Fishes

Last week was so intensive. I was so tired.

It was a OPP week. The fish video at the beginning of this model was very interesting and meaningful. Those men at fish shop looked so happy though their jobs seemingly did not that nice or comfortable. Their work were smelly, dirty, and had to start very early every morning. However, they approached their jobs like a game, made their works more complex than they were and enjoyed them so much. The video told us that work can be tough and dull but people can still enjoy it and make it a great part of their life. This depends on a choice made by yourself. You can choose to stay within the boundaries of the reality and become unhappy or you can try to pass these boundaries and become happy.

In the meantime, it reminded us that the managers should provide a good environment in which people could be their best. Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, has described one of this objectives was to create "a place where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody. An open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters, and where that sense of accomplishment is rewarded in the pocketbook and the soul".

One of our fish exercises was to discuss the main factors that influence people's attitude towards their work. Salaries and benefits is one of the most important factors. Indeed, most people are working for money. However, please do not forget to take your interest into account when you looking for a job. Achievements in the work are also very important. However, please do not forget to spend some time with your family. When you are earning your living, please do not forget to enjoy your life. As I still remember what Paul has said in one CBE class: life is not a rehearsal.

: 24 Nov 2008 00:50 |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Quality, Customer Satisfaction etc. continue…

This continuous entry is really late, which I really didn't mean to be that late! I wote last entry before I left home, and decided to finish it after I came back. However...

So, do the things as soon as you decide to do! - at least do it as soon as possible, otherwise it may be delayed day after day after day, and meantime, the thing you haven't finished will always reminds you that "you have to finish it, you have to finish it...", but you don't even want to start a new entry without finish the old one.

Now, let me do it!

But honestly, I have to find out the materials I have read and read them agian. Trying to remember what I was going to write, and I probably can't catch up all the stuff.

There are three attributes which was mentioned by Kano:

1. Indifferent attributes. The customer does not care about this feature.

2. Questionable attributes. It is unclear whether this attribute is expected by the customer.

3. Reverse attributes. The reverse of this product feature was expected by the customer.

Kano developed a questionnaire to identify the basic, performance excitement factors and above three attributes.

1. For each product feature a pair of questions is formulated to which the customer can answer in one of five different ways.

2. The first question concerns the reaction of the customer if the product shows that feature (functional question).

3. The second question concerns the reaction of the customer if the product does not show this feature (dysfunctional question).

4. By combining the answers all attributes can be classified into the six factors.

Besides the obvious quality management and marketing usage, the Kano's theory can also be relevant to describe employee satisfaction, as employees can be perceived as internal customers.

: 19 Nov 2008 00:07 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Quality, Customer Satisfaction etc.

In recent years, quality has became more and more important. Actually, precisely speaking, quality awareness has been promoted, quality itself is always important. People became more deeply recognize quality and business achievements. I read a typical definition about quality: "Quality is defined by the customer. The customer wants products and services that throughout their life meet their needs and expectations at a cost that represents value." Paul also talked a lot about quality and customers on last Friday's lecture. He has given us a very impressive lecture about quality. I still remember the customer satisfaction model that he has talked in the lecture. The model is not difficult, but it is interesting to me. I did a bit research about this model.

The customer satisfaction model is also called Kano model as it is developed by Professor Noriaki Kano in the 80's. This model is a quality management and marketing technique that can be used for measuring customer's happiness. It has 6 categories of quality attributes, from which the first three actually influence customer satisfaction:

1.      Basic Factors. The minimum requirements which will cause dissatisfaction if they are not fulfilled, but do not cause customer satisfaction if they are fulfilled or exceeded. The customer regards these as prerequisites and takes these for granted. Basic factors establish a market entry threshold.

2.      Excitement Factors. The factors that increase customer satisfaction if delivered but do not cause dissatisfaction if they are not delivered. These factors surprise the customer and generate delight. Using these factors, a company can really distinguish itself from its competitors in a positive way.

3.      Performance Factors. The factors that cause satisfaction if the performance is high, and they cause dissatisfaction if the performance is low. Here, the attribute performance-overall satisfaction is linear and symmetric. Typically these factors are directly connected to customers' explicit needs and desires and a company should try to be competitive here.

Continue...

(I need to go now, will come back later. Wish everyone has a very good weekend! ^__^ )

: 24 Oct 2008 19:11 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

First entry – time management!

Have been with MBE for more than 2 weeks. The most important thing in the postgraduate that I feel now is the time management! I must make good use of my time, otherwise there will be probably no time to sleep. Still remember one of my colleagues said today that he went to bed after 3am, and two of my other colleagues said that they went to bed after 1pm these days. And we've actually got lectures from 9am to 6.30pm everyday in this week. Tough, but I feel that my colleagues didn't really complain about this, they are ambitious and enjoying the days.

Needless to say, I have been also busy from the beginning of the term. Besides the course works (we are currently doing 6 mini team projects), attending lectures, I have to sort out things like bank (always has a long queue), gas & electricity and so on so on.

Overall, the time management is important.

After all, the time management is important for business excellence!

: 15 Oct 2008 00:01 |  Comments (2) |  Close comments |  Report a problem