Business in India Essay Example for Free

Business in India Essay In order to do business in India, it is necessary ensure that the business is set under the required procedures and regulations of industrial undertaking.   The goods to be manufactured should fall within licensed, relicensed or small scale sector.   A license allows a company to use the property of the licensor.   The properties could either be intangible items like trademarks, patent rights and production techniques. To get the license, one is required to fill an application with the Ministry of Industry. Starting a company in India for the aforesaid involves assessing the commercial opportunity for self, managing business, obtaining legal requirements, money, business premises, obtaining workers and developing the marketing schemes for the products to be produced and the services to be offered. In this case Roger Smith at Prime Pumps has suggested that Maddock Inc and Governor Inc enter the Indian market as a joint venture.   It will be a great idea to take since a joint venture business has the advantage of sharing risks, sharing of technology to increase and improve production and it is possible to conform to government’s regulations.   Also, in a joint venture business internationally, there are quick political connections and distribution channels. Having done business together, it means that the two business associates will experience the converging of their strategic goals while diverging their competitive goal.   In this they will only operate to improve their business by influencing market power and learning from one another while restraining admittance to their personal proprietary skills. Advantages of early entry into a foreign market The company enjoys monopoly since there could be no other companies producing the same products. This increases the profits and hence the company can expand its operations in a very short time limit. A company enjoys reduced labor cost as there are no other firms to compete with in determining wage packages.   The workers will not have options to choose which companies to work for in regard to the pay accorded. Ability to secure a wide market in the absence of other competing companies hence increased sales will be experienced. Disadvantages of early entry into a foreign market Lack of competition could lead to poor production quality of goods or services that a company is dealing with. Poor quality goods could pose a health hazard situation to the consumer and this could also lead to a crisis in the economy A company might not have the power to confront the government when its operating alone in a foreign market pertaining the rights of foreign companies and this could cause oppression on the side of the company for lack of bargaining power. Peter should be careful to consider what the targets are for the business to be set up in India, where to locate the business and the manner in which it should be established.   He should outline how ready is the business to give back to the community in terms of employing the local citizens in India, producing quality services and products.   They should also investigate and learn the interests and requirements of the people of India and provide possible solutions to the same. Peter will have to estimate the potential correctly to avoid underestimation of India’s complexity or overestimation of the probabilities in India. Overestimation or Underestimation may lead to failure and it is necessary to give a due consideration to the factor of the inherent difficulties and uncertainties of operating in the Indian system.   It is worth noting that India is has a large economy in the world and it offers high prospects for development in practically all areas of business. Also the inefficient bureaucracy of the Indian government is moving slowly which calls for reforms. Since Melanie has limited knowledge regarding international law, it will not be appropriate for Peter to share with her what other companions have suggested because she might not even understand.   Lack of knowledge on international law means that Melanie will not have an idea of how to deal with any occurrence in the international field. Conclusion For a business to thrive in a foreign country, the owners should ensure that they comply with federal regulations so that there will be a smooth running of the business without disturbance from the local authorities.   For the joint venture business, the partners should sign up the partnership deed to ensure they conduct themselves as per the requirements. It is important that individual also have a general knowledge of international law and business operations to avoid any inconveniences.

Absence Measurement and Management Essays -- null

This essay answers the following questions. 1) Why and how should absence be proactively managed without damaging the psychological contract? 2) What advice would you give to the Directors to measure absence levels and causes? 3) What procedures would you recommend should be established to manage absence? You must justify your recommendations. 4) How should the devolution of People Management responsibilities to first line managers be handled? 1) Why and how should absence be proactively managed without damaging the psychological contract? The psychological contract is an informal, unwritten contract between employer and employee. It includes their mutual agreement towards obligations to one and other. It will entail certain expectations which should be attempted to be upheld. This contract is based on trust and respect, and employees with effective managers should have a strong understanding of what their psychological contract entails, as well as their formal written contract which can be upheld legally. All employees at Insure it Wright, should understand both of these contracts and it is important when attempting to manage an issue, such as absence, that the psychological contract is not affected. The directors have identified absences as an issue, which is having a negative impact on the organisation as a whole and the service it is providing. This should be dealt with as swiftly as possibly in a manner which will not affect the psychological or written contract. They are having issues with several types on absence, particularly short term and unauthorised absence. Absence must be so rigidly monitored because, a large amount of absence will have a negative impact on the company financially. Particul... ...: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/absence-measurement-management.aspx. Last accessed 20th of April 2014. †¢ CIPD staff. (2012). The Role of line managers in HR. Available: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/role-line-managers-hr.aspx. Last accessed 24th April 2014. †¢ 1.BLACK, C. and FROST, D. (2011) Health at work: an independent review of sickness absence. Cm 8205. London: Department for Work and Pensions. Available: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/health-at-work.pdf. Last accessed 28th April 2014. †¢ Taylor, Baldry, Bain & Ellis. (2003). A Unique Working Environment': Health, Sickness and †¢ eAbsence Management in UK Call Centres. Work, Employment & Society . 17 (3), 435-458 †¢ James P, Cunningham I & Dibben P. (2002). Absence management and the issues of job retention and return to work. Human Resources and Management Journal. 12 (2), 82-94.

