The Customer Experience Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Customer Experience - Assignment Example These major banks are nationally operating banks with extensive branch and agency networks. Deregulation of the banking industry enabled them to compete more effectively with non bank financial institutions in many fields of financial services. Ethical product consumption trend: (add 20 words) Outline (add 20 words) 2. Background The co-operation bank and smile strategy in UK (their customer’s segmentation): The co-operation bank, whose roots date back to 1872, is a full service retail player in the UK commercial banking industry. The co-operation bank has 3 million customers accounts for comparison Barclay’s Bank is a major competitor with over 10 million current UK accounts. Smile is a part of Co?operative Bank, which was founded in 1872 as a part of the Co?operative Movement. The Co-operative Movement grows out of the revolution of industry to create a good means of distributing profits. In order to approach objectively to determine the success of any retail bank Cus tomer service strategies of that bank should be reviewed. A successful bank should be able to define and implement solutions to all the challenges at customer end. Here are the some essential positioning strategies presented to help you realize the needs of improving customer experience, leveraging cross-sell and up-sell opportunities and by promoting agent productivity and satisfaction in Banking Segment; Offering an inviting â€Å"Customer Door† By making more Effective use of customer data Handle calls more actively Use inbound marketing to reach the customers outside the branch Leverage demographic profile to establish customer intimacy Boost the productivity of your agents through interaction blending. The target country Australia segmentation: The main purpose of segmentation is to match the Bank’s offer to the customers’ needs. Precisely, customer segmentation is the process of defining who are your potential customers and group them regarding their requi rements, characteristics and/or behavior and their worth. Segmenting the Customers is a stepping key stone for a banks superior performance. The Australian banking industry indicates an oversupply of services as evidenced by reduced interest margins, falling interest revenue as well as moderate economies of scale amongst the major banks. Customer base segmentation is the established method for understanding customer requirements and needs as it enables an institution to reflect the homogenous groups within its customer community. Customer segmentation is an important part in the banking sector of Australia. In Australia various Segmentation factors such as customer-value, life stage, sophistication and geographic situation are all explored and the merits of each are analysed. The Research of private banking websites will show that they all speak of individual attention and tailored services. If some Australian private banks seek to better service their clients and to build their hig h reputed relationships, then there are two possible ways to be considered namely: genuinely tailored responsive service two-way client defined communication. For the cooperative bank the segmentation is being done on the basis of: Average annual gross income of the customers by age Rural and urban background of the customers Economical background of the customers Industrial setup of the customers Introduction of consumer behavior model: It is very simple to

THE NURSES' RESPONSABILITY IN THE PREVENTION OF MEDICAL ERRORS Essay

THE NURSES' RESPONSABILITY IN THE PREVENTION OF MEDICAL ERRORS - Essay Example It identifies the six major medication administration rights that need to be observed during patient care. The study draws close attention to the health care provided by nurses as regards to patient safety with key measures being the errors and their frequency of occurrence. The implication of this study therefore is to sensitize the health care providers on the medication administration rights and how to apply them to reduce medication errors. A medication error is any event which is preventable that may lead to improper medication use or patient injury while the medication is in the control of a health care professional, consumer or patient. Under the state laws, injury to a patient that arises as a consequence of negligence or medical malpractice, results in a tort (Cima et al, 2012). This is punishable under a court of law. Medication errors may be related to professional practice, health care products, systems and procedure. Poor drug prescription including order communication, labeling of drugs, nomenclature, compounding, dispensing, administration and use are among the major medication errors. Therefore, there should be minimal or no room at all for errors especially human that may lead to injury of any form on a patient. There are nursing guidelines that govern nurses to help them prevent medication errors (Sherwood, 2012. ... In this regard, the nurses need to properly understand the six major medical administration rights during patient care. In simple terms, it is an attempt at improving safety at this point of care. This is especially for the vulnerable population such as the elderly in the society or the infants and children. Nurses are required to strictly observe the rights of medical administration. This is part of the many intervention aspects of nursing that help to reduce medical related