Communispace Essay

Communispace offers a unique process for administering market research. It offers a view into the minds of the customers of a brand by building brand-focused online communities in order to enable members to communicate with each other and generate focus groups to discuss the product. A community is built as a long-term project; it continues to produce valuable information for companies over the course of its existence. The business model utilized by Communispace helps to provide facilitation and management powered by technology and innovation. Communispace differentiates itself by focusing on the strategy of building online communities that act as an invaluable resource for testing ideas, generating feedback and exploring customers’ mindsets. Communispace can begin its analysis within 24 hours of launching an online community as it reaches out to a particular subset of people that would be most interested in commenting on and speaking about a particular product. A Word of Mouth campaign utilizes a different strategy. A targeted community would receive the product in the mail and would then ideally spread word around about the product to friends and neighbors. This campaign, while a beneficial tool for market research, was not a tool that Communispace utilized. There were many competitors that were better at this method. Simmons is a highly recognized FMCG company holding 20 brands that are found in over 95% of US households. Simmons wanted to promote its new organic product for weight conscious consumers via Communispace using word-of-mouth. The business problem being faced by Communispace was that it could not determine whether it would be undermining its strengths and strategy by taking this type of project or whether it would be detrimental to turn such an influential client down. The case states the communities are built on the foundations of sense of trust and the feeling that their contributions are really making a difference for the company. Communispace built its business on a strategy that reached potential customers by building online communities and did not serve the purpose of receiving a free product and talking about it outside the community. As Julie Wittes Schlack, Senior Vice President of Innovation and Design and a cofounder of Communispace points out in the case, the company’s growth depended solely on its core competency. Moreover, due to low entry to barrier into this particular arena of market research, there were many other competitors that had built their competitive advantage on doing word of mouth campaigns. So another problem that Communispace would be to weigh the options of benefits gained by entering into this WOM arena where they have no real advantage versus the damage they might incur by compromising on their core competency. In my opinion, Communispace should focus on the strategy that has defined them and not sacrifice their identity and corporate strategy. From the success and expansion of Communispace it is clear that they have gotten their process for building communities down to a science, thus allowing companies to not only to listen, but learn. Flipping this model on its head not only would completely alter the process in which companies engage in with their community, but it would also make for a far less exact science in what Communispace does? Moreover, word of mouth is something that can’t be manufactured to find success repeatedly, rather it should happen organically and not by force. Hence, making that a core competence for Communispace would prove exceedingly difficult because it is difficult to draw the valuation of a successful WOM and then repeatedly recreate its success. That is how would Communispace measure the effectiveness of the WOM campaigns? In the present scenario, they can provide their clients with reports and analysis on the conversations in the community, but how would they measure how effective their members are outside the community? Though advertising and creative marketing campaigns can spur word of mouth, a community approach would seem as a dishonest approach with a possibility of no results or backfiring on the credibility of the community. This, in turn would hamper the reputation that Communispace enjoys and might be detrimental to its social health in the long run as it would incite distrust amongst its community members which might lead to loss of present clients. The intense competition that Communispace will face, the potential loss of credibility of community members when they understand that the community is only for advertisement and the short-lived nature of WOM campaigns, hence, the campaign-fuelled business can undermine the long-time subscription model are reasons that support the decision to stick to their core services and not digress into an arena that utilises a model that is completely dissimilar to Communispace’s original one.

The modern project management approach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

