Voting, Campaigns, and Elections Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Voting, Campaigns, and Elections - Research Paper Example However, it is crucial for both the candidates and the government that the public steps out to cast their vote because the candidates realize the importance of each vote that is cast in their favor. The government, similarly, in a democratic set-up looks to establish a government that is the masses choice. Thus, Voter turnout is an essential aspect in determining the people who should come into power. Apart from these, it instills the sense of contribution in the people’s minds and they feel virtuous, bring down the level of societal imbalance in terms of corruption, crime etc. Before and after all major elections, voter turnouts are measured. This is to ascertain expected votes that can be cast, and the actual votes cast on Election Day. The differential is researched extensively to determine the reasons for less than 100% turnout. Total eligible voters who have registered themselves, form the voters’ pool and turnout is calculated by surveying them and conducting rese arches. These can be done by calling the prospective voters up to ask of their participation in the elections can be expected. Other ways include mailing pre-stamped survey cards and holding internet polls. However, the accuracy of such mediums is not certain due to the study that many people are not truthful about not voting to give a favorable picture to themselves (Holbrook and Krosnick 328). According to a research by internationalcomparision.org, in the region of Australia and Germany the voter turnaround during the period of 2013 was 92% and 71.55%, in Canda it was 61.41% during 2011, in France it was 80.35% in case of parliamentary elections and in United States it was 68% in presidential elections during 2012 and in United Kingdom it was 66% in parliamentary elections during 2010 and In United States it was 38% (internationalcomparison.org 1). This shows that as compared to other countries of the developed world, the turnout statistics for the United States is fairly low, ev en though the Americans are said to be more politically active and aware as compared to other countries. According to a study conducted by Bingham Powell, this low turnout can be attributed to 5% political attitudes, 14% to the rigid restriction laws and 13% to the institutional factors and party manifestos (Powell Jr 17). However, there is no proof that this study is prevalent in this age as well. As far as Texas- as one of the lowest turnout regions in the United States- is concerned, an election study conducted by the George Mason University on 2010 elections showed that the total turnout in the US was 41% and Texas turnout amounted to 32% (Mcdonald 1). A number of times mayors have been selected upon a turnout of less than 10% of the total potential voters in Texas. The common reasons identified for this lapse are lack of proper information, ignorance and fear. Frequent elections-Primary, general, and special elections- and lack of belief in the legitimacy of the candidates are also attributed to this behavior. Historically, the state of Texas has had the most conspired voting schemes and regulations that were imposed and then reversed due to public pressures. Many instances of candidates using electoral donations for personal use has also lessened people urge to step out and practice their right. Since Texas is inhibited by minorities of all ethnicities

Interviewing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interviewing - Essay Example The study will investigate numerous reasons behind the liking for the KFC. The interviews are one of the famous and reliable methods for the data collection. The interviews will allow exploring people’s perception about the KFC restaurant. It will help to study the motivation behind the likeness for the brand and it will try to look for the fact that makes them spend money on KFC food and other items. How? What is your method? When and where will you meet? How will you make contact? The data collection will be done through various sets of interviews. The customers will be interviewed by asking different questions which will allow exploring their different perceptions about the restaurant. Various interviews will be taken. All the customers will be asked same questions. The questions will be both, open and close ended in order to have a clear analysis of their perception. Mainly the questions will be designed to reveal why they prefer KFC Restaurant, the reason for their choosi ng the brand over other fast food brands etc Random sampling of the population will be done. The interviews will be taken from those samples which are easily available with ample time for the interviews. No criteria will be set for the interviewers. The reasons behind their fondness for the brand will be the ultimate reason for the research. Generally - what are the logistics? How are you going to record the interview? The interview date will be announced, the interested customers will be interviewed for the required research questions to be answered in the KFC restaurant. The interviews taken will be both written and recorded interviews. The interviewer will first write the questions on the paper and then the answers will be written and recorded with the help of the video camera. This will be done for the purpose of keeping a record and proof of this activity. Such recordings provide a useful source for comparison with a subsequent study which may be conducted in coming years. The interviewees will be mixed. The parents and the young lot of the society will be analyzed in order to look for dimensional and different perspective answers. Ethnicity of individuals will not be given importance. The participation of different customer will define the level of their fondness for the restaurant. The customers will be asked different set of questions about the restaurant. Their answers will be later analyzed and interpreted in order to find answers. Mixed aged groups will be allowed to participate in the interviews and answer the questions. The answers will provide benefit to the restaurant with a number of suggestions. It will allow the KFC owners to focus more on their strength points and

Effect of GA3 on Attributes and Yield of Summer Tomato

Effect of GA3 on Attributes and Yield of Summer Tomato Effect of GA3 on Some Biochemical Attributes and Yield of Summer Tomato M. S. Rahman, Md. Azadul Haque and Md. G. Mostofa Abstract An experiment was carried out in pots at Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture, Mymensingh, during March to July 2012 to evaluate the influence of different concentrations of GA3 on biochemical parameters at different growth stages in order to maximize the yield of summer tomato var. Binatomato-2. The concentrations of GA3 used were 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 ppm and they were applied at three stages, namely root soaking of seedlings before transplanting, vegetative and flowering stages. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Results indicated that the highest chlorophyll and soluble protein contents were recorded when GA3 was applied through root soaking followed by vegetative stage and the lowest was found at the flowering stage. In contrast, the highest nitrate reductase activity was observed when GA3 was applied at the vegetative stage and the lowest activity was recorded at the flowering stage. The applications of 50-75 ppm GA3 had significantly encouraged the bio-chemical parameters studied at 50 DAT. The amount of GA3 applied at different stages had significant influence on the yield and yield attributes of summer tomato. The highest plant height was recorded when 50 ppm of GA3 was applied at the vegetative stage. While, the longest time to first fruit setting was required when the roots of the seedlings were soaked in 100 ppm GA3 solution. The application of 50 ppm GA3 by root soaking had significantly increased the number of flowers, fruits and fruit yield per plant but similar performances were achieved when only 25 ppm GA3 was applied at the flowering stage. The fruit yield of tomato per plant increased linearly with the increased number of flowers and fruits per plant. Keywords: Concentration, Chlorophyll, GA3, Soluble protein, Nitrate reductase activity Introduction Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) is one of the most popular and nutritious vegetables of Bangladesh. Tomato is cultivated all over the country due to its adaptability to a wide range of soil and climate. Normally tomato is grown in winter season due to its requirements for temperate climate. Hence, it is difficult to grow tomato in summer season due to adverse climatic conditions, such as high temperature, high rain fall, hailstorms, etc. Bangladesh Institute of Nuclear Agriculture (BINA) has developed some tomato varieties to cultivate in summer season. But the yield potential of these varieties can not be achieved due to the above mentioned climatic conditions. In summer season, tomato can however be successfully grown under glasshouse conditions. But it is not possible for the poor farmers to go for large scale production in glasshouses because it is highly expensive and need technical skills. The other option is the use of plant growth regulators to minimize the effect of harsh e nvironments in order to maximize the yield of summer tomato. Results of some studies indicated that the application of Gibberellic acid (GA3) had significantly increased the number of fruits per plant than the untreated controls (Tomar and Ramgiry, 1997). Adlakha and Verma (1964) reported that the application of GA3 on flower cluster resulted in an increase in fruit weight. To increase the yield as well as to avoid flower and fruit dropping, application of GA3 at optimum concentration and at right time is important. Gibberellic acid has great effects on plant physiological systems including fruit setting, leaf expansion, germination, breaking dormancy, increasing fruit size, improving fruit quality and in many other aspects of plant growth and thereby on crop production. Keeping the above circumstances in view, the present study was under taken to evaluate the performance of GA3 on biochemical properties, growth and yield attributes and to determine the optimum time and concentratio n of GA3 application in order to maximize the yield of Binatomato-2. Materials and Methods A pot experiment was conducted with tomato var. Binatomato-2 at the experimental site of Crop Botany Department, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, during March to July 2012. Five levels of GA3 (Gibberellic Acid) viz. 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 ppm were applied at (i) seedling stage by root soaking before transplanting (ii) vegetative stage [20 days after transplanting (DAT)] and (iii) flowering stage (40 DAT) by hand sprayer. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Twelve kilograms of sun-dried sandy loam soil and cow dung, urea, TSP and MP @ 583.33, 2.9, 2.54 and 1.81 g/pot corresponding to 10 tons, 400, 350 and 250 kg/ha were applied in each pot. Before pot filling, full doses of TSP, MP and cow dung were thoroughly mixed with the soil. Half of the urea was applied during transplanting and the remaining half at vegetative stage. Intercultural operations were done as and when necessary. Data on yield and yield contributing c haracters were recorded at final harvest. Biochemical analyses viz. chlorophyll, soluble protein contents and nitrate reductase activities in leaves were estimated at 50 DAT following the methods of Arnon (1949), Lowery et al. (1951) and Stewart and Orebamjo (1979). Data were analyzed statistically to find out the level of significance using MSTAT-C package programme (Russel, 1986) and significant differences among the treatments were adjudged by Duncan`s New Multiple Range Test (DMRT) at 5% level of significance (Gomez and Gomez, 1984). Results and Discussion There were significant differences among the treatments in respect of chlorophyll content, soluble protein content and nitrate reductase (NR) activities in tomato leaves at 50 DAT (Table 1). The highest chlorophyll content in leaves was obtained when the roots of seedlings were soaked in GA3 solutions before transplanting, which was identical to the application of GA3 at vegetative stage. The lowest chlorophyll content was found in plants when GA3 was applied at the flowering stage. Chlorophyll content in leaves was influenced significantly due to the application of different concentrations of GA3. The highest chlorophyll content was found from 100 ppm GA3 followed by 75 ppm and the lowest was found from the control, which was identical to those obtained from the application of 25 and 50 ppm of GA3. Chlorophyll content increased with increased concentrations of GA3. The application of GA3 through root soaking of seedlings and at vegetative stages resulted in the highest but similar soluble protein contents in tomato leaves and the lowest was found when it was applied at the flowering stage. The soluble protein content in leaves was also significantly influenced by the application of variable levels of GA3. The highest content was recorded with 50 ppm and the lowest content was recorded with 100 ppm GA3 which indicated that soluble protein content in leaves increased significantly until the application of 50 ppm and thereafter decreased with further increase in GA3 concentrations. Adlakha and Verma (1964) also reported that 50 ppm GA3 had appreciably increased the protein content in leaves. The maximum nitrate reductase activity was recorded at vegetative stage. The lowest was observed in flowering stage and this was similar to the activity performed when GA3 was applied through root soaking. Nitrate reductase activity was significantly influenced by the application of different concentrations of GA3. The maximum nitrate reductase activity was recorded with 75 ppm GA3 and the minimum was found from the control. Spraying of 50 and 75 ppm GA3 did not show any difference in NR activities at 40 days after planting. The applications of GA3 at different stages of plant growth resulted in significant influence on yield and yield attributes of summer tomato. The highest plant height was recorded when GA3 was applied at the vegetative stage and the lowest height was recorded at the flowering stage. GA3 had significant influence on plant height. It increased until the application of 50 ppm and declined remarkably with further increase in GA3 concentrations. The interactions between stage and concentrations of GA3 indicated that the application of 50 ppm of GA3 at the vegetative stage encouraged vigorous plant growth and thereby resulted in the highest plant height. There was no significant difference among the stages of hormone application in respect of time to first fruit setting. The maximum number of flowers, fruits and fruit weight per plant was produced when GA3 was applied through root soaking followed by the vegetative stage. All those parameters showed the lowest results when GA3 was applied at flowering stage. Similar result was also