errors. The various medical administration rights that should be adhered to are as discussed below; Right patient At times, busy hospitals and emergency centers can innocently misrepresent the identity of a patient either through the manual processes used or overlooked while under pressure. Therefore nurses should take proper records of a patient such as the names age and where from to act as identifiers. With the advancement in technology, the use of a bar-code system can be helpful in preventing probable medic ation errors. For example, a patient suffered injury as a result of being administered with a different patient’s prescription for blood thinner warfarin. The patient developed serious hemorrhage Right drug It is not possible for every nurse to know the drug facts for each drug and particular patients therefore it is advisable for every nurse to be knowledgeable about the drugs being administered to a patient. It is only professional and competent for a nurse to look up for more drug information in unfamiliar instances before administering a drug on a patient. It is the right of the patient to receive the right information on a medication, a right to receive correct medication and a nurse having knowledge on the medication they are providing. to prevent errors it is

Technological Controversy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Technological Controversy - Term Paper Example f task from the most ordinary to the very complicated, while the machine depends on human beings to achieve increasing levels of sophistication in make and operation. It has now come to a stage when the machine can not only outperform human beings in physical performance as it has been designed to so, but is also increasingly able to outperform man in many mental capabilities. It is when grandmasters of chess are beaten by Deep Blue (Reddy, 1996, pp. 88), it is when the machine starts participating in human conversations that human beings start to cast sidelong glances at it and begin to wonder whether artificial intelligence will ever replace human intelligence. Will machines ever be able to think? Or have machines, in whatever form, already achieved the faculty that human beings have long held to be their own exclusive preserve in this world? The question under consideration has however been floating around in one form or the other. It is as old, if not older, than the computer. The popular press has had a record of being rather lenient in equating human intelligence with artificial intelligence. As early as on January 15, 1941, the Des Moines Tribune carried an article on the development of the first prototype of the ABC computer at the Iowa State University by Professor John V Atanasoff and his graduate student Clifford Berry with the headline ‘Machine Remembers’. "The giant computing machine under construction at Iowa State College has a memory consisting of 45 vacuum tubes†¦", the article reported, and went on to define it as: "An electrical computing machine said here to operate more like the human brain than any other such machine known to exist is being built." (Martin, 1991, pp. 124). The early computers were more of calculating devices when compared to modern technology. Yet, machines that coul d solve mathematical problems, including algebraic problems involving many variables, and that too at speeds unthinkable by human beings, were bound to

Evaluation of a Career Development Resource Assignment

Evaluation of a Career Development Resource - Assignment Example Quintessential Careers has provided the information for career counselors to help jobseekers and students find employment opportunities by posting current jobs and career information at no costs. The website has mainly focused on career guide and college guide but provides few employment opportunities for jobseekers. Society Human Resource Management (SHRM) provides career information, education requirements, and job networking for Human Resource jobs. This career website contains profound information and data about HR disciplines, legal issues, career toolkits, publications on Human Resource Management, Conferences, online community of HR professionals and current news and statistics about Human Resource Management. The career website is only created for one major career which is Human Resource crippling career counselors to limit their services to jobseekers who have different skills and experience in other disciplines. National Career Development Association (NCDA) is a database of career information from different websites for students, job seekers, military veterans and volunteer workers among others. It has a list of detailed information with regard to career development conference, facilitator, guidelines, online community in social networks and personal motivation among others. NCDA contains all the information career counselors would require to enable jobseekers acquire the best jobs, maintain a high emotional intelligence and assess competence and confidence in careers (Para 14). This career website does not post current jobs for jobseekers or students. Quintessential Careers should balance the content on how to acquire the best education and career with job opportunities. This will be of great value to career counseling directed to people who are unemployed because they will have the skills, experience and a tool to get and keep a good career while also applying for the career that suits them. Society Human Resource Management career website has