The modern project management approach - Essay Example Formal project management techniques were developed in USA in the 1960's as part of the early missile programmes. These techniques have since been used in almost every area of society, from government agencies to non-profit organisations, and from engineering companies to service industries (Wikipedia). The early project management phase began in the 1950s in the United States where, from an ad-hoc-basis use of 'Gantt Charts' and informal techniques and tools, it graduated to the use of two mathematical 'project management models' known as: (1) the "Program Evaluation and Review Technique" or PERT, developed as part of the United States Navy's Polaris missile submarine programme; and (2) the "Critical Path Method" (CPM) developed in a joint venture by both DuPont Corporation and Remington Rand Corporation for managing plant maintenance projects. These mathematical techniques quickly spread into many private enterprises. In 1969, the Project Management Institute (PMI) was established to help the project management industry to perform better. The PMI has been of the view that the tools and techniques of project management are common for all applications in projects from the software industry to the traditional construction industry. In 1981, the PMI brought out The Guide to the Proje ct Management Body of Knowledge, containing the standards and guidelines of practice that are widely used throughout the profession (Wikipedia). Generally, project management is distinguished from the general management of corporations by the mission-oriented nature of a project. A project organisation will generally be terminated when the mission is accomplished. According to the Project Management Institute, the discipline of project management can be defined as follows: 'Project management is the art of directing and coordinating human and material resources throughout the life of a project by

Stakeholder Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Stakeholder Analysis - Assignment Example Professional baseball players will have a stake because of their dependence on the success of their respective teams to help in their acquisition of lucrative opportunities and rewards while amateur participants will be dependent on the capability of teams, clubs, and coaches to help them acquire their goals. The different baseball players in various levels will expect a well-organized and regulated baseball sport which will have the ability to offer them opportunities within which they can safely participate even with the security of good medical services in the case of an injury and a functional contract. Other stakeholders include Traffic Control Units as well as the Boston Police Department. The police will be necessary for security patrols and maintenance operations during the baseball game events. This is particularly important due to the fact the games will be scheduled at night and hence the need for a solid and functional security system to ensure the smooth operations and p erformance of the different games. The police unit will work with the internally based security system within Boston University. This close cooperation between the two is important since the BU Security personnel are well versed with the daily operations of the institution. The traffic control unit will be tasked with the responsibility of regulating traffic inflow and outflow during the game nights to prevent any interference with the normal traffic flow on major roads and highways leading to Boston University.

Global Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Global Leadership - Essay Example Coffee exporting possibilities range from exporting raw beans, roasted product, packaged products as well as fast moving consumer products (Such as coffee ready to drink). Although there is already a significant coffee production infrastructure it is my opinion that the market is worth entering. The Coffee association of Canada (2003) indicated that coffee is among the most popular beverage choices in Canada with over 81% of Canadian adults drinking coffee on an occasional basis and over 63% of Canadians drinking coffee daily. Building on this previous point, Agri-Food Canada (2010) indicated that coffee makes up approximately 16% of all non-alcoholic beverage sales in the Canadian market. Source: Agriculture and Agri Food Canada. It was further indicated that average coffee consumption is approximately 2.6 cups a day which exceeds the relative frequency of the United States. Moreover Canadians consume coffee through a number of different channels, home made, at work, through special ty shops discount coffee retailers. By the shear presence of major specialty coffee shops such as Starbucks, Second Cup etc. and major discount retailers such as Tim Hortons or the coffee shop it is apparent that Canadian consumers are familiar with coffee and as such will not need to be educated as consumers on how to consumer coffee.

The Changing Role of International Banking Dissertation

The Changing Role of International Banking - Dissertation Example These developments, unlike before when they were only restricted to the availability of trade credit with impromptu financing sovereigns, now extends well beyond this to define the changing role of the international banks in development finance. The international banking industry, through its penetrating operations and services in the developing countries, has now extended its services offered to the developing countries with the realization of efficient operating infrastructure, local agencies and smaller branches which have now grown to form part of the local banking industries of the developing countries. The international banking industry now performs series of financial transactions with the local banks in the developing world. They provide, to many industries and companies, a reliable gateway through which organizations, sovereigns, banks and other financial institutions perform foreign exchange and related derivatives, transfer funds, borrow money and invest their profits. The new role played by the international banks to the developing countries have created financial instability in the developing countries with their over reliance on the international banks. This calls for a redefinition of the policies guarding the relationships between the international banking industry and the local banks of the developing countries. Even though the coordination of policy of late has majorly focuses on the liquidity provision collaboration, financial scholars, participants of the market and policy makers have the need to focus on the long-term reevaluation and assessment that concerns the stringency that the financial regulation faces and the effects... The international banking industry, through its penetrating operations and services in the developing countries, has now extended its services offered to the developing countries with the realization of efficient operating infrastructure, local agencies and smaller branches which have now grown to form part of the local banking industries of the developing countries. The international banking industry now performs series of financial transactions with the local banks in the developing world. They provide, to many industries and companies, a reliable gateway through which organizations, sovereigns, banks and other financial institutions perform foreign exchange and related derivatives, transfer funds, borrow money and invest their profits.The new role played by the international banks to the developing countries have created financial instability in the developing countries with their over reliance on the international banks. This calls for a redefinition of the policies guarding the relationships between the international banking industry and the local banks of the developing countries. Even though the coordination of policy of late has majorly focuses on the liquidity provision collaboration, financial scholars, participants of the market and policy makers have the need to focus on the long-term reevaluation and assessment that concerns the stringency that the financial regulation faces and the effects of asset markets to the stability and independence of the financial industry.

