Interview Questions free essay sample

Otherwise, you will loose your focus on answering those questions. Instead of giving them the best answers, it will turn out confusing out of the league. 1. Tell me about yourself? 2. Why do you want to work for us? . What would you do for us? What can you do for someone else can’t? 4. Why should we hire you? 5. What do you look for in a job? 6. What are your strong points? 7. What are your weak points? When dealing with interview questions, a certain applicant should understand the duties responsibilities of the position he’s applying for, his skills the company he’s applying for. Since you put your comment under the post â€Å"Becoming EMIRATES Cabin Crew Application Procedureâ€Å", so I presume that you are applying for Emirates as Cabin Crew. I may not give you an accurate answer to these questions because each individual has different skills previous working experiences. We will write a custom essay sample on Interview Questions or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page But I will give you an idea on how you will deal on these questions. Before that, you need to take note that during interview sessions, these are the following factors you need to emphasize; 1 Your personality 2 Your Educational Background 3 Your Working Experiences 4 Your Skills Other than these, it is not really necessary to mention about your favorite hobbies, colors motto in life. I don’t think those things are important for Cabin Crew Position. Its fine to memorize some important phrases to answer these frequently asked interview questions. Though try to balance it, so they wouldn’t feel that you called your college teacher to help you out with those questions. Here’s the questions my idea on how you’re going to deal with it. Other people may have some idea so you might want to check some other links like these two a. ) Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions; b. ) 50 Common Interview Questions Answers. 1. Tell me about yourself. When answering to this question, you need to remember that they already have an idea on you since they have your resume. It is better to answer this in a short statement. You may start on telling your age what country you from. Second statement, might mention your over all qualifications that fit on the requirements their looking for. You need to assess yourself which of your qualifications educational background or working experience, will fit better on the requirements of the position of Cabin Crew. If you’re a graduate of customer-related-course not that much working experience, you can mention what degree you have what college school you attended with. Do not mention the years you attended instead mention there the reason why you took such study. Example, â€Å"I am a graduate of B. S. Tourism in University of the Phils. I took this course to gain knowledge, not just traveling but also my passion in customer service specifically in dealing with different type of people. If you’re not a graduate of customer-related-course but has working experience that has orientation about customer service, you may highlight on your statement your previous job positions some responsibilities. I mention there SOME because detailed info about this should be specified in your resume. 2. Why do you want to work for us? Emirates all knew that applicants aiming for a position of Cabin Crew means travel opportunities. So, it’s not bad to mention it here, although you need to emphasize the possible career development that Emirates can offer to you. Check for details. One or two reasons will be enough to discuss here. 3. What would you do for us? What can you do for us that someone else can’t? This question is quite relevant to the first question, like what I’ve said you can highlight your educational background or working experience that follows on the requirement of the position your applying for. You can also mention how dedicated you are when it comes to work responsibilities. That’s what make it difference, your commitment on work. Convince them on how committed you are what’s your attitude towards excellence. Example; As you can see in my resume, I have extensive experience as front desk officer. My basic task is to assist customers on the details of their stay in the hotel. I feel very confident in approaching people it was fully developed when I work for Crowne Plaza Dubai. I sincerely believe that I’m the best person for the job. I realize that there are many other applicants who have the ability to do this job. I also have that ability. But I also bring an additional quality that makes me the very best person for the job — my attitude for excellence. Not just giving lip service to excellence, but putting every part of myself into achieving it. 4. Why should we hire you? You can mention certain incident in your previous job that shows plus factor on your side your attitude towards work. For an instance in MGA’s case, there was a guest in front of his desk and finalizing the details of his accommodation in the hotel. Then suddenly the customer experienced breathing problem asked MGA for his bag of medicine in the bell boy. MGA asked him why he’s having breathing problem, the customer mention that his blood sugar was going down. MGA knew that getting that bag might take some time, so without hesitation MGA gave 1 piece of chocolate to the customer. He ate it felt better. MGA still called their nurse to attend on the customer assured customer’s condition to be normal again. In this situation MGA practiced an extra knowledge apart from his regular duties responsibility as front desk officer. 5. What do you look for a job? We all knew that everybody is looking for a job that gives good benefits compensation, but applicant should balanced his answer to this question by mentioning his objective of establishing a career on the chosen field. 6. What are your strong points? Pick one or two of your strong points and relate it with the Emirates requirement. For example, MGA worked previously in call center back there in Philippines. We all knew that in order to be a call center agent, you will undergo training that includes language or enhancement of communication skill. He mentioned this as his strong point. He had training in Australian, German American accent. He also mentioned that during college he took basic Japanese Language 7. What are your weak points? This is a common mistake to some applicants. For me, they asked this type of question not because their looking for a reason of not hiring you. Rather they’re going to assess if the â€Å"weak point† you’re considering will be manageable on their organization. Just a tip, there are some weak points that can turn positive points on the company’s side. Example; Proper Job Delegation A tendency to do a job of other people. It’s a negative one since you’re not following the proper job delegation. Although this may turn good in the company. Like for an instance, MGA mentioned that there was as instance in the front desk area where in a lot of customers were waiting there was a certain customer whose having a problem with his reservation. Instead of passing such customer to Reservations Department, he took the responsibility to clear the customer’s reservation proceed to its accommodation details. He knew that it’s not anymore his responsibility but he knew that Reservation Department was busy too that time so he just settled it by himself. He then mentioned that after that busy time in the front desk, he then coordinated with the Reservation Department regarding on such customer.