Technological Controversy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Technological Controversy - Term Paper Example f task from the most ordinary to the very complicated, while the machine depends on human beings to achieve increasing levels of sophistication in make and operation. It has now come to a stage when the machine can not only outperform human beings in physical performance as it has been designed to so, but is also increasingly able to outperform man in many mental capabilities. It is when grandmasters of chess are beaten by Deep Blue (Reddy, 1996, pp. 88), it is when the machine starts participating in human conversations that human beings start to cast sidelong glances at it and begin to wonder whether artificial intelligence will ever replace human intelligence. Will machines ever be able to think? Or have machines, in whatever form, already achieved the faculty that human beings have long held to be their own exclusive preserve in this world? The question under consideration has however been floating around in one form or the other. It is as old, if not older, than the computer. The popular press has had a record of being rather lenient in equating human intelligence with artificial intelligence. As early as on January 15, 1941, the Des Moines Tribune carried an article on the development of the first prototype of the ABC computer at the Iowa State University by Professor John V Atanasoff and his graduate student Clifford Berry with the headline ‘Machine Remembers’. "The giant computing machine under construction at Iowa State College has a memory consisting of 45 vacuum tubes†¦", the article reported, and went on to define it as: "An electrical computing machine said here to operate more like the human brain than any other such machine known to exist is being built." (Martin, 1991, pp. 124). The early computers were more of calculating devices when compared to modern technology. Yet, machines that coul d solve mathematical problems, including algebraic problems involving many variables, and that too at speeds unthinkable by human beings, were bound to

Technical Certificate unit worksheet Essay Example for Free

Technical Certificate unit worksheet Essay 1. Explain how a working relationship is different from a personal relationship (1.1.1) A working relationship is where you are placed with other people and work as part of a team, where each individual is working following professional codes of practise, towards the achievement of shared aims and objectives. You do not necessarily have to like the people you work with but you need to keep personal opinions and feelings to yourself. Mutual respect and understanding is a key factor in developing a good working relationship. A personal relationship is a relationship formed through choice, with someone you like, who you share interests and feelings with. In personal relationships there isn’t any set rules or procedures to follow and you are able to voice your opinions. 2. Describe different working relationships in health and social care settings (1.1.2) There are many different relationships in health and social care settings, these include relationships between careers and service users, careers and other health care professionals, such as GP’s and nurses, careers and service users families and between colleagues and managements. For each of these you will develop a different type of working relationship, but you should always remain professional. 3. Describe why it is important to adhere to the agreed scope of the job role (2.2.1) It’s important to adhere to agreed scope of your job role as you have agreed with your job description within your contract, so it’s your legal  obligation to work within it. By following your job role you are working alongside your company’s policies and procedures and giving the best quality of care you can. 4. Outline what is meant by agreed ways of working (2.2.2) Agreed ways of working means that all care workers should work in accordance with policies and procedures, roles and responsibilities within job descriptions which their employees have set out. 5. Explain the importance of full and up-to-date details of agreed ways of working (2.2.3) It’s important so that care homes or environments are run in accordance with legislations. So staff adhere to agreed standards and regulations at all times. It also means that service users will not be put at any risk. 6. Explain why it is important to work in partnership with others (3.3.1) It’s important to form professional relationships with team members, colleagues, other professionals as well as individuals and their families in order to promote effective communication and effective ways of sharing accurate information. It will help to give service users the best possible care as everyone will be clear on each service user’s needs, wishes and preferences 7. Identify ways of working that can help improve partnership working (3.3.2) We can improve partnership working through effective communication and information sharing. By working as a team and having regular staff meetings, with colleagues and other health care professionals. 8. Identify skills and approaches needed for resolving conflicts (3.3.3) You should try to handle conflict situations by remaining calm, ending the conflict before it escalates and remaining respectful of others. You should  try to demonstrate active listening and discuss the situation in a calm and rational manner to try and resolve the conflict. 9. Explain how and when to access support and advice about: (3.3.4) a.partnership working- you can get support and advise from other colleagues, your manager, supervisor or other external agencies such as CQC. b. resolving conflicts- it’s always worth trying to resolve conflict with the individual, but if you can’t then you should speak to your manager. Further issues can be address with HR who can offer you support on resolving conflict and may offer you mediation services to help you with this. Once you have completed, your Learning Advisor will be able to cross reference all knowledge into Unit 4222-206 of the diploma Patricia Whyte – LA- Qube Learning