Implementing Relationship Marketing: the Role of Internal and External Customer Orientation

Developing an internal and external customer orientation will facilitate the implementation of relationship marketing principles by businesses. Relationship marketing highlights the need for an external customer orientation, which in turn raises the need for customer-oriented employees. Employees will only be customer-oriented if an internal customer orientation is evident in the business. Four constructs pertaining to the internal customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province were identified.After checking for internal consistency, effect sizes were determined for these constructs analysing the practical significance of employees’ as opposed to management’s opinion on the underlying constructs. Similarly, four constructs referring to the external customer orientation of the same businesses were identified. The four identified constructs underpinning an external customer orientation were also checked for internal consistency and the practical significance of customers’ as opposed to management’s opinion on the underlying constructs was determined through effect sizes.It was found that the identified businesses lack both an internal and external customer orientation. Recommendations are made to improve internal customer orientation for the sake of an improved external customer orientation. An improved external customer orientation will facilitate implementation of relationship marketing principles in these businesses. INTRODUCTION According to Saren and Tzokas (1998:187) researchers in relationship marketing have come to realise that there is a need for detailed empirical evidence on how this approach could be implemented in order to promote a beneficial customer-business relationship.Morris, Brunegee and Page (1998:360) and Fornier (1998:343) argue that a lack of knowledge and consensus about relationship marketing and the activities involved in the implementation thereof has led to diffi culties in operationalising the construct. This study addresses this concern by arguing that a relationship marketing orientation is facilitated by management being sufficiently orientated to the needs and expectations of employees (internal customer orientation) as well as to those of customers (external customer orientation).The internal and external customer orientations of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province were investigated by means of effect size analyses. The goal and objectives of the study are subsequently explained, followed by a theoretical exposition on the interface between relationship marketing as well as internal and external customer orientation. A description of the research methodology is followed by the empirical results on internal and external customer orientation of the businesses that participated in the study.Conclusions are drawn from these empirical findings. Finally, managerial implications are discussed based on the concl usions. GOAL AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The goal of this study is to explore internal and external customer orientation as elements facilitating relationship marketing implementation by small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province. This goal will be achieved through the following objectives: to explore the interface between relationship marketing, and internal and external customer orientation; †¢ to report on empirical findings related to internal and external customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province; and †¢ to consider the managerial implications of the above empirical findings for managing these retailers. FOSTERING INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION TO FACILITATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RELATIONSHIP MARKETINGSheth and Parvatiyar (1995:261) define relationship marketing as â€Å"an orientation that seeks to develop close interaction with selected customers, suppliers and competitors for va lue creation through co-operative and collaborative efforts†. This definition suggests that businesses should pursue profitable business relationships. Morgan and Hunt (1994:22) define relationship marketing as â€Å"all marketing activities directed towards establishing, developing and maintaining successful relational exchanges†. This definition sets out the ultimate goals of relationship marketing, but does not show what relationship marketing entails.Attempts have been made to address this limitation by emphasising the dimensions and activities of relationship marketing. These dimensions and activities include (Too, Souchon and Thirkell, 2001:290): †¢ customer retention; †¢ product benefits; †¢ quality improvement; †¢ customer service; †¢ customer commitment by the business; and †¢ frequent contact with the customer. The first four issues refer to the business’ customer orientation while the last two relate to customer relationsh ip management practices.Kotler and Armstrong (2001:9, 667-681) indicate that relationship marketing is the process of creating, maintaining and enhancing strong value-laden relationships with customers and other stakeholders. According to this definition, relationship marketing does not end with customers, but includes all stakeholders (i. e. employees, channel members, stockholders and