BTEC BUSINESS LEVEL 2 UNIT 11 P1-P5 Essay

Businesses that are well known for providing superb customer service have several characteristics in common: they understand what customer service really means they understand their customers and aim to fulfil their needs in every way every single person in the organisation wants to achieve this aim. Customer service is the customer’s complete experience, from the second they enter a business or view a website, to the after-sales service, such as spare parts or repairs. Superb customer service means providing services that customers did not even know they wanted, but are delighted to find are provided. Identifying Customer Needs Effective customer service involves satisfying customer needs, so the first step is to find out what these are. All customers contact a business because they want something. Businesses use several methods to identify the needs of their customers quickly. E.g. restaurants, supermarkets, Argos, Thomas Cook how do you think Chelsea FC identify the needs of their customers? Common customer needs: Make a purchase Order a product or service Obtain information Ask for advice Enquire about an order Change an order Report a problem Ask for assistance or help Return or exchange goods Complain Presentation Skills What do other people see when you approach them? Someone who looks smart and professional, or someone who looks like they fell out of bed 10 minutes ago? Presentation skills have nothing to do with good looks, but everything to do with a welcoming smile, appropriate clothes and a smart appearance. Personal presentation  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ uniforms, guides on hairstyles, jewellery, discrimination Body language  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ posture, facial expressions, gestures working environment  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ tidy work area, cooperation and politeness towards staff Interpersonal Skills These relate to your attitude and behaviour towards other people. Attitude –  Be positive, leave problems behind Behaviour –  Courteous, respectful, honesty, thoughtful First impressions and greetings –  Nice reception areas, formal and polite greetings Interpersonal skills –  Listening carefully, note taking, asking questions,  positive  responses, courtesy, concern, confidence, interest, thoughtfulness, respect, tact, efficiency Responding to customer behaviour –  Watch customer body language, listen for their mood, choose words and timing carefully, see the whole picture Communication Skills You need to speak to your customers and how you do this is important. You must take into consideration: Tone of voice – The way in which you say something, expressing yourself when you speak Pitch – The sound that you make when you speak, high/low, loud/quiet Language – Use appropriate language, avoid slang and jargon Pace – The speed at which you speak, speak slowly and clearly Listening skills – Active listening (concentrating on the speaker, notice their feelings), Reflective listening (restating what you hear at points during the conversation to check your understanding) Scope of job role – Staff should know what they can and cannot do as part of their job and the type of issues they must refer to a supervisor. This should not stop them using their own initiative to resolve a straightforward problem quickly, providing they do not make arrangements or promises that are outside their authority Knowledge of Products/ Services – You can only give customers accurate information and advise them about the best options to suit their needs if you have a good knowledge of the products and/ or services available. Because you cannot always memorise these, you also need to know where to find the information, such as in a catalogue, brochure or database. Type and Quality of products/services Businesses monitor and evaluate  their  customer service so that they can remedy problems and introduce improvements. This can be done in various ways. The methods used usually depend upon the size and type of business. Informal customer feedback  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ easy and cheap; an example is a waiter asking you how your meal is when you are eating Customer questionnaires/comment cards  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ issued by many businesses e.g restaurants; these give the business an idea of how effective their customer service is.  Question) – What do you think a disadvantage of this form of monitoring might be? Staff feedback  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  this is invaluable, and not just because it is free; many staff receive or overhear customer comments, both positive and negative. In addition, if staffs are unhappy and leave to work elsewhere, it is sensible to find out why. Mystery customers  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ employed to visit stores to assess staff. They may also check competitor’s stores to compare service levels.  (Question) – What things do you think a mystery shopper will be looking out for? Complaints and compliment letters  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ encouraged by many organisations as a form of feedback; If several simi lar complaints are received, there is  obviously  a problem that needs immediate attention. This is why organisations record the complaints they receive and then check to see if there are any common factors.