Referendums: Arguments For and Against

Referendums: Arguments For and Against What are the arguments for and against the holding of popular referendums? Under what circumstances, if any, should they be held? The referendum has its origins in direct democracy, and can therefore be dated back to the 5th Century BC in the Greek city state of Athens. The concept of a referendum has changed and developed in line with democracy and can now be found in a number of differing forms throughout the developed world. A referendum is broadly defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as â€Å"a general vote by the electorate on a single political question†; however this definition fails to make distinctions between the many types of referendum which exist, or the modern day importance of referendums. In an initial classification there are three types of referendum as defined by the Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia. Obligatory referendums; which are required by law, optional referendums; which are put on the ballot when a sufficient number of voters sign a petition demanding that a law passed by the legislature be ratified by the people, and voluntary referendums; when legislatures submit to voter s to decide an issue or to test public opinion. There are a number of widely credited arguments both for and against the holding of popular referendums, however, there are only a few key ideas encapsulated in these arguments. Those in favour of referendums generally tend to point out that they; promote political participation and increase voter knowledge on issues as well as helping to strengthen democracy and further legitimate the government. Whilst arguments against referendums concentrate on ideas; that the public are ill equipped to make important political decisions, and that the information they do have is distorted through media influence, that referendums only provide an idea of public opinion at that one point in time, and that referendums weaken and remove power from the representative institutions elected by the public. The holding of popular referendums is key in a democratic system where the people are becoming, not only disengaged but disinterested in the political process as a whole. The use of referendums can help to counter this affect, provided that clear guidelines are set for when a referendum should take place. The word democracy comes from the Latin demos meaning the people and kratos meaning power or rule (OED); rule by the people. The practicalities of this literal definition, often referred to as direct democracy, are almost impossible in our world today, where in the UK in 2005 there were 44,245,939 people registered to vote (www.idea.int)[1]. However, representative democracy is a â€Å"limited and indirect form of democracy† (Heywood 2007:74) which relies on, in most cases, an electoral mandate for legitimacy. This electoral mandate has been called into question on a number of occasions in modern political history, most notably in the US presidential election of 2005 between George W Bush and Al Gore, and again in the UK General Election of 2005. Referendums could be seen in a modern political context as a stepping stone between direct and representative democracy. It is fair to say that in the majority of developed political societies people have the opportunity to vote into office representatives whom they believe to share policy views with. However, it would be impossible for any political party to represent all the views of its members and supporters, as a result parties may include certain policy promises in their manifestos that their voters do not want to see implemented (Caramani 2008:254). This, along with the fact that people vote for parties for such a wide range of reasons, mean that it is not possible to conclude that peoples policy preferences are the same as the party they vote for (Setala 1999: 14-16). Therefore, a referendum allows the public to show a direct opinion on a specific policy matter they would otherwise be impossible. Linked to the idea that referendums strengthen democracy with regards to policy decisions, there is also the theory that they legitimate government between elections. The period between major governmental elections is, in many countries, several years. In this time period governments can, for the most part, make decisions without any public consultation. There is therefore a danger that although these officials are elected as representatives, it is only the opposition parties and the checks and balances outlined in constitutions that prevent them from deviating from their original promises. Referendums allow the government to not only gauge public opinion on policy but also to make clear that the decisions they are making are in line with public attitude on issues concerning them, therefore