hilton Hotel, Kuching. Disadvantages of Mixed Economy to Hilton Kuching After looking into the advantages of mixed economy for Hilton Kuching, we will look into the disadvantage of mixed economy for Hilton Kuching and how it influences the operation of the Hilton Kuching. The first disadvantage of the mixed economy for Hilton Hotel, Kuching is that the government intervention in this system to protect the economy will cause the limitation of production because government is responsible for some of the production in this operation. The varieties of products tend to be limited and controlled. For example, due to Malaysia is an Islamic country, Muslim occupying most of the population in Malaysia, the Waterfront Restaurant of Hilton Kuching is required to be Halal which they serve the food without any pork. This can decrease the mobility of the business in preparing the food because without serving pork, they might loss most of their guests who like to eat pork. Pork can be served in variety ways and most of the Chinese love to eat pork. Without serving pork, the restaurant might loss most of their Chinese guests and this can cause them loss an amount of profit. The second advantage is that minor decisions from the business and consumer have to follow the governments policies. With the intervention of government, the operation has a limitation in setting their policies which is such as the example that has been given above. The hotel is required not to serve the pork in their main dining restaurant which is Waterfront Restaurant. apart from that, most of the administrative policies are also based on the governments decision such as the working hour of the staffs, the type of uniform that the staffs should wear and the design of the room. The uniform of the Waterfront Restaurant is based on the Malay costume while for the design of the room, there will be an arrow which shows the direction for the Muslims prayer. Due to this intervention, every room is requested to have the arrow on top pf the ceiling. The third disadvantage is that mixed economy tends to encourage more states monopolies, higher and higher tax and dominant the public finance, making the government the overwhelmingly large economic player as compared to the corporate or the individual entities. Sometime the operation are not in control of the taxes that the guests need to pay and for those guests who do not understand the procedures, they may feel that the charges for the tax is unnecessary and somehow the charges is too much. As we all know that, every guest who stays in the hotel room will need to pay the 5% of government tax and 10% of service tax. The fourth disadvantage is that mixed economy system often turns into the closed economies hindering the international trade and the globalization and depriving citizens from the benefits of an interdependent world economics. This might be due to some regulation of the government and in order not to disobey the regulation; the operation has to stop the particular plans. For example, Hilton Hotel is a well known hotel which they can actually have a more attractive and fashionable design, but due to the intervention of government; they have a limited idea on the design of building because they need the approval from the government. This has cause many limitation to the management of the establishment. For example, the interior design of the hotel. The design is allowed to be more fashionable and attractive but due to the intervention of the government which they might need to save cost for the materials, they will change the design to a more simple design which is acceptable for the pu blic and affordable to them. This can reduce the ambience of the whole establishment and the guest has loss their opportunities to experience a better environment which is like the western country. The fifth disadvantage is that mixed economy system has a natural tendency to move further and further away from the reliance on the competitive market. With the help of the government, the operation does not need to worry about their profit because they can get the support from the government. The government will always held their function at the hotel which provides the government staffs with the accommodation. The example of the activities is such as the workshop or some particular course to improve the skill of government staffs. It is such as the computer course which is prepared for the clerk who working with the government. Summary As a conclusion, we have discussed about the advantage and disadvantage of the mixed economy to the Hilton Hotel, Kuching and how these two elements influence the hotel. As we all know, Hilton Hotel should maintain their strength and improve their weaknesses which can be found out in the research that we have done. For the advantage, we know that the main advantage is the Hilton are able to cooperate with the government in order to improve their performance while for the disadvantage, we know that there are some limitation in running the operation. For example, the limitation of the production. Hilton Kuching should find a solution to overcome the weaknesses and also the problem that cause by the mixed economy in order to ensure their establishment can maintain their present guest and attract more guests to have a nice stay at Hilton Hotel, Kuching.

