...their competition and ultimately rise above their competition, firms and companies need to adopt a market focused or market oriented approach to conducting business. Market Orientation is summed up as a process of understanding current and future client needs through research and applying strategies throughout the firm to better respond to those needs, which results in improved customer value. (Raaij, 2008; Lloyd & Harris, 1996; Kumar et al., 2011). This approach if adopted effectively could ultimately result in improved firm value as well. However, in the case of professional service firms there is still many for and against market orientation. The issues with the definition of the concept, time and monetary cost of research and implementation issues. This paper will examine various aspects of the market orientation approach to business and provide a recommendation in the context of a small professional services firm. Market Orientation “What, Why, and how?” ‘What is it?’ There are a number of definitions of market orientation, one that sums up many is ‘Market orientation’s primary objective is to deliver superior customer value,...
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...Running Head: UTILIZING SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES Utilizing Social Networking Sites Michelle Rosas BSHS 352 March 21st, 2011 Erika Kelly Social Networking Business and Human Services organizations all over the world try to look for different ways to improve and be successful. One of the ways organizations have been able to maintain success is by networking and linking themselves with similar organizations. A website that provides organizations with this type of networking is LinkedIn. In week two I was given the task to research and understand why such sites as LinkedIn help human service organizations stay connected with their professional community and other human service professionals. In addition researching how these sites enhance more quality services and support and how additional training keeps you up to date and competitive against other organizations. History of LinkedIn LinkedIn is a site used by business professionals all over the world. This site provides business professionals and other types of organizations the ability to exchange information and other networking types of opportunities. Created by five founders, LinkedIn’s website officially took off in 2003 (LinkedIn.com, 2011). The five founders asked 350 of their closest contacts to join their site and within the first month had over 4500 members in the network (LinkedIn, 2011). By the end of 2003 they had over 81000 members and now present day has over...
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...17 March 2011 LinkedIn Corp., 2008 Individual Case Memo LinkedIn's strategy to date was to become the leader in professional networking (PNS), a leader in business networking. Dan Nye has called LinkedIn a productivity tools that is used to search individuals of various professionals, recruit, find experts and get expert advice. Their strategy was to emerge as a major player in PNS which they successfully did. In 2008, LinkedIn was the largest PNS in the world, drawing members from about 170 industries. The company wanted to keep a strong differentiation between PNS and SNS along with maintaining a large crop of their professional users. The company, through continued innovation and expansion of new products, employees and a growing number of members has made their initial strategies come to fruition. The main risk in their current strategy is that they may be leaving a large number of prospective members on the table by being solely professional networking rather than expanding to social networking, ala Facebook. Most notably, MySpace and predominantly Facebook, has continued to grab a stranglehold of more members each day passing than LinkedIn. Both social networks target a much younger audience that has grown up with the networks. Both have also targeted entering the professional networking platform. Another main competitor is Monster, the world's largest job search engine. The strengths of LinkedIn include their high revenue stream which allows the company...
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...anyone who might have an opening for a person with my skills? If no, then, • Do you know of anyone else who might know of someone who would? If still no, then, • Do you know someone who knows lots of people? Who Is Your Network? • Family and relatives • Friends • Neighbors (past and present) • Social acquaintances (group and club members) • Professors • Classmates (high school and college) • Local alumni and alumni association • Career center • People you consulted or conducted business with during the past twelve months • Politicians (local, state, and national) • Chamber of commerce members • Pastors, ministers, church members • Trade association members • Professional organization executives and members • People you meet at conferences or conventions • Speakers at meetings you have attended • Business club members (Rotary, Kiwanis, Jaycees, etc.) • Direct sales representatives (insurance, real estate, etc.) Definition Strategy – a plan or method of achieving a goal or result. "Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the...
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...discover which is better for your B2B business, Facebook or LinkedIn? Let’s begin with the time tested phrase now used by business development professionals and taught in every business school from the East coast’s Harvard to West coast’s University of California: “Follow the money” 1. Income: LinkedIn users on average have an income of $109,000 compared to Facebook’s $25,000 according a study by Seeking Alpha in 2012. The average income on Twitter also towers over Facebook with more than double at $52,000 per user. 2. Decision Makers: LinkedIn offers you better access to finding and connecting with B2B decision makers. A LinkedIn demographics study showed that 42% have CXO, VP, Director, or Manager titles and users can search by these terms and more for easy search value. 3. Age: Facebook is a great place to connect with younger users where according to a 2012 study by Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project 83% of it’s users are in the 18-29 year age category as compared to LinkedIn’s 16% and Twitter’s 27%. If your B2B decision maker is under 29, consider using Facebook. 4. Company Pages: Facebook and LinkedIn both offer free feature-rich company pages. Facebook however prohibits companies from advertising on the top level company page where LinkedIn encourages promoting products and services which are easily visible and accessible on the first page. 5. Sales Leads: LinkedIn offers the user the ability to proactively search by keyword...