reported by Kaushik et al., 1974. They applied GA3 at vegetative stage and obtained increased fruit weight per plant. Sanyal et al. (1995) observed that foliar application was more effective than root soaking of seedlings. GA3 concentrations had statistically significant effect on plant height, time to first fruit setting, number of flowers, fruits and fruit weight per plant. The highest plant height was found with the application of 50 ppm GA3 which was identical to 25 ppm and the lowest was found from the control. The maximum time for first fruit setting was required when GA3 was applied at 100 ppm and t he lowest time was required with lower concentrations of GA3. The maximum number of flowers, fruits and fruit weight per plant was produced with 50 ppm GA3 application and the lowest was recorded with 100 ppm. Saleh and Abdul (1980) reported similar result from their experiment. They found that GA3 at 50 ppm decreased the total number of flowers per plant but increased the total yield. Hossain (1974), Adlakha and Verma (1995) found that the application of 50 ppm GA3 had increased the fruit setting, while Saleh and Abdul (1980) observed that GA3 at 25 or 50 ppm had increased the total yield of tomato compared to the control. Sanyal et al. (1995) also found that 50 ppm of GA3 had profound effect on the yield of tomato. The interaction between GA3 concentrations and stages of application indicated that the highest number of flowers, fruits and fruit weight per plant were produced when GA3 was applied through root soaking of seedlings at 50 ppm which was identical to the application of 50 ppm at vegetative stage or 25 ppm at flowering stage. A positive and linear relationship was found between the number of flowers per plant and fruit weight per plant (r = 0.96**) (Figure 1), number of fruits per plant and fruit weight per plant (r = 0.99**) (Figure 2) which indicated that the fruit yield of tomato is highly influenced by the production of flowers and the retention of fruits per plant irrespective of the stage and amount of GA3 applied in tomato plants. Conclusion It was revealed from the study that application of GA3 at the rate of 50-75 ppm by root soaking and at vegetative stage increased biochemical properties as well as increase the number of flowers, fruits and fruit yield per plant of Binatomato-2. It can be concluded that foliar application of 50 ppm Gibberelic acid on Binatomato-2 variety provide the best result in terms of biochemical attributes and yield. References Adlakha, P. A. Verma, S. K. (1964). Effect of gibberellic acid on the quality of tomato fruit. Punjab Horticulture Journal. 4 (3-4), 148-151. Adlakha, P. A. Verma, S. K. 1995. Effect of gibberellic acid on fruiting and yield of tomatoes. Science and Culture 31, 301-303. Arnon, D. I. (1949). Copper enzymes in isolated chloroplasts, polyphenol oxidase in Beta vulgaris. Plant Physiology. 24, 1-5. Briant, R. E. (1974). An analysis of the effect of gibberellic acid on tomato leaf growth. Journal of . Experimental Botany. 25, 764-771. Gomez, K. A. Gomez, A. A. (1984). Statistical Procedures for Agricultural Research. (2nd ed.). International Rice Research Institute. John Wiley and Sons, New York, p. 139-240. Hossain, M. A. E. (1974). Studies on the effect of parachlorophenoxy acetic acid and gibberellic acid on the production of tomato. M. Sc. Ag. Thesis, Dep. of Horticulture, Banglaesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh. Hunt, R. (1978). Plant growth analysis studies in biology. Edward Arnold Ltd. London, p. 67. Kaushik, M. P., Sharma, J. K. Singh, I. (1974). Effect of alpha naphthalene acetic acid , gibberellic acid , kinetin and morphactin on yield of tomato. Plant Science. 6, 51-53. Lowerry, O. H., Roserrough, N. J., Farr, A. L. Randall, R. J. (1951). Protein measurement with the folin phenol reagent. Journal of Biology and Chemistry 193, 265-275. Rusell, D. F.(1986). MSTAT-C Package Programme. Crop and Soil Science Department, Michigan State University, USA. Saleh, M. M. S. Abdul, K. S. (1980). Effect of gibberellic acid and cycocel on growth, flowering and fruiting of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) plants. Mesopotamia Journal of Agriculture 15(1), 137-166. Sanyal, D., Kar, P. L. Longkumar, M. (1995). Effect of growth regulators on the physico-chemical composition of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Advances in Hort. And Forestry, 4, 67-71. Stewart, G.R. Orebamjo, T.O. (1979). Some unusual characteristics of nitrate reduction in Erythrina senegalensis DC . New Phytology 83, 311-319. Tomar, I. S. Ramgiry, S. R. (1997). Effect of growth regulators on yield and yield attributes in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.). Advance Plant Science 10 (2), 29-31. Table 1. Effect of GA3 application at different stages of plant growth on bio- chemical parameters of summer tomato var. Binatomato-2 at 40 DAT In a column, figures having similar letter(s) do not differ significantly at 5% level of probability by DMRT. Table 2. Effect of GA3 application at different stages of plant growth on yield and yield components of summer tomato var. Binatomato-2 In a column, figures having similar letter(s) do not differ significantly at 5% level of probability by DMRT. Significant at 5% level, ** Significant at 1% level

Free Epic of Gilgamesh Essays: Defining Humanity in Gilgamesh :: Epic Gilgamesh essays

Defining Humanity in The Epic of Gilgamesh Fifteen Works Cited Stories do not need to inform us of anything. They do inform us of things. From The Epic of Gilgamesh, for example, we know something of the people who lived in the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the second and third millenniums BCE. We know they celebrated a king named Gilgamesh; we know they believed in many gods; we know they were self-conscious of their own cultivation of the natural world; and we know they were literate. These things we can fix -- or establish definitely. But stories also remind us of things we cannot fix -- of what it means to be human. They reflect our will to understand what we cannot understand, and reconcile us to mortality. We read The Epic of Gilgamesh, four thousand years after it was written, in part because we are scholars, or pseudo-scholars, and wish to learn something about human history. We read it as well because we want to know the meaning of life. The meaning of life, however, is not something we can wrap up and walk away with. Discussing the philosophy of the Tao, Alan Watts explains what he believes Lao-tzu means by the line, "The five colours will blind a man's sight." "[T]he eye's sensitivity to color," Watts writes, "is impaired by the fixed idea that there are just five true colors. There is an infinite continuity of shading, and breaking it down into divisions with names distracts the attention from its subtlety" (27). Similarly, the mind's sensitivity to the meaning of life is impaired by fixed notions or perspectives on what it means to be human. There is an infinite continuity of meaning that can be comprehended only by seeing again, for ourselves. We read stories -- and reading is a kind of re-telling -- not to learn what is known but to know what cannot be known, for it is ongoing and we are in the middle of it. To see for ourselves the meaning of a story, we need, first of all, to look carefully at what happens in the story; that is, we need to look at it as if the actions and people it describes actually took place or existed. We can articulate the questions raised by a character's actions and discuss the implications of their consequences.