others). Relationship marketing advocates the establishment of long-term and profitable relationships between (both internal and external) partners or stakeholders (Zikmund and d’Amico, 2001:8).These relationships are not naturally sustained and should therefore not be taken for granted (Day, 2000:25). Long-term and profitable relationships are only established when trust, commitment and service are inculcated in relationship partners (Buttle, 1996:8-9). Stakeholder relationships also have to transcend functional boundaries (Beth, Burt, Copacino, Gopal, Lee, Lynch and Morris, 2003:67-68). Rela tionship marketing advocates that an engineer should, for example, take time to see how he could best design the product to satisfy the customer’s needs.The same applies to the accounting department – it should develop credit and payment terms that will best suit the customer while it needs also realising a profit for the business (Ostroff and Smith, 1992:22-23). In this respect Day (2000:24-30) argues that the ability to create and maintain relationships depends, inter alia, on the integration of key internal processes in the business. The implementation of relationship marketing therefore depends on a well-developed internal (employee) and external customer orientation.Taher, Leigh and French (1996:218) argue that in order to be customer-oriented, marketers should provide exceptional performance in quality, delivery and cost competitiveness (i. e. customer orientation). The business should also understand how customers measure value and how these value expectations c an be met. To win orders, a business should exhibit an external customer orientation that manifests the relative strength of the business in relation to its competitors (Koufteros, Vonderembse and Doll, 2000:526).To attain lasting customer orientation careful attention should be given to detail, meeting promises and swift response to the requirements of customers – i. e. competitive capabilities. The same authors define competitive capabilities further as a business’ ability to meet customer expectations compared to its competitor’s ability to do the same. Day (2000:28) argues that a customer orientation should be â€Å"immediately evident† in the mindset of those who deal directly with the customer. Kennedy, Goolsby and Arnould (2003:77-79) found that the development of an external customer orientation will be facilitated by: leadership. Staff members must experience â€Å"an unbroken circuit of passionate, sincere, unified and committed leadership from top levels to local managers†; †¢ centrality of customer requirements and performance feedback. This will also assist in achieving the required inter-functional co-ordination and alignment; and †¢ collection and dissemination of external customer data. This data, however, only becomes conducive for customer orientation development when it is widely circulated in the business to become a shared organisation-wide platform from which decisions are made.Patterson and Smith (2001:438) also support this notion. It is stressed that customer orientation should be explicit, otherwise the business risks over-serving unprofitable accounts and wasting resources that might be allocated to profitable customer groups. In this respect Reinartz and Kumar (2002) distinguished between customer groups and suggested ways of managing each group for increased profitability. Relationship marketing raises the need for customer orientation, which in turn raises the need for customer-oriented employees.Bendapudi and Leone (2002:83) indicate that customers form relationships with employees who serve them, and that these relationships may be stronger than the customer’s relationship with the business represented by the employee. Employees will not be able to develop social relationships with customers if they were not recruited and trained with this in mind (Patterson and Smith, 2001:438). Without customer oriented employees it will be difficult to implement customer orientation because employees are the ones who have to make it happen.If customer-orientation is lacking, the implementation of relationship marketing will suffer. This is because dissatisfied customers will never develop good relationships with the business (Engel, Blackwell and Miniard, 1995:47). Attracting, developing and motivating employees as internal partners foster an internal customer orientation (Conway and Willcocks, 2000:81). Day (2000:28-29) recalls the efforts made by many businesses to m ake employee satisfaction and retention a top priority in recognition of the damage that high employee turnover and disgruntled employees can cause to customer relationships.Employee performance and attitude play an important role in service delivery to external customers. Employee satisfaction impacts on employee attitudes, which in turn influence employee performance and interaction with external customers. Employee interaction with external customers obviously plays a pivotal role in the ultimate success of the business (Lewis, 1989:41). Strauss (1995:62-77) distinguishes between internal customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction. He argues that internal customer satisfaction entails employees’ satisfaction with the performance of internal suppliers (workflow satisfaction).Internal customer satisfaction should, however, not be confused