Industrialization, Economics, and the Environment Essay -- Environment

Industrialization, Economics, and the Environment Human technological advancements make it possible to sustain larger and larger population by exploiting more and more natural resources. The three revolutions in human history, agricultural, industrial and green have all been answers to overpopulation. Naturally, industrialization leads to environmental degradation. The concern with Industrialization is that it is not a long term solution to human sustainability, since it operates under the premise of the tech fix, or the idea that humans will be able to invent new technologies to ensure their own survival. These solutions, while economically advantageous, do not consider the long term impacts of this continual and escalating intensification or resource use and extraction; indeed they suppose an exhaustibility of possibilities. However, the role human nature plays in determining these attitudes and actions which support this system is not insignificant, and is the key which will decide how the future plays out. What is industrialization? Dicitonary.com defines industrialism as, "An economic and social system based on the development of large-scale industries and marked by the production of large quantities of inexpensive manufactured goods and the concentration of employment in urban factories". This definition ignores the environmental aspect of industrialism; industrialization pushes the threshold of earth's resource availability. Such demanding management of the natural world is justified in the name of prioritizing immediate human needs over long term sustainability. However, the main environmental impacts of industrialization are those caused by consumption and population growth, which are both culturally malleabl... ...t" (Ridley and Low). The future of the earth and human existence rests on the shoulders of our policy makers in government. Works Consulted: Cipolla, C. M. (1996). Epilog from â€Å"Guns, Sails, and Empires: Technological Innovation and the Early Phases of European Expansion, 1400-1700.† Sunflower Univ. Press. Dolan, Edwin G., Ch. 5 from "TANSTAAFL: The Economic Strategy for Environmental Crisis" 1974, pp. 55-72. Southwick, Charles H., Ch. 15 from "Global Ecology in Human Perspective" Oxford Univ. Press, 1996, pp. 159-182. Trent, is my citation for an essay entitled "Sogoff on Environnemental Values I" which was posted on a website for an environmental science class at Trent University. http://www.trentu.ca/ers/erst310.shtml Ridley and Low. "Can Selfishness Save the Environment?" in The Atlantic Monthly; September 1993; Volume 272, No. 3; pages 76-86.

GlaxoSmithKline and the China Bribery Scandal Essay -- GSK Bribery in

Multinational corporations (MNCs) are investing and operating in many foreign markets around the world. With this globalization, it is becoming increasingly important for managers at all levels to become proficient in cross-cultural management. This paper will explore the challenges encountered by a British expatriate managing the Chinese business unit for a British pharmaceutical MNC. An assessment of the national cultural differences using Hofstede’s research on work-related values differences will be explored. The data will be analyzed to determine if these differences had an impact on the organizations ability to successfully manage cross-culturally. GlaxoSmithKline, Plc (GSK) is the largest British pharmaceutical company with a presence in more than 100 countries around the world. In July 2013, the Economic Crimes Investigations Unit of the China Public Security Ministry in Beijing accused GSK of bribing government officials and doctors to prescribe higher costing branded drugs to treat their patients. GSK reportedly offered approximately $489 million in illegitimate travel packages, meeting expenses, entertainment and cash over six years to these doctors and officials (Sukhija). Often, the incentives were funneled through travel agencies, who would send doctors on international trips and provide them with luxuries while at other times payments were simply made in cash. GSK released a statement explaining that the allegations made against the senior executives of the company are ‘shameful'. †We are deeply concerned and disappointed by these serious allegations of fraudulent behavior and ethical misconduct by certain individuals at the company and third-party agencies. Such behavior would be a clear breach of GSK'... ...013. El-emergente.com. Web. 20 May 2014. Okoro, Ephraim. "International Organizations and Operations: An Analysis of Cross-Cultural Communication Effectiveness and Management Orientation." Journal of Business & Management (2013): 1-13. Document. Philippidis, Alex. "China's Challenges Stretch Beyond the GSK Scandal." 01 August 2013. Genengnews.com. Web. 19 May 2014. Reilly, Mark. "Mark Reilly, China - GlaxoSmithKline." 10 December 2009. gsk.com. PDF file. 19 May 2014. Shobert, Benjamin. "Three Ways to Understand GSK's China Scandal." 04 September 2013. Forbes.com. Web. 18 May 2014. Sukhija , Sheetal . "GSK China scandal: What have been the highlights?" 31 July 2013. BioSpectrum Asia Web site. Web. 2014 May 16. Voreacos, David. "China's Bribery Culture Poses Risks for Multinationals." 21 November 2013. Bloomberg.com. Web. 19 May 2014.