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...opportunities. The fee-based sites have many advantages that free sites cannot offer. These sites offer a wide range of benefits and opportunities that any member can take advantage of. Though it costs to join these sites, the membership fee is often very low compared to the amount of benefits that are offered. Additionally, these benefits are much more focused on one area of interest (such as IT), giving the user much more information than most free sites can offer. These fees-based sites offer professional trends, conferences, publications, job listings, product discounts, mentoring, and most even have an interactive learning center to help build your knowledge in your career focus area (Denham, 2011). There are also many networking sites that can be joined for free that are very popular and useful. One such site is LinkedIn. This site has become very popular for networking professionals but lacks in benefits compared to fee based sites. In this site you can network with professionals in the same area of interest, ask questions, and research some information on your career. It seems that most free sites are used to stay in touch with people you know in hopes to get referred for a job opportunity. “Although some people use the site...
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...would also use written communication when I sent my new hostesses their show packet. In the packet I would include a written letter from myself, order forms, catalog and instructions on how to plan a show. The company website helped me manage my daily activities with my shows by providing me with a to-do list each day called The Show Assistant. As soon as I would sign on, my list would show up and tell me what I needed to do on that day. Some days I would have to make follow up calls to past customers or send out invitations for my hostess. Whatever I needed to do for each show would automatically show up. This kept me very organized and I didn’t have to have post-it notes lying all over the place. To provide outstanding customer service, you must have good listening skills. Listening skills is the first point of contact we have with our clients. So it is imperative that we understand the purpose of the phone call or email so that we to...
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...LinkedIn account’ to Beenish’s brother. LinkedIn is a key networking tool for professionals in virtually any field. It assists in connecting with potential employers, experts or consultants in the field and in finding job opportunities. About The Learner Hassan Bhatti is Beenish’s brother, he is currently in his final term at the University of Toronto (U of T). Hassan is going to graduate in September from U of T. In order to develop his network and look for job opportunities he needs to create a LinkedIn account which will assist him in job search and networking. NEEDS ASSESSMENT Concern The major concern for Hassan is that he is about to graduate from the university and needs to acquire a job. He does not have a professional network to assist him in finding any job opportunity. Importance By creating a business professional profile on LinkedIn Hassan will be able to build his network and connect with alumnus, other professionals, recruiters, professors and classmates. This will thus assist him in acquiring the job and finding opportunities. LinkedIn assists in connecting with professionals without any cost. Only an internet connection is required to create an account, connect to professionals and do networking. OBJECTIVE: * Given handout, lecture and behaviour modeling Hassan will be able to create a LinkedIn account and add connections to the extent that he has a business professional account with two connections without errors, as evaluated by Sana and Beenish...
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...Why Build an Awesome Professional Network? People do business with people they know, like and trust. Companies don’t make decisions, people do. Your professional network can open doors for you that otherwise could not be opened. For better or for worse, it’s not just what you know or are capable of doing, it’s who you know, that’s important for career advancement and business development. You can also learn a tremendous amount from people in your network who have experience and expertise. How to Learn How to Build Your Professional Network After realizing the incredible importance of professional networking, I began scouring the web, Amazon, and bookstores for resources. I found there were resources on related topics, such as interpersonal communication, but not many great resources on business networking specifically. I began asking everyone I know who has had a successful career, built a successful business, or simply knows a lot of people for their advice on how to build a professional network. After compiling the best advice I received, studying every relevant book and resource I could find, experimenting, and practicing, I learned a lot about how to effectively make new contacts and build relationships. After years spent practicing and testing new techniques and strategies, making a lot of avoidable mistakes, and meeting and building relationships with lots awesome people, I’ve learned a lot and decided to write a book on it to share my knowledge. Here’s just 10...
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...Module Information Booklet Taylor’s University Taylor’s Business School Degree Programmes August Semester 2014 UCM60502U2 Understanding Information Systems For Businesses Contents Introduction Module Overview Learning Resources Assessments Resit Assessments Assessment Offences Extenuating Circumstances Assignment and Guidelines Module Calendar Assignment Cover Assignment Feedback Form Introduction Welcome Welcome to Understanding Information Systems for Businesses (UIS). This module emphasizes on the importance of information systems in business today and how they have transformed businesses on the world stage. Learner will gain an appreciation of how information systems have strategic impacts for organisations and their people, particularly with the increasing prevalence of global networked systems. To successfully complete this module, learners have to be intentional and responsible in their own learning. Learners are expected to be receptive to online tutorials by participating in discussion forums, and other e-learning approaches. In addition, learners are to read the prescribed textbook chapters, complete weekly assigned work including group assignment, and participate in online tutorial forum weekly. Dr. Choo Wou Onn Senior Lecturer Contact details Lecturer cum Tutor Dr. Choo Wou Onn Room No...