with employee satisfaction – i. e. the satisfaction of employees with their working conditions. He argues further that interna l customer satisfaction reflects in external customer satisfaction. For purposes of this study the identified relationship between internal and external customer satisfaction is acknowledged, but the distinction between internal customer orientation and employee satisfaction is rejected. Employees in small- to medium-sized textile retailing businesses are not dependent on intricate internal workflow processes.As they derive their workflow inputs directly from management, a distinction between management inputs (relating to Strauss’ employee satisfaction concept) and workflow inputs will be vague. Strauss (1995:63) himself points out that if managers are prepared to take responsibility for quality and act as role models, they can expect commitment from their employees – which will eventually result in improved bottom-line results. Sasser (2003) explains the relationship between employee and customer satisfaction in terms of value the business creates for employees, who in turn will be able to create value for customers.If the value created for employees and customers exceeds costs, value is being created for investors. Internal customer orientation is the result of a conscious management decision about the â€Å"organizational setting† (Strauss, 1995:68). Concerning this organisational setting Malherbe and Pearse (2003:2-12) found significant positive relationships between job enrichment characteristics and job satisfaction, and eventually between job satisfaction and service quality in the South African retail industry.Chaston (1995:332-349) investigated possible actions to establish a stronger internal customer orientation in UK clearing banks, and concluded, inter alia, that management’s improved understanding of internal customer needs will be helpful in this regard. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Small- to medium-sized textile retailers from six selected towns and cities in the North-West Province were investigated to assess their interna l and external customer orientation. Retailers from Brits, Klerksdorp, Lichtenburg, Mafikeng, Potchefstroom and Rustenburg were sampled.These cities and towns were chosen on the basis of their geographical representation in the province. They also represent the largest centres of economic activity in the province. A sampling frame of 61 small- to medium-sized textile retailing businesses were constituted by using information obtained from the Potchefstroom City Council, the Bureau of Marketing Research and Braby’s databases. The sampling frame included independent tailoring businesses, textile, fabrics, and cloth retailing businesses (retailers, merchants or distributors).Forty-eight (N1=48) of the 61 business owners/managers were willing to participate in the study and were subsequently interviewed. One hundred and four (N2=104) employees, as found on the 48 premises, were also interviewed. Finally, two hundred and thirty (N3=230) customer responses were gathered using avail ability sampling for periods of two hours at each of the 48 business premises. Separate questionnaires, incorporating close-ended structured items, were developed for management, employees and customers as three separate groups of respondents. Owners/managers had to respond to 77 items.Thirty one (31) of these items pertaining to internal customer orientation were duplicated in the employees’ questionnaire, requiring respondents to respond to them from an employee’s perspective. Thirty-three (33) of the items on external customer orientation related to owners/managers were also put to customers, requiring them to evaluate it from their perspective. Respondents had to respond to the items according to a four-measure Likert scale where: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = agree and 4 = strongly agree. The responses were statistically processed with the help of SAS software (SAS Institute Inc. 1999). The reliability of constructs associated with internal and external customer orientation was tested by means of Cronbach’s Alpha values and average inter item correlations (Clark and Watson, 1995) as reported below. The practical significant difference between specifically defined constructs for employees and owners/managers (internal customer orientation) as well as for customers and owners/managers (external customer orientation) is indicated by using effect sizes. Effect sizes are calculated as availability sampling was used instead of random sampling.As explained above, the six cities and towns, the businesses who participated in the study, the interviewed employees and the interviewed customers of these businesses were not randomly selected. Statistical inference is therefore not relevant. This eliminates the use of t-tests and p-values as a technique to analyse statistically significant differences between means of responses from management and employees (or management and customers). Unlike t-tests, effect sizes are independent from s ample size, as a standardised difference based on the maximum standard deviation between compared groups is calculated (Steyn, 2000).The effect sizes (d-values) were calculated by using the following formula (Cohen, 1988:20-27): [pic] where: †¢ d = effect size; †¢ [pic] is the difference between means of two compared groups (e. g. management and employees or management and customers); and †¢ [pic] is the maximum standard deviation of the two compared groups. To calculate effect sizes, the maximum standard deviation is used instead of a mean standard deviation to allow for a more conservative approach to practical significance (Steyn, 2000). Cohen (1988:20-27) gives the following guidelines for interpreting effect sizes: †¢ d ? 