The Scarlet Letter Essay -- Literary Analysis

At first glance, one may be deceived into thinking that these two works have nothing in common, as one focuses on chocolate and the other on an ambiguous letter. However, Lasse Hallstrom’s Chocolat and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter both tell intriguing stories of women with mysterious pasts, who have disruptive influences on the societies they settle in. Although there are quite a few plot similarities between the two works, one can see much stronger comparisons when describing the townspeople’s mindsets, major themes, and character traits of the protagonists. Interestingly, The Scarlet Letter takes place in a quaint town outside of Boston, called Cornhill; Chocolat is set in an equally pleasant French village. The link between government and religion is extremely strong; the two institutions are deeply intertwined, with each controlling the other. The townspeople pride themselves on their ability to follow tradition. It seems that there is very little room for change from the ancient ways. The people’s dedication to religion, through rituals like Sunday Mass and the observance of Lent in Chocolat, illustrate the role religion plays in maintaining order within the town. Those who do not attend church are automatically cast as outsiders who wish to corrupt the values of the unassuming townspeople. The villagers seek tranquility and focus on obeying rules, anything beyond these simple goals is considered strange. Conformity in appearance, as well as thought, is a unifying feature among the people. In Puritan society, it is essential t hat women and men dress in the most modest fashion. In the French village, women should wear unobtrusive black shoes. People who do not live life according to the towns’ rules are viewed n... ...dren. Vianne and Hester are both exceedingly capable women, able to enact changes in entire communities; their strength is inspirational. In final analysis, there are many distinct parallels between Hallstrom’s Chocolat and Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. The towns where the stories occur are quite similar in the perspectives offered by the citizens. Hypocrisy is a major theme in the film and the novel, indirectly preciptating the actions of several important characters. There are numerous character traits which are apparent in both Hester Prynne and Vianne Rocher. Although these similarities manifest themselves differently in each character, they make the protagonists exciting, nonetheless. Chocolat and The Scarlet Letter are engaging tales of love and provincial thinking ; after enjoying one work, readers or viewers should surely proceed on to the next one.

Bhopal Gas Leak and BP Oil Spill

Bhopal and BP. They are two names that would ring a bell with anyone who is familiar with industrial disasters. Bhopal is a city in India where an industrial disaster in 1984 killed thousands people and maimed hundreds of thousands. BP (British Petroleum, BP Plc. ,), on the other hand is the name of a petroleum company (an energy industry super major) that appeared in international headlines recently for causing the worst marine oil spill in history.The number of casualties associated with BP oil spill is rather negligible but damage the spill caused on environment and economy of some American states were immense and it is ranked amongst major industrial disasters. In both these disasters it was the corporate houses that were in the wrong. Union Carbide (UCC), the company that ran the pesticide plant in Bhopal, neglected the safety measures required while handling toxic materials and in the BP oils spill it is the negligence of British Petroleum that led to the accident on the oil ri g â€Å"Deepwater Horizon† that ended up in the oil spill, which the company couldn’t stop for weeks.Though separated in time by decades and space by thousands of miles, both these disasters are connected in many respects. Curiously enough the final court verdict on the corporate culprits of Bhopal disaster came at a time when BP was busy capping the oil leak thousands of meters beneath the sea. In 1984 when the methyl isocyanate gas leak killed thousands in Bhopal the first thing Union Carbide management did was to put the blame on somebody else. In those years when Sikh militancy and terrorism were high in India UCC said the accident was the result of terrorist activity (nobody paid any attention to it).This year when the oil spill began in the Gulf of Mexico the first thing BP too tried to do was to put the blame on others –on Transocean Ltd (the company which owned the oil rig) and Halliburton, the company which manufactured the blow out presenter valve on t he oil well. The media mocked this and BP dropped the strategy. In the Bhopal the US based corporation then argued that it should not be held legally responsible because the Indian subsidiary was a separate legal person with very minimal ties with US. At the time of the accident the UCC-based in New York City – owned 50. 