providing another check against the power of government. Opponents to referendums argue that instead of strengthening democracy and legitimising government they in fact weaken the political system by removing power from elected bodies. Representative democracy is founded on the principle that elected officials represent the views of the people and make decisions on their behalf; therefore a referendum undermines this principle. Sir Patrick Nairne observed that â€Å"if Members of Parliament are elected to settle national issues of major policy brought before them by the Government, is it right to throw such issues back to the voters to settle† (Qvotrup 2005:23). This argument concerning the weakening of bodies is, although worth acknowledging, very limited in its view on referendums. It concentrates for the most part on the idea that referendums remove decision making power from elected bodies and would therefore render them both less effective and less powerful. However, this is an extreme view that fails to recognise that referend ums can be used to aid governments as well as the people, and provide a vital link between the two, as has already been argued. In the majority of political systems across the world we are witnessing a worrying downward trend in voter turnout. This can be attributed to a number of causes including; partisan dealignment, disenchantment with the political system and indifference to politics. Referendums can be used to help promote political participation by enabling the electorate to become better educated and informed and therefore reduce the feeling of alienation (Heywood 2007:250). By providing people with the opportunity to participate in referendums they are presented with the opportunity to educate and inform themselves on political issues. There is clearly a link between an informed electorate and higher levels of political participation, as Verba, Schlozman and Brady (1995) argue. This correlation arises from the fact that a more politically educated electorate is able understand the workings of government, and the issues affecting them; therefore seek to bring about change. Switzerland was one of the f irst countries to introduce referendums to make decisions on proposed legislation. Although turnout figures in Switzerland are not very high, around 45% (www.idea.int)[2], it can be argued that the Swiss people are more politically active than turnout figures show due to the fact that there is such a large number of referendums not everyone votes in all of them, and also that they are more involved with political parties and in other ways than most other countries. Aside from elections there are very few ways in which citizens can directly influence political decisions. There are provisions in most democratic countries for the electorate to have some personal contact with their representative, however for the most part people do not make use of this tool because they believe it to be ineffectual; issues raised in these arenas rarely have an effect on the outcome of policy. People are also able to join political parties yet; again, they are faced with the same problems of ineffectuality. A referendum therefore provides an answer to increasing ways for the electorate to positively participate in politics. A binding referendum permits the public to make the final decision on a specific policy, although these types of referendums are not widely used, it is rare for a government to go against the public even in a non-binding referendum. In 1975 the UK, both electorate and government, was divided over whether or not it should continue its membership in the European Economic Community. The overwhelming â€Å"Yes† vote to stay in Europe was upheld by the Labour government of the time, although it was not a binding referendum, and was hailed as a â€Å"historic decision† by Prime Minister Harold Wilson (www.bbc.co.uk/news)[3]. The counter arguments to increased political participation and voter knowledge through referendums are that; in fact, referendums can cause voter fatigue and decrease participation, and that the public are ill equipped to make important political decisions. The first of these arguments relies on the premise that the public would be able to vote on all or a large number of policies. However, this move back to direct democracy is not desirable for the public or the government; presenting the public with such a large number of opportunities to vote could indeed cause voting fatigue. There is a compromise to be found between allowing the public to vote on all policy and not allowing them to vote on it at all. The latter of these criticisms on referendums concern voter knowledge. It is ignorant to assume that the electorate are either not informed, or are unable, to educate themselves on political issues put to them in referendums. If people are able to vote and presumably make an informed decision on which political party they wish to represent them they are equally able to do so in a referendum. Critics argue that information is distorted through the media prior to referendums, and this is a problem worth considering. During the first referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland two of Rupert Murdochs biggest selling newspapers The Irish Sun and The Sunday Times were seen as going â€Å"hell for leather on a No vote† (www.guardian.co.uk)[4]; similarly the media coverage on the 1975 Common Market Referendum was heavily biased to the â€Å"Yes† campaign, it has been