Internet Detective

Internet Detective Topic: How internet detective can help college students to produce good assignment? Internet detective refers to an internet research skill which is needed by most of the college students to produce a good assignment. In this new era, when the internet becomes a powerful research tool, students have to filter the sources of information while doing a research for their coursework and assignment. Usually, a high-graded thesis is supported by appropriate and creditable evidence or data from internet.Therefore, internet detective is a useful skill that helps students evaluating the quality of sources. First of all, students have to make sure lecturer accepts the source of information obtained from internet research. To identify a reliable source, its authority and accuracy are both the important criterion to be checked. For a reliable website, its author and content must be verified by qualified authority. In addition to that, the texts or articles have to be scanned t hrough to ensure that the information is adequate and error-free.Some websites which are not accepted for academic research and citation are, Wikipedia and Encyclopedia. These websites are banned because no fact-checking process is taken on it. Sometimes, there is hidden or invisible purpose of the website. The message it disseminates may advocate biased opinions or hoaxes. For example, a hate site, which its malicious content is advocating hatred on somebody, something or some issues, will lead the reader to subjective thinking, instead of rational thinking.Thus, students have to make sure the information stated free of advertising and biases to ensure the quality of their coursework. There is countless information on the internet. In order to avoid disorganized data from internet, it is important to locate sources, evaluate and synthesize information that is needed for the coursework. First of all, students have to approach the content on a certain website and then make judgment i f it is the evidence that they are looking for. The coverage and urrency of the information have to be checked to prevent out-date data. After that, the data should be weighed up and arranged according their priority and suitability for the research topic. In a nutshell, internet detective helps students a lot on producing good assignment. It increases the awareness of students about plagiarism and copyright, so that they aware for this issue while making any quotation or citation. A critical evaluation of sources will also make the data more persuasive and leave a good impression for the lecturer.It is a skill that students should develop in order to perform well and gain good grade in their coursework and assignments. Word Count: 419 words Reference Beck, S 1997, Why it’s a Good Idea to Evaluate Web Sources, retrieved on 6th Feb, from http://lib. nmsu. edu/instruction/eval. html Place, E. , Kendall, M. , Hiom, D. , Booth, H. , Ayres, P. , Manuel, A. , Smith, P 2006, Interne t Detective: Wise up to the Web, 3rd edition, Intute Virtual Training Suite, retrieved on 6th Feb, from http://www. vts. intute. ac. uk/detective/

Can literature “tell the truth” better than other Arts or Areas of Knowledge? Essay Essay