Public Policing Versus Private Security

Public Policing Versus Private Security Kayla Cook CJA/500 November 8, 2009 Mrs. Jancie Graham Abstract Public policing and private security have several distinct differences. Public policing is the ability to enforce the law and maintain order in society. Private securities are paid agencies that perform the protective and loss-prevention duties not handled by police officers. Yet public policing and private security offers the same services and duties. These services and duties are performed to achieve some of the same goals. Both serve as leaders in their line of work.The leadership requirements are regulated by two different standards. They both share a positive relationship with the criminal justice system. This relationship could be enhanced if the two would partnership with one another. This could help them combine their essential policies for the current role they perform now. Public policing and private security will continue to grow and work together in the future. This pap er will also describe and discuss the importance of a comprehensive security plan, and its key components. The Differences between Public Policing and Private SecurityPublic policing is the ability to enforce the law and maintain order in society. Private securities are paid agencies that perform the protective and loss-prevention duties not handled by police officers. Public policing and private security have several distinct differences. Public policing does the following: 1) maintain order, 2) performs community service, 3) detect crime, 4) handle crime, and 5) prevent crime, 6) traffic control, 7) stop and question an individual, 8) search individuals and their personal belongings, 9) conduct interrogations, and 10) arrest an individual.Private security does the following paid duties: 1) serves as an escort, 2) patrol housing and business areas, 3) serves as guards at gates, 4) transport valuables, 5) security training, 6) screening of personnel for employment, 7) technical coun ter surveillance, 8) security consultation, 9) install alarm systems and 10)offer private security vaults (Reid, 1996). The Similarities between Public Policing and Private Security Public policing and private security offers some of the same services and duties. These services and duties are performed to achieve some of the same goals.In this way they are able to assist each other in performing these services and duties. Public policing and private security offer the following services and duties: 1) crime prevention, 2) crime control, 3) assist is emergencies, 4) training, 5) conduct searches, 6) involved in community events, 7) offer security, 8) monitor specific area, 9) provides protection, and 10) they both have legal powers. Both public policing and private security agencies are held accountable for their actions. Neither escapes criticisms from outside sources.Our society needs the services and duties that both provide to help ensure the safety of our freedom and our propert y (Walker, & Katz, 2011). The Differences between Public Policing and Private Security Leadership Roles The difference between public policing and private security leadership roles are the standard requirements for leadership. The requirement for leadership in public policing is regulated by the government and civil service. The only requirement for leadership in private security is to lead by example. This is because private security agencies are privately owned and they do not have a set required standard.The Relationship of Public Policing and Private Security with the Criminal Justice System The relationship of public policing with the criminal justice system is to prevent crime and provide justice to the public. The relationship of private security with the criminal justice system is to prevent crime and provide justice to its employees. They both share the same relationship with the criminal justice system. The relationship would be work more effective if law enforcement offic ers and private security agencies would work together along with the criminal justice system to prevent crime and provide justice to the public and private employees.The Essential Policies for Public Policing and Private Security Public policing and private security have several distinct differences in their essential policies. The essential policies for public policing are: 1) Hierarchical- there are many different official and formal levels of public agencies positions. 2) Civil service- civil service examinations are given to chose only the most qualified personnel based on merit. 3) Apolitical- the government gives the policies to public policing to execute. 4) Impartial and fair- the treatment of all citizen using government services are to be fair and just. ) Public affairs-oriented- focus is given to the management of public agencies and organizations. 6) Public-service oriented- profit is not a motive the serve the public. 7) Publicly funded- tax revenues fund these public a dministrations. 8) Publicly documented- all citizens can review administrative records and financial documents. 9) Accountable to the public- at anytime legislative and judicial review can be done to public administration. The essential policies for private security are: 1) Private enterprise- goal is to complete a private obligation instead of a public one. ) Private or corporate ownership- private organizations are owned by private individuals, groups, or stockholders. 3) Competitiveness- the organization may be in competition with another organization with the same product or service. 4) Profit incentive- normally the incentive is to generate net profit unless it is a nonprofit private organization. 5) Financing regulated by market price- the ability to sell the product or service is based on revenue. 6) Privacy of information and records- limited information is proprietary and the property of the owners. ) Accountability to owners and stockholders- instead of being accountable t o the public, the organization and its employees are held accountable to the organization’s owners. 8) Some freedom in selection and termination of employees- civil service rules do not regulate the organization ability to hire or terminate employees. 9) Freedom to regulate work methods and organization- the organization is not regulated by civil service rules (Ortmeier, 2009). The importance of a Comprehensive Security Plan and Its Key Components The security plan must also specify the persons who have access to security areas, and it must specify the various components necessary for physical security, such as barriers, lighting, alarm systems, fire protection systems, locks, and communications. It must detail full instructions for the guard force. These instructions must contain both general orders applicable to all guards and special orders pertaining to specific posts, patrols, and areas. There must be provision for emergency situations. Specific plans for fire, flood, st orm, or power failure should be part of the overall plan of action.You should also specify people to call in an emergency. After the security plan has been formulated and implemented, it must be reexamined periodically for flaws and for ways to improve it and keep it current with existing needs. Circulation of the plan should be limited and controlled. It must be remembered that such a plan, however well conceived, is doomed from the outset unless it is constantly and carefully supervised (Fisher, Halibozek, & Green, 2008, 36 Conclusion Public policing and private security are major components in the criminal justice system.The mere existence of both public policing and private security helps our communities feel safe. Once the two merge and work together, more problems can be solved to prevent crimes. This partnership will be form when the importance of each other’s responsibilities and roles are identified. Law enforcement agencies are slowly coming to realize the benefits of a partnership with private security can be since 9/11. This was just one of the many examples of how effectively public policing and private security can work together.In the future, public policing and private security will continue to work together to prevent crime and provide justice to all. References Fisher, R. J. , Halibozek, E. , & Green, G. (2008). Introduction to Security (8th ed. ). Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann. Katz, C. M. & Walker, S. (2011). The Police in America: An Introduction (7th ed. ). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Ortmeier, P. J. (2008). Introduction to Security: operations and Management (3rd ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Reid, Sue (1996). Criminal Justice (4th ed. ). Madison, WI. Brown & Benchmark.

Customer relationship management Essay

Abstract Purpose – This paper aims to provide insights into the development and management of a customer community, informing product innovation and engaging customers in co-creation of a consumption experience. Design/methodology/approach – A review of the state of current knowledge about co-production, co-creation and customer communities is followed by discussion of the case study methodology. The case history of a leading player in the UK and international â€Å"sportkiting† market focuses on product innovation and customer-community development. Discussion re? ects in more detail on the lessons from the case for application of the principles in practice. Findings – The case company’s innovative product development strategy provides the catalyst for co-creation of a customer experience. Its marketing actions extend beyond product development and innovation to actively co-creating experiences with customers, fostering a sense of community among users, facilitating communication within that community, acting on the feedback, and continuously developing and maintaining the community relationship. Research limitations/implications – The company’s marketing strategy can be summed up as â€Å"customer community leadership†. This paradigm proposes a new role for businesses in sectors where there is a potential to develop and engage communities. It provides a context for the effective facilitation of customer knowledge management, within which marketing intelligence plays a signi? cant role. The ? ndings offer scope for further research into the nature of this phenomenon and its relevance to co-creation in other industry sectors, and into numerous aspects of the processes and impacts associated with customer communities. Originality/value – The case contributes to the literature of co-creation, demonstrating how it has been achieved through a marketing strategy and marketing mix in a particular customer community. Keywords Customer relations, Innovation, Relationship marketing, Leadership Paper type Case study Marketing Intelligence & Planning Vol. 25 No. 2, 2007 pp. 136-146 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0263-4503 DOI 10. 1108/02634500710737924 Introduction. The increased complexity, globalization and knowledge-intensity of marketplaces require all businesses to make better use of their technological, organizational and marketing competences in order to survive. Contemporary organizations in highly competitive and highly innovative markets must be able to build market share quickly, by delivering fast, high quality, innovative solutions. The changing organisational environment has driven interest in organisational learning and knowledge management (Drucker, 1993; Prusak, 1997). Many studies have con? rmed customer knowledge as one of the most important knowledge bases for an organisation (Bennett and Gabriel, 1999; Chase, 1997), and there is a considerable interest in the potential of â€Å"co-production† and â€Å"co-creation† either individually or in community contexts, to enhance innovation and business performance (Gibbert et al. , 2002). Focus on the engagement of customers in organizational learning, innovation and knowledge processes heralds the dawn of a new paradigm of marketing intelligence in  which data and information are not simply gathered into databases and distilled to inform management decision making, but rather marketing intelligence is embedded in dynamic co-creation processes that involve customers as partners rather than subjects. Through a case study analysis and critique of a leading manufacturer of kiteboarding equipment, this paper seeks to provide insights into the engagement and management of a customer community, to inform product innovation and to engage customers in co-creation of a sporting experience. The case contributes to the literature of co-creation and speci?cally to the way in which communities can be enlisted in the co-creation of experiences. It begins with a literature review, outlining the state of current knowledge on co-production and co-creation and on customer communities, followed by a description of the case study methodology. A pro? le of the company, with particular reference to its product development and community development follows leads to re? ection in detail on the contribution from this case. Finally, conclusions and recommendations provide a summary of the issues. The concept of â€Å"customer community leadership† is proposed, and agendas for further research identi? ed. Literature review This section draws together current knowledge on two key themes: co-creation, or co-production, and customer communities. Research on both of these themes ? ts broadly within the paradigm or philosophy of relationship marketing. As the main plank of a marketing strategy, relationship marketing aims to build long term, mutually satisfying relations with customers, suppliers and distributors with the key objective of earning and retaining their long-term preference, loyalty and business (Foss and Stone, 2001; Peck et al., 1999; Buttle, 1996; Massey et al. , 2001). In discussing the absence of a consensus on the term relationship marketing, and on the appropriateness of the term, other authors have suggested that a focus on interactions and networks of interactions between businesses and their customers might be more meaningful (Healy et al. , 2001; Zoliewski, 2004). The concepts of co-production and customer communities both focus on interactions. Communities, in particular, involve networks of interactions. The theme of interaction between customers and organizations in product and service innovation is developed in the literature on co-production. Prahalad and Ramaswamy (2000) suggest that companies have to recognise that the customer is becoming a partner in creating value, and need to learn how to harness customer competences. One aspect of this will be the engagement of customers in co-creating personal experiences. The body of work on co-creation and co-production has grown in recent years. Kristensson et al. (2004) have examined the bene? Ts of involving users in suggesting new product ideas, ? nding that ordinary users created signi? cantly more original and valuable ideas than professional developers, whilst professional developers and advanced users created more easily reliable ideas. At a more modest level of customer