estimated that twenty times the amount of money was available to this campaign than to the â€Å"No† campa ign (www.europeansinglecurrency.com/referendum)[5]. Although in these instances the media seemed to have an influence on the final outcome there are other, more fundamental, factors which influence peoples decisions, the American political scientist John Zaller encapsulates this idea; â€Å"Every opinion is a marriage of information and predisposition† (Zaller 1992:6). For referendums to be used effectively it is important that the circumstances in which they should be held are clearly defined and upheld by law. When considering this point one must take into account that referendums should not used in a way that, as many opponents argue, undermines the authority of the elected bodies in a representative democracy. An answer to this is that referendums should only be used in matters of constitutional importance and not for other policy decisions. It is, after all, constitutions which safeguard the fundamental rights of the electorate as well as preventing the misuse of power by elected bodies (Dahl 2000: 124-127). However, only allowing people to vote on constitutional changes is very limiting, especially if the issue directly influences the way in which they live, and there may also be instances in which the government wishes to hold a referendum on another issue, therefore a wider definition for circumstances must be found. It would be almost impo ssible to define exactly which policy areas the electorate should be able to vote on in referendums. There are obviously issues on which it would be inappropriate to have a referendum, taxes are an obvious example; there are complex issues on which the public would probably not have the time or adequate resources to inform themselves on and which have no real affect on them, for example defence policies. Therefore the best course of action would probably be to allow the elected body to decide in these instances which policies it is sensible to put to a referendum. Australia, in fact follows these basic guidelines for holding referendums to great success. Compulsory national referendums are â€Å"held to approve government-proposed changes to the Australian Constitution†, the constitution specifies this; furthermore the government can also conduct optional referendums or ‘plebiscites to decide on matters outside of the constitution (www.wikipedia.org)[6]. This system of conducting referendums is ideal because the electorate are guaranteed a vote on constitutional issues as well as being given the opportunity, when appropriate, to vote on other policy matters. Referendums provide a vital direct link between government and the electorate which is otherwise unseen in representative democracies. They can help to promote political participation as well as creating a better informed electorate; they also strengthen democracy in modern society. Yet referendums, despite all of this are often criticised for the way in which they weaken elected bodies and do not provide a true gauge on public opinion, largely due to media influence. However, as has been argued none of these arguments hold much weight, especially in the face of a system where the use of referendums have clear guidelines, as in Australia, to be used for constitutional amendments and wherever else is seen as fit by the elected bodies in power. Referendums are a tool which should be used more widely in todays political systems of democracy as they are a manageable and positive step towards a hybrid political system which effectively combines representative and direct democracy. Bibliography Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia (2007) (London: Britannica Concise Encyclopaedia, Inc.) Caramani, Daniele (2008) Comparative Politics (Oxford: Oxford University Press) Dahl, Robert. A. (2000) On Democracy (Yale: Yale University Press) Heywood, Andrew (2007) Politics third edition (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan) Oxford Dictionary of English (2005) 2nd edition revised (Oxford: Oxford University Press) Setala, Maija (1999) Referendums and Democratic Government: Normative Theory and the Analysis of Institutions (Basingstoke: Macmillan) Verba, Sidney, Kay Lehman, Schlozman and Henry Brady (1995) Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics (Cambridge: Harvard University Press) Zaller, John (1992) The Nature and Origins of Mass Opinion (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) [1] â€Å"United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Voter Turnout International† Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2005 < http://www.idea.int/vt/country_view.cfm?country=GB> (13 Nov. 2009) [2] â€Å"Swiss Confederation Voter Turnout† International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance 2007 < http://www.idea.int/vt/country_view.cfm?id=42> (13 Nov. 2009) [3] â€Å"1975: UK embraces Europe on Referendum† 1975 < http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/6/newsid_2499000/2499297.stm> (13 Nov. 2009) [4] â€Å"NI votes NO in Irish referendum† 2009 < http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/oct/01/ireland-referendum-rupert-murdoch> (13 Nov 2009) [5] â€Å"Was the 1975 Referendum Conducted Fairley† A British Referendum 2003 < http://www.europeansinglecurrency.com/referendum.htm> (13 Nov 2009) [6] â€Å"Federal Referendums† Referendums in Australia 2009 < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendums_in_Australia> (13 Nov 2009)