Abstract This paper discusses the general concept of services operations management and customers' satisfaction. First, the paper looks at different methods of categorizing service and the rationale behind each attribute are presented. The paper then examines the influence of temporal aspects and service guarantees and failures on satisfaction levels. The paper concludes with a discussion about what the writer learned from the research.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Introductions and concept of Service Operations
Identification and Categorization of Service Attributes
Temporal Aspects of Service Encounter
Service Guarantee, Service Failure and Recovery
Further Research
Conclusion
From the Paper "From Heineke and Davis, 2006, we learn that in 1950s and 1960s, the service sector became acknowledged in the US economy and was no longer categorized under "others" sector of the economy. Initially, service sector only had basic infrastructure services such as transportation and health care. As the economy developed, support services such as banking and insurance services became a necessity. Further economic growth allowed people to spend more discretionary income on recreational and leisure services and modernization caused education and time saving services to become a need of society. "
Abstract This paper discusses some of the advancements implemented in networking protocol in order to reduce network congestion and improve speed. It also includes a discussion of RED, an active queue management protocol that is widely implemented in the Internet.
From the Paper "Further research should be carried out to improve RED. Infact, a lot research is currently going on in order to make RED adaptive to network flows. Due to the random nature of RED, there are certain times when the algorithm drops packets especially if the network has observed congestion. Packet loss should be minimized for two important reasons. One to improve network performance and two, to save the resources that are wasted once a packet is dropped enroute to its destination. Increasing queue size, reducing packet processing delays at the router are one of the methods of improving overall network performance."
Abstract This paper examines the Castle Hill Show from an event management perspective focusing on issues such as conduct, waste and risk management, site communication, queue management and emergency strategies.
From the Paper "The most common occurrence of a risk exposure at an event is that of an attendee tripping, slipping or falling over. (Johnson, D., 1997, p205) Therefore it was surprising to discover that the ground surrounding the general attendee parking area at this event was uneven and unsurfaced. . In order to then gain access to the main areas of the showground it was also necessary to climb rocky embankments especially dangerous in wet weather. It would appear that this event failed to identify the potential risks these rocky areas represented to both attendees and their vehicles. (Newell, M., & Grashina, M., 2004, p177)"
Abstract This paper discusses and identifies the problems often encountered when standing in line at a checkout counter. The paper then looks at some possible solutions, citing examples of companies that have applied these solutions, and recommends strategies that could help minimize the problems identified.
From the Paper "Almost all of us at some point or the other have spent time in checkout lines at a grocery store, supermarket or department store. As to the question of why does this problem exist, there are a number of reasons. For long checkout times, there are fewer open check-out counter; the clerks/cashiers at the open counters are slow; the grocery store or department store is unusually crowded. The day you decided to shop coincided with a store wide sale. Or, it was the holiday season; everyone was trying to complete his or her holiday shopping. The store is very popular in the neighborhood. One customer was having problem with the credit card they were using, the SKU (Stock Keeping Umit) number was not visible or clear on the product being purchased. The cashier needed authorization to overwrite a checkout item; or, there was a customer arguing with the checkout cashier with regards to the price marked on an item they wanted. And the list goes on."
Abstract This paper defines JIT as a philosophy of manufacturing based on planned elimination of all waste and continuous improvement of productivity, encompassing the successful execution of all manufacturing activities required to produce a final product, from design engineering to delivery, and including all stages of conversion from raw material onward. The author points out that the primary elements include having only the required inventory when needed to improve quality to zero defects, to reduce lead-time by reducing setup times, queue lengths, and lot sizes, to revise the operations themselves incrementally, and to accomplish these things at minimum cost. The paper stresses that the successful JIT implementation needs the support and dedication of all the employees and management, as well as the backing of suppliers and distributors in the entire value chain of the product.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Discussion
Limitation of the Work
Conclusion
From the Paper "Inventory was, in the past, considered to be a distributor and/or manufacturers' largest asset. Finished good inventory was considered a company's most valuable asset. Inventory management however, also comes with its own nightmares; the wrong quantities of the wrong items are often found on warehouse shelves; and, computer inventory records are not accurate. Inventory can be a liability as well as an asset: excessive, finished (goods) inventory requires larger warehouses; often, this is the first visual indication of bad decisions in the production and process stages. Making major improvements in the product and the product-availability while at the same time reducing overall working capital investments a company has to use to maintain its dominance in the market place, without jeopardizing the company performance is a tightrope that most inventory managers have to walk at some point in their careers."
