Cosmetic Surgeon – Five Traits of Excellent Plastic Surgeons

Cosmetic surgeons can literally hold your life and appearance in their hands. Their skills and talent can change your life for the better by sculpting and enhancing your looks. When a person is pleased with their external appearance, the inner lives improve, as well.There’s nothing quite like loving your body or face in order to improve your confidence and self esteem. Here are five traits that are shared by the most excellent cosmetic surgeons in the business:1) They are good communicators: In order to have the best results, the patient and surgeon must be able to communicate expectations and realistic possibilities to each other. Communication entails both listening and telling.An excellent cosmetic surgeon will listen carefully to his or her patient. He or she will then be able to take the complicated medical jargon and translate it so that the patient fully understands what to expect.2) They are well trained: A physician that is board certified in the discipline of plastic surgery will have worked long years in order to be highly skilled and trained in this field.Not only years of medical school, but additional time spent training in this specialty. They will have practiced during internship and residencies under the mentorship or highly experienced plastic surgeons.3) They have experience: A plastic surgeon will often specialize in certain cosmetic procedures, such as the facial region or reconstructive methods. By performing multiple procedures that are similar, the physician becomes an expert in these operations.4) They have a strong aesthetic eye: Let’s face it, cosmetic surgery is not only a science, it is an art. In order to be a great artist, the aesthetic eye must be highly attuned. Being able to achieve a beautiful result upon a human body entails a deep appreciation of beauty, harmony and proportion. Viewing “before and after” photos of a surgeon’s patients will be a wonderful way of assessing the surgeon’s artful techniques.5) They have a stellar reputation: A person’s good reputation develops because they do a good job. A reputation evolves over time, from word-of-mouth reports from past patients, as well as from reports within the medical community. A good or poor reputation is a telling aspect of how a person operates as well as their ethics and integrity.If a person is ready to have an elective procedure performed, it would be wise to seek the services of cosmetic surgeons with traits of excellence. Do some investigative homework, and wind up with the best doctor around.

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Brands At The Crossroads The Impact That New Media Technology Has Upon Consumer Loyalty

Introduction The importance of customer loyalty to business success in consumer marketing is universally understood. However, little research – empirical or theoretical – has been done as to the effect that new media technology has upon consumer loyalty, and what organizations and marketers can do to remain competitive. Specifically, the ambiguity brought on by the swift infusion of new media technologies into the mainstream of the consumer purchase decision cycle and how it is affecting consumer loyalty, and in turn, the bottom line.