Even as children, people are on a never-ending quest for â€Å"the truth.† Anyone who has witnessed a toddler incessantly ask his mother â€Å"Why?† can attest to that. Writers, artists, and scientists all have methods of finding â€Å"truth† and telling it to others. While the standards for what truth can be vary between Areas of Knowledge, no Area of Knowledge is significantly more capable of telling the â€Å"truth† than another. Since each area is strictly a human enterprise, they all face difficulties created by human nature, which makes them all equally capable (or incapable) of telling the truth. Before the effectiveness of different Areas of Knowledge in conveying truth can be evaluated, however, it is necessary to define truth, or rather, to clarify its nature. Typically, people rely on their senses, observations, and information taken from sources they believe to be reputable to learn of the truth. History has shown repeatedly, though, that â€Å"common sense,† authority, and consensus gentium are not always the most reliable methods of obtaining truth. For instance, from the 2nd century until the l6th century, people believed in the Ptolemaic system with the Earth as the center of the universe and all of the planets and stars revolving around it. The idea also corresponded well with people’s personal observations of the Earth as stable and the stars and planets as moving and was even supported by the Catholic Church. Today, however, we know (or at least, we think we know), that the Ptolemaic system is incorrect and that the Earth and other planets in our solar system revolve around the sun. What people thought to be true back then because of â€Å"obvious† reasons turned out to be false after all. Can there ever be an absolute truth then? And if there is, is there any way for man to know it and to be certain that he knows? For the foreseeable future, or for possibly all eternity, I believe that absolute truth, if it exists, is beyond our grasp. After all, humans have too many limitations, such as senses that can be deceived. There is no way for humans to know with absolute certainty that what they believe is true, even if it is true. There  always exists the possibility that what we believe to be the truth is not actually the truth. Furthermore, beliefs, experience, and other factors cause different people to have different truths. A psychotic thinks his delusions are true, but sane people tend to believe otherwise. Outside the realm of philosophy, however, this concept of a lack of an absolute truth becomes impractical and cumbersome. As C.S. Peirce said, â€Å"Let us not pretend to doubt in philosophy what we do not doubt in our hearts.† Thus, when addressing the ability of literature, other Arts, and other Areas of Knowledge in conveying truth, truth must be thought of in a different, pragmatic way. The standards set for truth can change, though, across Areas of Knowledge. In literature (in reference to novels, poetry, and other writings aside from scientific and historical nonfiction literature), the author tries to convey his own truth. That is, the message or the â€Å"truth† of the work is tied inexorably to what the author believes to be the truth, and thus is subject to all the factors that have influenced the author. Many great works of literature illustrate this idea, such as â€Å"Master Harold†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦and the Boys. If Athol Fugard had had a different life where he had not acted wrongly towards his childhood friend and felt guilty for the racist act afterwards, his masterpiece would have had a decidedly different view on the â€Å"truth† of racism. The same idea holds true for authors within the magic realism genre of literature, such as Gabriel Garcia Mà ¡rquez and Isabel Allende. In their culture, events such as people levitating in the air are considered perfectly natural. What others outside of their culture think of as figments of their imaginations, they think of as reality and as the truth. As such, truth in literature varies from one author to another. Truth also varies in this way in other Arts. An artist, like a writer, tries to convey his insights about the world. No matter how he does it, it is he who decides what the truth of his work is. As a result, other arts are like literature in that everything affecting the artist affects the â€Å"truth† of the work. The question then is whether literature or other arts are better at conveying what the creator believes to be true. Both face the same problem here in that they are open for interpretation by the audience. Thus, the viewer or listener’s background, beliefs, and other variables play into how well the artist’s â€Å"truth† can be told. Two different people can read the same novel or look at the same painting and uncover different truths. For  instance, the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ends with the line, â€Å"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.† An optimistic reader may gather from this line and the rest of the novel that Fitzgerald is emphasizing the â€Å"truth† that perseverance in the face of difficulties may be difficult but is necessary, while a more pessimistic reader may think Fitzgerald is revealing that some of humanities’ efforts are just futile and worthless. Some may even say that other arts face even more difficult problems in this respect because the artist does not write down his/her message, but must instead convey it indirectly by invoking feelings. This â€Å"problem† with other arts, however, is actually dependent upon the audience. For instance, a concerto is much more likely to be able to â€Å"tell the truth† to a child with a limited vocabulary than a Charles Dickens’ novel is. It may be countered, though, that other arts have an advantage over literature in that they need not be translated for various cultures. It is difficult to translate and capture the essence