This paper discuses the supply chain management strategies of the movie rental industry and how it applies to their to eBusiness approach especially for companies such as Netflix, Blockbuster and Intelliflix.
Abstract This paper explains that a supply chain covers all aspects of component and service production. The author points out that eBusiness has helped supply chain management through the automation of tasks, which leads to reduced costs for all companies, increased efficiency and added timeliness of component supply. The paper relates that the movie rental industry has been remarkably slow to adopt eBusiness strategies especially when considering that the industry product is technology based. The author states that a rudimentary and fragmented evolution of the supply chain in this industry has created a patchwork of delivery methods to the end user. The paper reports that, in 1998, Netflix revolutionizes the industry with the first online DVD rental service, which allowed the company to eliminate the liability of retail space expense and customer queues.
Table of Contents:
Supply Chain
Industry Supply Chain History
Netflix
Blockbuster
Intelliflix
From the Paper "Utilizing automated ordering helps reduce costs for all the companies in the supply chain as companies do not have to devote human resources to performing those tasks of placing, receiving and processing orders and processing invoices and payments. Another benefit of eBusiness websites is that companies can monitor their orders to see what stage it is at and track the delivery through websites such as Fedex.com or UPS.com which are two shipping websites that offer delivery tracking."
Abstract Norms help to define a society by setting boundaries and enhancing group identity and coherence. The author of this paper sets out to discover how differing segments of the population react when a commonly excepted norm is ignored - standing in line. The author states that by cutting in line, the individual is proclaiming that he or she is not bound by convention; that he or she is more important than all those other individuals who must wait their turn. The author describes how, in the course of his researc,h he choose three different social situations involving queues and how, in each situation, he blatantly cut in line. The writer then describes the reaction of others to his actions before drawing his final conclusions.
From the Paper "This attempt was not very successful. The researcher cut in front of a female student in her late teens. She was appeared to be alone, and was carrying a laptop. She was looking down at the floor and did not seem like she was paying attention to anyone. She said nothing as the researcher stepped in front of her, though he though he saw her grimace slightly and then return to looking at the floor. Nevertheless, a group of seven or eight students behind her quickly noticed the researcher's presence. One of them turned loudly to his friends and cried, "Did you just see that? This guy cut in front." The researcher pretended not to notice and tried to continue looking blankly ahead. Almost immediately, he felt a strong tap on his shoulder. A tall man in a denim jacket was sticking his reddened face in his. Two of his friends moved forward to back him up. One "What the (expletive) do you think you're doing?" A girl who had remained in the original group of seven or eight giggled before directing her other friends attentions to what was going on. "Look at this," she smiled. The man with the red face shoved the researcher in the back. The three men stepped closer to the researcher.... And the researcher left the line without saying a word."
Abstract This paper examines the incidence of inter-regime marriages between Hong Kong and mainland China. The paper discusses when this trend started and analyzes the cultural, socioeconomic and geopolitical factors that lead to cross-border marriages between local-born Hong Kong men and mainland Chinese women. The paper also discusses the social environment problems such as cross-border concubines, marriage brokers and legal and illegal-increases in fake marriages of convenience as women marry into more desirable locations within and beyond China's borders, creating a shortage of brides in more remote rural regions.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Methodology
Literature Review
Background of the Study
Cross-Border Marriages and Rationale in Choice of Partner
Inter-Regime Marriages
Reasons Men in Hong Kong Choose Wives from Mainland China
Cross-Border Marriages = Cross-Border Children
Legal Issues of Mainland Born Children with One Parent in Hong Kong
Basic Law Regulating Children Born Outside of Hong Kong with Parent in Hong Kong
Analysis of the "Mess" (Ho Hei-wa: Director of Society for Community Organization
Proponents of the Bill: Rationale
Uninitiated Queues and the Psychological Harm Caused to Waiting or Hiding Children
Geopolitical Aspects of Cross-Border Marriage
Summary & Conclusion
From the Paper "Corruption is prevalent in a system that requires the payment of high bribes and fees for smuggling of children into a country in order that the children may be with their parents. The government that uses regulations in this matter is one that appears bent on completely breaking down the parent-child and family structure in Hong Kong and mainland China. The red-tape and bureaucracies existing in a system that does not meet queue quotas is one that perpetuates bribery and smuggling of human beings. Furthermore, these types of regulations do not support the country economically as exampled in the cases of parents unable to work because they are the only parent available to the children due to the entry requirements and regulations in Hong Kong. Certainly, it would be more efficient to invest in more schools and teachers than to force parents into welfare situations when they would rather be working and the country as a whole would be more productive and this is not even to factor in the psychological harm caused to these children who are forced to hide while being smuggled, to live underground so as not to be discovered in Hong Kong and then there are the children who are dragged in handcuffs and repatriated to a homeland they have never known but due to regulations are forced to enter into and live among strangers."