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...Describe and evaluate the key elements of Frederick Taylor's approach to 'scientific management' and comment on its applicability in contemporary organisations. (You might select a particular industry or occupational area for this analysis). Scientific management is represented as the priority of task efficiency over the minimal socio-interaction between labourers through the segregation via skill elements (Littler, 1978). Frederick Taylor (1856-1915) describes the role of a worker to instinctively follow orders and execute them with minuscule aspects, without excessive wastage of resources (Bratton, et al., 2010). The contemporary organizations in our society are that which has abolished the traditional configuration and orientates information throughout the entire organisation, thus minimizing reaction time to various stimuli (L, 2012). As technology improves, ease of communication and transport has significantly reduced lag time between processes and so creates the importance of the service industry. The key elements of Taylor’s approach still applies in such organisations despite the many changes in the workplace, however, these have been modified and consequently evolved to suit the different needs and environments these organisations face. The core context of Taylor’s view on scientific management is the segregation of job responsibilities. Given the many processes it takes for a complete product to be transferred from being raw materials to the hands of the consumer...
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...careful study of an individual at work should replace the tradition on decision-making. The purpose of this essay is to review three articles that analyses the Taylorism and present how Taylorism is applied in current management sphere. Analysis of Assigned Article Cossette, P. 2002. Analysing the thinking of F.W. Taylor using cognitive mapping. Management Decision, 40 (2): 168-182 The author of this article used the cognitive map and the Decision Explorer to present and analyse the thinking of F.W.Taylor to produce a more in-depth and detailed knowledge and understanding of his ideas. Cossette (2002) demonstrated that the two key variables in Taylor’s scientific management were “Maintenance of a rapid pace…Loafing or soldiering” and “Harmonious relations between employers and men aware of their mutual interests”. As Taylor’s scientific management related to efficiency, the first concept that the author highlighted had completely reflected the Taylorism. Cossette (2002) concluded that “the maintenance of a rapid pace” was the most important concept for Taylor, since it was also by far the most important...
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.../ISSUES………………………………Page 15 RECOMMENDED COURSE OF ACTION/JUSTIFICATION…………………………..Page 17 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN………………………………….…………………………..Page 18 MAJOR PROBLEMS OR ISSUES Ann Taylor (NYSE ticker = ANN) was founded in 1954 based upon the corporate mantra of providing professional, yet fashion conscious, business women access to quality, yet affordable, attire. During the last fifty-four years Ann Taylor has become very well known for its offerings, especially “the classic basic black dress and women’s power suit”, and has maintained itself as a leader and innovator within the specialty retail sector. Ann Taylor’s strategic management has maintained its comparative advantage by successfully and accurately predicting client fashion preferences and meeting these preferences through three, diversified, retail divisions (AT, LOFT and FACTORY). The instigation of each division was an effort to meet the broader specialty retail challenge that accompany changing consumer demographics, buyer habits and apparel expectations associated with the professional environment, while also maintaining brand longevity and product differentiation. Nevertheless, efforts to meet changing consumer preferences have resulted in the potential issue of minimizing Ann Taylor’s signature brand (AT Division) and cannibalization from other company offerings, especially from the more casual focused LOFT...
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...University’s Argyros School of Business and Economics Sponsored by the Western Decision Sciences Institute WDSI WDSI WESTERN DECISION SCIENCES INSTITUTE The Western Decision Sciences Institute is a regional division of the Decision Sciences Institute. WDSI serves its interdisciplinary academic and business members primarily through the organization of an annual conference and the publication of the Journal of Business and Management. The conference and journal allow academicians and business professionals from all over the world to share information and research with respect to all aspects of education, business, and organizational decisions. PRESIDENT Mahyar Amouzegar California State University, Long Beach PRESIDENT-ELECT Nafisseh Heiat Montana State University-Billings PROGRAM CHAIR/VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROGRAMS/PROCEEDINGS EDITOR John Davies Victoria University of Wellington VICE PRESIDENT FOR PROGRAMS-ELECT Sheldon R. Smith Utah Valley State College VICE PRESIDENT FOR MEMBER SERVICES David Yen Miami University of Ohio SECRETARY/TREASURER Richard L. Jenson Utah State University DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SYSTEMS Abbas Heiat Montana State University - Billings IMMEDIATE PAST-PRESIDENT G. Keong Leong University of Nevada, Las Vegas REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT Vijay Kannan Utah State University Journal of Business and Management – Vol. 17, No. 1, 2011 Journal of Business and Management Volume 17, Number 1 2011 EDITORS Cristina M. Giannantonio, Chapman University Amy E. Hurley-Hanson...
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... Over time, management professionals have derived these principles through in-depth analysis and observation of events that businesses face in actual practices. They constitute the underlying and essential factors that form successful management foundations. These management principles are used in initiation as well as aiding of change, decision-making, organization, and skill management principles (Mullins, 2005). Management principles provide the framework that guide organizations in improving their performance. Customer focus is important since organizations usually depend on customers to understand future and current customer needs in meeting customer requirement. It constitutes a major principle utilized by the management in striving to exceed their customers’ expectations. Management principles help in enhancing effectiveness of organizational resources as far as customer satisfaction, corporate goals, and management as a whole is concerned. To assist inform research related to management principles especially, a review on literature is integral. This literature review will primarily focus the postulation that Taylorism as a fundamental system premeditated to make best use of management control over employees. This paper will examine how this position has been in use to-date. However, recent systems of management are focusing especially on promoting and empowering employee initiatives. This paper will seek to examine what management professionals and consultants have come...
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