Abstract
This paper examines the success of companies that shift from being product-centric to customer-centric. In companies that have a customer-as-king philosophy growth has been remarkable since adopting that outlook. Companies that focus on creating great products lag behind in the marketplace. 3M is used as an example of a company that changed its direction to customer-centric. The paper cites several articles that confirm this phenomenon. The paper concludes that companies that grasp the notion that business should be built around customers, not products, are setting themselves up for success.

Outline:
Resistance to CCS/CRM
Customer Relationship Management
CRM Origins
CRM Technology
Summary

From the Paper
"Beyond that problem, the basic problem with 3M's Web site was that it was concentrating all its "internal silos" rather than on "its customer's needs." So, 3M got synchronized, and now presents a more "unified fact to its customers" by storing all "customer relationships and product configurations" in a single database. This transformation from the awkward presentation of products and slipshod system of customer record keeping - similar to what Thompson Financial did - is called moving from a product-centric company to a customer-centric company. Instead of finding "customers for its products," both these firms (and untold hundreds of other companies) now concentrate on finding "products for its customers," Sawhney writes."

Tags:business, customer, centric, product, centric

Abstract
This research proposal describes the project to be completed--a qualitative study of organizational culture at KCC/Safat which results in a redesign of the culture to better support the company's needs and objectives.

From the Paper
"Most companies today that want to gain an understanding of the irrelative strengths weaknesses and competitive advantage conduct the typical internal and external environmental analyses. They perform a SWOT analysis, a Porter's Five Forces analysis, internal and external environmental scans and perhaps a variety of other analyses aimed at helping them identify how they are positioned within their industry and the global marketplace. An aspect that is usually overlooked in this research is that of the organization's internal culture."

Tags:KCC, Safat, organizational culture, customer-centric, qualitative, Motorola, internal marketing, research proposal

Abstract
This paper explains that African culture retention is noticeable in many aspects of the American lifestyle. The author points out that the African heritage for U.S. blacks survived the vicious system of slavery, despite attempts to remove remnants of African culture from the slaves and to instill a European/white culture so that they could be more accepting of their situation. The paper relates that some distorted cultural practices such as violence, sometimes labeled as "African", are not even remotely related to any kind of link with the cultural diversity of the African continent. The author concludes that the issue of African cultural retention and the destruction of the African-American society is so intertwined that it is sometimes hard to examine them separately.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Tenets of African Culture In the United States
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The retention component has also been used to damage the influence of African culture; for example acts of violence or family structure, and or social interactions have sometimes been linked to the African culture, or the travesty of slavery, or even more so, the cultural practices in Africa concerning relationships, marriage, and relationships. Liberating African American cultural identity will show that the African influence or content of this identity, although not in a pure form, offers a significant amount of positive influences."

Tags:slavery, afro-centricity, watermelon, violence, music

Abstract
This paper explains that it is inaccurate to assume that there are no discernible African cultures left in the USA and that, because of the relatively small numbers of slaves bought to such a large country, all traces of African cultures were destroyed. The author points out that enslaved Africans from the same areas tended to be geographically situated together in the U.S. so that they were able to retain aspects of their individual cultures. The paper relates that Sheila Walker takes issue with the notion that European settlers "built" the U.S. and then imported some African slaves to perform manual labor for them. The paper underscores that she believes that the slaves bought to the U.S. were not ignorant, unskilled laborers but rather slave traders deliberately sought out people with skills, which the U.S. needed to help build the country.

Table of Contents:
False Assumptions
The Arguments of Sheila Walker

From the Paper
"She also points out that Africans must have made a major contribution to American society, history and culture, given that they comprised the numerical majority for the duration of the modern history of the Americas, until 1820. For example, out of those coming to the USA in 1820, 3 out of 4 new arrivals were African, not European. With this kind of demographic weight, it follows that the contributions of African minds and cultural presence had to be an important ingredient in the very creation of the Americas. Walker also points out that Howard Dodson backs her up on this theory and that he believes that the transatlantic slave trade played a central, defining role in the making of the modern world."

Tags:euro-centric

Abstract
This paper addresses the Afro-centric Social Work paradigm, giving the definition and meaning of "Afro-centricity" and further describing the values and concepts of Afro-centricity as a social science paradigm on which social work practice can be built. The article describes the origins and principles of the Afro-centric or African-centered paradigm, the relationship of Afro-centricity to social problems, and explains the reasons for the emergence of an Afro-centric social science perspective.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Afro-centricity - Definition and Meaning
Afro-centricity as an Emerging Paradigm in Social Work Practice
Effects on Male and Female Groups
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Peoples of African origin have a unique place within a multicultural society. The history of African Americans in the United States differs from those who came to US as immigrants. Despite African Americans' social and economic progress, they continue to lag behind White America in the areas of income, education, and health (McKinnon, 2003). While several models of social work practice that can assist colored people have emerged, the concept "Afro-centricity" better describes the cultural values of people of African descent and deployed for the social work practice. Social workers are encouraged to follow the Afro-centric paradigm because of its emphasis on eliminating oppression of the colored people."

Tags:value, system, sensitive, approach, social, science, traditional, culture, behavior

Abstract
The paper relates that in highly knowledge-centric industries, the need for intervention, both at the individual and corporate level, is particularly challenging given the resistance to change many of these knowledge-based organizations have within their cultures. The paper looks at the intervention techniques used by the consulting and advisory firm Accenture and shows the need for organizational development (OD) based interventions that concentrate on creating higher levels of collaboration between virtual teams and on how to make knowledge management systems part of active customer engagements. The paper reaches the conclusion that a concerted approach to OD interventions is essential in any knowledge-centric organization if lasting change is to occur.