Therefore, the objective of this article is threefold; first, to investigate and report on the ever-changing new media technology landscape; second; offer recommendations for managers to establish and/or maintain a sustainable competitive advantage, and third, propose the potential for further research. This article also touches upon concepts and theories about consumer brand loyalty that are rooted in the mass market consumer package goods marketing era of the 1960s and 1970s, the grocery scanner years of the 1980s and 1990s, through to the present day. However, it is acknowledged that given the changes that have occurred in the marketplace over the past four to six years alone, these approaches and concepts may not be relevant. This seems particularly true in an interactive marketplace where customers have a wide choice and almost unlimited access to product and brands. This -œpower shift- to the consumer is due in large part to their access to product evaluations, intelligent shopping agents, and a myriad of other information sources designed to provide them with instantaneous knowledge and many more options. Many of the factors that provide -˜stickiness’ to a consumer-brand relationship of trust, perceived value and customer service, and the expected benefits from such a relationship, were investigated through an internet-based survey utilizing a questionnaire and some follow up personal interviews, based on defined constructs, using tentative measures developed from personal experience and exiting literature. Marketing literature indicates that new media technologies can have advantages in providing fertile ground for extending consumer loyalty. However, concerns were noted and subsequently supported by the qualitative research about: ? Preferences and values of consumers; ? Attitudes towards marketing in general; ? New media technology experiences The results of the qualitative research were that, with a moderate degree of confidence, it can be stated that the relevant issue is not new media technology versus traditional media; it is old versus new media practices. New media technology experiences are now shaping what consumers want from both marketing and media. In summary, this has fundamental implications for the communications models underpinning marketing, media buying and creative strategy – from traditional media-based models to new techno/media-based models. Therefore, the research hypothesis was rejected and it was concluded that the marketing practices with the greatest potential to build consumer loyalty may require significant innovations and creative advances in both execution and measurement of marketing. However, it should also be noted that demonstrating the failure of a null hypothesis does not necessarily mean the corollary is proven. In fact, due to the stronger links to individuals, new media technologies may have the potential to deliver even more saturation, clutter and intrusiveness than traditional media, in which case new media technologies may have the potential to only worsen consumer’s resistance to marketing in general. CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 1.1 Introduction and Background Consumer loyalty is a marketing topic that has been forcefully debated while being generally misunderstood; including what exactly constitutes a loyal consumer, why and how customers remain loyal and indeed how to prevent consumer defections. In recent years, the more traditional approaches to marketing have become rapidly replaced by a series of trends whereby marketers are redirecting their efforts to new media technologies in the hopes of bolstering sliding consumer attitudes towards their brands and marketing in general. Some of these developments include: ? Companies whose brands create a method of innovation breed excitement and ownership amongst their customers. These same consumers enjoy the feeling of being behind-the-scenes and in control of shaping new products and brands. This desire comes from a consumers’ need to distinguish themselves from the rest of the crowd, and offers the flexibility and efficiencies inherent in new media technology (Brown, 2005). ? Embedded advertising is the digital equivalent of product placement, and takes the form of hypertext links in web-based content, according to a recent Deloitte Research study. As the user’s mouse pointer passes over relevant keywords or objects, small pop-ups appear with a web link to the advertised product. This technology has the potential to stimulate brand awareness, offering new opportunities for marketers to communicate directly with the target audience in a manner that is less intrusive and annoying than many of the more traditional techniques. (Deloitte Research 2005, p.5). ? Music marketers have been the first to emerge as the masters of new media technology by embracing, rather than rejecting, the web as a distribution channel. The growth of music downloads has been fueled most heavily by the popularity of the iPod and the growing quality of online music stores, some of which outperform top retail stores with respect to choice, price, ease-of use and speed of purchase (Deloitte Research 2005, p.3). ? For those consumers that require information on-demand, there is ‘Ready To Know-, technology which enables the user to point their cell phones at any product’s barcode and then get instantly directed to a website on their phone screen where they can view and purchase the item. The same is true for consumers who hear an unknown song while listening to the radio or sitting in a restaurant. They only need enter a number, point their phone to the music source, hit send, and a text message is received with the name of the artist and track, along with purchase information (TrendWatching.Com). These and other trends make the need for enduring consumer loyalty an ephemeral requisite in light of rapidly emerging media technologies, and the reality that brand competition may continue to exponentially breed innovation in the area of new media technologies, and vice-versa. For example, in the retail industry the speed of technological advances and the pace at which the industry has embraced the internet and other forms of new media to reach their consumers has been, in short, and exercise in survival. Many tough questions are also raised for businesses trying to make the most these new channels of consumer communication and interactivity, along with a number of key themes and trends. In 2005, high-speed internet access reached critical mass, representing 41 percent of US online households and 46 percent of European online households. Publishers, advertisers, merchants, and telecom providers have all begun to adapt their strategies accordingly. Advertisers and media companies are using rich media and streaming video content as they become increasingly aware of the effectiveness that these capabilities have on consumer interactions with their brands. Meanwhile, high-speed internet access providers are exploring new strategies for countering churn and optimizing high-speed service bundles (Schatsky 2005). However, as Schatsky (2005) explains, home networks are continuing to flourish and are being used principally for convenience (for example, sharing high-speed broadband connections or printers), but increasingly for entertainment (e.g., streaming music from PCs to stereos). Jupiter Research (2006) estimates that the number of US households with a home network has grown 30% in the past year, and by 2010, 94% of households with home networks will be wireless. As Schatsky (2005) describes, vendors are tapping into consumers’ desire for entertainment functions, creating new classes of services on top of these networks. These services include providing links back to home networks from outside the home, and new classes of devices that extend, share, and enhance the core functionality of PCs through remote access and improved connectivity. In the home, these new vendor offerings affect devices such as game consoles, digital video recorders, DVD burners, and media hubs. Outside the home, they affect devices such as phones, digital cameras, portable media players, personal digital assistants, and game devices. Intel refers to these developments collectively under the rubric of The Digital Home (Intel 2006). As audiences are fragmenting, channels are proliferating for reaching consumers. For the most part this dynamic is being fueled by the growing popularity of a few enabling technologies such as rich site summary (RSS), peer-to-peer, satellite radio, and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP). In particular, Schatsky (2005) describes RSS as having a dramatic effect on the channels through which consumers experience news and media, as RSS fuels both blogs and next-generation news aggregation services. Savvy marketers are embracing cross-channel synergistic strategies with an eye on the rapidly expanding universe of options available to consumers. As Schatsky’s convergence puzzle illustrates in Figure 1.1 below, this cross-channel mandate is becoming increasingly important and challenging – one that is unlikely to abate in coming years. Figure 1.1: The Network/Device Convergence Puzzle (from Schatsky, 2005) As consumer loyalty diminishes, businesses in a myriad of industry sectors are confronting the challenge of restraining customer acquisition costs by retaining customers. For example, Jupiter Research (2006) data shows loyalty to retailers is down; wireless, broadband, and cable providers commonly experience monthly churn rates of 1.5 percent to three percent or more; and online travel consumers, seeking the best deal, use an average of 2.5 sites and off-line agents in their research process. Companies may want to consider looking beyond conventional loyalty programs to find new ways to keep hard-won customers from wandering. According to Schatsky (2005) another reality is that the growth of the online population is slowing, and the composition of the population is changing, with comparatively older and less affluent users having representation in proportion to their share of the population overall. The Internet and other new media technologies may well continue to remain arenas of great creativity, innovation, and growth, compelling marketers to improve their targeting of specific populations to make efficient use of resources. 1.2 Problem Statement Creating and maintaining consumer loyalty may not be as straightforward as providing superior customer service and therefore there are often concerns and risks involved as to the effectiveness of such a program. Furthermore, much of the literature on consumer loyalty is generic or focused on service or personalization of messaging, so it is not immediately obvious what the advantages and issues would be for both established and emerging brands considering the explosive growth of new media technologies. To address this issue, this article investigates the current thinking, theories and best practices with regard to consumer loyalty and technology; it looks at the benefits and issues of new media technology described in the literature and also from my own professional experience. It then evaluates, using an attitude survey and personal interviews, whether new media technology can be effective in extending consumer loyalty for both established and emerging consumer brands. This article contributes to the understanding of consumer loyalty in that it supplies new data and analysis (from the survey data and the analysis, and my own professional experience) but it also provides evidence to support or disprove the theory that new media technology can be effective in extending consumer loyalty for both established and emerging consumer brands. CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE This literature review starts with an examination of consumer loyalty and its importance in marketing, followed by a review of the writing and research around consumer loyalty evaluation. These concepts have applicability to any study of consumer marketing because loyalty, of course, is intrinsic to the success of consumer brands. The review then continues with a look at a simple model summarizing the key drivers of customer loyalty relationships, and the role of technology in relationship contexts. As with any relationship-related study in marketing, one must include a focus on loyalty as they are both so closely intertwined; hence, this literature review begins with a look at consumer loyalty. 2.1 Consumer Loyalty Clearly, the marketing landscape has changed over the past decade. Consumer attitudes and opinions, shaped by years of ever-changing product experiences, advertising messages, and competition for share of wallets, have necessitated fresh marketing strategies. Strategies that not only tackle such issues as brand name reputation, and communication techniques, but approach the customer experience holistically. After all, consumer trust, satisfaction, service quality and perceived value are not fabricated from viewing a solitary print advertisement or television commercial, but rather from their collective experience with a particular brand. Looking at consumer loyalty research performed over the last several decades, the study of this concept has roughly gone through three stages. First, most of the earlier investigators focused on only one dimension of consumer loyalty – either behavioral or attitudinal. Second, models combining both behavioral and attitudinal dimensions of loyalty were developed. Third, the more recent studies include multiple attitudinal or psychological facets of consumer loyalty which has led to a more profound and integrated understanding of loyalty overall. As stated, the majority of early studies of consumer loyalty looked only at the behavioral dimension -œloyalty to a product or service was simply viewed as the consistent purchase of one brand over time- (Backman & Crompton, 1991b). According to Pritchard et al., Jacoby and Chestnut investigated these behavioral approaches and divided them into the following four groups (Prichard, Howard, & Havitz, 1992, pp.156-157). The first group interpreted loyalty according to the purchasing sequence of a particular brand (Prichard, Howard, & Havitz, 1992, pp.156-157). The second group defined loyalty on the basis of -œthe proportion of purchase devoted to a given brand.- For example, Ross M. Cunningham, the former chairman of the American Marketing Association (1947), used the proportion of purchase to index consumers’ loyalty. The third group applied probability models to analyze purchasing behavior of consumers. Ronald E. Frank (1962) used -œa simple chance model- to investigate repeat purchase probabilities. The fourth group defined consumer loyalty by integrating several behavioral variables (Prichard, Howard, & Havitz, 1992). Burford, Enis, and Paul (1971) put forward an index that combined three measures of behavioral loyalty – -œper cent of budget, allocated to the store or brand, amount to switching, and number of alternatives.