Sparring with Words free essay sample

A man and a woman are caught in a battle of words. The woman points fingers and blames her counterpart for something he may or may not have done, shouting and screaming spiteful slurs. The man, in defense, launches his own attack, cursing and throwing around any word he can think of, aiming to hurt. The couple’s words scrape and cut each other like the blades of swords, clashing and clanging in mid-battle. In the end, the fight is not won; neither warrior stands as the victor. Instead, all that is left is a bloody mess on the ground. Our words are our greatest weapons. They are the blades that we thrust into one another, causing pain and anger as a reaction. The scene just described is one that has been recreated on numerous occasions with friends, lovers, family members, and that random passerby on the street. Because each person is completely unique, constructed of differing viewpoints and ideas on how to act, we have a tendency to argue. We will write a custom essay sample on Sparring with Words or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We would rather everyone we encounter agree with our opinions and behave in the same manners we do. Because this is improbable, each individual acting his own, we lose our tempers over the tiniest detail. We then bluntly point out with our not-so-blunt weapons the blunder the individual has committed. These circumstances sometimes escalate into sparring matches, where we are forced to defend ourselves with sword and shield. The injuries we give and receive are so cutting to us because they are composed of truthful elements about ourselves that we would rather not acknowledge. Our words are deliberate, so during these times they can be vindictive and heart-wrenching, wounding our intended opponent. Emerged in the passion of the argument, we don’t even notice the depths our swords have penetrated. My words have been known to inflict wounds upon others. An example of this was when my friend Madison fell victim to my sharp weapons once during my sophomore year of high school. She had been a good friend for several years, but it seemed she only was found at my side when she needed something or someone. This happened continuously, until I finally stood up for myself, bothered by her inconsistent and selfish attitude. She flopped down next to me one day during lunchtime, appearing wide-eyed and lost. She was yearning for some sort of comfort for the sole reason that all her other friends had left for the day. I opened my mouth and unleashed a plethora of daggers, knocking down all her defenses. All I did was point out the truth in what she was doing to me, but because it was the opposite of what she expected to hear, tears fell from her eyes, shocked by how harmful my words had become. Her attempt to injure me in return was feeble at best, considering I had already wounded her bey ond all repair. Since our fight, our friendship has never been the same. We talk now and again, but nothing like we used to. I keep my words to a minimum for fear of how they may appear. Each expression holds so much power because depending on how we speak, our words can come out as hateful, angry, loving, or neutral. Only we have the control over the manifestation of our words, just as we direct the power in the thrust of a sword. The language we craft can be just as hurtful as the pierce from any sort of weapon. Because our words have â€Å"life-threatening consequences,† it is best to monitor what we say. Our verbal swordfights slash through us just as deep, if not deeper, than the sharp metal tips we warriors carry.