9% of the UCC India Ltd. , 22% owned by govt.of India and the rest by Indian citizens. The US court hearing the plea against UCC accepted the company’s contention and dismissed India’s pleas for justice. Later on humanitarian ground the company agreed to pay $470 million as compensation to victims of gas tragedy. In that pre-globalization period, India as a developing country had practically no clout over the US multinational company and finally it had to satisfy itself with prosecuting the Indian man agent of UCC India Ltd. In the case of BP oil spill too it was an instance of a company registered in one country creating problems in another cou ntry.In the initial stage BP management tried to portray the liability issues as US action against British industry and ward of penal actions. In the case of BP oil spill, along with the news of gushing crude spreading all over the Gulf of Mexico, talks about pinning the corporate responsibility on BP also appeared in the headlines. There was intense pressure on president Osama’s administration to act tough on BP and it made BP to pay up $20 billion for the clean up operation. In the BP oil spill case the corporation had to bow before the government. It was a company from a weaker country against a global super power; US finally had its way.The chief executive of BP had to own up responsibility for the fiasco and step down. 1 Pearce, Frank, Tombs, Steve (1990), ‘Ideology, Hegemony, And Empiricism: Compliance Theories of Regulation’, The British Journal of Criminology 30:423-443 2 Murru ,Maurizio (2004), ‘Bhopal 20 Years On: Globalization And Corporate Respo nsibility’, Health Policy And Development 250 volume 2 number 3 December 3 Amnesty International, 2004, Clouds of injustice, Bhopal disaster 20 years on, London 4 Broughton, Edward (2005), ‘The Bhopal disaster and its aftermath: a review’, Environmental Health: A Global Access Science Source, 4:6

Groupon Analysis

1. Research process As the secondary data on evaluation of customers in Vietnam with regard to groupon are not available, the method to be used in this study is almost research employing a combination of qualitative and quantitive approaches. Problems de? nition Quantitive research Research design Qualitative research Questionnaire online survey Sampling Fieldwork Data analysis Managerial implications Figure : the stages of customers evaluation research Normally the starting point of any research process is the research problem and research objectives.The next stage is to design plans of getting information of both quantitive and qualitative ? gures. Then the the objectives transform in to questionnaire. In the survey both quantitive and qualitative questions are used. Multiple choices with scale measure is used on the other hand question with open answers are use to identify the quantitive problems. Information to be obtained should be determined prior to the building of questionnai re. Table 1 shows how information is to be collected. Each variable have 5 question to determine. Variables Reliability! Who to ask Customer!What to get How is the customer valuation of groupon companies’s reliability ! How is the customer valuation of groupon companies’s responsibility!! How is the customer valuation of groupon companies’s assurance! How is the customer valuation of groupon companies’s empathy! ! How is the customer valuation of groupon companies’s tangibles! Responsibility Customer Assurance Customer Empathy! Customer! Tangibles Customer! The next step after questionnaires were designed and sampled, ? eldwork was executed that involved the completion and return of questionnaire. Data analysis can start after the returned questionnaire were checked.Finally, the research process ends with the most important part that is the managerial implications. 2. Quantitative study The purpose of the quantitative study is to identify the relat ionship between 5 factors reliability, responsibility, assurance, empathy and tangibles and the quality of groupon companies’s services. The details about sampling, data collection and data analysis methods are described in the next part. a. Sampling †¢ Sample size: a sample of 390 people was drawn from residents living or working in some districts in Hanoi and some part of districts 1 Ho Chi Minh city. 90 people answered some question to classify in 3 groups which are the people have used groupon service, the people never use groupon service but they know about it and the people never use groupon and do not know anything about it. As expected, 50 percents of people who were asked to do survey are student because large number of people who use groupon to buy product and services is low income people; 30 percents of that is white