- Although the behavioral approaches mentioned above are easily operationalized (i.e., defined so that results could be measured or expressed quantitatively), they have many weaknesses as a theoretical framework to study consumer loyalty. From the late 1960s, some students of consumer loyalty even started to criticize behavioral loyalty (Howard, Edginton, & Selin, 1988, p. 42). As far as measurement is concerned, because behavioral conceptualization of consumer loyalty depends on observable and overt behaviors, it was doomed to make mistakes such as classifying some consumers as loyal in one study while non-loyal in another (Backman & Crompton, 1991b, p. 206). Moreover, the failure to identify the relationships between loyalties measured by different pattern of use -œled researchers to conclude that brand loyalty encompasses more than repeat use- (Backman & Crompton, 1991b, p. 206). Conceptually, Day (1969) noted that behavioral models could not discriminate between -œtrue- or intentional loyalty and -œspurious- loyalty (Backman & Crompton, 1991b; Prichard, Howard, & Havitz, 1992). Day (1969) and Jacoby (1971) proposed that the attitudinal dimension should be introduced to the conceptualization of loyalty to better understand consumer loyalty. Pritchard et al. (1992) even quoted Jacoby’s words that -œto exhibit brand loyalty implies repeat purchase based on cognitive, affective, evaluative and predispositional factors – the classical primary components of an attitude- (1971, p. 26). These early researchers not only looked at the behavioral part of consumer loyalty but also at the psychological side. Prichard, Howard, and Havitz (1992) briefly reviewed this research noting that scholars such as Guest, Monroe, and Guiltinan, Bennett and Kassarijia, Jain, Pinson, and Malhotra all made efforts to study consumers’ attitudes or intentions. However, studies focusing on attitudinal loyalty only, just like a behavior-only approach, had their limitations. According to Prichard, Howard, and Havitz, many loyalty theorists found that these early studies of attitudinal components of consumer loyalty lacked theoretical conceptualization. A result of this lack of theoretical focus is seemingly the multitude of measures that sometimes confound researchers even to this day. Examination of the theoretical and empirical rigor underlying the development of various attitudinal measures raises some construct validity questions (Prichard, Howard, & Havitz, 1992). In sum, most early definitions of loyalty focused on one side of consumer loyalty which was not only superficial but also insufficient. Therefore they were vulnerable to critiques. Consumer loyalty as a two-dimension approach soon replaced the one-dimensional perspectives. As noted by Jacoby and Chestnut, neither behaviors nor psychological attachments alone could well explain consumer loyalty (Backman & Crompton, 1991a, p. 2). Therefore, a model that integrated both the behavioral and attitudinal dimensions of consumer loyalty came into being from the critiques of earlier one-dimensional approaches of loyalty studies, especially behavioral loyalty. Day found that the index, based on his two-dimension definition of consumer loyalty that combined both behavioral and attitudinal dimensions, had the predictive power twice that of the behavioral approach (Selin, Howard, Udd, & Cable, 1988, p. 220). Olson and Jacoby’s six-point definition of loyalty (1971), following the line of Day (1969), -œempirically corroborated the idea that both -œcognitive- and -œbehavioral- parts of loyalty were -œseparate-” and -œidentifiable- (Backman & Crompton, 1991b, p. 207). Olson and Jacoby (1971) defined the loyalty as -œa biased, behavioral response, expressed over time, by some decision making unit, with respect to one or more alternative brands out of a set of such brands, and is a function of psychological processes- (Prichard, Howard, & Havitz, 1992, p.159). This was -œwidely accepted as the conceptual basis for loyalty research- (Backman & Crompton, 1991b, p. 207). According to Selin et al. (1988, p. 219), the two-dimensional model suggested by Day and Jacoby was further clarified in one of Jacoby’s articles with Kyner (1973). They used a two dimensional definition of loyalty, which included both repeat purchase and attitude of consumers, that became -œthe definitive measurement standard- of consumer loyalty studies. Many researchers applied this two-dimensional model to investigate consumer loyalty. Most representative is Backman and Crompton’s (1991a) operationalization of this approach in loyalty research. After reviewing the conceptualization of loyalty by the earlier researchers such as Pessemier, Day, Olsen and Jacoby, Howard, Edginton, and Selin, Backman and Crompton (1991a) used attitudinal and behavioral scores to segment respondents in their studies. A 13 item (semantic) differential scale was used to measure -œparticipants’ general feelings toward the activities- (p.208). Then used was a two-dimensional matrix to distinguish four discrete levels of loyalty. A -œfour-quadrant matrix served to classify participants into specific groups by weak or strong attitudes and high or low behavioral consistency- resulted (Mahoney & Howard, 2000, p. 16). Consumers were then divided into four groups with different levels of loyalty: low loyalty (weak behavioral consistency and weak psychological attachments); latent loyalty (weak behavioral consistency but a strong psychological attachment); spurious loyalty (strong behavioral consistency but a weak psychological attachment); and high loyalty (strong behavioral consistency and a strong psychological attachment) (Backman & Crompton, 1991a). Mahony and Howard (2000, p. 17) believed that Backman and Crompton’s research improved -œthe understanding of loyalty because their two-dimensional operationalization not only -œreaffirmed and extended Day’s claim- about loyalty but also -œprovided important insights into the complexity of the construct- (Mahony, Madrigal, & Howard, 2000). After Day (1969) and Jacoby (1971) first proposed that the concept of loyalty should include both attitudinal and behavioral facets, a consensus that loyalty is a -œtwo-dimensional construct- and -œto measure loyalty necessitates assessing both affective attachment to an activity as well as measuring behavioral use of the activity- was developed (Backman, 1991, p. 335). This two-dimensional approach combines both the psychological and behavioral facets of consumer loyalty. Therefore it advanced the understanding of loyalty by overcoming the weaknesses of one-dimensional approaches. However, most two-dimensional studies of consumer loyalty were lacking in that the measurement of psychological attachment of consumers was very complicated. For example, the operationalization of Backman and Crompton’s attitudinal loyalty was far from sufficient (Mahony, Madrigal, & Howard, 2000, p.17). The further investigation of the attitudinal dimension in recent years has led to the conceptualization of consumer loyalty as a dynamic process. In recent years, many researchers have paid attention to the many-sided complexities of consumer loyalty, especially the attitudinal dimension. For example, Prichard, Howard, and Havitz (1992) noted that the commitment as a component of attitudinal loyalty attracted great attention from researchers of loyalty in the past decades. According to Prichard et al. (1992), the multidimensional models of commitment, based on Buchanan’s (1985) three-dimensional definition of commitment (behavioral consistency, affective engagement, and degree of investment), paralleled the studies of composite loyalty. In addition, Prichard et al. (1992) believed that Crosby and Taylor’s (1983) conceptualization of commitment, which included -œcognitive consistency-” and -œposition involvement,- -œcould provide a sound theoretical basis for operationalizing the attitudinal dimension of recreation loyalty.- These relational studies of multiple dimensions facilitated the understanding of the concept of consumer loyalty and are more comprehensive than the earlier approaches. This path analytic model furthered the investigation of the method by which individuals’ loyalty develops. Although less prudent than earlier models, it provides a perceptive speculative framework for additional studies of consumer loyalty. This article has made every effort to review the evolution of the concept of consumer loyalty. By looking at a several decade exploration of loyalty, the development of consumer loyalty studies has been divided into three stages. The early approaches focused on only one dimension of consumer loyalty — either behavioral or attitudinal – and therefore were insufficient. The second stage was a composite loyalty approach which combined both behavioral and attitudinal approaches. Although it was a combination of the approaches from the first stage, its investigation of different aspects of the attitudinal loyalty were still superficial. The third approach was the multidimensional model of loyalty studies including the relational analyses of dimensions and the -œpath analytic model- (Iwasaki and Havitz, 1998). Therefore, compared with the approaches reviewed in stages one and two, the last approach provides a more comprehensive understanding of consumer loyalty. The dynamic psychological process model especially represents a direction for future research of consumer loyalty because it reveals the complexity of this concept (Iwasaki and Havitz, 1998). 2.1.1 The Quality-Value-Loyalty Chain Marketing studies of recent years past have elaborated on the linkages between price factors and perceived value (Dodds et al., 1991; Grewal et al., 1998), as well as between price and customer loyalty (Voss et al., 1998). In addition, literature supports the general notion that pricing factors affect perceived value, which, in turn, contributes to customer loyalty (Reichheld, 1996). In this age of new media technologies, the quality-value-loyalty chain is even more important due to a range of factors involving pricing, competition, technology, marketing strategies, and positioning. Since, in general, price information can be conveyed quite easily and unambiguously, such information is a crucial comparison variable in competitive markets. New media technologies enable most consumers to comparison shop more efficiently by allowing price information to be conveyed in a less costly manner across the market. In order to remain competitive, sellers thus have to lower their prices (Lee, 1998). Lower prices and hence, lower margins, force marketers to pay more attention to the quality-value-loyalty chain and to seek ways in which they can regain margins by providing superior value to consumers and, thereby, to encourage their loyalty. Rapid and continuing reductions in the costs of enabling technology for marketing via new media technologies, as well as the removal of the business form from the constraints of a fixed geographical location, have resulted in an increase in competition in almost all product markets (Sheth et al., 2000). Such competition is now not only domestic in scope, but with the expansion of the Internet infrastructure into most nations, has the potential for increased global development. In part, this is a result of the lower costs of setting up business on the Internet, attracting even smaller entrepreneurs to a competitive field that was earlier restricted by significant entry barriers. For example, even a home-based business can now compete in similar products in a wider trading area, as compared to a department store located strategically in the local town mall. With hypercompetitive new media technology markets, attention and emphasis is once again placed on ways in which the quality-value-loyalty chain can contribute to customer acquisition (Hof, 1999). Rapid advances in new media technology for the buyer-seller interface not only increases the communication flows between buyers and sellers, but also provide each with the ability to obtain more information on the other (Bakos, 1997; Sheth et al., 2000; Sinha, 2000). For example, several e-marketers routinely track, monitor, record, and analyze visits to their websites. At the same time, the Internet provides more sources of information, including search agents, shopping portals, and shopping dots (such as mysimon.com, Yahoo! shopping, and pricescan.com) that buyers can use to evaluate vendors. Further advances in new media technology promise greater potential for mutual gains from the quality-value-loyalty chain, including product and service customization, preferred customer discounts, and other loyalty-enhancing programs. In summary, some of the major impacts of new media technologies have been: (i) a reduction in buyer search costs and, thus, seller margins; (ii) lowered costs of market entry and, thus, increased competition in various product-markets; (iii) reduced information symmetry between buyers and sellers; (iv) a renewed emphasis on customer needs and an increased attention on the alignment between customer needs and perceived value; and (v) an increased emphasis on individual information and on customized marketing (Grewal et al, 2003). Given such changes created by new media technologies, marketers are only now beginning to understand the various antecedents to customer value in online shopping, with the vast majority of the discussions on marketing and technology focused primarily on the economic sense of lower costs for the consumer, as well as the reduction in seller margins. A focus on the various psychological dimensions of trust, satisfaction and commitment, and their impact on perceived value and loyalty provide crucial insights necessary to move new media technology marketing to its next era of evolution, i.e., one where the benefits and value of online shopping vastly exceed the concerns and non-monetary costs for the consumer. Once the competitive scenario becomes more stable, firms may be better equipped to build and convey very distinct value propositions to consumers and, thereby, to develop consumer loyalty despite lower entry and exit barriers of conducting business via new media technologies. The provision of superior value and customer loyalty may serve to be the best entry barriers that a firm could erect to keep competition at bay in an age where the physical presence and high capital costs of traditional retailing no longer matter (Grewal et al, 2003). 2.1.2 Key Drivers Of Consumer Loyalty It is widely known that perceived value, a potential key determinant of consumer loyalty, is composed of a -œget- component which is described as -œthe benefits a buyer derives from a seller’s offering- and a -œgive- component which is -œthe buyer’s monetary and non-monetary costs of acquiring the offering.