The eNotes Blog Fact or Fiction Famous Test-taking StrategiesReexamined

Fact or Fiction Famous Test-taking StrategiesReexamined You have approximately 113 standardized tests to take before you graduate high school. That’s not even counting your pop quizzes, AP classes, or college entrance exams. Everyone thinks they have a few magical  test-taking strategies up their sleeve (socks inside out, lucky undies, answers written on the inside of  Ã‚  wait, no!) Find out whether the strategies you swear by are true life-savers or total fiction.   1. Bananas are instant  calming agents. THE MYTH: The whiteboard is going fuzzy. Your leg won’t stop jittering. A bead of sweat rolls down your forehead and your stomach is about six seconds from expelling its contents onto your desk. â€Å"Wait!† you cry. Time stops, and you run to your locker to grab the item that you hope is thereIT IS! You peel the banana in record time, cram it into your mouth, and slide into your seat with a stable heartbeat and steady hands to ace your biology midterm. THE REALITY: Maybe. Some believe bananas function like beta blockers, which keep epinephrine from binding to beta receptors so you don’t feel the effects of adrenaline. Because the fight-or-flight response isn’t triggered, your heartbeat slows and blood pressure drops. Musicians have been using beta blocking drugs (and apparently bananas) for years to banish stage fright. Others think that bananas help correct an imbalance in gamma-aminobutyric acid. Whatever it is they’re actually doing, people from all walks of life report that bananas help reduce anxiety. Go figure. 2. Not sure? Just answer C! collegehumor.com THE MYTH: You’re running out of time. You have no clue what Otto von Bismarcks strategy was in the Austro-Prussian War- you’re just trying to remember where Prussia is. Five. Four. Three. Two. C! You remember that because of a weird glitch in all teacher’s brains, C is statistically the most common answer! You hand in your test feeling good, and are rewarded with an A+++. THE REALITY: Fiction. This one has been around for ages. Seriously. Ages. In your grandpa’s day it was B. One analysis of SAT statistics suggests that the distribution for each answer hovers pretty close to 20%- that’s even. When one answer does show up more often, it’s 1) only occasionally C, and 2) usually by a margin of less than 3%. In short, expecting to score higher on any given test because in the face of doubt you answer C is like consuming soda with Pop Rocks and expecting your stomach to explode. Not going to happen. 3. Don’t change your answer- you were probably right the first time. THE MYTH: You’ve finished the test. You’re just checking over your answers when suddenly you pause. Doubt assails you. George Eliot didn’t write Mrs. Dalloway. It was Virginia Woolf. And hey. These other ones look wrong now, too. Panic threatens, but with a deep breath and an inward smile you toss your test on the teacher’s desk, secure in the knowledge that your first guess is almost always right. THE REALITY: Fiction. Your first instinct is not always the best course. In fact, pretty much its only distinction is that it’swell, first. Research suggests you’re twice as likely to change your answer from a wrong choice to a right one than you are to change it from a right answer to a wrong one. The moral of the story? Edit away. 4. Chewing gum: The jaw bone’s connected to the brain bone. MYTH: You haven’t missed a day of school. You haven’t cut a single class. You haven’t skipped so much as a paragraph of the reading. And for all the good it’s doing you now, every single question on this test might as well be written in Swahili. You’re doomed. Or are you? You reach into your pocket, pull out a crumpled wrapper, and pop a piece of gum in your mouth. Ahhh. It all comes flooding back. You speak Swahili. REALITY: Fact?! At least when you time it correctly. Recent studies suggest that chewing gum will help you on a test, especially where memory and recall are concerned. The funny thing is the latest evidence tells us you shouldn’t chew during the test itself- you should chew immediately beforehand (post-banana). The temporary increase of blood to the brain should give you about a twenty minute window for slightly-increased awesomeness. 5. Dress for success. MYTH: You have not slept. You have not showered. You still have those funky lines you get from reading too long stamped across your vision. And yet you saunter/stumble into your final wearing your best khakis and your favorite button-down, nary a wrinkle in sight. Your wardrobe says it all: you shall triumph. In more of a Bill-Gates-businessman than a Russell-Crowe-gladiator kind of way. REALITY: Fact. I’m not saying ditch your sweatpants (anyone who tries to take mine from me will have to pry them off my warm and cozy dead body). It depends on you. Wearing clothes with strong cultural associations affects your cognition. Students who were asked to test wearing a lab coat they thought belonged to a doctor performed better than those who thought their identical borrowed coat belonged to an artist. Crazy.

Dejouanys Strategy over CGE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Dejouanys Strategy over CGE - Essay Example Dejouany’s management style was not so highly decentralized that it allowed decision making at lower levels. Rather it follows the multidivisional structure, where the division of labor is created between the top managers and division managers, such that it is the division managers who focus on the operational details of the functional departments, while the top managers are able to concentrate on strategic decisions and long-range planning.(Vivendi).Dejouany selected quality people who were well versed in the developing opportunities in a particular area of business, investing cash into those cash-strapped businesses in order that the Company could benefit overall from the potentials inherent in those markets. Â  In pursuing his goals of diversification of CGE from a primarily water-based business into a diversified entity which dealt with real estate and health care among other businesses, Dejouany followed the internal capital market model of diversification. The diversification of CGI was undertaken in order to make use of the internal capital market. Since CGE was a cash-rich business, with vast cash resources accruing from its monopoly in the water business, it was able to enter into the various type of agreements with cash-strapped businesses for mutual benefit. One kind of agreement the Company entered into were agreements where it did not have to invest cash but merely managed the assets of municipalities’ water supplies.