collar worker the reason is that they have to work with computer and internet in plenty hours in a day and they want to buy product with low cos t lso and the last group of people the survey focusing on is housewives which is have 20 percents in total sample. Sample should include both women and men, belonging to 5 groups of age (from 18 years old to over 55 years old). †¢ Selection criteria: the selection criteria for those participating in the study were age (between 18 and over 55 years old), income ( at least more than 1 million Vietnam dong per month), ability to use computer and the internet ( because almost all groupon companies are working base on internet environment).In addition, respondents should not be acquaintances of each other because they can share the same attitude about some services and companies. b. Data collection The questionnaire consists of 25 questions to determine 25 items which belong to 5 factors. These factors were developed from the study model Serqual . The Likert ? ve-point scale was used for those items that aimed to measure consumer’s evaluation and felling. †¢ Factors 1: r eliability have 5 questions which were designed to explore customer’s belief †¢ Factors 2: responsibility was aimed to ? d out the felling of customers about responsibility of the companies whether they can respond the requirement of customer immediately or with some delays. This factor was determined by 5 questions †¢ Factor 3: Assurance is the factor which have 5 question to measure the security of the companies’s service. †¢ Factor 4: empathy use 5 question to explore if the staff of companies try to help and understand customer or not. †¢ Factor 5: tangible have 5 question to determine like the last 4 factor. Those question use to evaluate the appearance of the companies such as the website, voucher or uniforms of staffs.Every question uses multiple choices with ? ve-point scale from 1-5 which mean terrible, poor, average, very good and excellent. The questionnaire was translate into Vietnamese and pre-test on 5 respondents to ensure the correct understanding and the ease of answering. Pretest results were satis? ed. The questionnaire were distributed to 730 persons in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city via online survey which is designed by Google and send by email, direct message and social networking(Facebook, Twitter). (Appendix Phu luc bang hoi )Of 730 person sent survey 390 returned result, of which 163 were usable (163 respondents use groupon as the media to shopping). The valid questionnaire must (1) not having more than ? ve missing values; (2) not selecting all â€Å"1† or all â€Å"5† for all questions. The distribution of questionnaires and the collections of returned ones were carried out from 8th October to 20th October 2012. c. Data analysis Answers from the respondents were reviewed for completion and usefulness. Accepted questionnaire were coded and the raw data input in the SPSS package version 20 for Mac.The reliability of measurement scales was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha value. A scal e is reliable if the alpha is higher than 0. 6. Descriptive analysis is used to describe the variables in term of frequency. Due to the small size sample, subgroup analysis is not meaningful. Analysis variance (ANOVA) or cross tabulation results therefore were not used. The lis of codi? ed variables is shown in Appendix phu luc cac bien Factor analysis was used to reduce the number of variables and to identify the underlying common dimensions.Factor scores were then analyzed using multiple regressions, through linear relationships between a dependent variable and various independent variables (predictors) were determined. 3. Results 3. 1 Sample pro? le Groupon-buying discount products or services online are consumed by a large number of population due to the development of the internet past 10 years. Sample includes 46 men and 117 women, aged from 18 to over 18 years old with the majority being the age group of 18-24 years old. Of 162 respondents 20. 2% using groupon for their work, 64. 4% using for their personal purpose and 15. % using groupon to buy products and services for both purposes which are personal and work. More than 60% of people who are asked have a low income which is less than 5 million Vietnam dong per month, it can be reasonable when most of groupon customer have a low income and it may explain that price is very importance when they decide to buy somethine. And a large number of the respondents are student which are a young generation. They can easily using internet and modern way of shopping. Figure : Gender distribution Figure : Purpose distribution 15% 28% 20% 72% 64% Man Women Personal WorkPersonal and work Figure : Age distribution Figure : Monthly income 1% 7% 13% 16% 11% 12% 79% 9million 5-9 million other 61% 18-24 25-29 30-40 40-50 Figure : Job distribution 150 100 50 0 Student New employee Employee Housewife Other Table show the demographic characteristics of the sample with regards to gender, age, income, job and voucher’s value. Table : Summary samples’s characteristic Percentage (n=162) Female Gender Male 18-24 25-29 Age 30-40 40-50 less than 5 million 5-9 million Monthly income more than 9 million other Student New employee Jobs Employee Housewife Other 1. 