- (Dodds et al., 1991; Zeithaml, 1988). As mentioned previously, research in this area suggests that loyalty includes some degree of predispositional commitment toward a brand. Therefore, the notion of customer loyalty should include both attitudinal commitment and behavioral purchase loyalty (see Figure 2.1). Figure 2.1: Key Loyalty Driver Relationships (after Luarn & Lin, 2003) Based on the theory of brand commitment in relationship marketing (Fournier, 1998; Gundlach et al., 1995; Morgan and Hunt, 1994; Parasuraman and Grewal, 2000; Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001), it is evident that trust, customer satisfaction, and perceived value are each related to both commitment and loyalty, consistent with the concept of one-to-one marketing relationships. Trust has long been regarded as a catalyst in consumer-marketer relationships because it provides expectations of successful transactions (Schurr and Ozanne 1985). Especially trust has always been an important element in influencing consumer behavior and has been shown to be of high significance in uncertain environments, such as in an Internet-based e-commerce context (Jarvenpaa and Tractinsky 1999; Jarvenpaa, Tractinsky and Vitale 1999). Several researchers have proposed trust as an important element of B2C e-commerce (e.g. Gefen 2000; Jarvenpaa and Tractinsky 1999; Keen 1999; Palmer, Bailey, and Faraj 2000). Gefen (2000) showed that trust is essential in the acceptance of new media technologies. Palmer, Bailey, and Faraj (2000) argued that building consumer trust in Web retailers is fundamental to the growth of B2C e-commerce. Jarvenpaa and Tractinsky (1999) empirically showed that trust has a direct significant effect on consumer purchase intentions in multiple cultures. Keen (1999) proposed that trust is the foundation of e-commerce, focusing on the strategic implications of trust for consumer-marketer relationships. The role of trust in building and maintaining brand loyalty has also been researched extensively in consumer buying situations (Cowles, 1997; Doney & Cannon 1997; Chaudhuri & Holbrook 2001). Trust plays a central role in augmenting both behavioral and attitudinal loyalty which in turn influences marketing outcome related factors like market share maintenance and price elasticity. In the field of new media technology, several structural models of trust and its relationship to repeat visits to e-commerce sites, for example, have been presented (Jevons & Gabbott, 2000). Trust, particularly the unique dimensions of transactional security and privacy (Hoffmann et al., 1999), play a critical role in generating customer loyalty to an e-business. A recent study by Ratnasingham (1998) has shown that fear of online credit card fraud has been one of the major reasons customers have not done more extensive online buying. Moreover, privacy concerns have led to a public relations fiasco for some major e-businesses resulting in substantial brand image erosion (Advertising Age, 2000). Several unique tools and techniques are available to e-businesses to enhance customer trust in their website. This includes third party approvals, encryption, authentication, and non-repudiation strategies. Encryption assures data security in transmission, authentication guarantees the identity of the participants involved in the electronic contract, and non-repudiation means maintaining an authentic transcript of the specific terms and conditions of the contract agreed to by both parties. Passwords are most commonly used in this authentication processes. Trust, which is closely related to security, is a very important factor in the buying behavior process when using new media technologies like the Internet or other e-commerce enabled media tools. In general, you cannot feel, smell, or touch the product. You cannot look into the salesperson’s eyes. Therefore, these ways of developing trust are excluded when using new media technologies. Brand trust usually contributes to a reduction of uncertainty. In addition, trust is a component of the attitudinal component of loyalty. So it seems palpable that loyalty in general and brand trust in particular can help to overcome some of the disadvantages inherent with purchases placed with new media technologies, e.g. to overcome perceptions that they exist in an unsafe, dishonest, and unreliable marketplace. In fact, these perceptions may still be stopping some potential customers from doing business with web-enabled technologies. With regards to customer satisfaction as a key driver of consumer loyalty, Dick and Basu (1994) have proposed that brand loyalty should be greater under conditions of more positive emotional mood or affect. The brands that make consumers happy or joyful or affectionate should prompt greater behavioral (purchase) loyalty and attitudinal commitment (Chaudhuri and Holbrook, 2001). Similarly, consumer satisfaction is believed to mediate consumer learning from prior experience and to explain key post-purchase behaviors, such as complaining, word of mouth, repurchase intention, and product usage (Oliver, 1980; Westbrook and Oliver, 1991). Indeed, Wang et al. (2001) have suggested that customer satisfaction gained from interactions with new media technologies like the internet, have a significant influence on repurchase intention and post-purchase complaint. Perceived value, the third key loyalty driver discussed herein, is the perceived e-service utility relative to its monetary and non-monetary costs, assessed by the consumer and based on simultaneous considerations of what is received and what is given up to receive it. Clearly, quality of product/service and the user’s technology interface is a logical driver of perceived value. In instances where the core of what the new media technology vendor offers to the customers is a digitized product/service (e.g., online banking, content aggregators, and online stock trading), there is no tangible product and, as such, it is difficult for consumers to differentiate product quality, service quality, and user interface (UI) quality. Even in instances where the technology vendor offers the buyer a physical product, superior presale and post sale service rendered by the vendor can add to the benefits received (the -œget- component) and also reduce the customer’s non-monetary cost such as time, effort, and mental stress (the -œgive- component). Furthermore, part of the -œgive- and -œget- of the user experience also involves the quality of the UI. For example, the online consumer gives time, consideration and effort to the experience of interacting with the Web site, and gets an experience enabled by the Web site that hopefully makes it easy to find needed/wanted products, to checkout quickly and to received confirmation about all important aspects of the purchase, such as order-confirmation and delivery-tracking. In this regard, the product quality, service quality, and Web site (UI) quality are also intertwined with one another. Cumulative insights from prior studies support the general notion that perceived value contributes to customer loyalty (Parasuraman and Grewal, 2000; Dodds et al., 1991; Grewal et al., 1998; Voss et al., 1998). The value-loyalty linkage is also consistent with Reichheld’s (1996) work on loyalty. Regardless of whether the core offerings of a new media technology vendor are products or services, customer perceived value of products/services and UI quality provided by a vendor should be positively related to customer loyalty and commitment. Parasuraman and Grewal (2000) suggest that the influence of perceived value on loyalty is an issue in need of more empirical research. In summary, previous researches have implied that attitudinal commitment and behavioral loyalty should be the product of trust, customer satisfaction, and perceived value of products/services provided by a new media technology service vendor. But these perspectives have been examined independently by marketing researchers. Integrating these perspectives and empirically examining the factors that build customer loyalty in a new media technology service context that lacks the typical human interaction can only advance our understanding of these constructs and their linkage to repeat purchase behavior. (Luarn 2003) 2.1.3 The Role Of Technology In Consumer Loyalty Over the past few years, a considerable volume of research has focused on tracking consumer and retailer adoption of new media technologies and forecasting future penetration. Government agencies and various consulting and media research firms (including the U.S. Census Bureau, Forrester Research, Jupiter Media Metrix, Accenture, and Ernst & Young, among others) issue regular reports and projections. For example, recent U.S. census figures indicate that more than 50 percent of households have one or more computers, and 42 percent include a family member who uses the Internet at home (-œReport Counts Computers- 2001). Forrester Research forecasts that in 2006, personal computers will generate $211 billion in online sales, with interactive television and mobile devices contributing another $23 billion in sales (Dykema 2000). These media are predicted to influence an additional $378 billion in offline sales. There are a number of factors affecting consumer adoption and use of these new media technologies (Burke 1997, 1998; Maruca et al. 1999). On one hand, interactive shopping technologies can provide extensive product selections, powerful search and screening tools, and volumes of information (Alba et al. 1997). By lowering search costs, these technologies can improve the quality of purchase decisions (Hauser and Wernerfelt 1990; Ratchford 1982). On the other hand, the quality of the digital information may be poor, especially if consumers typically rely on social or physical interaction to evaluate product quality (Quelch and Takeuchi 1981). New media technologies may be confusing, take time to learn, are prone to failure, and can raise the prices of goods and services, discouraging consumer usage (Mick and Fournier 1998; Venkatesh 2000). A study of self-service technologies by Meuter, Ostrom, Roundtree, and Bitner (2000) investigated consumers’ reactions to a variety of new media technologies and applications, including Internet shopping services, pay-at-the pump terminals, telephone-based and interactive voice response systems, automated hotel checkout, and package tracking, among others. The study used the critical incident technique, asking a sample of respondents from an online panel to report a memorable encounter with a self-service technology. The researchers found that the technologies were most satisfactory in cases where they saved time (30%), worked reliably (21%), were easy to use (16%), addressed a salient need (11%), and offered greater control and 24/7 access (8%). However, many of the technology encounters were not satisfactory, primarily because of technology failure (43%), process failure (17%), or poor design (17%). Zeithaml, Parasuraman, and Malhotra (2000) conducted a series of focus group interviews to understand consumers’ motivations for shopping on the Web rather than through other channels (e.g., catalog, in-store). Participants liked the convenience of online shopping, the ability to buy unusual items, the ease of comparison shopping, and lower prices, but preferred the physical product interaction, service, security, and privacy of offline shopping. The researchers discovered that ease of navigation, flexibility, efficiency, site aesthetics, and price knowledge were critical in the online environment, in addition to several dimensions that were also important in offline shopping (reliability, responsiveness, access, assurance, and customization/personalization). Prior research also reveals that there are distinct differences in the demographic and psychographic profiles of innovators and early adopters of these technologies (Darian 1987; Greco and Fields 1991; Parasuraman and Colby 2001; Zeithaml and Gilly 1987). For example, Parasuraman and Colby (2001) identified five types of technology customers: the optimistic and innovative -œexplorers,- the innovative yet cautious -œpioneers,- the uncertain -œskeptics- who need the benefits of technology proved, the insecure -œparanoids,- and the resistant -œlaggards.- These studies provide insight into the general criteria consumers use to evaluate existing online and offline shopping environments, and they identify factors that affect consumer technology adoption. However, they offer limited guidance in evaluating a host of new interactive media technologies and applications that are being introduced into the retail space. The reality is that marketers need a roadmap showing how consumers want to shop in the future and the desired role of technology. They need to understand consumers’ channel preferences as they move through the purchase process and the unique technology requirements of specific consumer segments and product categories. 2.2 Traditional Media Traditional media still pulls the majority of today’s businesses toward success. We have grown up with newspaper advertising and radio and TV commercials. It is so much a part of our lives we tend to miss its impact. In fact, we seem to revere traditional advertising. Think of the publicity over annual Super Bowl commercials and the Clio Awards for the best commercials. There is also a certain air of nostalgia about older commercials and advertisements. Our very culture is reflected in traditional media. Marketers and media agencies are significantly increasing their commitment to integrated marketing and promotional relationships with traditional and new media technology suppliers (Myers 2005). Most marketers, several major media buying agencies, and a smaller group of media companies are developing new business models and rethinking traditional approaches to their relationships. Industry leaders are more vocally acknowledging that traditional Madison Avenue economics are eroding along with the prominence of broadcast network television as the industry “cash cow.” In the past, media companies have been able to rely on traditional supply and demand economics, increasing their revenues and profits by increasing commercial or advertising load, increasing costs per thousand, and avoiding detailed insights on advertising effectiveness. Today, networks, publishers, agencies, program studios, media agencies and marketers are all looking for and embracing new media technologies. According to Myers (2005), -œThe single most important trend in advertising today is the growing emphasis on creativity by marketers and by media planning and buying groups, yet the actual investment in these advances remains a microcosm of most media companies’ resources and manpower. The commitment of several leading “unbundled” media agencies to building marketing-based relationships with their clients is resulting in an increased awareness that traditional ad agency creative and account groups must catch up with the rest of the industry and understand they can no longer assume a portfolio of traditional thirty second TV spots and full page magazine ads will ensure their economic viability or continued prominent role with clients.- 2.3