Interactive media (critical reflection) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interactive media (critical reflection) - Essay Example the audience has an opportunity of interacting with the actors and has a participative role whereby, they can offer their opinion on the theme of the work presented. Interactive theatre therefore has served to bring a paradigm shift in the traditional media landscape specifically in theatre. The interaction level in interactive theatre varies depending on the willingness of the audience to participate. This paper will offer a critical reflection on different aspects of interactive theatre and its relevance to culture and its pertinent effects on the media landscape. Interactive theatre offers the modern audience an opportunity to participate in emerging debates centred on material that is presented in theatres. Considering a theatre comprises of a large audience, the participation of the audience must be organized in a certain manner. The level of interaction varies on the decisions made by the actors and the contribution of the audience. In some cases, the audience is expected to complete the plot of a certain story while in others the audience is expected to offer a critical review of how the material was presented. The level of interaction is critical in making interactive theatre achieve its intended purpose. This form of theatre seeks to integrate the views of the audience with those of the producers and the actors. Passive spectators are transformed into active participants in interactive theatre (Evans 2013, p. 192). In a bid to understand the cultural relevance of interactive theatre, it is important to highlight the UNESCO definition of culture. According to this body, culture denoted, â€Å"A set of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of a social group.† With such a definition of culture, if interactive theatre is to be culturally relevant, it must contribute to the spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features of the society. Interactive theatre, exhibits a high level of cultural relevance (Jacobson & Hwang

Mcdonalds Marketing Intelligence System Marketing Essay

Mcdonalds Marketing Intelligence System Marketing Essay The driving forces behind the urgency to have quality marketing research and marketing information are hinged on the two factors. The continued decline in the unit cost of computer hardware and steady improvement in the flexibility and power of computer software, (Vitale, Ives, and Beath, 1989) and the quick pace in which environment changes, (Miles and Snow, 1987). The purpose of marketing research is to assist and improve marketing decision. Market research narrows the gap between producer and consumer, and increase the chance of successful decisions. In any field, the basis of decision making is having effective information available and using it. Processed, analysed and correctly used, market information can reduce risk, time and waste by providing the best basis for decision, (Tinniswood, 1986). Naturally, it seems, this leads to well defined marketing strategy. However, (Assad, 1990) posited marketing research must be conducted vigorously and systematically to fulfil its intended role, which is only vigorously when data collected are valid, reliable and representative. 2.0 The Quality of Marketing Research and Marketing Information What is Quality Marketing Research and Marketing Information? We will tackle this question by first collecting related framework, model and system and then discuss the issues of accuracy, reliability, amount of information required and data analysis complication that affect the quality of marketing research and marketing information. Mcdonalds Marketing Intelligence System Dr. Malcolm Mcdonalds concept of marketing intelligence system is depicted in fig. 1. As explained by Mcdonald, marketing research and marketing information are inseparable and hence synergistically entwined to effect a good marketing strategy. From the above, data from the market through marketing research are processed and analysed to form relevant marketing information which forms intelligence (knowledge) to make quality decision focuses on key determinants for example, the significance of market share or correct service levels for profitable growth. In marketing, these can be realised with a shrewd marketing mix (i.e. the 7 Ps). Hattons Information Priority Framework Marketing research is just one source of information available to the business planner. Also, the collection of new data can be very expensive. It is therefore imperative for the marketer to go through the process of identifying the priority for information need as in fig 2. The easy and hard can be defined by either time or cost. Weicks Theory of Marketing Research Limits On the same vein, (Weick, 1984) felt similar concern espoused a model with three criteria , (fig 3) to keep within the research limits i.e. generality, accuracy and simplicity. He provokes the thought of tradeoff among the three components. In reality, he stress that no all can be met at the same time but rather at most, any theory can meet two of these criteria. General accurate theories are complex, general simple theories are inaccurate, and simple accurate theories have no generality. The strategic implication of McDonald, Hatton and Weicks theory is that marketing researcher and the marketing manager have to work hand in hand to define problem correctly in the first place, prioritising information required and subtract, simplify, distil, (The Sunday Times, 18th May 1997) marketing information. This could improve the quality of information at optinium time and cost. All these certainly give us an indication of the complexity of the real world and management judgement is required. Lunns Database Marketing (DBM) Technology can increases the ease of data collection and provides new form of data analysis (Stone and Shaw, 1987). (Lunn, 1986)s thorough and ingenious DBM is a cut across functional boundaries system which can be a benchmarking tool to to information system designer. It helps in the linking of data collection to alternative marketing scenario which could lead to quality marketing strategies as depicted in fig 4. This system embraces organisational and cognitive process reliant on a solid IT foundation. 