engagement, Salomo et al. (2003) found that customer orientation in innovation projects (not necessarily, in this case, customer engagement) had a positive in? uence on NPD success and that the impact increased with the degree of product innovativeness. Similarly, Hsieh and Chen (2005) showed that new product development performance can be enhanced by interacting with users, and capitalising on user-knowledge management competences. Matthing et al. (2004) suggest that the Customer community and co-creation 137 MIP 25,2 138 value of customer involvement in new service development resides in the opportunity to facilitate proactive learning about the customer, and to understand and anticipate latent customer needs. Lilien et al. (2002) suggest that user contribution to the idea generation process is optimised through the careful selection of â€Å"lead users† to participate in the process. Dahlsten (2004) discusses customer involvement in the case of a product development project at Volvo Cars, which allowed the project management team to acquire an understanding of the customer through â€Å"customer presence†. A study comparing the sources of product and process innovation in large and small technology-based ? rms found that product developers in SMEs valued customers, co-workers, marketing and journals more highly, whilst suppliers were particularly valued by large ? rms (Bommer and Jalajas, 2004). Co-creation might be viewed as an aspect of customer-knowledge competence, the processes that generate knowledge about speci? c customers (Campbell, 2003). Gibbert et al. (2002, p. 460) describe customer knowledge management as a process in which organisations seek to â€Å"know what their customers know† and de? ne it as: . . . the strategic process by which cutting-edge companies emancipate their customers from passive recipients of products and services, to empowerment as knowledge partners. CKM is about gaining, sharing, and expanding the knowledge residing in customers, to both customer and corporate bene? It is thus concerned with an understanding of how to elicit and leverage knowledge from customers. Their emphasis on interacting with customers and co-production, extending to co-learning, lifts the focus from collecting data and information in order to learn about customers to learn with customers. They discuss ? ve different styles of customer knowledge management, including â€Å"prosumerism† where the customer acts as co-producer, and â€Å"communities of creation† in which groups of people work together, have shared interests, and want to jointly create and share knowledge. The focus of co-production research is often on product innovation and new product development, with some contributions relating to service development (Matthing et al. , 2004). However, Prahalad and Ramaswamy (2003), suggest a future in which the locus of innovation and co-production will shift from products and services to â€Å"experience environments†. This suggestion aligns with other proposals that the â€Å"experience marketing† era is on the horizon, and that it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to respond to the needs of the experience consumer (Li and Wei, 2004). Co-creation may take place in the context of customer communities. There is a considerable literature on customer clubs (Butscher, 2002; Gustafsson et al. , 2004; Stauss et al. , 2001) and loyalty schemes (Bolton et al. , 2000; Mauri, 2003; Passingham, 1998; Worthington, 2000). Only a small sub-group of such clubs and schemes can properly be described as customer communities, however, which should at the very least exhibit C2C interaction. To convincingly justify the use of â€Å"community† they should furthermore share a culture with norms, values and identity, and mutual interests and objectives. Fan clubs, interest clubs, and software user groups may constitute customer communities. Butscher (2002) identi? es the Kawasaki Riders Club, The Volkswagen Club, and Swatch The Club as examples which might be described as customer communities. On the other hand, loyalty schemes such as Tesco Clubcard, American Express, Airmiles, and Marriot Rewards are focussed on the B2C dimension of relationship marketing, and do little to cultivate or in? uence C2C interactions. Therefore, whilst they may be able to identify a relatively stable group of users, they have not created a community. One context in which there has been more discussion of customer communities is the virtual environment (Armstrong and Hagel, 1996). Some loyalty schemes use this channel to support C2C interaction. Virtual customer communities enable organizations to establish distributed innovation models that involve varied customer roles in new product development (Nambisan, 2002; Pitta and Fowler, 2005). Nambisan (2002) suggests that the design of virtual customer environments needs to consider interaction patterns, knowledge creation, customer motivation, and integration of the virtual customer community with the new product development team. Dholakia et al. (2004) explore the impact of group norms and social identity on participation in consumer communities. The wider literature on virtual communities and their role in learning and knowledge creation is also substantial, and may have perspectives to offer on the role of virtual communities in innovation (Hall and Graham, 2004; Davenport and Hall, 2002; Wenger, 2000). In conclusion, the themes of co-creation and customer communities have been identi? ed as important in the literature, but there remains a scope for considerable further work, speci?  cally relating to: . co-creation of experiences; Customer communities that exist in both physical and virtual space; and . the mechanisms and processes through which organizations can engage customer communities, as opposed to individual members of those communities, in co-creation. Methodology Case studies are a valuable way of looking at the world around us, and asking how or why questions (Yin, 1994). The case study design adopted in this paper may be described as a holistic single case design. Typically, single case designs are appropriate when the exercise has something special to reveal that might act as a point of departure for challenging received wisdom, prior theoretical perspectives and untested assumptions. A specialist in sporting kite technology was chosen as the basis for the case analysis in this paper for four reasons in particular, as follows: (1) The stated mission of Flexifoil International is to: â€Å"provide our customers with the ultimate Kitesports experience† (www.? exifoil. com/company). (2) Flexifoil has been consistently committed to product innovation. (3) Flexifoil works with customers and proactively builds customer communities to support customer engagement in co-creation of the kiting experience. (4) The active and extensive participation of one of the authors in the kiting community formed the basis for an in-depth understanding of the community building and co-creation processes observed. Company pro? le: Flexifoil International Through product innovation, the company seeks to design and develop the highest performance products, with new designs and products that support new kite-based Customer community and co-creation 139 MIP. 25,2 sporting experiences and events. Flexifoil build both their own customer community and the kite boarding community in general through customer service, distribution networks, sponsorship and promotion of the sports for which their products are used. They provide opportunities for the kite sporting community to interact, online and in other ways. Their community is thus built through B2B, C2B and C2C relationships and channels. 