New Media Technology The term -œnew media technology- is one that, for the moment refers to a relatively new field of marketing practices that has developed around the computer which plays a central role as the medium for production, storage and distribution. There are multiple forms of new media technology, two being online internet advertising and digital marketing. Online advertising is an online marketing model based largely on traditional metrics and thinking. Online advertising learns its lessons from television, print, and radio. Examples of online advertising are banner ads and website/content sponsorships. According to Boswell (2002), -œDigital marketing is a model based on the possibilities created by tightly networked markets. For example, in the next 24 hours web surfers will search for “used cars” an estimated 36,507 times. Marketers are able to insert themselves into these online markets in ways they never could before via paid keyword search programs. Even in a world filled with spam, consumers and businesses are finding each other on the Internet in unobtrusive ways.- Companies employing these new media technology tactics in the form of digital marketing are actively working to ensure their customers are getting the best and most relevant information that they need to make purchases. Digital marketing consists of search engine optimization, permission-based email marketing, and online coupons. Marketers were led into online advertising first because it most matched the traditional marketing channels they were accustomed to and the tools for effective digital marketing didn’t exist yet. Like exploring new coasts with dated maps, it was only a matter of time before those marketing online gained better tools and information to make them more successful. According to Jupiter (2003b), spending in online advertising in the United States was only 5 percent in 2001. But once the economy settled down in 2003, it bounced back and has grown at a compound rate of 22 percent over the past three years alone, and it is expected to reach a total of more than $15 billion by the end of 2006. During this same time period, Jupiter predicts that spending on digital marketing initiatives such as search engine optimization, e-mail, and coupons will surpass that of advertising and reach more than $19 billion. The growth for online marketers is huge. According to Jupiter’s Internet Advertising Model (2003b), by the end of 2006 online advertising and digital marketing will account for 7 percent of the total advertising market, up from 3 percent in 2001. Figure 2.2: Online Advertising / Digital Marketing Spending (Jupiter 2001) As marketing online matures, we continue to learn a tremendous amount about how people are conducting themselves online. Traditional models didn’t grasp how powerful combining hyperlinked information and marketing tactics could be. Driven quickly through hyperlinks to information, context becomes an important factor for success. Varying levels of trust are created depending on where information is found. A whole new area of study and research has also risen in the past few years, that of New Media Studies. According to Wikipedia (2006), these studies reflect on the social and ideological impact of the personal computer, computer networks, digital mobile devices, ubiquitous computing and virtual reality. The study includes researchers and propagators of new forms of artistic practices such as interactive installations, net art, software art, new interfaces for musical expression, the subsets of interaction, interface design and the concepts of interactivity, multimedia and remediation. 2.3.1 The Importance Of Addressing Consumer Attitudes The characteristic approach to marketing is rapidly disappearing from the scene. Top down, TV-intensive, saturation-driven marketing no longer fits the marketplace. New media technologies and evolving consumer expectations are fundamentally redefining what it takes to succeed, and this may only intensify in the near future. However, the direction of change is not clearly understood. New media are competing with traditional media for audience and advertisers. Digital, wireless and interactive technologies are transforming the media experience. Yet, while novel and fresh, this new experience is not necessarily better. The biggest challenge facing marketers is not the appearance of new media technologies but the disappearance of engaged, receptive audiences. At the April 2004 Management Conference of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), journalist Stuart Elliott reported on a Yankelovich study on marketing resistance which was presented for the first time. These results showed record levels of consumer resistance to marketing. Compared to the findings from a 1964 AAAA study on attitudes toward advertising, Elliott stated that the 2004 Yankelovich study found much higher levels of dislike for marketing and much more aggressive efforts being undertaken to avoid exposure to or interaction with marketing. The chief reason, he gave for marketing resistance is the level of saturation and intrusiveness that characterizes the contemporary consumer experience with marketing. Intrusiveness was the number one dislike of advertising in the 1964 AAAA study and it is the one thing that has increased the most over the ensuing four decades. Consumer complaints about the practice of marketing have become more widespread and more ardent. Stuart emphasized that marketers have begun to address these challenges, yet much remains to be done. Notwithstanding a lot of experimentation and redirection of efforts, consumer concerns remain undiminished. Despite recognition of the challenge ahead, most marketers are unsure about what to do instead. With the problem of marketing resistance now identified and understood, the next task is to decide how to move forward. The Yankelovich (2005) study surmised that consumers are anxious to be engaged by marketers in a more satisfying and compelling way. Marketing resistance is not a desire to stop shopping altogether. Consumers just want a better way to interact with marketers. Smarter, technologically empowered, time-starved consumers want marketing that shows more respect for their time and attention. Consumers don’t feel that the current practice of marketing fulfills this requirement. The 2005 Yankelovich study on marketing receptivity found three key results for the future practice of marketing: 1. Current shifts in marketing have not gone far enough. Negative attitudes toward marketing are undiminished. More is needed. 2. Improvements in marketing practices are more important to consumers than the greater dissemination of new media. While new media are not unwelcome, new media by themselves may not engender greater receptivity. Indeed, improved practices could make all media, new and traditional, more engaging. Thus, the relevant issue is not new vs. traditional media; it is old vs. new marketing practices. 3. Technology experiences not media experiences are now shaping what consumers want from marketing and media. This has fundamental implications for the communications models underpinning marketing, media buying and creative strategy – from traditional. However, the overwhelming majority of consumers expressed a negative opinion about the marketing and advertising they encounter today. ? 54% agree that they are a person who tries to resist being exposed to or even paying attention to marketing and advertising. ? 69% say that they are interested in products that enable them to block, skip or opt out of being exposed to marketing and advertising. ? 56% say that they avoid buying products that overwhelm them with marketing and advertising. While the majority of consumers report attitudes of resistance, a solid majority of 55% also agree that they -œenjoy advertising.- The challenge for marketers may be to find a way to engage these positive feelings about marketing. Unfortunately, current marketing practices are more likely to engender resistance, and this seems to have changed little in the past year despite big, highly publicized efforts by several major marketers to improve the nature of their interactions with consumers. Perhaps more time is needed, but more far-reaching improvements may be needed as well. In the 2005 Yankelovich research, substantial majorities reported a willingness to do more or to pay more in order to get something better from marketers. This remains true. In the latest study, 55% report that they -œwould be willing to pay a little extra to get only the kinds of marketing and advertising that [they] prefer to hear and see.- What sort of marketing this would be was also the focus of the 2005 Yankelovich study. In the study, respondents were asked to rate each of 26 different marketing practices or components using an 11-point scale ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 corresponded to -œhas an extremely negative impact on me and prompts me to avoid it whenever possible- and 10 corresponded to -œhas an extremely positive impact on me and prompts me to seek it out whenever possible.- The mean scores and top two box percentages for each marketing practice are shown in Table 2.1 below. (A mean rating of 10 is the highest possible rating and 0 is the lowest possible rating.) Also shown is a leverage difference in which the bottom two box percentages are subtracted from the top two box percentages. A positive difference identifies a marketing practice more likely to engender receptivity; a negative difference identifies a marketing practice more likely to engender resistance. Table 2.1: Rank Order of Marketing Practices (from Yankelovich 2005) Marketing practice: -œMarketing that . . .- Mean Top Two Box Leverage Difference 1. Is short and to the point 7.8 43% +41 2. I can choose to see when it is most convenient for me 7.3 33% +30 3. Is personally communicated to me by friends or experts I trust 7.3 32% +29 4. Provides information about price discounts or special deals 7.2 29% +27 5. Is customized to fit my specific needs and interests 7.1 29% +26 6. Compensates me for my time and attention 7.0 32% +27 7. Has asked and received my permission ahead of time to be shown or sent to me 6.8 29% +24 8. Provides information about all of the competitive brands and products that might be beneficial or of interest to me 6.9 26% +22 9. I can personalize myself to fit my own interests and needs 6.7 25% +19 10. Is associated with a magazine, TV program or organization about which I am enthusiastic 6.5 19% +15 11. Introduces a new product 6.4 18% +15 12. Sponsors programming like entertainment or news and documentaries 6.4 16% +13 13. Is in support of a well-known brand or product 6.3 20% +16 14. Gives me the opportunity to add something of my own to the content or to be creative 6.3 19% +14 15. Provides lifestyle information and tips instead of product information 6.3 18% +15 16. Is popular and something everyone is talking about 6.2 18% +14 17. Is shown before or after rather than during the content 5.9 13% +8 18. I see mostly at home 5.8 15% +9 19. Is itself a form of content and entertainment like a short film or a fun Web site or a game 5.7 13% +6 20. Is in a new and non-traditional format 5.7 10% +4 21. Is interactive 5.6 9% +3 22. Is longer with detailed information, descriptions and pitches 5.3 11% +2 23. Is placed within the content as a part of the story or format 5.3 7% -2 24. Ties together traditional media with new media like the Internet or PDAs or video games 5.0 7% -3 25. I see or hear frequently and repeatedly 4.5 8% -6 26. Only uses new media like the Internet or PDAs or video games 4.2 6% -12 According to Yankelovich (2005), several important findings can be discerned in this rank-order of marketing practices or components. First, the least important marketing practice involves the use of new media. It also has the worst leverage difference. In contrast, the marketing practice most likely to boost receptivity entails being more unobtrusive. Many of the items at the bottom of this rank-order are about the use of new media, while all of the items at the top of this rank-order are about better marketing practices. Second, the kinds of marketing practices cited by consumers as most likely to make them more receptive to marketing entail a range of new types of interaction, not just a limited few. Customization, compensation, permission, more information, non-interruption and control are cited. Broadly speaking, all of these can be identified as a type of power or reciprocity, two of the four cornerstones of better marketing. Third, product placement (rank number 23: -œbeing placed within the content-) is not highly rated and has a negative leverage difference. Apparently, this is seen as little more than another extension of unwanted intrusiveness and saturation. Fourth, traditional practices of intrusiveness and saturation are not highly rated. For example, -œsee or hear frequently and repeatedly- is rank number 25 and -œis longer with more detailed information, descriptions and pitches- is rank number 22. Even -œsee mostly at home- is rank number 18. Finally, while some marketing practices are highly rated, on average no item is rated above 8 on a scale with a top end of 10. Thus, an urgent need remains for fresh creative ideas that can truly revolutionize the interactions of marketers with consumers and thus break through marketing resistance in a strong and compelling way. 2.3.2 What Consumers Expect From Technology Cheap devices and the mainstream adoption of broadband and wireless networks make new media technologies more accessible, and an everyday part of people’s lives. Just a few cases in point: Reuters (2006) reports that more than half of online US households use broadband today; sales of camera phones will bypass digital cameras within three years; and sub-$100 PCs are bringing new media technologies to global masses. At the same time, people are exerting more control over media technology experiences by generating their own content and connecting with others online -” witness the double-digit growth of social networking sites like MySpace and LinkedIn. These empowered consumers are likely to expect technology to conform to -” not dictate -” their needs and behaviors. Thus, their tolerance for clumsy, cold, and confusing technology experiences will be limited. The results from the 2005 Yankelovich study provide some clear indications that consumers are looking for media experiences that go beyond any expectations they could have learned from traditional media. The importance of things like customization, interactivity, non-interruption, permission and control derive from technology interactions (only some of which have been media interactions). Additionally, the value placed on self-sufficiency and authenticity fit well with what new media technologies are able to offer. Increasingly, technology experiences are central to the ways in which consumers want to interact with media, and hence with marketing. Media should engage consumers in ways that are endemic to technology. Thus, the integration of media and technology can be a sound platform for marketing success in the future. But not because consumers (resisters in particular) want to be wowed by technology. Rather, because consumers want technology to be used to deliver better marketing practices. Furthermore, technology may be best utilized as the tool for enabling a superior practice of marketing. This can be seen in more depth from additional analysis of the 2005 Yankelovich marketing receptivity study. A two-step analysis was conducted with the data from the 2005 Yankelovich research. In step one, the 26 marketing practices or components were factor analyzed to create five discreet, cohesive categories of marketing factors. These marketing factors grouped individual practices or components together on the basis of similar patterns of ratings. Thus, each factor can be interpreted for the overarching conceptual idea that links all of the individual items. This has been summarized with the label given to each of the five groupings of items shown in Table 2.2 below. Table 2.2: Category Summary of Marketing Factors (from Yankelovich 2005) Factor 1: Traditional Styles ? Is longer with detailed information, descriptions and pitches ? I see or hear frequently and repeatedly ? I see mostly at home ? Is in support of a well-known brand or product ? Introduces a new product ? Is popular and something everyone is talking about ? Provides information about price discounts or special deals ? Sponsors programming like news or entertainment and documentaries ? Is associated with a magazine, TV program or organization about which I am enthusiastic A group of items that reflect more traditional or classic ways of practicing marketing Factor 2: Customization & Control ? Can personalize to fit my own interests and needs ? Can choose to see when it is most convenient for me ? Is customized to fit my specific needs and interests ? Has asked