2.1 Accuracy of Marketing Research Most market research information does not have to totally accurate. For example, if a firm wants to know its market share, it will not matter whether the figure is 26 per cent or 27 per cent, but it will be important to discover whether it is 26 per cent or 50 per cent. Suppose a firm wants to know what portion of 10,000 person in a specific target group used their brand. They discover this information by asking everyone in the group. This is both expensive and time consuming Alternatively, they could take a proportion of the sample which should reflect the group. However, it is possible that the sample is not true reflection of the group and representative enough. The key to quality information is to have just enough information. Weicks theory come handy in this process. 2.3 Is there a need for more information? Elaborating on the above, it is easy to forget that market research is not usually needed for it own sake. In fact marketing research is not providing a direct recommendation about the correct decision to be taken. It usually provides indirect information about the environment, customers behaviour and attitude and so forth. In short, it will provide information which has to be combined with a mass of other already existed information before a final decision can be made. This indirectness can represent a potential problem. A question will arise is the present data not good enough? It is much more difficult to judge whether the information is really worth the cost and delayed involved, (Barron, and Targett, 1985). Although, the value of information can be calculated by comparing the profit available with and without the marketing research and its processed marketing information, for example, decision tree technique, it is unfortunately complicated and not reliable as the value will var y from situation to situation. One further problem is the calculations involve issues of probability and uncertainty which many people find difficult. An illustration of a survey on the likelihood of different sales level with three columns : sales, original probability estimate %, and revised probability estimate % as show in table 1 and could not find any change in it principle in making decision. For example for both estimates, the high portion of sales still fall in the region of  £40m  £50m. The revised probabilities make the decision process easier (is this quality enhancement ?), but they did not change the principle. Thus the important question is whether the revised odds would result in final decision. If not, the forecast is worthless. Hattons priority framework can provides a good guide to this consideration. 2.4 Data Analysis Accurate marketing research data needs not necessarily and automatically provides quality marketing information. Data have to be analysed. Most market researchers have learnt the art of data collection but there is certain room for improvement in the science of data analysis. (Drucker, 1992) also strongly advocates executives have become computer literate but data illiterate. As such, market reseachers should be urged to co-ordinate with the marketing manager and master the skill of interpreting data and re-look at the use of basic inferential procedures as an extra area to marketing decision making. It should use multivariate methods based on matching the technique to problem rather than the problem to the technique. The key issue here is not only to focus excessively on forecast accuracy but instead decision usefulness. For example building a consumer profile enables the firm to make quality and informed decisions. Thus, reducing the risk of making wrong decision on how to distribu te, promote and price its products. Lunns DBM model should be considered for overcoming some the above problems. Cost Issues Once data is collected and processed, the information must be distributed to the decision-makers. Its availability at the right time, right cost and its delivery in a user-friendly format will be critical to its usefulness and value. 3.0 Marketing Strategy and the Innovative use of Marketing Information (Bonoma, 1985) defines marketing strategy as the analysis of alternatives opportunities and risks to the firms, informed by environmental (e.g. competitive, social) and internal (e.g. production or people abilities) information, which leads management to choose a particular set of market, product, and customer goal. This administrative approaches carry the underlying assumptions that strategic marketing decisions are well understood and widely agreed upon within organisation (Skivimgton and Daft, 1991). At this junction we accept this unconditionally although many marketing experts discover inherent inadequacies of this nostrum, (Hamrick 1983, Mintzberg and McHugh 1985). This view holds that strategy drives structure, a strategic direction require the development of new market structure, effort and administrative mechanisms. Fig. 5 shows the corporate management spells out the mission and goals in which marketing strategy and plan are formulated after carefully evaluates the external and internal factors. Relatively, the quality of marketing strategy is definitely dependent of the marketing audit, in this case we can take as marketing research/marketing information sandwiched between the corporate mission and marketing strategy. Sharing the same view, (McDonald, 1995)s marketing planning process depicts below: According to him, marketing strategy is about the manipulation of 4 Ps Product, Price, Promotion and Place based on marketing theory (Structure, framework, models, etc.). These could include market research, market segmentation studies, response elasticities and the budgeting of resource allocation decision which may includes the distribution of people and money need to put marketing strategy into effect. (Lunn, 1986)s approach to database marketing (DBM) which allows market research data to be blended with the system database (derived from previous internal and external market research data) to enhance marketing information for predictive decision marketing by combining marketing managers intuitive skills. This would allows marketer to test the effect of difference marketing mixes on specific segments. In another words, positioning by creating an USP for target market defined by research. His marketing modelling is useful for the presentation of marketing research/marketing information defining the marketing strategy. One of the many such example is the success of General Motors innovative rebate programme which became an eye opener for company like Ford, Apple Computer, who follow similar program. Synthesising the concept of relationship marketing and the segmentation technique, General Motor groups customer by their purchasing level. Loyal, heavy and creditworthy users are being rewarded with free gifts, upgrades and allows accumulating rebates toward the purchase of new vehicles by tracking the researched database. The quality of this type of marketing information was confirmed with the result of 12 millions cards, (Berry, 1994) being issued in the United States. The strategic implicati on to this is the accuracy of GMs targeting which enables quality marketing strategy. Such are not possible without a quality marketing research, database system and the innovative use of interpreted information. 