140 Product development Until the early 1970s, a kite had for hundreds of years been a piece of fabric controlled with one or two lines, designed to be hand-?own in windy conditions. What is now Flexifoil International started when two English university students effectively â€Å"invented† the two-line power kite by producing the ? rst to be sold commercially. Two larger kites with the evocative names â€Å"Pro Team 8† and â€Å"Super 10† established Flexifoil’s market position, and enabled the company to enter upon a period of innovation and experimentation that explored a range of different potential applications for power kites. Some of their innovations were successful, others less so, such as three-wheeled buggies designed to be pulled by a power kite or traction kite. The successful developments in materials and design technology by Flexifoil and its followers allowed this basic product to support today such diverse activities as kite boarding (water-based), snow kiting, kite land boarding, buggying, recreational power kiting, and sportkiting (â€Å"traditional† kiting). The company’s own product range now comprises: power kites, recreational kites, traction kites, and water re-launchable kites; buggies and boards; lines and control gear; and miscellaneous accessories such as clothing. Following the launch of a web site, with associated forums in which enthusiasts could meet and exchange ideas, Flexifoil’s sales increased by around 25 per cent each year between 1999 and 2004. Innovation continued, with the development of water-based kiting or kitesur? ng, and later kites for land boarding and snow kiting. Over the last thirty years, the company had thus effectively created a market, and maintained leadership in its particular niche, by means not only of product innovation but also engagement with and cultivation of a power-boarding community. Community development Distribution. The community development process begins with the company’s distribution network of authorised retail outlets. Initially, those were mainly windsur? ng and sur? ng shops, but more recently specialised kiting shops have entered the market. Signi? cantly for Flexifoil, some of those have developed into â€Å"kitesports centres† where customers can â€Å"? y before they buy†. At three Premier Kite Sports Centres, the most comprehensive Flexifoil range is available for trial in an environment characterised by knowledgeable staff and extensive facilities in a good location; activity training is also on offer. A smaller range of Flexifoil kites is sold through high street shops. The company also moves the product to market through training schools, academies and university kite clubs, to whom equipment is available at discounted rates or even free of charge if the outlet becomes an of? cial Flexifoil training centre. In addition to these bricks-and-mortar outlets, the company transacts a signi? cant proportion of its retail sales through internet distributors. It also sells spare parts,  branded clothing and a selection of promotional merchandise via Flexifoildirect. com, but restricts distribution of core products to distributors who can offer a full after-sales service. The objective of the company’s distribution strategy is to build, support and maintain an effective customer community. Promotion and marketing communication. The main platform of Flexifoil’s promotional programme is to communicate their commitment to after-sales support, and their ambition to maintain good relationships with both customers and dealer outlets. This strategy, in turn, generates positive word-of-mouth communication, and often act as a channel for customer feedback that can inform future product innovation and development. In pursuit of that objective, Flexifoil make extensive use of specialised advertising media, including every kite magazine in circulation, often running double-page spreads. A branded display stand for Flexifoil product catalogues is distributed to every dealer. To keep the brand at the centre of the kitesporting world, the company sponsors a team of kite boarders who compete around the world. The promotional mix thus embraces advertising, publicity, sales promotion and point-of-sale. Flexifoil furthermore use their web site and its forums proactively to develop the UK kiting community, especially pre-launch. Previews of new kites provoke discussion in the forums, and a level of interest that builds up over months of anticipation and typically generates high sales volumes immediately on the release of the product. This online communication channel brings customers together to exchange experiences, and sell equipment to each other. The company lays claim to the largest online kiting community, of nearly 7,000 members. The variety of forums available to its members specialise in the full range of sportkiting activities. The clear aim of the marketing communications strategy is, like the distribution strategy, to create a community of interest rather than one based simply on transaction. Discussion This discussion will draw out two themes from the case study analysis: co-creation, and customer communities. The study contributes a perspective on the co-creation of experiences, which  is a central element in the emerging paradigm of experience marketing. By continuing engagement with their customer community, the subject company has been able not only to gather feedback on the experiences associated with the use of its products, but also to add to them by offering opportunities, in both the real and virtual environments for customer to enjoy interactions with others who share their interests. It monitors and enhances the experience through the same channels. Whilst product innovation is stepwise, the dialogue and interaction with customers on which that innovation is based is continuous. This is not â€Å"co-production† in the sense that the term is used in new product development contexts, but rather in the service context, where the term refers to the fact that customers have a hand in the development of their own service experience. Nevertheless, experience â€Å"co-creation† in this case, embeds product innovation. The impact of this approach to co-creation is dif? cult to disentangle from the impact of other business and marketing actions. The signi? cant increase in sales in the years since the launch of the web site could be taken as one indicator, but it  Customer community and co-creation 141 MIP 25,2 142 is important to acknowledge the spiral nature of the community creation process. This increase in sales will have expanded the community, and probably also have intensi? ed customers’ engagement with the experiences that community members co-create with the company. The case also contributes some insights on the nature of customer communities. Though the company does ask customers to register their product and thereby collects personal contact details, it does not operate a customer community, club or loyalty scheme. Rather, the innovative and interesting products act as a catalyst for community creation through the medium of the â€Å"experiences† they deliver. The customer community comprises those who have participated in those experiences, enjoyed them, and wish to develop the interaction. Customers work in partnership with the company to build excitement and develop skill, and by sharing the experiences with others, add to the totality of the customer community. The company has taken a number of actions to facilitate