of a literary masterpiece (especially with poetry) because words have connotations that may not translate into other languages. In some cases, the word does not even exist in another language. For instance, the Portuguese word saudade has no equivalent in English because no English word carries the same amount of emotion. Other Arts, however, actually do face this same intercultural challenge because symbols or sounds vary in meaning from one culture to another. The color red symbolizes good luck to the Chinese and permeates their artwork. In some parts of Africa, however, red is strictly a religious symbol that cannot even be worn on clothing. As such, a piece of art that uses the color red heavily and whose message is not clearly evident may be interpreted in different ways. Therefore, both literature and other Arts face the same problems when it comes to the audience and their interpretations. That is not to say, however, that neither literature nor other Arts have a great influence on the masses; often times, it is exactly the opposite. It is highly unlikely, though, that literature and other arts are always able to successfully â€Å"tell the truth,† or in this case, what the writer or artist believes is the truth, to everyone. The natural sciences, however, differ from literature and other arts when it comes to the truth. The â€Å"truth† in science cannot be taken as the scientist’s individual truth, as it can be with the author or poet or artist, but must rather fit set  standards. The scientist’s biases and prejudices must be taken into account and other scientists have to critically evaluate the evidence before any research can be considered to be â€Å"true.† Science faces a problem with truth, however, when it comes to interpreting data. Scientists are able to legitimately ignore some variables in their studies, such as whether or not the participants in a study of how effective a new treatment for cancer is have blue or brown eyes. Other variables are simply beyond their control though, and may affect the outcome of the study, like the diets of the aforementioned participants. These variables affect not only the research, but also whether or not people believe the results. Some may see the inability to control the patients’ diets as a reason to invalidate some conclusions. Furthermore, different people can interpret the same data and come to two conflicting conclusions. There are people who look at the same environmental data as others and still surmise there is no such thing as global warming. Since science is unable to successfully tell everyone the same â€Å"truth,† just like the Arts, it must thus progress in the direction believed to be the most truthful. Some people may argue, however, that the Arts are still better at revealing the truth than the sciences because people must have specific scientific knowledge to obtain truth in the sciences. The Arts, however, also require work and knowledge on the audience’s part. The audience must read between the lines and make inferences, since the writer or artist rarely explicitly states what â€Å"the truth† is. While literature, other Arts, and the sciences have different standards for what can be considered to be the truth, none is more effective than the other at telling the truth. Each must face problems inherent in human nature in conveying their messages and none of these problems can easily be addressed. Nevertheless, none of these Areas of Knowledge should be discarded as methods for communicating truth. Instead, people must individually and collectively evaluate every work or study on its own merits to attain a better grasp of â€Å"the truth.† Bibliography Farrell, Patrick. (2004). Portuguese Saudade and Other Emotions of Absence and Longing. Semantic Primes and Universal Grammar. Empirical Findings from the Romance Languages, ed. by Bert Peeters, Amsterdam and Philadelphia. Fitzgerald, F.S. (1925). The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster. Magee, B. (1998). The Story of Philosophy. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley Publishing, Inc. Peirce, C.S. (1868). Some Consequences of Four Incapacities. Journal of Speculative Philosophy, 2, 140-157.

Adverse Effect of Smoking Habit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Adverse Effect of Smoking Habit - Essay Example This is the most lethal smoking-related effects, it does this by creating a build-up of poisonous particles thus resulting to irritation and poisoning of the lungs clearing system, as a result, it leads to difficulties in breathing. It is approximated that, 12to 13 victims are likely to succumb to the effects of smoking in relation to the respiratory aspect. This is due to the permanent damage that nicotine impacts on the tracheal system of an individual. Smoking can also lead to several types of cancer, this includes; cervix, liver, trachea, bronchus, larynx and lung cancer. Cancer is the world deadliest disease after HIV disease. Smoking triggers cell receptors to develop abnormal growths in such organs continued smoking habit leads to permanent development of this growth which then spread to other parts of the body. This affects the victim fully thus leading to death. In the USA, one of every three cancer deaths is caused by the effects of smoking. This is due to the continued and excessive practice of smoking habits. Lastly, smoking habits cause increased chances of miscarriages among pregnant women. A Time pregnant women can also experience premature birth or stillbirths. This calls for an alarm on the population of a future generation. In case of successful births, low birth weight is always associated with the newborns, this has a long-term effect on the development and welfare of the infant as growth takes place. According to the statistics from US health sector, 8 of every 10 cases of miscarriages or premature birth are associated with the smoking habit.