4.0 Power, politics and the dissemination of information There are many literatures elaborating power, politics and the dissemination of information which is centred to the quality of marketing strategy. However, what seems to be obscuring is its specific co-relation relative to marketing strategy. Let digress slightly to discuss these issues. Knowledge, derived from organised information, which in turn is interpreted from raw data, is power, (Francis Bacon, 1957). Building on this ground, (Emerson, 1962) espoused the beholder of knowledge is a powerful figure within the organisation. Further, (Piercy, 1985) argued and introduced the information-structure-power theory of marketing emphasising on the political aspect of information in the marketing environment. Such a view is compatible with (Bonoma, 1985)s claim that it is naÃÆ' ¯ve to belief that data, especially numerical data, are science-associated and therefore somehow purer than intuitions or qualitative statements. Adding he reiterated that there is nothing so politicised in management as the collection and use of quantitative information. Data or information in management, as in science is politicised, tortured, bent, and occasionally broken in the service of vested interests in the marketing organisation. For example, in my corporation, sales expense reports are put on hold by manager until call report are turned in at the end of every month. This is to use as a punitive mean to red-line salesmans moonlighting rather than use as a base for customer research or marketing intelligence gathering. There are also numerous cases, where divisional managers are under pressure to increase market share. These sales executives came up with a manipulated pricing plan of 30% increment in vo lume, supported by dressed marketing research information. What went conveniently unreported, however, was that the current fleet of equipment would be obsolete in a few month time; much earlier, because of the forced increased in capacity. One can imagine the future repercussion of having to fund the purchase of the new equipment which the top management is unaware of. In consistent with this, (Piercy, 1984) co-relates power and politics of marketing with marketing information seamlessly. He focuses on the implications for the management of marketing in organisations, where a political analysis suggests that the management of marketing should concentrate not only on techniques of marketing research or of rational, scientific decision making but also on structure and process, i.e on power and political systems, to influence and control outcomes. His works provide the empirical support that structures and decision making processes are frequently political in nature. Piercy builds on (Velasques and Cavanagh, 1983)s defense that politics in organisations are in someway bad in themselves, but in reality power goes to the politically able rather than others with more legitimate claims. This is due to organisational situation of high ambiguity relative to structure and process, as in the case of information gathering in strategic problem formulation, (L yles and Mitroff, 1984). For example, in the allocation of fund to even within the marketing department, top management may favours the lower level executives request for his endeavour due to him being a politically competent manager as against the request of the most effective superior with better marketing information supporting him. This is in reality possible as the strategic decision are often unstructured and broad in nature, (Hayes, 1984). With the awareness of the above, quality of marketing strategy is not narrow down to only quality information. What seems to define quality marketing strategy is the interconnectedness of power, politics which are structure and process related. 5.0 Quality Marketing Strategy and Corporate Strategy We have discussed marketing strategy with some reservations in section 3 on this paper. To further demonstrate the true meaning of quality marketing strategy we continue to elaborate more. (Levitt, 1960)s Marketing Myopia adds favour to it by arguing that customers buy solution to their needs, not products. A domestic example is our home grown Creativity Technology, a PC sound card maker is introducing new kit by solving customers upgrading problem by providing the next generation DVD solution, (Strait Times, 30th July 1997). Having all said and done about marketing strategy, then precisely what is quality marketing strategy? Robet Pirsigs Zen in his art of Motorcycle Maintenance provokes some unusual thinking. He do not use the term productivity in connection with marketing activities but prefers to use phrase like peace of mind and feeling good about the marketing actions undertaken. Pirsig would say that we move from being uncomfortably involved with what is going on to more comfort with events, people, and things by our acts. As we do this, we move toward Quality. In this view Quality is bred of caring, not just technical skill, and is the brother of involvement. Another school of thought came from (Gilbert,1978), who related quality with worthy performance, which he suggested, is associated with doing the most difficult thing best with the least effort. This, he said is measurable against the behaviour aspect which is difficult to qualify. (Bonoma, 1985) merges both concepts by using coping behaviour skill as a measure of output that meets Gilberts performance yardstick. Marketing effectiveness is then