this process, including working with distributors, sponsorship, engagement in events, training courses, and an interactive web site. Speci? cally, their approach to communication with their customers is sophisticated. The common view of marketing communications as a one-way transmission is replaced by a marketing communications strategy designed to build and reinforce the company’s position as a leader of a community. Traditional channels such as advertising, sponsorship, and even brand building are only elements in a complex web or network of marketing communications activities, involving C2C and B2B as well as B2C relationships. The company communicates directly with its customers, but also provides contexts which encourage them to â€Å"talk† among themselves. In addition, the marketing communications effort is â€Å"pushed† through distributors, not just in terms of the traditional advertising and branding, but also through the selection of distributors that can offer appropriate support and advice. These actors in the system have a role in welcoming new members into the community. They are supported in doing so by the existing on-line community, and various company-sponsored events at which members are encouraged to gather. The customer community has built gradually as the business has grown. As new products have been added to the product range to support new sports, new sub-communities have formed around them. The process of community development goes hand in hand with product development. Conclusions and recommendations The entrepreneurs behind Flexifoil International have simultaneously created a sport, and an associated sporting community. The company is clear that its mission as not simply to develop and distribute the best products but rather to deliver the most exciting kiting experience. This case study has demonstrates that the entire marketing mix is focussed not on transactions, or even relationship building, but rather on community creation. That community includes both consumers and dealers. Product innovation, distribution and promotion are tightly coupled with community creation. Community building is not just about increasing membership, or even about the engagement of members with the community, but focuses on the creation of a level of mutuality in which there is ongoing dialogue between community members and the company. Flexifoil has neither annexed an existing community, nor do they â€Å"own† one, although they do manage a virtual space through which the community can interact. Rather, their product innovation and the experiences that their product range provides have the potential to act as the catalyst for the community, whilst sponsorship, engagement in events, and the virtual space all facilitate the enhancement of the experience for community members. Other companies compete with Flexifoil for leadership of the power kiting community, both rival manufacturers and others keen to enhance the sportkiting experience. Many of these have web sites through which they seek to capture an online community. For example, one casts itself as â€Å"the kite ? yer’s portal to the internet† offering links to kite manufacturers and kite stores in the USA and Canada, to other power kiting web sites, to other kite ? yer sites, kite teams and clubs, and to magazines and newsgroups. Another claims to be â€Å"the online community that brings ? yers together† and a third promotes itself as â€Å"the internet magazine for kiters†. All offer different services and bene? ts to their customers, but for some, their engagement with the sport kiting community will be restricted to virtual space. Though Flexifoil has a strong brand presence as a manufacturer, it needs to encourage members to participate with it in â€Å"co-creation† if it is to deliver on its mission of providing customers with the ultimate kite sports experience. The approach to marketing strategy described in this case study can aptly be described as customer community leadership. By leading the sport kiting community, but not owning it, Flexifoil has created a community that will buy their products, co-create kiting experiences, provide insights that can inform innovation in the product, the experience and the community innovation, look forward to the next product release, and mutually enhance community members’ experiences of the company’s products and services. Embedded in this approach to community leadership are a number of more traditional marketing actions, such as new product development, advertising, and commitment to after-sales support. The distribution channels are designed to offer the support and training that is likely to enhance sport kiting experiences, but also to build relationships with dealers, and to bring sports kiters together. This is supplemented by opportunities for interaction in virtual space. Community development is achieved through a network of relationship-building actions, at the heart of which are enjoyable and shareable sports kiting experiences. Through community leadership, the company has created a context in which customers are thus from being passive recipients of products and services, and empowered as knowledge partners (Gibbert et al., 2002). In other words, it has thereby created a context that facilitates the processes of customer knowledge management. This is an approach to marketing intelligence and decision making embedded in dynamic co-creation processes that involve customers as partners. It is worth noting that the term â€Å"customer community leadership† can have two different meanings in practice. First, it may mean leadership of a community, in the sense of making it work, setting its direction, and participating in the shaping of experiences of community members. In this context, the focus is on factors such as member engagement, culture, norms, identity and community viability, in terms of the value delivered to all parties. Second, it can describe an avenue to market leadership, in which the business performance of an organisation over the longer term is de? ned and determined by the extent to which its leadership of a community of potential customers, or its power and capacity to lead, is greater than that of its competitors. Customer community and co-creation 143 MIP 25,2 144 In taking the development of the concept of customer community leadership forward, it will be important to explore the different styles and approaches that are and can be adopted by different ? rms and organizations. Given that another essential of successful leadership is followers, an important phenomenon for further study is the nature of â€Å"followership† in this context. This case study has focussed on the actions and strategies adopted by one business to build and bene? t from a customer community and to engage customers in the co-creation of an experience. In addition, it has demonstrated how both online and real-world communities can be enlisted to contribute to building the experience. There is a scope for considerable further study of the processes associated with the co-creation of the experience, and the details of how communities operate. Such research needs both to cover a wider range of organizations and business sectors, and to examine in more detail aspects of communities, co-creation and customer knowledge management. Some potential areas of investigation are: . Perceptions and views of different stakeholders as to the impact of the community and the contributions of different parties in the co-creation of the experience. . 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