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Basketball History

The father of basketball, Dr. James Naismith came up with the game in 1892 and the first game was played in Beaver Falls Pennsylvania on April 8 1893 between the New Brighton YMCA and the Geneva College.
The game was very popular and by 1914 as many as 360 colleges boasted basketball teams. In 1939, the first NCAA Men’s College Basketball Championship tournament was held which was won by the University of Oregon.The formation of Pro basketball in 1896 came about from a dispute between YMCA team members and officials and ended in the members forming a professional team that played for money. In 1898, the NBL (National Basketball League) was formed and produced the first basketball stars – Ed Wachter and Barney Sedran.The first two professional basketball teams to achieve success were the Buffalo Germans and the Celtics but during the 1930′s favorites included the New York Renaissance and the Harlem Globetrotters. During this time, womens basketball was also popular and produced great players such as Babe Didrikson and Alline Banks Sprouse.In 1940, the first college basketball game was shown on TV. This game was played between Pittsburgh and Fordham at Madison Square Garden, and catapulted basketball into a national sensation. Since then basketball has been one of the most watched sports and in fact the March Madness, when almost 350 American colleges compete for the NCAA basketball crown is the most watched event in the United States.In Pro basketball during the 1940′s and 50′s the Minneapolis Lakers were a huge favorite of many winning 5 NBA championship titles and producing starts like Bob Cousy and Bob Pettit. But during the late 1950′s up until 1969, the Celtics had the court winning 11 NBA titles (8 f them right in a row). During this era favorite players included Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlin of the Philadelphia Warriors.During 1963 to 1975 The University of California, Los Angeles was in the spotlight winning 10 national championships, including seven in a row. Some of the great players of this UCLA team include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, Bill Walton, Gail Goodrich and Marques Johnson.In 1967 the American Basketball Association (ABA) was formed and many will remember one of the satart players Julius Erving as well as their red white and blue basketballs. The ABA only lasted until 1976 when it broke up and many of the teams joined the NBA.In the 1960′s, womens basketball introduced the 5 player full court format and made dribbling fully legal but it wasn’t until 1985 that the Basketball Hall of Fame began inducting woman coaches and players. Some of the first women to get this honor include Carol Blazejowski, Ann Meyers, Cheryl Miller; Nancy Lieberman-Cline and Anne Donovan.In the late 1970′s start players like Larry Bird of Indiana State University and Michigan State Universities Magic Johnson emerged and the late 1980s saw such major players as Isiah Thomas and Dennis Rodman. But perhaps the most beloved player of all is Michael Jordan who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships in the 1990s.

Growing significance of pest control companies

These are some of the pests which really annoy us at the sight of them; they are rodents, lizards, roaches, birds, flies, spiders, insects, termites, bed bugs, fruit flies, drain flies, bees and wasps! Who does not hate these disgusting creatures? These are such detrimental and irritating creatures, which take away the heartbeat of any person who comes across them. These pests are found anywhere and everywhere, be it homes, offices, companies, restaurants, hotels etc, any place which is not maintained properly and is not hygienic, yes! Pests love them. It’s their home, they happily live and breed there.

Pests can have ruinous impact on the health of your family and if it’s not controlled at the right time, they can multiply, that is breed very quickly and can cause the maximum damage possible.

Hence, an effective pest control system is the only way to get rid of these irritating creatures. There are various quick remedies which is handy which you can get commercially in the market, it might be in powdered form or gel or in sprays. It is mostly available in the spray form which can be used where the pests are. Or if it is an out of control condition, you can always rely on a reputed pest control company. They can help you out in your problem, rendering a good service within a short span of time and without any hassles.

Pest Control Company’s are increasingly becoming popular recently because of the rapid breeding of the pests in homes, offices and in many places which can ruin the health of people and also cause damage to the place they live. For example, they can dirty the place, rats can do anything and everything, it can bite materials like clothes, leather any many more. So it is best advisable to go for a good pest control company which has all the most modern techniques and innovations in the field of pest control, to solve your trouble.

Pest control department generally specializes in giving personalized service to people, depending on their requirements, type of pest, damage caused, and structural condition of the house or office. They have a team of professionals who can come to your place and assess the situation and advise methods by which they can exterminate these pests without wasting much of your valuable time and money. They also consider the health risks that can be caused especially to children during the course of pest control services. Most of the pest control company use natural methods and pesticides which are analyzed and certified and hence they are safe for usage, which cannot have any hazardous effects to the environment.

Once the service is done, make sure you have a periodic examination of the already affected areas and all the possible areas where you expect pests to set in, and maintain it well, secondly, follow proper sanitation practices all time, even after all these kind of precautions if you still face the problem of reoccurrence of pests, get a pest control service, but this time go for a good company who can find out the reason of the pests reoccurrence and can give a solution for it.

Peterson is an expert author for commercial pest control. He has written many articles about bees removal, Silverfish exterminator, wasp exterminator Vancouver, Flies exterminator, pest control exterminator, residential pest control, pest control services, bees removal. For more information visit our site avonpestcontrol.ca. Contact him at avonpestcontrol@gmail.com

Houston Pest Control – Don’t Add To Your Problems, Exterminate Them

It’s difficult to get rid of ants once they’ve invaded your home. More just keep coming when you kill the ones inside your house. They lay a scent trail to their current feed source, your home, to guide the rest of their nest. This scent trail is very difficult to neutralize. And up to 1,600 ants are born every day so their nest never empties no matter how long you keep trying to kill them. Their bites are painful and often leave welts, especially when they come from the Texas Fire Ant. It’s not a chance you want to take when it comes to your family.

Cockroaches are a serious health concern. Even if you keep your house spic and span they are extremely resourceful in finding sources of nutrition. They leave shed body parts lying around as well as reproduce at an shocking rate. When you actually see them, chances are they’ve already established a large colony that will be very difficult to get rid of.