about managements coping quality and can be defined by referring to a comparison of achieved output with intended goals. We call this comparison satisfaction which is similar to Pirsig peace of mind and feel good about. Putting all these together, quality marketing strategy is about the triple interface of company, customer and trade. It is only achieved with satisfaction created with the least effort using coping skill to realise the intended goal. This leads us to (Skinner, 1969)s missing link which he suggests a kind of top-down approach, starting with the company and its competitive strategy, and its goal is to define tactical task (i.e marketing strategy) in support of the corporate strategy. In short, if marketing strategy defers from corporate strategy, it is not quality marketing strategy as it is not the intended goal of the corporation. We have discussed intensely that quality marketing strategy is not only about quality information as the latter is one of the many components that assist marketing decision-maker to be more effective. 6.0 Shortcomings of Marketing Research/Marketing Information On balance, not all marketing research/marketing information can help to define quality marketing strategy. These can be illustrated in the real-life examples that follows: In the early 1990s, American Express, decided to launch their resolving credit card, the Optima to compete with Visa and Master Card. In theory, the modelling of consumer profiles and credit histories from marketing research and datebase confirmed opportunities for new product line. It was a total failure with bad debts and American Express had to abandon this endeavour after 2 years. A postmortem analysis reveals (a case of reliable information yet inappropriate) although from same individuals, the various data was taken from the American Express card for corporate business travel expenses which are reclaimed or paid directly; whereas the Optima Card was used for personal expenses. Timely information is important in the defining of marketing strategy. (Stalk and Hout, 1990), in their espoused time to market strategy argues the reduction of time to gain significant competitive advantage. Collecting data requires time and too much of it may be resulted in redundancy and misinformation system, (Ackoff, 1967). This may also renders the firm to miss their market opportunity. A case in point is Levers introduction of Signal mouthwash. Signal was in the test markets for so long that it gave Scope a chance to emphasis the same benefit in a national advertising campaign and launch the new product successfully ahead of the originator. The starting point of the marketing research is to define the problem that researcher can help to solve. If the problem is defined wrongly, the result of the marketing research not only define sub-optimal marketing strategy but also lose the firms brand image which may takes years to recover or not at all. A classic example is that of Coca-Cola who focuses the wrong problem as the sweetness of Pepsi-Cola instead of the quantity. The ideal research should instead focus on the positioning of size rather than taste. This case illustrates how experienced marketer can overlook vital consumer behaviour and that the perception is stronger than reality Original Coke is the real thing. How can anything taste better than the real thing? In cases where requirement is to be entrepreneurial in nature, innovation, gut feeling and decisiveness (Drucker, 1986) may also has competitive advantage, without the need for marketing research. An example of the victory which does not belong to the side that does a better job of marketing research is American Motors. The company ignores customer needs develops the Jeep, a product borrowed from the military. No focus group is likely to have conjunct up that idea, nor is the identifying of customer need is going to have any co-relation with it, but it is a winner. 7.0 Conclusion A quality marketing research/marketing information involves the accuracy, relevancy, reliability, its time delaying elements and its cost attached with it. As traditional costing is about economic cost, a new look into the future (Farlan, 1984), involves the concern of forward looking marketing opportunity rather the present. This assignment has demonstrated other means of innovative concept such as strategic management cost encompassing the value chain analysis, cost driver analysis and competitive analysis as a better alternative evaluation of marketing research/marketing information investment. Concerns of quality marketing information is in the area of data analysis, data interpretation and decision usefulness to provide solution rather than the research and information per see. There are also two missing links from the input of marketing research to the output of quality marketing strategy. On one hand, the problem of information dissemination involving the power structure organisation. On the other, the alignment and co-ordination of corporate strategy and operations strategy (Skinner, 1969), in which marketing strategy and information system strategy becomes more blurry, (Earl, 1989, Ward, 1996). To a certain extent, technology can improve data analysis and assist the clumsiness of co-ordinating organisation, inter-organisation and external differences, but it is the innovative use of information (Keen, 1993) that put forward the marketing edge. Examples and solution to the opportunities and concerns are discussed and illustrated. In sum, strategically, in the context of marketing management, the quality of market research/marketing information related to marketing strategy narrowed to the outcome of new opportunities derived from fulfilling the perceived unfilled needs or problems of the customer. This should be done by offering creative product based on the researched information to provide benefit and solution to the end-user, the so-called marketing myopia by (Levitt, 1960) in their relationship with the market place and the relative worthiness involves the cost- and profit myopia, (Piercy, N., 1982) of the investment in their goal setting and strategic decision marking; to achieve what is required, they must also be wary of the missing links and political myopia; in implementing marketing strategies with regard to alignments and co-ordinations of the corporate strategy and the timely disseminating of information.