Abstract "In The House on Moon Lake Francesca Duranti creates a character who withdraws from life through literature. On a literal level Fabrizio Garrone moves forward in time. He is dissatisfied with his life, discovers an unknown novel, turns it into a best-seller, goes to the scene of the events that inspired the novel, and comes to a strange end.
From the Paper "In The House on Moon Lake Francesca Duranti creates a character who withdraws from life through literature. On a literal level Fabrizio Garrone moves forward in time. He is dissatisfied with his life, discovers an unknown novel, turns it into a best-seller, goes to the scene of the events that inspired the novel, and comes to a strange end. But this chronological progress contrasts with the metaphoric level of the book in which Fabrizio's life mirrors that of a novel. It mirrors, in fact, the life of the love story he discovers. That book is entitled The House on Moon Lake. Thus, at the most obvious level, the story of Fabrizio is identified with the story in the book he finds.
In the career of a love story, one written from the author's own feelings and experience, the writer, involved in an affair ..."
Abstract "Aristophanes' The Birds is a comedy, but it does make a number of philosophical statements about the human condition, particularly the inability of human beings to accept reality for what it is. Instead, almost every character in the play (not only human but also bird and god) is shown to be dissatisfied with his or her lot in life and seeks to create a better city or world.
From the Paper "Aristophanes' The Birds is a comedy, but it does make a number of philosophical statements about the human condition, particularly the inability of human beings to accept reality for what it is. Instead, almost every character in the play (not only human but also bird and god) is shown to be dissatisfied with his or her lot in life and seeks to create a better city or world. The world turns out not to be better, but worse than the reality each seeks to escape. While Aristophanes, from his satirical perspective, may handle some characters more tenderly than others, all are skewered in one way or another as deluded or self-deluded, as alienated from reality. No character is happy and contented with his or her lot, but instead believes that there is some way to control others or otherwise exercise power in order to win that elusive happiness. "
Abstract This paper presents the story of "Rasselas" who is dissatisfied with the inability of material excess to satisfy the deeper joy it promises and embarks on a journey of realization. The paper explains that, in the end, nothing is resolved and none of the characters achieves the ideal of happiness pursued. The author believes that Johnson is saying materialism cannot replace true happiness.
From the Paper "Rasselas lives with all the luxury of nobility and eventually shakes himself from the diversions of the court with the realization that he is not truly happy. The valley in which he lives is both a sanctuary and a prison, his isolation from the world and any type of pain or suffering causes him to question the seemingly unmerited excess in which he has always been indulged. The valley resembles in many respects the Garden of Eden and Rasselas's quest for happiness can easily be compared to Adam and Eve's thirst for knowledge in that the prince also yearns for something beyond what his father has provided."
This paper discusses how an employee's satisfaction with their job influences not only their own personal motivation, but the company's success or failure, as well.
Abstract This paper is an examination of how job satisfaction, or lack thereof, can determine a company's success or failure in the marketplace. The paper discusses why job satisfaction is important and gives several examples of the havoc that a dissatisfied employee can cause, including the extreme cases where they resort to violence and cause physical harm to the other employees. The author discusses different ways that can improve job satisfaction including the improvement of benefits, salaries, the building of trust between managers and their employees, job flexibility, self-sufficiency and the transmission of postive feedback from supervisor to their employees. This paper poses several ways to improve the atmosphere including by making positive physical changes to the work environment and the institution of programs that encourage employee involvement.