Copyright Laws and the University of Marylands Academic Integrity Research Paper

Copyright Laws and the University of Marylands Academic Integrity Policy - Research Paper Example This paper will discuss the issue of copyright laws and compares such laws to the University of Maryland’s integrity policy. Copyright according to the Australian’s Attorney General’s Department is a type of legal protection for persons who express original information or ideas in specific forms. According to the department, some of the most common of these forms include moving images, music, visual images, paintings, photographs, computer programs, maps, dramatic works and writing just to mention a few. Copyright in this respect protects not the information or ideas expressed but the form in which they are expressed or fixated. Under the United States’ copyright laws (Clause 8 of the constitution), copyright is defined as the set of exclusive rights that are given to innovators or originators of works. Such rights include copying, distributing and adapting the works. In most countries including the United States of America, copyright does not have to be r egistered but arises at the moment the work is fixated. Once a copyright comes into force, the owner of the copyright has the special rights to control the copying and other exploitative activities that may be performed on the works for a certain period of time. Once this period of time expires, the work goes to the public domain. There are a number of exceptions and limitations that exist to the use of copyrighted material. One such limitation is fair use which requires not the permission of the copyright owner. All other uses of copyrighted materials demand permission from their owners who can opt to license or transfer the ownership exclusively to other parties.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease - Case Study Example Heartburn is a common symptom for GERD. Other symptoms may occur less frequently though indicative of GERD including: acid regurgitation, excess saliva, chronic sore throat, chest pain, gum inflammation, chronic sore throat and chest pain. Harsh stomach acids can damage the esophageal lining. Reflux risk factors include alcohol use, pregnancy, obesity and smoking. Reflux and heartburn are worsened by pregnancy. Asthmatic people have higher risks of developing GERD. Flare-ups of asthma cause the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) to relax, therefore allowing the backflow of stomach contents into the esophagus. Asthma medications worsen reflux symptoms (Joel & Ritcher, 2014). Acid reflux may also make the symptoms of asthma worsen through irritating the lungs and the airways, leading to more serious asthma. However, the following is a patient education plan that focuses on conservation measures in treating GERD. Decreasing the portion size at mealtime may be helpful in controlling symptoms. Taking meals 2-3 hours prior to bedtime may aid in lessening reflux through decreasing stomach acid and emptying it partially. Additionally, being overweight is often associated with worse symptoms of GERD. Overweight patients should find relief in losing some of their weight (Gary, 2008). Moderate exercise is considered to improve GERD symptoms, but vigorous exercises may worsen the symptoms. Moreover, when sleeping, the patient is advised to elevate the head of the bed at least 6-8 inches, or to sleep on a wedge-shaped bed that is specially designed. This reduces heartburn by allowing gravity minimize stomach contents reflux into the esophagus. It is advisable that the patient does not use a pillow to prop him/her up; this only adds pressure on the stomach, worsening the situation. Cigarette smoking and taking and alcohol usually weakens the LES. Symptoms of GERD may be reduced by halting smoking and stopping alcohol taking behavior. Along with diet and lifestyle