Micro12isa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Micro12isa - Essay Example This shows the boom period in which the minimum wage is increased because of which restaurants owners have to pay more to their waiters as well as it increases the cost of meals and would result in increase in unemployment. The demand and supply curve in the above graph show the impact of the taxes imposed by government on price and quantity demanded. In the above graph the Pe and Qe are the equilibrium price and quantity demanded respectively. Suppose the government imposed tax on any good and the amount of this tax is shared by both producers and the consumers as well. Supply curve shifts from S to S1 because of this tax as the producer desires to sell the good at higher prices in order to decrease the tax’s effect on him and this result in the increase in the price of the good from â€Å"Pe† to â€Å"Pt† as well as decrease in the quantity demanded â€Å"Qe† to â€Å"Qt.† Therefore from the graph we can conclude that if government imposes on any good it would result in decrease in the producer’s revenue, raises prices for consumers, and decreases the quantity of the good available in the market. Now let suppose the government put a tax on this product and also the demand curve is perfectly elastic then the supply curve shifts leftward that is the producer will decrease the supply of product because of which the producer’s surplus decreases and he will have to pay the tax. This we can in the graph given below. Apparently the producers seem to have little costs due to the drug being illegal so the trading does not include any taxation. However the usual cost includes cost of production, transportation, legal actions that may be taken at any step by law enforcing agencies in case of being caught. In case the contrabands are made legal, governments will impose taxation and duties on their trading due to their harmful effects. Such duties will decline the producer surplus and the part of their

Prmary Education Themed Cross Curricular Topics Essay

Prmary Education Themed Cross Curricular Topics - Essay Example Beyond that, the resemblance is superficial. For example, in using Tropical Rainforest, where motivational speakers tend to be rather general about which attributes can be improved, accounts in terms of deliberate practice are limited to domains of expertise with reproducible superior performance (Ericsson, 1996) The complexity of these acquired mechanisms is consistent with the finding that not even the most "talented" can reach an international level of performance in less than a decade of dedicated practice. In music, the Tropical Rainforest is a great topic because, most certainly in absolute music, this problem does not arise, at least not in the same way. Pure music is not a representation of anything; it does not attempt to represent a person, place or thing. It represents only the specific, concrete, particular values it embodies by virtue of its unique nature (Haydon, 2004). The individual's enjoyment of music, therefore, depends upon his capacity to respond adequately to the specifically musical values embodied in the particular musical composition. It depends upon sensitivity to sound, and especially to sound presented in a tonal rhythmic pattern. In the processes of individual, social, and cultural evolution, the sense of hearing has come to provide a channel for a unique type of enjoyment--the enjoyment of music. The physical laws governing the vibratory motions of pulsating bodies resulting in sounds and the physio-psychological laws governing the response of the organism to these physical "disturbances in the air" known as sounds, have given rise to a remarkable and unique form of art--the art of music. But the enjoyment of music involves more than merely auditory sensation; it involves tactile, kinaesthetic, and somatic responses that reach throughout the whole organism, manifested in glandular changes, bodily movements and attendant emotional reactions (Mowrer, 2000). Because music sounds the way moods or emotions feel, because auditory patterns of sound get translated into patterns of feeling, music becomes a deeply moving art. The National Primary Strategy The level 4 Key Stage 2Strategy of the National Primary Strategy, launched in 2001, was less prescriptive and sought to help teachers understand the implications for good practice, rather than telling them how to 'teach by numbers' (Carnie et al, 1996). Since 2002, there is a new emphasis on innovation, networks, and 'value added' data on school performance. According to the Education Department, the objective of the said strategy is to reform the teaching methods for the primary school and this is called the Excellence and Enjoyment. The term enjoyment is defined as significant in highlighting creativity and assessment for learning (rather than assessment of learning). 'Transformation', rather than simply 'reform', had become the keynote of change, which now included an emphasis on structural change in the way schools are organized (Carnie, 2002). The Education Department had focused its attention to teaching and learning along with the need for system-wide reform. There are Core-Principles that set out the learner-centered method to education that most teachers and researchers would support. The emphasis had now moved to engaging pupils in powerful, social learning experiences in schools where the leadership is focused on teaching and lear

Sex on Television Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 12500 words