From the Paper "Other factors suggested that an employee's sense of control over their situation had an effect on job satisfaction. The more employees felt that they were in control of their circumstances, the more they were likely to experience job satisfaction (Spector & O?Connell, 1994). Rotter (1954) defined persons with an external locus of control as feeling that they have no control over their own circumstances, instead attributing their success or failure to some outside force such as luck or divine intervention. These people consequently tend to take less responsibility for their actions than people with an internal locus of control do. Those who have an internal locus of control feel that that they do have an effect on the outcome of their situation. Individuals with an internal locus of control orientation appear more highly motivated, have better job performance, have higher job satisfaction levels, and have lower turn over rates than individuals with an external locus of control."
Abstract The paper discusses the fact that many Americans are generally dissatisfied with the Republican and the Democratic parties, due to perceptions that both parties generally operate to serve their own self-interests. This paper shows that once people are sufficiently educated about the democratic process and how to participate effectively, their uncertainty about their ability to influence public policy will dissipate.
From the Paper "In order to promote public participation in political processes, the voting public must be adequately informed about the functions and limitations of elected representatives. They must also be reassured of the critical importance of public participation. Communication is the "glue" that holds society together. Yet when that communication process is thwarted, the entire political system can break down; eventually to the point in which we are living in a completely authoritarian society."
Abstract Aristophanes' "The Birds" is a comedy, but it does make a number of philosophical statements about the human condition, particularly the inability of human beings to accept reality for what it is. The paper shows how almost every character in the play (not only human but also bird and god) is shown to be dissatisfied with his or her lot in life and seeks to create a better city or world. The world turns out not to be better, but worse than the reality each seeks to escape. The paper shows that while Aristophanes, from his satirical perspective, may handle some characters more tenderly than others, all are skewered in one way or another as deluded or self-deluded, as alienated from reality. No character is happy and contented with his or her lot, but instead believes that there is some way to control others or otherwise exercise power in order to win that elusive happiness.
From the Paper "However, the play is not overtly political, and the argument of this study remains philosophical rather than political, social, or even ethical. This is so because Aristophanes, at least in this particular play, seems to this reader to be focusing more on the human proclivity to self-centered dissatisfaction with reality in general rather than with the blatantly political. Certainly the subject of trying to create a utopia on earth is present, and that may certainly be said to be political, but, again, the goal of this study is to explore the theme of human restlessness in general, with the tendency of individuals at every point in history and in almost every culture to be unhappy with what they have and to seek something that they don't have and likely will never have. In fact, it can be argued their inability or unwillingness to be satisfied with reality (personal, social, psychological, and political) is the source of their happiness."
Abstract By the late 1780's many Americans had grown dissatisfied with the Confederation. It was unable to deal effectively with economic problems and weak in the face of Shay's Rebellion. A decade earlier, Americans had deliberately avoided creating a strong national government. Now they reconsidered. The paper shows that in 1787, the nation produced a new constitution and a new, much more powerful government with three independent branches. The government the Constitution produced has survived far more than two centuries as one of the most stable and most successful in the world. The paper discusses how the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution resembled each other in some cases and differed from each other greatly in other aspects.
From the Paper "There were three important ordinances that were formulated and retained by both the Articles and Constitution. The ordinance of 1784, based on a proposal by Thomas Jefferson, divided the western territory into ten self-governing districts, each of which could petition Congress for statehood when its population equaled the number of free inhabitants of the smallest existing state. The Ordinance of 1785, Congress created a system for surveying and selling the western lands, and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 abandoned the ten districts established in 1784 and created a single Northwest Territory out of the lands north of the Ohio; the territory out of the divided subsequently into between three and five territories. It also specified a population of 60,000 as a minimum for statehood, guaranteed freedom of religion and the right to trial by jury to residents of the Northwest, and prohibited slavery throughout the territory. As a matter of fact, this may have been the ordinance's most important feature. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was the first attempt to ban slavery and outlaw territory."
