Coming to terms with the customer

Article Abstract:

One of the big trends in management is to promote customer service campaigns and quality management programs. However, success in implementing such programs takes much more than publicity and training. The experiences of British Airways PLC reveals that the company had to invest in strategic planning to identify customers. They also had to work to identify the important factors which signaled customer loyalty in order to develop a clear marketing position. In general, companies interested in improving customer service should establish employee training which focuses on: behavior modeling, transaction-analysis-based training systems; and staff involvement techniques. Additionally, when measuring the results of training efforts, firms should: examine whether employees have integrated and support changes; examine whether employees are behaving differently; and examine whether customers have noticed.

author: Thomas, Michael
Innovations, Services, Quality control, British Airways PLC, Customer service

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Taking stock of corporate culture

Article Abstract:

A strong corporate culture depends on the regulation of the behavior of people and the values, beliefs, and norms present in the implicit culture. Fanatical religious groups exemplify strong cultures through a harmony of the implicit and the explicit. The ability of members of a culture to control behavior themselves gives their culture its strength. Confusion in altering corporate culture results from a vague concept of the culture and its development. An acceptance of the need for change in a business requires values. Timing and the right climate form part of a culture's strength. Three essential processes in the development of cultures are leading, communicating, and controlling. The personnel department should take the role of guiding the corporate culture.

author: Payne, Roy
Methods, Corporate culture

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In search of culture: holy grail or gravy train?

Article Abstract:

A human resources consultant concludes that corporate cultures can be changed, because culture derives from assumptions rather than actions. He proposes a strategy for identifying the underpinnings of corporate culture and setting up a system to modernize, streamline or otherwise improve such cultures. The practical implications of tinkering with culture are also examined. Corporate cultures should be changed when they conflict with corporate strategies, and changing corporate culture can only be accomplished after the transmitters of such culture have been identified. Transmitters of corporate culture include: management styles, recruiting practices, employment and personnel policies, salary administration programs and work environments.

author: Thomas, Michael
Usage, Management, Culture, Behavior modification, Great Britain

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subjects list: Human resource management, Analysis, Organizational change, Organizational behavior
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