0. indicating no practically significant effect; †¢ d ? 0. 5 indicating a moderate effect that could be significant if more data had been collected; and †¢ d ? 0. 8 or larger indicating a practically significant effect. EMPIRICAL RESULTS Empirical results regarding both the internal and external customer orientations of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province are subsequently discussed. Empirical results: internal customer orientation Four constructs associated with internal customer orientation, as well as the items comprising these constructs, are reported in Table 1.The items comprising these constructs are also indicated. The four constructs exhibited Cronbach’s Alpha values all greater than 0. 6, indicating â€Å"good or adequate† reliability of the measurement scale (Clark and Watson, 1995:315). Average inter item correlations ([pic]) are also reported in Table 1. Clark and Watson (1995:316) indicate that the average inter item correlation should also be used as a measure of internal consistency. They recommend that the average inter item correlation should lie between 0. 15 – 0. 50.It is evident from Table 1 that the average inter item correlations fall within this range, indicating internal consistency of the constructs. TABLE 1 CRONBACH’S ALPHA AND AVERAGE INTER ITEM CORRELATIONS FOR INTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION |Construct |Cronbach’s Alpha |Average inter item | | | |correlation ([pic]) | |1. Management’s involvement with employees |0. 752 |0. 1 | |Applying management principles strictly | | | |Seeking people who can think of new strategies | | | |Culture of supporting staff | | | |Treating staff the same as external customers | | | |Creating an enabling culture for staff creativity | | | |Exercising staff chievement recognition and reward | | | |Following fair disciplinary action | | | |Development and training of staff | | | |Appreciation of staff contribution to business success | | | |Conducting formal performance appraisals | | | |Making staff a part of solutions | | | |Aggressively competing for talented staff | | | |2. Employee development through communication and participative management |0. 713 |0 . 4 | |Promoting staff learning | | | |Encouraging a learning culture | | | |Practising participative management | | | |Marketing the business’ vision to staff | | | |Creating messages to inspire staff action | | | |Understanding the reality staff experiences | | | |Consulting staff with regard to leadership style | | | |Maintaining a two-way channel of communication in the business | | | |3. Acknowledgement of employees’ expertise and potential |0. 659 |0. 5 | |Incorporating knowledgeable staff inputs into business decisions and activities | | | |Acknowledging that staff is the business’ primary asset | | | |Involving current staff in the process of appointing new staff | | | |Giving responsibility and accountability to staff for their respective performance | | | |areas | | | |Collaborating with staff to draw up strategies, plans and objectives | | | |Arranging for staff to visit customers | | | |4. Satisfaction of customer needs is realised through an integra ted effort by all |0. 623 |0. 5 | |involved in the business | | | |All departments working in collaboration with customer focus in mind | | | |Successfully satisfying customers’ needs and wants | | | To indicate the practically significant differences between employees’ and owners’/managers’ view on internal customer orientation, effect sizes were calculated on the respective constructs. These effect sizes are reported in Table 2. Practically significant effects on constructs 1, 2 and 3 are revealed. Construct 4 only revealed a small effect.TABLE 2 EFFECT SIZES FOR INTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION Construct description |Business owners |Employees |Effect size | | |Mean |Standard deviation|Mean |Standard deviation| | |1. Management’s involvement with employees |3. 103 |0. 447 |2. 787 |0. 445 |0. 707 | |2. Employee development through communication and |3. 137 |0. 504 |2. 767 |0. 504 |0. 734 | |participative management | | | | | | |3. Acknowledgement of employees’ expertise and potential |3. 086 |0. 557 |2. 674 |0. 554 |0. 40 | |4. Satisfaction of customer needs is realised through an |3. 489 |0. 695 |3. 327 |0. 750 |0. 216 | |integrated effort by all involved in the business | | | | | | Empirical results: external customer orientation Four constructs relating to external customer orientation, as well as the items associated with these constructs, are reported in Table 3. The correspondent Cronbach’s Alpha values for the four constructs are all above 0. 6, indicating â€Å"good or adequate† reliability of the measurement scale (Clark and Watson, 1995:315).Average inter item correlations ([pic]) are once again reported in Table 3. These correlations fall within the range of 0. 15 – 0. 