Sex on Television - Essay Example Cope, and Erica Biely compare the findings of three such important studies with regard to the impact of sexual messages on television in their article "Sexual Messages on Television: Comparing Findings from Three Studies". According to them, mass media including television has an important influence on sexual socialization of young people with regard to their sexual beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. "While television is certainly not the only influence on sexual socialization, adolescents often report that they use portrayals in the media to learn sexual and romantic scripts and norms for sexual behavior. Indeed, four out of ten (40%) teens say they have gained ideas for how to talk to their boyfriend or girlfriend about sexual issues directly from media portrayals." (Kunkel, Cope, and Biely, 1999, p 230). Another important article which analyzes the influence of television on the sexual socialization of various types of individuals has been "Sexual Intercourse on Television: Do Saf e Sex Messages Matter" by Kirstie M. Farrar which maintains that "empirical research suggests that televised sexual messages affect sexual socialization not only among younger adolescents but among college-age emerging adults as well, suggesting that undergraduates are still forming their sexual scripts and thus are still vulnerable to media influence." (Farrar, 2006, p 635). Therefore, this paper undertakes a reflective analysis of these two articles to determine the pertinent influence of television on the sexual socialization of individuals. In their article "Sexual Messages on Television: Comparing Findings from Three Studies", Dale Kunkel, Kristie M. Cope, and Erica Biely compare the findings of three important studies with regard to the impact of sexual messages on television on the sexual socialization of individuals. They purport that there is a mounting body of evidence documenting the possible effects of sexual content on television which suggests the positive and negative aspects of sex on television. Thus, there are empirical research evidences indicating correlations between sex on television and the early initiation of sexual intercourse by adolescents, and connection between heavy television viewing and the negative attitudes toward remaining a virgin. According to the article which presents a summary of three independent studies of sexual content on television, media effects research clearly suggests that television portrayals contribute to sexual socialization. The authors of the article maintain that it is important to identify the prevailing patterns used for presenting sexual messages on television as television is an important source of information about sex. The findings of the study, which maintains that sexual content is a common aspect of the overall television landscape, have great implication with regard to determining the influence of sex on television on the sexual socialization of individuals. "Portrayals of talk about sex, as well as sexually-related behaviors, are a potential source of socialization for most young viewers. Although most sexual behaviors shown on television are relatively modest, intercourse is frequently included. Collectively, these sexual messages provide an opportunity for the television industry to communicate an important and realistic view of the true risks associated with

The Localization of Management in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11250 words

The Localization of Management in China - Essay Example 3.8 HR Departments 37 3.9 Chinese Characteristics 46 Chapter 3 - Structure 49 Chapter 4 - Research Methodology 50 A.- Research Framework 50 B.- Research Procedure 52 C.- Research Methods 52 4.1 Primary Research 53 4.2 Secondary Sources- Surveys 53 4.3 Reliability of Material 54 4.5 Qualitative and Quantitative Research 55 Bibliography 60 List of Tables and Figures Table 1 20 Table 2 25 Table 3 33 Table 4 47 Table 5... The localization of management in China has to be examined with understanding the implications and considerations for foreign companies which requires a number of critical considerations. The roots of the issue are inherent in the understanding of China, as this is core of the management operation. This process requires that the companies involved in an understanding the dynamics of the operation should consider understanding the culture of the country as other factors are the rooted within the question. Thus, the main hypothesis represents: Chapter Two: Introduction: In order to understand the implications as well as considerations of the localization of management in China, one must realize that over one-fifth of the world's population live there. China has recorded double digit economic growth throughout the 1990s, and 2000s, and is well on its way to becoming the number one economy in the world (Kai-Alexander, 2002, p. 3). The importance of the country's huge domestic market has been, and is attracting business investment, which has implications for both the firms entering as well as already in the market. The foregoing also has implications for the Chinese national employed in the managerial level. A key factor in understanding the cultural dimensions of the Chinese is the historical turmoil that the country has undergone.

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on breastfeeding Essay

Cross-Cultural Perspectives on breastfeeding - Essay Example Unlike Iran that promotes breast milk substitutes, the Australian government encourages infant milk formula, baby foods, baby juices, bottles, and teats. In addition, the government of Australia does not subsidize the antenatal care classes of mothers. Thus, while Iranian mothers get their antenatal care classes for free, those in Australia have to pay at least $12.50 per class. Moreover, the Australian government do not have legislation that mandates providing paid maternity leave for breastfeeding mothers. In addition, Iran strictly follows the suggestions of the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the optimization of breastfeeding practices in the hospital. This may have resulted from the training the Iranian health care professionals (HCPs) undergo in the area of lactation. Such training is neglected in Australia, and only a few Australian HCPs undergo sufficient training on lactation and breastfeeding. As such, vital steps for breastfeeding like the routine initiation of s kin-to-skin contact by rooming in of the baby, and no food or drink other than breast milk are not efficiently passed through from experts to mothers. Upon release from the hospital, Iranian HCPs visit mothers newly released from the hospital at regular intervals post partum.