Admiral Grace Murray Hopper and Lady Augusta Ada Byron Lovelace Essay

Ada & Grace: Practical Visionaries Imagine a computer programmer who still programs in bits and bytes and has never heard of the terms "bug" or "de-bugging." Then, stretch your mind much further, and try to imagine a world without computers. Most of us, no matter what age, don't have such powerful imaginations. But without the contributions of women like Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, who developed the first compiler, and Lady Augusta Ada Byron Lovelace, who made the idea of an Analytical Engine accessible to a world without computers, our most advanced computing device for general use would very likely still be a simple calculator. Lovelace and Hopper are by no means the only women who have made invaluable contributions to the field of computer science. Without Betty Holberton, who "devised the first sort-merge generator, for UNIVAC I" (AWC, "Frances..."), Grace Hopper would never have been able to design the first compiler. A more contemporary scientist, Dr. Anita Borg, has profoundly influenced the field by "designing and building a fault tolerant UNIX-based operating system" ("Short Biography of Anita Borg"), as well as developing a performance analysis method for high-speed memory systems. However, I've chosen to focus on Lovelace and Hopper because they are probably the most frequently mentioned women in computer science, and they represent two critical historical moments in the field: Lovelace helps to bring the first computer into being, while Hopper forges the start of the modern computer age. A researcher looking into women and computer science will find Ada's and Grace's names scattered all over the place. Lovelace has a programming language named after her (Ada), the Association for Women in Computing offer the ... ...//www.ex.ac.uk/BABBAGE/ada.html (11 March 2000). AWSEM - Associate of Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics. "Facts in Brief." AWSEM Gender Equity. http://www.awsem.org (2 Feb. 2000). Danis, Sharron Ann. "Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper." 2 Feb. 1997. http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Hopper.Danis.html (17 March 2000). GirlTECH. "Introduction." Getting Girls Interested in Computers. 1998. http://math.rice.edu/~lanius/club/girls.html (7 Feb. 2000). "Grace Murray Hopper: 1906-1992." A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries (PBS). 1998. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/btmurr.html (17 March 2000). "Short Biography of Anita Borg." Institute for Women and Technology. http://www.iwt.org/trubio.html (20 March 2000). Toole, Betty Alexander. Ada, The Enchantress of Numbers: Prophet of the Computer Age. Mill Valley CA: Strawberry Press, 1998. Admiral Grace Murray Hopper and Lady Augusta Ada Byron Lovelace Essay Ada & Grace: Practical Visionaries Imagine a computer programmer who still programs in bits and bytes and has never heard of the terms "bug" or "de-bugging." Then, stretch your mind much further, and try to imagine a world without computers. Most of us, no matter what age, don't have such powerful imaginations. But without the contributions of women like Admiral Grace Murray Hopper, who developed the first compiler, and Lady Augusta Ada Byron Lovelace, who made the idea of an Analytical Engine accessible to a world without computers, our most advanced computing device for general use would very likely still be a simple calculator. Lovelace and Hopper are by no means the only women who have made invaluable contributions to the field of computer science. Without Betty Holberton, who "devised the first sort-merge generator, for UNIVAC I" (AWC, "Frances..."), Grace Hopper would never have been able to design the first compiler. A more contemporary scientist, Dr. Anita Borg, has profoundly influenced the field by "designing and building a fault tolerant UNIX-based operating system" ("Short Biography of Anita Borg"), as well as developing a performance analysis method for high-speed memory systems. However, I've chosen to focus on Lovelace and Hopper because they are probably the most frequently mentioned women in computer science, and they represent two critical historical moments in the field: Lovelace helps to bring the first computer into being, while Hopper forges the start of the modern computer age. A researcher looking into women and computer science will find Ada's and Grace's names scattered all over the place. Lovelace has a programming language named after her (Ada), the Association for Women in Computing offer the ... ...//www.ex.ac.uk/BABBAGE/ada.html (11 March 2000). AWSEM - Associate of Women in Science, Engineering and Mathematics. "Facts in Brief." AWSEM Gender Equity. http://www.awsem.org (2 Feb. 2000). Danis, Sharron Ann. "Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper." 2 Feb. 1997. http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~history/Hopper.Danis.html (17 March 2000). GirlTECH. "Introduction." Getting Girls Interested in Computers. 1998. http://math.rice.edu/~lanius/club/girls.html (7 Feb. 2000). "Grace Murray Hopper: 1906-1992." A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries (PBS). 1998. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/btmurr.html (17 March 2000). "Short Biography of Anita Borg." Institute for Women and Technology. http://www.iwt.org/trubio.html (20 March 2000). Toole, Betty Alexander. Ada, The Enchantress of Numbers: Prophet of the Computer Age. Mill Valley CA: Strawberry Press, 1998.