Outline:
Introduction
Bringing OD Intervention to Knowledge-Centric Industries
Catalyst of Intervention in Knowledge-Centric Industries
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Interventions are the most difficult to successfully implement in those companies whose cultures highly value knowledge over pure efficiency or output. When knowledge becomes the delineating factor of status in any industry the challenge of successfully implementing personal and group interventions rises significantly (Hodgkinson, Healey, 2008). One company which was faced with significant resistance to change and successfully overcame its challenges using OD-based intervention techniques is consulting and advisory firm Accenture (Paik, Choi, 2005). Faced with growing fragmentation of its business units as their senior experts in such key areas as supply chain management (SCM), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), pricing and revenue management, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) practice areas began hoarding information and not entering it into the Accenture Knowledge Navigator knowledge management system (Paik, Choi, 2005) the consultancy faced the daunting task of how to recycle and reuse knowledge across its many ongoing projects. As is the case with organizations that have dozens of concurrent projects underway with members of teams from various levels of experience, the initial intervention of coaching and mentoring only worked with the remote senior-level project contributors (Paik, Choi, 2005). Interventions at the personal level also included the use of Myers-Briggs Types Indicator (MBTI) analyses to help Accenture teams better delineate their roles in virtual teams. The entire intervention process was made more difficult in the context of the virtual teams have learned over time to rely more on informal approaches to communication versus using the processes as defined for entering and accessing data in the Knowledge Navigator (Paik, Choi, 2005)."

Tags:collaboration, teams, customers, business, process, management

Abstract
Over the next ten pages, I introduce the Cafe Cuppa Communa, a coffee-centric gathering place that harks back to the true spirit of the seventeenth-century coffee house: a place in the community, and for the community. Cuppa Communa represents a pushback against decades of ersatz coffee houses whose notion of community is alien and rooted in mall culture; this culture was successfully forced on much of North America in the absence of credible challenges from a local ethos that has been re-energized by the economic crisis.

From the Paper
CafAfA(c) Cuppa Communa Business Plan Over the next ten pages, I introduce the CafAfA(c) Cuppa Communa, a coffee-centric gathering place that harks back to the true spirit of the seventeenth-century coffee house: a place in the community, and for the community. Cuppa Communa represents a pushback against decades of ersatz coffee houses whose notion of community is alien and rooted in mall culture; this culture was successfully forced on much of North America in the absence of credible challenges from a local ethos that has been re-energized by the economic crisis. Broad Environment

Tags:business, plan, cafe

Abstract
The writer relates that he is attracted to Apple's less-formal, more results-driven approach. The paper describes Apple's organizational culture and discusses the needs and value of their customer base. The paper also suggests customer service standards to make Apple more customer-centric.

From the Paper
"The company I have chosen to examine is Apple Computers. Apple characterizes its organizational culture as "fun, yet demanding. " Apple was one of the pioneers of the "work hard, play hard" ethic now commonplace in the computer industry today. This ethic appeals to me because it fits with how I approach work life. I, too, take a results-driven approach that devalues formality in place of superior performance. Too many industries still rely on formality and hierarchy. While that may suit other people, I view Apple's less-formal, more results-driven approach as in line with the approach I feel works best for me."

Tags:corporate, philosophy, customer, service, feedback, technical, help

Abstract
This religious study defines the spiritual and religious communities and cultural policies that define Rastafarian nationalism under British colonial policy. The paper shows how with the iconic cultural leadership of King Haile Selassi I and Leonard Howell, the roots of a political and religious foundation for nationalism was formed for the working poor in Jamaica.

Tags:race, issues, war

Abstract
This paper focuses on the issue of African-American women and feminism, from the 1960s to the present, while focusing on the views and opinions of various authors such as Patricia Hill Collins. Collins, a powerful voice in matters of black feminist epistemology, contends that because black women have access to both the Afro-centric and feminist standpoints, then, for a full analysis, both traditions should be represented through an "alternative epistemology." Collins also states that the key dimension of an Afro-centric feminist epistemology is the black woman's centrality in families and community organizations.
The writer of this paper discusses the issues that pertained to many African-American women in the 1960s and 1970s, who felt that the objectives and practices of feminism pertained mainly to white women. In the early 1970s, black feminists challenged this situation, questioning the assumption that white feminists spoke for all women and demanded -and eventually were given- women's studies programs on the experiences, culture and literature of black women. At that time, the activist black women who made the demands were denounced for espousing black nationalism, nonetheless, appropriate courses on "women of color" were eventually added to the women's studies' curriculum, which are detailed in this paper. This paper examines the progress and empowerment of African-American women over the years who are now able to lead in ways they had never thought possible, prior to 1960.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Main Body of the Paper: Literature Review
Epistemology
Conclusion
References
References Not Included in the Body of the Paper

From the Paper
"In her book, Collins suggests that the Black feminist thought processes speaks to "the importance that knowledge plays in empowering oppressed people." Moreover, Black feminist thought offers a "fundamental paradigmatic shift in how we think about oppression," though the process of reconceptualizing "the social relations of domination and resistance." Black feminist thought also empowers "subordinate groups" by infusing them with "new knowledge" that helps them define the reality of their own existence. What is impressive about Collins - besides the fact that clearly she's brilliant, alert to what real Black women are doing and feeling - is that she is fair-minded when it comes to her scholarship, and generally eschews long and emotional harangues about the white culture, and about white feminist epistemology that has in the past stood in the way of African-American feminists reaching out to the world with their vision."

Tags:women, racism, rights, feminism, education, spirituality, literature, patricia, hill, collins