The Cases of Hirabayashi and Korematsu v United States Essay Example for Free

The Cases of Hirabayashi and Korematsu v United States Essay The United States, after the fatal attack of the Japanese in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, was forced to enter World War II. There were a few of Japanese descent who, due to the immigration that begun since before 1885, were in the mainland America. Many feared what these Japanese-Americans would side on their home country of Japan that would possibly lead to a successful invasion of Japan. The fact that Japan has invaded one after another Pacific island where American forces were based did not help the public opinion of many regarding the Japanese on the United States. As a precautionary measure, President Franklin D. Roosevelt has enacted two executive orders to prevent incidents of subversions and espionage from Japanese-Americans. Two Japanese-Americans were found to be guilty of violating these laws which has ultimately brought their cases to the United States Supreme Court. On February 13, 1942, Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 which defined military areas in the United States and authorized the removal of Japanese-Americans within these military areas. The Order declared that â€Å"the successful execution of the war requires every possible protection against espionage and against sabotage to national defense-material, national-defense premises, and national-defense utilities† (United States Supreme Court [USSC], 1944). It also provided assembly centers for those who will ultimately be transferred to evacuation camps. As a result, approximately 120,000 Japanese-Americans were in internment camps (Schaefer, 2008). While the evacuation carried out with little difficulty, there were those who militantly defied the order. The Japanese American Citizens League, an organization founded in 1924, hoped that cooperating with the American decision will lead to sympathetic consideration when the tension subsided. Of those who resisted the order was Toyosaburo Korematsu. Korematsu was a US-born Japanese-American who stayed in San Leandro, California and knowingly violated the Civilian Exclusion Order No. 34—an order based upon the provisions of Executive Order 9066. The Civilian Exclusion Order No. 34, an order issued by the Commanding General of the Western Command, directed that â€Å"all persons of Japanese ancestry should be excluded† from San Leandro, California (USSC, 1944). Korematsu was arrested and was found guilty of the violation. He challenged the constitutionality of the Order and held that it is in violation of the provision in the Fifth Amendment stating that no person shall â€Å"be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. † The question of loyalty was not raised. Furthermore, the evacuees were forced, charged with no crime and could not leave without official approval (Schaefer, 2008). This is crucial in that, as Schaefer explained, the Japanese-Americans that were forced to resettle in evacuation camps were instructed that they were to carry only personal items. â€Å"No provision was made for shipping their household goods† and â€Å"the federal government took a few steps to safeguard their belongings they left behind† (Schaefer, 2008). The Court (1944) decided that the need to protect against espionage from persons of enemy descent, of Japanese descent in Korematsu’s case, far outweighs their rights as provided for by the Fifth Amendment. The Court held that the military authorities were charged with the protection of the American soils. Furthermore, the Civilian Exclusion Order is in accordance to the provisions of the Congressional authority to the military allowing them to identify who should and who should not remain in areas threatened with invasion, espionage or sabotage. The court explained that they have no doubts that most of the evacuees were loyal to the United States. They reasoned that the exclusion of the entire Japanese-American population was brought upon the contention that the disloyal could not be immediately segregated from those who are loyal to the United States. The Court (1944) explained â€Å"that there were members of the group who retained loyalties to Japan,† a fact that â€Å"has been confirmed by investigations made subsequent to the exclusion. † It has been found that â€Å"approximately five thousand American citizens of Japanese ancestry refused to swear unqualified allegiance to the United States and to renounce allegiance to the Japanese Emperor, and several thousand evacuees requested repatriation to Japan† (USSC, 1944). While the Court (1944) held that compulsory exclusion of large groups of citizens from their homes is inconsistent with basic governmental institutions, â€Å"when under conditions of modern warfare our shores are threatened by hostile forces, the power to protect must be commensurate with the threatened danger. † Finally, the Court (1944) explained that â€Å"Korematsu was not excluded from the Military Area because of hostility to him or his race. He was excluded because we are at war with the Japanese Empire, because the properly constituted military authorities feared an invasion of our West Coast and felt constrained to take proper security measures, because they decided that the military urgency of the situation demanded that all citizens of Japanese ancestry be segregated from the West Coast temporarily, and finally, because Congress, reposing its confidence in this time of war in our military leaders-as inevitably it must-determined that they should have the power to do just this† Another case wherein a Japanese-American has challenged the United States government, particularly of its military institution, was the case of Kiyoshi Hirabayashi v United States. This time, the guilty was found to be violating the Act of Congress of March 21, 1942 requiring all persons of Japanese ancestry to be in their place of residence between 8:00pm to 6:00am. The Act was also in accordance to Executive Order 9066. The Court’s ruling was also in favor of the United States. While the Hirabayashi case was earlier decided, it has been greatly overshadowed by the Korematsu case due to the fact that exclusion was more extreme than that of the curfew rule. However, the Supreme Court decision made on the Korematsu case relied and affirmed the decision in the Hirabayahi case. Korematsu and Hirabayashi both challenged the constitutionality of the rules enacted based on Executive Order 9066. They claimed that the rules violated the provisions of the Fifth Amendment stating that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law—a provision that was violated when the military institution has apprehended Korematsu and Hirabayashi and all other Japanese-Americans without questioning and even the indication of treason or disloyalty to the United States government. Unsurprisingly, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of the federal government, giving precaution for espionage and sabotage from persons of enemy descent during the time of war as a justification for such rules imposed based on Executive Order 9066. They held that the rules were not insomuch as a racial prejudice against citizens of Japanese ancestry but was necessary for the war efforts to be successful. The Court, however, clarified that the rules based on the Order should only be imposed until such time when the war is over. The Japanese-Americans lost much of their property and were destroyed economically. After World War II, the United States federal government paid $35 million to the Japanese-Americans who were affected to compensate for the loss of property. However, the total loss was estimated to be worth up to $400 million. References Schaefer, R. (2008). â€Å"Japanese Americans. † In Racial and Ethnic Groups 11th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJL Prentice Hall. United States Supreme Court. (1943). Kiyoshi Hirabayashi v United States. 320 US 81. United States Supreme Court. (1944). Toyosaburo Korematsu v United States. 323 US 214.