50 indicating internal consistency of the constructs (Clark and Watson, 1995:316). TABLE 3 CRONBACH’S ALPHA AND AVERAGE INTER ITEM CORRELATIONS FOR EXTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION |Construct |Cronbach’s Alpha |A verage inter item | | | |correlation ([pic]) | |Building customer relationships through the efforts of employees is important |0. 762 |0. 7 | |Attracting, maintaining and enhancing relationships with customers | | | |Establishing and maintaining profitable customer relationships | | | |Maintaining a mutually committed long-term oriented relationship with customers | | | |Moving customers from one level of the relationship to the next | | | |Extending priority treatment to regular customers over irregular ones | | | |Interacting with regular customers | | | |Forging long-term committed relationships with customers | | | |Employees developing business relationships with customers | | | |Fostering an intimate understanding between customers and staff | | | |The business’ offer to customers is geared towards satisfying customer needs |0. 665 |0. 6 | |Delivering an offer exactly as required | | | |Extending quality and durability as the business’ core offer | | | |Deliverin g superior offers not available from competitors | | | |Continue improving the total offer to customers | | | |Delivering a tailor-made offer to customers | | | |Viewing delivery of the offer from customers’ perspective | | | |Delivering customer satisfaction |0. 642 |0. 6 | |Offering high levels of customer service | | | |Managing and maintaining the delivery of customer satisfaction | | | |Successfully satisfying customers’ needs and wants | | | |Custom fitting service to customers’ particular requirements | | | |Delivering services to the satisfaction of customer desires | | | |Customer orientation of employees |0. 619 |0. 6 | |Instilling customer orientation among staff | | | |Formulating and realising a customer orientated mission statement | | | The effect sizes on the respective constructs for the practically significant difference between customers’ and owners’/managers’ view on external customer orientation are reported in Table 4. Practically significant effects are revealed on constructs 2 and 3, while construct 4 exhibit a moderate effect size. Construct 1 revealed a small effect size.TABLE 4 EFFECT SIZES FOR EXTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION Construct description |Business owners |Employees |Effect size | | |Mean |Standard deviation|Mean |Standard deviation| | |1. Building customer relationships through the efforts of |3. 303 |0. 557 |3. 100 |0. 442 |0. 364 | |employees is important | | | | | | |2. The business’ offer to customers is geared towards |3. 408 |0. 423 |2. 928 |0. 465 |1. 32 | |satisfying customer needs | | | | | | |3. Delivering customer satisfaction |3. 528 |0. 445 |3. 202 |0. 399 |0. 733 | |4. Customer orientation of employees |3. 360 |0. 591 |2. 991 |0. 635 |0. 581 | CONCLUSIONS From the above empirical results the following conclusions regarding the internal and external customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers included in this study can be drawn. Internal custom er orientationFrom the effect sizes reported in Table 2 it is evident that management and employees differ significantly (practically significant effect sizes) on the following issues: †¢ management’s involvement with employees (construct 1). Management feels more involved with employees than employees experience it to be the case ([pic] > 0); †¢ employee development through communication and participative management (construct 2). Management is of the opinion that employee development takes place through communication and participative management, while employees do not experience the same ([pic] > 0) ; and †¢ acknowledgement of employees’ expertise and potential (construct 3).Management feels that employees expertise’ and potential is acknowledged, while employees do not feel the same ([pic]> 0). An small effect size was calculated for construct 4. Management and employees therefore agree that satisfying customer needs is realised throu gh an integrated effort by all involved in the business (construct 4, Table 2, [pic] and [pic] both > 3. 0, indicating agreement on the Likert-type scale). External customer orientation As far as external customer orientation, as reported in Table 4, is concerned, owners/managers and customers differ significantly (practically significant effect sizes) on: †¢ whether the businesses’ offer to customers is geared towards satisfying customer needs (construct 2).Management feels it to be the case, while customers differ significantly ([pic] > 0); and †¢ delivery of customer satisfaction (construct 3). Customers feel significantly less satisfied than management thought them to be ([pic] > 0). As far as customer orientation of employees is concerned, a moderate effect size was determined (Table 4, construct 4). Owners/managers are of the opinion that employees are customer-oriented ([pic] > 3. 0) while customers do not experience it to the same degree ([pic] & lt; 3. 0). Table 4 also indicates an insignificant effect size on construct 1. Management and customers therefore agree that it is important to build customer relationships through the efforts of employees (construct 1, [pic] and [pic] both > 3. 0). MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONSWhen considering the internal customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers participating in this study, it is evident that employees do not feel appreciated by management. Employees indicated that management is not involved with them and that their expertise and potential is subsequently ignored. They also do not feel empowered through communication or participative management initiatives (or rather the lack thereof) from management’s side. Management and employees agree on a basic principle of the marketing concept (Barnes, 2001:7), namely that customer satisfaction is dependent on an integrated effort of all involved in the business. From the above it is clear that a certain amount o f goodwill is evident among employees.Employees recognise the importance of an integrated effort of all involved in the business to satisfy customer needs. It is recommended that management of these businesses capitalise on this aptitude of employees. Communication with employees on matters relating to management of the business will encourage employee participation, paving the way for the implementation of participative management techniques. This will draw on the latent expertise and potential of employees and will ultimately contribute to employee development and a sense of management involvement. As indicated by the empirical results, small- to medium-sized textile retailers participating in this study lack a pronounced external customer orientation.Customers do not regard the businesses as being geared towards satisfying their needs. They are also of the opinion that employees of small- to medium-sized textile businesses are not sufficiently customer-oriented. By improving thei r internal customer orientation as suggested above, the external customer orientation of businesses may take a turn for the better. This may contribute to greater customer satisfaction as the interaction between customers and (more appreciated, and thus better satisfied and motivated) employees improve. After all: management and customers both agreed that the efforts of employees are important to build customer relationships.This is consistent with Sasser’s (2003) exposition that an improved internal customer orientation will contribute towards a better external customer orientation that will result in more satisfied customers.

Essay On Abortion In Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants

â€Å"If she chooses the barren solution, the girl knows that she will never again have a chance at choosing happiness† (Teaching the Culture of Life: Hills Like White Elephants). â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† goes in depth on a relationship where one partner wants an abortion and the other is questioning the abortion, the relationship, and their future together. Jig is confronted with a life altering decision. She can have the abortion and try to stay with her partner in a dry and barren relationship, or she can keep the child and try to live a beautiful and fulfilling life without her partner. Jig did not follow through on the abortion, which is shown by her diction, her personal growth over the course of this conversation, and the true†¦show more content†¦She does not agree, she just reiterates that the man â€Å"knows† that the operation is simple. She has now realized that the only â€Å"simple† thing that either of them â€Å"know† is the fact that this man does not truly have Jig’s best interests at heart. Jig’s personal growth over the course of this conversation also proves that she did not follow through with this abortion. â€Å"Is it good with water?† (Hemingway 229). Here she is asking the man whether or not it is good with water, her decision directly depends on whether or not he believes it is good with water. She is depending on him to make a decision that directly affects her. â€Å"Everything tastes like licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe† (Hemingway 230). Jig is being sarcastic with this remark, this is the first sign that she is willing to go against the man and think for herself, even if the man does not like what she says. Jig also says that they were all so happy after their abortions when the man states that he knows other people who have gone through this (Hemingway 230). She says this sarcastically and here you get to see how she really feels underneath about this procedure. She is thinking for her self and not just doing whatever the man tells her to do. â€Å"Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?† (Hemingway 232). Jig has grown to stand up for herself. She no longer cares what the man has to say about theShow MoreRelated Hemingways Personal Life and its Influence on his Short Story, Hills Like White Elephants1409 Words   |  6 PagesHemingways Personal Life and its Influence on his Short Story Hills Like White Elephants Hills like White Elephants is not the normal story where you have a beginning, middle and end. Hemingway gave just enough information so that readers could draw their own conclusions. The entire story encompasses a conversation between two lovers and leaves the reader with more questions than answers. Ernest Hemingway was a brilliant writer. People that study Hemingways works try to gain insight andRead MoreHills Like White Elephants, a Theme Analysis Essay1243 Words   |  5 PagesHemmingway uses time, place, and symbolism in Hills like White Elephants to intensify the central dilemma in a story about a man and a woman deciding on whether to go through with an abortion. Although a literal reading of the title may not seem to have any relation to the story, the title is rich in implications. Critics suggest that Hills refers to the shape of a womans stomach when pregnant, and Websters 21st Century Dictionary defines white elephant as: [An] awkward, useless possession. Read MoreEss ay on Dependence to Independence in Hills Like White Elephants862 Words   |  4 PagesDependence to Independence in Hills Like White Elephants  Ã‚   In Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants,† the lives of Jig and the American, the main characters, are put on display for a brief period of time.   