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The Impact of an Organizational Development Intervention on Service Quality in a Travel Agency to Reduce the Gap between Employees Perceptions and Customers Experience of Services Performed
Get PDFThis paper aims to evaluate the impact of an organization Development Intervention on Service Quality of a Travel Agency (XTT) in Surabaya, Indonesia. The research was designed based on five dimensions of service quality developed by Parasuraman (1990); namely, tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy as a strategy to differentiate among travel agencies. The OD interventions on service qualities were conducted in several activities; such as: coaching, training, dialoguing, and providing feedback. They were carried out to improve the service quality performed by employees in order to provide high quality customer service. It also disclosed action research and questionnaire feedback approach in three stages of Pre-ODI, ODI, and Post-ODI. The result of the measurement showed the gaps and differences between employees perception about the service quality and customers experience of service performed. Therefore, the researcher chose to explore Gap 4 out of 5 gaps from Parasuraman, since it explained most directly on service delivery and communication with customer; hence, it focuses on the service quality discrepancy when promises do not match delivery. It has the purpose of improving the internal service quality within the employees in order to perform excellent service to customers. In support of the need for behavior change on the part of employees, the researcher introduced the Whole Brain Literacy (Tayko 2014, 2017) approach to help shift the employees’ mindset into four thinking abilities namely: open-ended thinking, precision thinking, aim thinking, and feeling power thinking. The results of the t-Test after the interventions indicated that coaching, training, dialoguing, and providing feedback on service quality had a significant impact in developing the employees perception on the services perceived. Through OD interventions on service quality, employees at XTT were able to improve their service performance which could bring more positive rating from what customers experienced.
A New Class of Heavy-Tailed Distribution in GARCH Models for the Silver Returns
Get PDFAfter serving as a medium of exchange for the human society, silver is still widely used in our daily life. From the jewellery, electronic and electrical industries as well as medicine, optics, the power industry, automotive industry and many other industries, silver is still playing a very active role. In addition to the industrial usage, silver also serves as an investment tool for many financial institutions. Thus, it is crucial to develop effective quantitative risk management tool for those financial institutions. In this paper, we investigate the conditional heavy tails of daily silver spot returns under the GARCH framework. Our results indicate that that it is important to introduce heavy-tailed distributions to the GARCH framework and the normal reciprocal inverse Gaussian (NRIG) distribution, a newly-developed distribution, has the best empirical performance in capture the daily silver spot returns dynamics
Investigating Customer Perceptions of Loyalty Cards and their Influence on Purchasing Behaviour in Major Retail Stores
Get PDFLoyalty cards are used in various sectors in South Africa. Media reports indicate that there has been a significant growth in the number of loyalty card programmes in the country. The existence of various loyalty card programmes generated an inquisitive interest for this research study to be conducted in order to determine customer perceptions of loyalty cards in retail stores in Gauteng. Like in other industries, retailers are competing on their loyalty card programmes as they aim to acquire loyal customers. This is not an easy task, particularly in the environment of economic decline and uncertainty which South Africa is currently going through. The debate on whether loyalty cards have an impact on customer purchasing behaviour has been ongoing for several years. There have been different views from previous research studies in both developing and developed countries. However, this topic is relevant as it relates to understanding and fulfilling customer preferences. The purpose of the study was to investigate if customers perceive loyalty cards offered in major retail stores in Gauteng to be beneficial, and to determine if they influence the purchasing behaviour and decisions made by customers. The study also intended to understand the reasons for various loyalty card memberships. The quantitative approach was employed in this study, and structured questionnaires were used to collect data. The results indicated that loyalty cards influence purchasing behaviour as the number of times customers purchased in stores as members increased, however there was uncertainty if the amount of money spent also increased
Protection of Telecommunication Systems in Electric Power Facilities from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP). Part 1.