500. 000 11% 16% 69. % 12. 3% 15. 3% 1. 8% 0. 6% 17. 8% 69. 9% 9. 2% 1. 8% 1. 2% 7% 1% 61% 12% 28% 79% 13% 72% 3. 2 Descriptive analysis In the study, ? ve factors were used to measure customer evaluation and felling. For the statistical purpose all variables were described in term of frequencies (percentage) and average values (means). Finding related to customer’s evaluation and felling are summarized in tables. a. ! How customers trust groupon companies services in Vietnam, those thing can show up by some factors such as the quality of products what companies guaranteed and the punctuation of delivery. Consequently, the result will show how customer believe in companies and their goods. Groupon companies always sale all product w ith a very cheap price so this factor explore how is the customer’s belief. Table : Customer’s belief in groupon companies Percentage (n=163) Terrible/ poor 2. The customer’s belief in discount price 3. The customer’s thinking of products and services qualities 4. Delivery’s punctuation 5. Customer care staffs’s knowledge 6. Customer care staffs’s respond 22. 6% 21. 5% 17. 8% 19. 6% 22. 7% Very good/ excellent 30. 7% 31. 3% 55. % 42. 9% 34. 7% Average value (means) 3. 08 3. 10 3. 53 3. 29 3. 21 As can be seen that customer belief indicator is more than 3 but still below than 4. The respondents accepted and trust those companies. b. How customers evaluate the responsibility of Vietnamese groupon companies: Online shopping is very different from traditional shopping because clients can pay money and have goods or services immediately so that responsibility is a very important factor to rate ? rms’s qualities. It can be seen that customer evaluate ? rm’s after sale service is poor .It is probably due to many groupon companies in Vietnam think that responsibility which is taking care customers after they had bought products and service belong to suppliers, they only have to sale goods. It may lead to 47,9% of respondent thinks ? rm’s responsibilities are terrible and poor. Table : Response to companies’s responsibility Percentage (n=163) Terrible/ poor 7. Staffs's enthusiasm 8. Companies solve your problems actively 9. Hotline for customer care 10. Recheck customer’s information to ensure fast and correct delivery 11. After sales services 16. 6% 26. % 31. 3% 23. 9% 47. 9% Very good/ excellent 40. 5% 27. 6% 33. 8% 44. 1% 19. 6% Average value (means) 3. 28 3. 08 3. 06 3. 29 2. 60 From the table it can be concluded that ? rm’s responsibility is acceptable but they some aspects are poor for instance hotline and after sales services. c. How customer rate companies’s assura nce: Not as tradition transactions, online shopping should have a more secure transaction. Most of payments for groupon company are electronic payment which have many potential risk. As the result keep customers’s personal and payment data is very essential.Vietnamese people do not care much about security but in the modern life but when credit card, online wallet etc†¦ are becoming more popular everyday it has to be a factor to evaluate service qualities Table : Customer evaluation of transaction assurance Percentage (n=163) Terrible/ poor 12. Trading process is quick and exactly 13. Privacy of transaction 14. Company always keep clients's data safe 15. Contrasts are sensible and clear 16. Reputation of companies 22. 1% 10. 4% 17. 2% 11. 7% 14. 7% Very good/ excellent 44. 1% 56. 4% 52. 5% 55. 2% 40. 5% Average value (means) 3. 33 3. 9 3. 54 3. 60 3. 29 Every items belonging to assurance factor are shown on the table. It is believed that respondents rate this factor pret ty good. d. How companies and their staff empathize customers: This factor was designed to uncover customer’s felling about companies’s empathy. There is an idiom that â€Å"customers are always right† so that communication between sellers and their customers is very importance . Those 5 questions explore how respondent think about staff attitude and empathy. Table : Customers’s evaluation of companies’s empathy Percentage (n=163) Terrible/ poor 17.Staffs’s behavior and attitude 18. Companies's staff pay attention of customers's private requirement 19. Customer always feel convenient and satisfied of services 20. Company makes improvement after client’s complain 21. Clients don’t have to wait for a long time to user service 14. 1% 27. 6% 21. 5% 31. 3% 21. 5% Very good/ excellent 46. 7% 35. 6% 33. 1% 20. 9% 41. 1% Average value (means) 3. 