Jig and the man have had a romantic relationship for quite some time, and now their future together is in jeopardy.   The impregnation of Jig has caused the American to pressure her into getting an abortion.   We find these two individuals in the Valley of the Ebro.   Traveling fromRead MoreHills Like White Elephants and Good People1298 Words   |  5 Pagesalways best to have a firm understanding of how each author expresses their thoughts and emotions through the stories they tell. In comparing Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† and David Foster Wallace’s â€Å"Good People† you get a different sense as to how each author conveys their thoughts of the very difficult and often taboo topic of abortion. Both stories are different in plot, conclusion, and cons truction, although they share common artistic similarities, including the large use of physicalRead MoreAnalysis Of Hills Like White Elephants 1911 Words   |  8 PagesC2C Eric J Holm 10 Dec 2015 Dr. Van Nort Final Essay: â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† Jig’s Abortion through the Historical and Textual Lens â€Å"I know you wouldn’t mind it, Jig. It’s really not anything. It’s just to let the air in† (Hemingway 213). In Ernest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants,† an abortion is debated through subtleties, similes, and symbols. The abortion is never explicitly mentioned, but instead Hemingway leaves the reader to conclude what this â€Å"simple operation† really is (213)Read MoreEssay on Hemingways Minimalism in Hills Like White Elephants1455 Words   |  6 PagesHemingway’s Minimalism in â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† In this essay we will look at Earnest Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† as an example of his use of the minimalist technique, what that technique is, and what its overall effect has on the reader. What is minimalism and how did Hemingway use this technique in â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†? The primary effect of Minimalism in modern prose is to place the control of the work back onto the reader. That is to say, the reader is forcedRead MoreBad Hooks Catch No Fish862 Words   |  4 Pageswriting. If not, then all could be lost, unless it is mentally forced upon. This is especially true for a novice, or introductory, reader getting into the finer aspects of literature or composition. Such as, Paul Rankin’s (2005) essay, on Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills like White Elephants,† lacks a motivated lead. The opening transition word could throw a reader in the opposite direction Rankin would have hoped for. The beginning paragraphs poor lead could cause one to become lost before the revelation of thesisRead MoreJig and the Stream of Life in Hemingway’s â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†1646 Words   |  7 Pagesread Hemingway’s â€Å"H ills Like White Elephants†. A couple waiting to catch a train and as they sit and drink some beers, they start talking about Jig’s pregnancy and the option of abortion. However, all I can hear is silence because they simply do not speak the same language. They are both living in different worlds filled with divergent ideologies and opinions. As a result, the words do not come across. The American, though, does everything in his power to convince Jig of conducting an abortion, inRead MoreHills like white elephant5316 Words   |  22 PagesHills Like White Elephants: The Jilting of Jig Hashmi, Nilofer. The Hemingway Review, Volume 23, Number 1, Fall 2003, pp. 72-83 (Article) Published by University of Idaho Department of English DOI: 10.1353/hem.2004.0009 For additional information about this article http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/hem/summary/v023/23.1hashmi.html Access Provided by Chulalongkorn University at 11/21/11 7:26AM GMT â€Å"hills like white elephants†: T h e j i lt i n g of j i g nilofer hashmi Georgia SouthernRead MoreMoving to the Girl’s Side of â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants†1697 Words   |  7 PagesSide of â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† In the article, â€Å"Moving to the Girl’s Side of ‘Hills Like White Elephants†, Stanley Renner carefully analyzes the movements of the female character and argues the different view from the general conclusion while still pondering on the open-end question the writer, Ernest Hemmingway, has left with the readers. Renner is left unsatisfied with the unresolved ending of the story. Although the majority of critics conclude that the girl will have an abortion to keep