The Marketing Functions Of Walt Disney Tourism Essay

The Marketing Functions Of Walt Disney Tourism Essay The Walt Disneys core business area is Amusement and theme parks. Organization started business in 1955 with an 80-acre Park in California US. Currently they have theme parks in US, Tokyo and France. Euro Disneyland was one of their biggest projects in 1990s; the venture was one of the American efforts to expand their business in foreign countries. Even though Walt Disneys first foreign venture in Tokyo was a success, their next expansion of business in foreign soil Euro Disney became a failure. Objective of this document is to examine marketing management and its role in the business at Euro Disney. Throughout the document it focuses on current marketing function and identifies significant issues which has caused noteworthy drop in the performance of Euro Disney and analyses fundamentals of consumer market behaviour and the use of marketing concept to overcome the situation. Euro Disney Marketing Functions Marketing research   Since Tokyo Disneyland became an instant hit, Walt Disney Company executives believed they learned so much about operating a theme park in another country, they began immediately to search for a site for a fourth park. The selection was Paris for many reasons. France had a spectacular transportation network because of its large population. The Walt Disney Company executives believed since Tokyo Disneyland and Paris was located in almost the same latitude and shared a similar cold-weather climate that they would be able operate successfully. Their research was aimed at Europe because Disney films historically have done better there than in the United States. Because of this Disney entertainment was already familiar with western European audiences, (Scimone, 1991). Marketing planning   SWOT Analysis Product development   Development of Euro Disney was mainly focused on not to repeating two mistakes that they did during past ventures, i.e. Allowing other establishments to open hotels in surrounding area of the theme park As happened in Orlando, Florida, where only 14% of the hotels owned by Disney. Allowing another company to own the theme park Where Disney just collects royalties from an immensely profitable attraction (Solomon, 1994) Consequently, Walt Disney bought far more land then it needed in order to eventually build 700,000 square meters of office space, a 750,000 square meter corporate park, 2,500 individual homes, a 95,000 square meter shopping mall, 2,400 apartments and 3,000 time share apartments (de Quillacq, 1994).   Advertisement and sales promotion Euro Disneyland did marketing to emphasize that it is a Complete vacation destination that offers enough to keep family happily occupied for a week(Scimone, 1991, p18). They promoted Euro Disney as a place where French guest could visit and stay for a long duration. Their main strategy of marketing was promoting the theme park by adopting American Style. i.e.Bigness and extravagance (Wentz Crumley, 1993, p. I 23).Furthermore they used little showcase to market what adventures guests could perform and used characters to explain what they could see inside the park. All the sign boards inside the park were themed with Pirates of Caribbean style and trademark was Smile a lot. To achieve more guest attraction into the park, Euro Disney organized events such as Halloween. Law price tickets were sold after 5pm specifically targeting Parisians, another marketing tactic was to give reductions to school groups and people below 25 and over 60. Selling and distribution   The accessibility to the location of euro Disney Land has been made easier by location itself, where its only 20 miles away from center of Paris and also its situated between two international airports of Orly and Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle. Also the site is connected with French railway regional express where its connected with the Paris metro system. On the opening day itself the direct rail link to Great Britain via the English Channel wade the pathway to countless additional potential guests.   Public relations The employees with trilingual capabilities were given more prominence in recruitment of staff, since Disney hoped to attract visitors from all over Europe. These employees were given special human resource training to implant the Have a nice day mentality and to smile the Disney Smile. Employees were also instructed to adhere to the Disney Look to be in line with the Disney culture. Analysis of the fundamentals of consumer behaviour The buying process There are four types of buying behavior: Disney Europe expected a variety seeking buying behavior from the customer, as they offered a variety of products within the theme park. Ranging from theme park rides, interaction with Disney characters, food, beverages, Disney merchandize and many more. Root cause Analysis The strategy that Disney wanted to implement was the same tried and tested model that they had adopted in the Unites states and Tokyo. However the root causes for their failure was also this strategy which failed to factor in the socio cultural differences of the French and Europeans and their over ambitious plans to develop the site plus their financial structure itself. Strategy mismatch at Euro Disney The root cause of the blunder that Disney made in France was that they perceived that their theme park was a monopoly due to its size a monopoly is described in literature is described as a single supplier with no rivals and high barriers to entry.   When comparing Disney to the other theme parks that were in existence at the time its evident that all of them were small and less known than the famous Disney brand. Also it was very difficult for an investor to come up with a park of the same size and quality due to the high cost involved. Therefore Disneys assumption about the monopolistic position could not be faulted. Disney was also focusing on tourists who would spend several days at the park in order to experience the entire park, which would entail revenue from their hotels, food and merchandise;. Euro Disney due to their perception of their park being a monopoly also priced themselves at a premium, which was more expensive even compared to the tickets for their venues in America. It was also discovered that consumers were not behaving in the manner expected for a monopolistic market. However what transpired was that the French saw it as a day destination which made Disney compete with many other smaller theme parks scattered around France. Euro Disney also miscalculated the per-capita spending of visitors to the park. It was assumed by them that customers would spend as much as Americans and Japanese, however French visitors spent about 12% less than their counterparties. Europeans left the theme parks empty handed whereas this was rarely seen to take place in America and Japan. Cultural Issues Disney failed to identify the existence of cultural differences in Europe resulting in them making the following mistakes; Disney executives thought that Europeans had the same holiday patterns as Americans who spent their money on several short holiday sprees, whereas the Europeans and French were more likely to spread their money and take a few longer breaks. The company also miscalculated the eating habits of the European visitors where they thought they would emulate the Americans by having a quick meal rather than a sit down meal at the appointed time accompanied with wine and liquor. This caused a huge uproar as the French were accustomed to taking a glass of wine with a meal. The employees who were predominantly French were expected to act in a manner that was contradictory to their social customs. The Disney Company expected their employees to adhere to a strict thirteen page guideline which imposed a well scrubbed American look. This did not sit very well with the employees who preferred their individualism. Marketing strategy mismatch The theme park was marketed as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a complete vacation destination that offers enough to keep the family occupied for a week (Scimone, 1991.p.18) this strategy boasts typical American style bigness and extravagance. Where they have completely alienated the emotional aspect of it by neglecting to emphasis on the special memorable experience the family could have. This clearly shows that the company did not consider the views of the Europeans when developing their strategies. Euro Disney also did not see the approaching recession which tumbled the French real estate market which largely negated their strategy of developing property and selling it to potential buyers; it also shrunk the European and French disposable income so that families thought twice before taking a costly vacation at Euro Disney. Operational Strategy Mismatch Euro Disney encountered several operational mismatches during its early existence some of which are still in existence today such as the right level of staffing at the theme park, it was assumed that Monday would be a light day for guests and Friday would be heavy but the reverse was true. They also miscalculated the facilities available for parking, hotel check out positions, poor management of the crowds (Large queues, restaurant seating capacity) Strategic Action Plan for Disney Euro Seven Ps of Euro Disney Product Happiness Place Euro Disney Park Promotion Powerful and widely known brand name The amount of publicity generated by the project Price Determined by benchmarking those of other Disney parks People All the cast members , current and previous customers Physical environment Theme park , hotel , retail complexes and recreational facilities Process The process by which the product happiness and satisfaction is delivered to customers Recommendation and conclusion By analyzing the above facts, there are two main objectives that Euro Disney Co will consider; those are to overcome their high debt incurred along the way of its operations and to fulfil the gap of the cultural mismatch. Euro Disneyland reported $905 million loss for the fiscal year that ended in September 30, 1993(Sterngold, 1994), and by December 31, 1993, Euro Disneyland had amassed cumulative loss of 6.04 Billion French Francs or 1.03 billion US dollars (Grumbel Turner, 1994). Therefore to overcome these debts the following strategies and tactics are recommended; Issuing of shares to the borrowers to set off against the outstanding debts. Rights issue to the existing share holders in order to raise funds to recover the company debts. Downsizing of employees. Reposition the brand to reflect its proximity to Paris. Price deductions on entrance fee and hotel prices on special promotional periods, and on different custom segments such as schools, age and etc. Offer all inclusive packages which include transport, food and accommodation to attract budget tourists. Design special festivals aimed at different seasons of the year such as Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter this will entice visitors to the park several times a year to have a different experience.(Increase Consumption) Introduce activities such as golf, tennis etc to cater to the different segments of visitors. Revamping of the way it was marketed to be a family oriented vacation highlighting the emotional aspect of it. Expand the market to other untapped markets such as the Middle East and Afric A better mechanism to lighten up the current customer service in order to attract more customers to the business. By achieving the plan mentioned above we are confident that the euro Disney operation can be made profitable successful.