People cringe at the variety of spiders found in the Houston area. There are the ones so common they’ve been dubbed ‘house’ spiders. But there are also the more poisonous species of the Brown Recluse and the Black Widow. Because spiders are not insects, but arachnids, their habits differentiate. They walk on the tips of their feet keeping the rest of their body away from most surfaces. They also do not groom themselves as most other insects do which makes most pest control rather ineffective.

The reasons for finding a reliable Houston pest control company are numerous, but so are the choices. How do you determine what fits you and your family’s needs? It may help to know what kind of options quality exterminating businesses offer.

Cost is often the first thing that comes to mind. However, don’t just accept a flat estimate. Establish a firm understanding of everything their charge covers. Some companies will only charge for yard and foundation treatments, or maybe just the interior, or a discount for both. Find out if they charge for each time they come out to your house or if free, unlimited retreatments are included in their service. Some Houston pest control companies will only charge for yard and foundation treatments in confidence that the barrier they create around your home will be all that you need. They will even offer treatments on the inside for free as many times as needed to eliminate the pest population in the chance that the exterior treatment wasn’t enough. But above all, they should guarantee 100% satisfaction on every service they provide.

The thought that usually follows immediately after the question of cost is the question of chemicals that will be used. Unfortunately bugs are not the only ones that are effected by these harsh chemicals. Children and pets can also have a negative reaction to the chemicals that are used to exterminate your household pests. Establish for sure that the chemicals your Houston pest control company will use are the safest, finest, and still the most effective products out there. The kind that doesn’t come with a warning label because it’s safe enough it doesn’t need one. No one wants to add to their worries, just exterminate them.

Find out if your prospective Houston pest control company also keeps their technicians informed on pests that have been imported into your area, if any. Are they trained on the many different pests that plague residents’ homes as well as their habits and hiding places. If not, their treatments are going to have minimal impact on the household pest population.

Last, but certainly not least, once you’ve decided on who will best meet your needs, will they go beyond that and actually show up within the time frame you’ve scheduled? The sign of a good Houston pest control company is one who has an anti “no-show” policy where if their technician doesn’t show up within your scheduled time frame without calling prior, then your regular service is no longer charged to you. Also, one that recognizes that no one wants to use up vacation time to meet with the bug guy therefore make their hours more flexible than the standard work day.

Overall, a company who appreciates your business and earns your trust through quality service has the makings for a respectable company/client relationship. Make sure that the Houston pest control company you hire customizes their treatments to your needs.

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Jennifer Marshall works with Bulwark Exterminating, a Houston pest control company that accepts nothing less than reliable, prompt, and quality service for their clients. With consideration for individual client needs and the environment’s well being they use only nature friendly chemicals. To learn more please visit http://www.bulwarkpestcontrol.com/ , or call 1-800-445-9313.

Franchising In The Philippines

Franchising has been in the Philippines for 94 years. With the entry of Singer Sewing Machine in 1910 which introduced product distributorship. Numerous companies embraced this concept as their vehicle for business expansion over the years. From 1910 to 1965, businesses staked their flags in the Philippine economy through PRODUCT DISTRIBUTORSHIP. Some of these multinationals were tire and pharmaceutical companies.The take off was slow in the early years as the succeeding companies like A&W Restaurant known for its root beer entered in 1965. The first outlet was established on Highway 54 (now popularly and historically known as Epifanio Delo Santos Avenue or EDSA) near the Big Dome-Araneta Coliseum. The concept was a drive-thru where women food attendants garbed in mini-skirts, black stockings and in roller skates would serve customers inside the comfort of their cars. Trays clamped by the side of the door and mugs with cold refreshing root beer partnered with foot long hotdogs were served. Its set-up was exactly the same as found in the US branches during those years. What this company brought was another form of franchising, which is known as Business Format. From then onwards most entrants into the market embraced this concept, in fact, so widely used not only in the Philippines, but all worldwide.Product DistributorshipThis is a form of franchising where owners of products allow other parties to sell or distribute their products or even use their trademark as a dealer. There is minimal or no control of operations. The relationship is centered on the quality of products sold.Business FormatA form of franchising used by 90% of companies involved in franchising. This is the reason why franchising is considered the most successful way of expansion worldwide.In business format, the franchisor, more than his registered trademark and products, has developed a business system that is made available for use to franchisees. Compliance to the business system is the core and essential element of their contractual relationship embodied in a franchise agreement.The first survey of franchising in the Philippines done in 1995 revealed that there were a total of 50 operating foreign franchisors at that time. The success rate of foreign franchisees is 97%. In 2003, there were 315 foreign franchisors in the country with 87% success rate.Philippine Based (Home-Grown) FranchisesEarliest recorded homegrown company that used business format franchising was PANCAKE HOUSE. It was franchising since 1978. PANCAKE HOUSE is still active in franchising and has transferred ownership a few years back.In 1996, there were 94 companies using franchising as their route to expansion and the number has substantially increased to 481 in 2003. The success rate is a good 90%.Philippine Franchise ScenarioFranchising in the country evolved from the US Franchise System. There are, however, no laws that regulate franchising. Companies and franchise developers use international franchise practices as reference and as a guide to pursuing this type of business. The increasing number of homegrown companies using franchising in their expansion can be attributed to the presence and increasing number of foreign franchisors. They served as motivators and inspiration for the local entrepreneurs.Franchising for years has been the monopoly of food sector. It was only in mid-1990′s that service and retail entrepreneurs used franchising.There was an absence of franchise education in the country for decades. Franchise Conference and Seminars started only in the mid-90′s. Franchise Associations were also formed with the vision of professionalizing and standardizing the franchising as well as police their own ranks.

Eczema Herbal Remedies Two Ways to Get the Best Results from Nature

Like some chronic diseases, eczema does not have a medical cure. But take heart. There are natural treatments for eczema. Some of them are eczema herbal remedies that are not only widely available, but also very effective. Internal Herbs

Some treatments for eczema must be taken internally to get rid of toxins altogether. This true for the following eczema herbal remedies. ·Burdock – This herb is especially effective in purging toxins that are found between the layers of the skin. You can use its roots, stems, leaves and burs to make a tea. ·Haemafine Syrup – Used as a remedy for acne and nosebleed, this syrup is very effective as a treatment for eczema. It works by purifying your blood and giving your skin a natural glow. ·Powerful Herbs- One remedy you can try is the relaxing mixture of cleavers, nettle, red clover and yellowdock. Out of these ingredients, you can already make tea. But you can also combine this mixture with such relaxing herbs as chamomile, skullcap and linden flowers. Topical Herbs Certain treatments for eczema can be applied on your skin to relieve its itchiness and inflammation. These eczema herbal remedies also have the ability to soothe your skin and heal it altogether. ·Chickweed – This mild herb works mainly by relieving irritation and itching. It also has the power to draw toxins from your skin. You can use chickweed by making either a cold or lukewarm tea out of it. Then bathe the infected area with the tea or dab it with the use of a cotton cloth for good measure. ·St. John’s and Calendula – Make an ointment out of calendula flowers and St. John’s Wort leaves. This salve is particularly recommended for cracked, dry and painful skin. From Inside Out To make the most out of the natural treatments for eczema, it’s best to use both internal and topical herbs regularly. Remember, though, to start with purifying your biological system, working your way from the inside out. In no time, you’ll reap the benefits of these herbal remedies with a more relaxed body and healthier skin. Steve Winton is an author, blogger and an authority on skin care. Discover how 1000s of people have completely eliminated eczema naturally Eczema Herbal Remedies www.natural-remedies-for-eczema

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Customer Service – The Huge Gap Between Intention And Reality

When it comes to looking after our customers, quite often there’s a gap, a huge gap between theory and practice. There are books about customer relations; there are videos about customer relations; there are Gurus (mostly self-appointed) about customer relations. None of them actually have to deliver customer relations. That chore is left to what was known in the last two World Wars as the PBI – as in “Poor B….y Infantry”- the foot soldiers. The front line people, your front line people. So what do they make of it all?You know about Pareto’s Law – I discuss it often enough – yes that one, the one that says 80% of the business comes from 20% of the customers? Well, it (almost) applies in this case. More than 80% of front line staff haven’t yet totally bought into the idea of effective customer relations. The other 20% have discovered a very enriching way of achieving a satisfactory outcome from interactions with customers. In other words, most of the time they succeed! And when they succeed, the customers actually thank them!This can’t be about you – can it?So what’s the problem? The first answer is: ‘the Directors” the next answer is “the Managers”. “Nonsense”, you say. “I’m one of those, and I have explained very earnestly why we must all focus on achieving first class relations with customers”. Mmmmm! Creating business and profit enhancing relations with customers requires the right environment, ethos, culture and philosophy. You can’t achieve it by simply telling other people to do it. You can tell them the technique for turning “difficult” phone calls around, but if they don’t feel like doing it, then they won’t.If You And Your Whole Organisation Don’t Believe In Developing Good Relations With All Of Your Customers – It Won’t Happen.When so much time and money is spent on training people about the need for constructive relations with customers, why is it often so bad? For much the same reason that when so much money has been spent on telling people that smoking kills you, they still insist on smoking. No, the issue is the environment. There used to be spittoons in bars. What is a spittoon? It’s a bowl or bucket into which people spit. Oh yes, people used to spit into spittoons. They spat because they chewed tobacco; they spat because they had – please forgive the term – phlegm. For whatever reason, they spat. And so there were spittoons. So long as the environment accepted people spitting, there were spittoons. Once that environment changed, the very idea was repulsive. Which gets us back to relations with customers. So long as the environment in your organisation is tolerant of taking a patronising, competing or negative attitude to customers, some people will do just that.What does that mean?Jargon obscures. There are various terms used such as Customer Relations; Customer Care; Customer Service; Customer Support – and a few more besides.Customer Relations refers to the principles and practice used by everyone across the board in a company in developing and maintaining a certain quality of relationship with customers and prospective customers.Customer Care refers to the techniques and attitudes necessary to deliver a high quality of service to customers.Customer Service / Support / Helpline refers specifically to a department set up to field enquiries and complaints from customers so that operational departments need not spend time dealing with them. The term ‘Customer Relations’ may also be used for this function.
Technical Support performs a similar function for technical reasons.In discussing customer relations we are not just discussing the work of a Customer Service Department. We need to look at the whole company wide approach to Customer Relations.Copyright © 2007 Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserved

Customer Service – A Lost Art

Copyright © 2004 Craig Binkley http://www.bornagainbargains.com Is customer service a lost art? Before you answer that question, take a moment and think about the last few times you have gone shopping or out to dinner. Okay, now that you have really thought about it, is your answer any different? br> Why is it that when we actually DO receive excellent customer service that it makes such an impression on us that we usually choose to go back? Why – because the occurrences are so few and far between!!!

As a home business owner, it is imperative to my business that customer service is ALWAYS a top priority. Remember the saying: -œIf you don’t take care of your customer, somebody else will-. I’m sure you have read or heard it somewhere before…..and how true it is. Here are a few ways to improve customer service at your business: 1) SMILE – Sounds too simple, right? As a customer, would you prefer to be serviced by a smiling face, or a scowl that would befit a guard dog? 2) LISTEN – Always be slow to speak and quick to listen. Let customers express themselves without you trying to do it for them. Nobody likes being interrupted. 3) DON’T BE TOO PUSHY – Yeah, I know – the bottom line is sales, right? There is a fine line between suggesting products/services and pushing them down a customer’s throat. If you are too pushy, your customer will probably walk away and take their business elsewhere. 4) PHONE ETTIQUETTE – Whether you are answering or initiating a call, always remember who the customer is. Be polite. Try -œYes sir/ma’am- instead of -œyeah- and -œnope-. If you don’t have an answer for your customer – offer to do some research to find what they are inquiring about. 5) THANK YOU – ALWAYS thank your customers. Even if you could not help them or they decided not to purchase from you. Leave them with a positive impression of your business before they leave. 6) TRAINING – Train your employees. Don’t let an untrained employee ruin your track record of excellent customer service. Train your employees on-the-job for as long as necessary to teach them good customer service. -œAnd as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise- Luke 6:31 In conclusion: Customer service may be THE most important aspect of your business plan. I know of many people who are willing to pay a little more for a product or service in order receive excellent customer care. Price, advertising, and location are all vital to a business—- but whatever you do, don’t overlook the all-important -œGood Customer Service-. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Craig Binkley is a husband, father and home business owner. Visit our Work From Home Directory to learn how you can work from home also.

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Coffee Consumption around the World

If you greet the morning with the aroma of freshly brewing coffee, you are one of billions of people worldwide who indulge in the daily grind of coffee consumption. According to the latest coffee statistics from the International Coffee Organization (ICO), we pour about 1.4 billion cups of coffee a day worldwide. That’s a lot of coffee, and about 45 percent of it (400 million cups a day!) is drunk in the United States. The United States is the single biggest consumer of coffee in the world – but that does not mean that the typical person in the U.S. drinks more coffee than the typical person in any other country.In fact, when you look at per capita coffee consumption, the U.S. is #22 on the list with only about 4 kilograms of coffee per person per year. The Scandinavian countries are nearly all at the top of the coffee-drinking cohort. The Finns average an amazing 11 kilograms of coffee per person per year, but the Norwegians and the Swedes are not far behind, with just under 11 and just about 10 kilograms per coffee per year each. The Danes drink their share of coffee as well, with about 10 kilograms of coffee per year. For the people of Finland, coffee is more than just a morning pick-me-up. The major cities feature dozens of cafes, and many of them are now offering a wide variety of coffee varietals for the drinking pleasure of their patrons. In the early days of the country, alcohol was forbidden, so coffee served as a social lubricant. When alcohol was legalized, it did not replace coffee. According to one Finnish coffee importer, “Coffee and alcohol go well together.” Despite the amount of coffee that is consumed in Finland, some major importers are concerned. Coffee is so important to Finnish culture that it is the main loss leader in supermarkets and groceries. Also, home coffee consumption is slowing, and as coffee consumption in cafes and restaurants has increased, home coffee consumption has decreased. Many “traditional” coffee drinkers in Finland are the older generation, who grew up in times when coffee was often the only social beverage. Younger folks, more and more, are turning to other beverages and caffeine drinks.The situation in Finland has been emerging in many other coffee consuming countries worldwide. For more than a decade now, coffee has been visibly rising in popularity, with prices for gourmet coffees subsequently increasing. However, in the late 1990s and early 2000s coffee production worldwide regularly outweighed coffee demand. That fact drove coffee prices down on the international market, to the point where many coffee farmers have been driven out of business completely or are barely staying afloat. The entry of Vietnam into the world coffee market has also had serious economic implications. Vietnam had been a major contender in the world coffee market before the Vietnam War. The war and its aftermath devastated the Vietnamese economy, along with Vietnamese coffee production. In the late 1990s, however, the Vietnamese aggressively re-entered the coffee market. In the space of just a few years, Vietnamese coffee exports moved the tiny Asian country up to second place among the nations that export coffee. Since the Vietnamese climate is ideal for growing Robusto beans, which are far less costly to grow than the more delicate Arabica beans, Vietnamese coffee farmers could sell their crops for far less. The re-emergence of Vietnam as a major force in the world coffee market drove prices down and nearly collapsed the market.The world’s coffee industry has responded to the crisis by working tirelessly to increase coffee consumption worldwide. The ongoing effort to increase coffee consumption has included identifying market saturation points, developing quality control mechanisms, encouraging farmers to maintain high standards and rewarding coffee roasters for developing new varieties and blends of coffee.The efforts of the International Coffee Organization to raise coffee consumption around the world are paying off. Despite the fact that coffee prices have risen, there is more coffee traded, sold and enjoyed each year. Marketing thrusts by the ICO have turned coffee drinking into a fine art and encouraged people to think of coffee as an affordable luxury. This is especially true in countries like India, Japan and China. Asian countries, traditionally bastions of tea drinkers, have been drinking more and more coffee. In countries that have already reached ‘saturation level’, brand awareness has helped nearly eliminate the bottomless cup of coffee. Instead, we drink gourmet coffees and think nothing of paying $20 a pound for Hawaiian kona or Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and $3 a cup for specialty coffees served up with whipped cream, mocha or flavored coffee syrup.

Coffee Franchise – What You Need To Know

Buying a coffee franchise can be a very fun and fulfilling experience, but before you put your John Hancock anywhere and start serving hot cups of ‘joe’, there’s a few critical things you need to consider so you can make the right decision. You could end up making a big mistake by buying a coffee franchise blindly.

The first thing you really need to do is get a reality check. It’s important that you understand your strengths and weaknesses of running a franchise. You need to be very honest with yourself about how much time you’re really going to put into running your business. You also need to know your financial situation to understand how much money you really have to put towards the purchase of your franchise. Don’t be too eager to get started. Take your time, seek out the advice of franchising experts and do your due diligence.

The really attractive part about owning a coffee franchise is the cash flow and profit margins. More and more people are drinking coffee everyday and they are happily paying $3+ for their favorite cup of ‘joe’. The actual cost of the coffee is really less than $.25. That’s a HUGE profit margin well over 1000%. Those are numbers that business owners like. However, owning a coffee franchise means you are in a volume business. Only making a few bucks profit per sale won’t mean much if you’re not cranking out thousands of cups of coffee. Coffee franchises with drive-thrus tend to do very well as some shops claim that 70% of their business comes from the drive-thru.

The real secret of a coffee franchise is the atmosphere.  People come to coffee shops to hang out, relax, surf the web on their laptops, maybe do some business or meet with some clients.  People do all sorts of things but the important point is that they come to a place for social gathering.  That’s important and that’s why you see so many places with a comfortable and relaxing atmosphere.

On the flip side, owning a coffee franchise is not all fun and games, especially from the start.  You have the high initial franchise fee, you then have to get a retail location and pay those costs, you have to lease or buy equipment to run the shop, you have to get inventory that does have a shelf life and so on.  Then you have your fixed costs, your variable costs, employee wages, insurances, yada yada yada.  On top of all that, don’t forget about the royalty fees you have to pay that are calculated on gross revenues, not net profits.

Another consideration is that even if you have all the money to open the doors with all the costs, that still doesn’t guarantee that you’ll own a coffee franchise.  You’re going to have to have a considerable net worth, good credit history but what trumps all of that is you have to get approval from the company to buy a franchise from them.  If they feel you’re not a good fit, you won’t get the franchise.