Get PDFTelecommunication systems of electric power facilities play an important role in data transmission, telemetry, remote control and communication. At the same time, these systems are the most sensitive to, and the least protected from, High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP), compared to other important electric and electronic systems used in the electric power industry. This situation cannot be perceived as normal and thus calls for corresponding actions. Unfortunately, renowned technical means are often very expensive, and regardless of advertisement, claims they do not always ensure reliable HEMP-protection of telecommunication systems. An analysis of the situation and a new solution for the problem is presented in this article
(NEO) Geography Before the Challenges of the Information Society, Cultural and Educational Impact. Perspectives for the Future
Get PDFThe information society associated with the massification of new technologies is provoking a social change that is considered revolutionary by numerous scholars and researchers from different disciplines of the Social Sciences. Such a revolution would already be affecting all aspects of human activity, from politics to economy through to culture, social relationships, leisure time, or education. Geography, as a social science, is not left out of this new situation. Rather it is deeply influenced by the so-called Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), not only in its methodology and work techniques but also in relation to the new epistemological and sociological questions that the new information society entails. From this last point of view mainly Social Geography faces the new challenge that now is happening at least in part in a new place, the cyberspace or virtual space
A Study on the Relationship among Industrial Relations Climate, Dual Commitment and Turnover Intention during the Period of Economic Transition in China
Get PDFWith the transition of industrial relations in China, industrial relations in companies are becoming increasingly complex and diverse, which leads to more and more contradictions and conflicts between companies and workers, and the resulting problems become the focus of scholars, especially employee turnover. This paper adopts 450 employees from Shandong, Guangdong and other places as samples, structuring a conceptual model of the relationship between industrial relations climate and turnover intention through bringing in dual commitment as mediator, and use multiple linear regression method to verify it. Research finds: (1) industrial relations climate has a negative effect on turnover intention; (2) dual commitment plays as mediator in the process. This paper can not only supplement relative study on industrial relations climate in China, but lead managers to pay more attention to establish harmonious industrial relations in companies to decrease turnover rate
Business Impact of the Black Economic Empowerment in South Africa: A Critical Review of Four Case Studies
No full textThe majority blacks in South Africa were systematically excluded from meaningful participation in the economic life of the country during the apartheid era from 1948 to 1994. More specifically, the blacks were deprived of ownership in industrial firms and denied responsible positions in the private as well as the public sectors. To address this injustice, the South African government introduced the policy of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) in the aftermath of the collapse of the apartheid regime in 1994. This paper investigates the impact of the BEE policy on the businesses in South Africa by reviewing four case studies. The companies covered in three of the four case studies and 500 managers surveyed in the fourth reported different challenges in implementing BEE while at the same a number of commonalities were also found. This paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges and commonalities in implementing BEE in South Africa. 
Case Study of Altruistic Behavior and Relational Network with Business Value on Local Travel Agency
Get PDFThe present study based on a local travel agency in Tainan, investigation how does the altruistic behavior affected the relational network and created the business value. The case company’s CEO had voluntary participated in charity societies more than 20 years. The present study first showed how the case company’s CEO to build an emotional relational network through altruistic behavior. Second, how does the emotional relational network form mixed relational network based on the key features demonstrated by altruistic behavior. Finally, also showed how the mixed relational network is transfer into an instrumental relational network. The results showed that the altruistic behavior can help local travel agency develop and increase their business value via relational network. The key factors to maximize the business value are the professional knowledge and altruistic behavior
PRICE FLUCTUATIONS ANALYSIS OF SEA FISH CONSUMPTION IN NORTH SULAWESI
Get PDFThis study is devoted to know the price fluctuations of skipjack to the consumption of marine fish by people in North Sulawesi. While other variables such as the price of Mas and Mujair fish, the price of chicken eggs, chicken meat prices and rainfall as a comparison. This study used a survey method. Data were analyzed using analysis of partial regression using SPSS software, to determine the relationship of variable fluctuations in the price of skipjack on the consumption of marine fish communities of North Sulawesi, the relationship variable fluctuations in the price of Mas and Mujair fish to the consumption of marine fish communities of North Sulawesi, the relationship variable fluctuations in the price of mujair fish on consumption marine fish communities of North Sulawesi, the relationship variables chicken egg price fluctuations on consumption of marine fish communities of North Sulawesi, relationships chicken meat price fluctuations against the consumption of marine fish communities of North Sulawesi and relation of fluctuations in rainfall against the consumption of marine fish communities of North Sulawesi. Based on results of this research, the price of skipjack provide a positive and significant influence on α = 0.05 on marine fish consumption by people of North Sulawesi. Price goldfish have a positive influence on the consumption of marine fish by the people of North Sulawesi, this indicates that the Mas and Mujair are substitutes against marine fish for the people of North Sulawesi. The price of Mujair fish, marinated fish, eggs, chicken and precipitation did not have a significant influence on the consumption of marine fish by people of North Sulawesi. That is, with the change in the price of Mujair fish, marinated fish, eggs, chicken and rainfall, the people of North Sulawesi still consume sea fish.
 
Creating A Competitive Advantage Through Strategic Thinking
Get PDF“Strategic conversation will be the No.1 management tool in the new century. Marketers who understand the value of relationships and the power of strategic conversation will do best at capturing and keeping the customers of tomorrow. They will own the future.” Tony Manning: Chairman of the Institute of Directors of Southern Africa, Independent Management Consultant in Competitive Strategy & Change Management since 1987 and Author of best-selling novel “Making sense of strategy”.This article describes various new theories, which have come about in the last decade (1996-2001) that can be adapted to your business changing and improving the way you think, perform and ultimately reap the benefits