37 3. 09 3. 14 2. 88 3. 31 The table show that customer’s evaluative criteria is une ven, some items have a high value some is quite low.Respondents evaluate that improvements of company after their complain are poor, 31. 3% think that it terrible and poor. e. How is the tangibles of companies: Although almost all groupon companies do not impress their customer by a fancy shop or building but there are some aspects to evaluate their tangibles such as their vouchers and websites whether they are beautiful or ease of recognizing. Respondents think that about these 2 things groupon companies do well and they probably appreciate that. However there is a aspect having a low evaluation by respondents which is staffs’s uniform.It can be a result of companies category which is online company because of that they do not think staff’s uniform is the serious problem. Table : Customers’s evaluation of companies’s Tangibles Percentage (n=163) Terrible/ poor 22. Transaction place 23. Vouchers design 24. Website designed 25. Staff uniform 26. Transporte rs have transportations to deliver products to clients quickly and safe. 19% 11. 6% 8. 6% 33. 2% 16. 6% Very good/ excellent 45. 4% 59. 5% 64. 4% 24% 46. 6% Average value (means) 3. 42 3. 66 3. 74 2. 85 3. 41 4. 3 Factors in? encing groupon services quality a. Evaluation of the measuring scales In the reliability analysis, items that have total-item correlation smaller than 0. 6 were removed from the scales but in this sample there is no variable was eliminated. All items were tested for reliability. The resulting Cronbach alpha of each scale is presented in Table . Table : Alpha values Codi? ed variables Reli1-Reli5 Res1-Res5 Assu1-Assu5 Emp1-Emp5 Tan1-Tan5 Number of items 5 5 5 5 5 Alpha value 0. 804 0. 831 0. 863 0. 826 0. 856 Measurement Scale Reliability!Responsibility Assurance Empathy! Tangibles b. Factor analysis Twenty four variables were submitted for factor analysis. The extraction method used was Principal Axis Factoring, accepting all Eigen values which are higher than 1. The rotation method was Oblimin with Kaiser Normalization; rotation was coverged in 9 iteration. The factor analysis resulted in e Component 1 Tan1 Tan2 Emp5 Tan5 Tan3 Tan4 Assu3 Assu2 Assu4 Emp1 Assu5 Emp4 Res5 Res3 Emp3 Emp2 Res4 Reli5 Res1 Reli4 Res2 Reli2 Reli1 Reli3 Assu1 Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis.Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. a. Rotation converged in 9 iterations. 2 0. 767 0. 760 0. 742 0. 714 0. 699 0. 561 0. 803 0. 771 0. 732 0. 552 0. 542 3 4 5 0. 521 0. 708 0. 609 0. 580 0. 550 0. 502 0. 524 0. 772 0. 754 0. 723 0. 564 0. 784 0. 746 0. 549 Eigen values and variance of each factor are indicated in Appendix Ph? l? c Eigen. The factor correlation matrix (Appendix Ph? l? c ma tr? n tuong quan) illustrates that the correlation between factors is insignificant (correlation coefficient are smaller than 0. ). This is an underlying assumption required for multiple regression. For those variables that load on two factors, the higher loa d on two factors, the factor with higher value is selected. However if loading difference is not significant (that is not more than 0. 3) the variable will not be used for multiple regression (Tan4 and Emp2). Table Nr :Factor nomination Factor name Transaction place Vouchers design Clients don’t have to wait for a long time to user service 1 Tangibles Having transportations to deliver quickly and safe.Website designed Staff uniform Company always keep clients's data safe Privacy of transaction 2 Assurance Contrasts are sensible and clear Staffs’s behavior and attitude Reputation of companies Company makes improvement after client’s complain After sales services 3 Responsibility Hotline for customer care Customer’s convenience and satisfaction of services Attention of customers's private requirement Customer care staffs’s respond Staffs's enthusiasm 4 Staff quality Customer care staffs’s knowledge Companies solve your problems actively Factor componentNr Factor name Factor component The customer’s thinking of products and services qualities 5 Reliability The customer’s belief in discount price Delivery’s punctuation The above 5 factors were considered independent variables in the multiple regression model and the dependent variable was â€Å"Quality of groupon service†. Multiple regression results are presented in the next section. c.Multiple regression Multiple regression is use to identify the relationship between the dependent variable and many independents variables. The multiple regression model has the following form: Y= ? + ? 1X1 + ? 2X2 + ? 3X3 + ? 4X4 +†¦.. + ? nXn The relationship between the dependent variable â€Å"Quality of groupon service† and the factors identified through the above factor analysis is determined using multiple regression. Table shows the variance of this analysis. Tab