From the SERP to the Shopping Cart The Best Content for Your Online Shop †Part 1

From the SERP to the Shopping Cart: The Best Content for Your Online Shop – Part 1 In this series, we look at the most important points a webmaster must consider and the impact they have in online marketing. We show you what to pay attention to at each individual contact point and consider essentials that the respective content must contain.In Part 1, we begin with the most important types of external content. SERP Snippets, Ads, Social Media and NewslettersOnline stores do not have sales assistants. Nobody greets the customers at the door, gives them detailed advice or explains the advantages and disadvantages of a product. Nobody escorts them to the checkout and afterwards thanks them for shopping online at your website. All this is part of e-commerce, and these tasks are the responsibility of the content found in and around the store.At each point of contact on the customer journey, the shop owner needs matching content that appropriately appeals to potential customers. Optimal content is also essential to accompany the customer when he or she decides to purchas e a product. But what should the content look like?In this series, we look at the most important points a webmaster must consider and the impact they have in online marketing. We show you what to pay attention to at each individual contact point and consider essentials that the respective content must contain.In Part 1, we begin with the most important types of external content.1. External Content How to Catch the Users AttentionExternal content means content not present on your own website. It serves to attract readers to your domain, to acquire customers or to generate commitment. External content should generally be written so that it attracts attention and interest or stirs the readers curiosity.Some of the most effective ways of appealing to potential users outside your website include the following:SERP SnippetsSnippets are the brief preview texts Google presents on its organic search engine result pages (SERPs). These contain a title, URL and a Meta description of a page.For online shops, theres basically two snippet options that appear in search engine results pages. They either offer their customers product pages or advice pages that enlighten them about the products benefits. Which search result the user will see depends on the initial search and optimization of each site.With Informational Search Keywords, a user should generally be directed to information pages. If the user types something like Samsung Galaxy S5 Durability, a good online store should provide a page that fully informs him or her on this topic.With Transactional Search Keywords, however, users should be provided with a page that allows actions to be completed, such as purchasing an item. With online shops, these options are usually product pages. A Transactional Search Keyword might be, for example, Buy Samsung Galaxy S5.As an online shop owner and depending on which pages you optimize product pages or advice pages your Meta tags should contain appropriate additional information. Ideally, your website will appear in both Informational and Transactional keyword searches.What Should Be Included in a Snippet?Choose your words wisely when writing title and description Meta tags. Use short sentences to make reading as easy as possible. Moreover, you have only limited space available to accommodate the complete message: approximately 70 characters for your title and about 155 characters for your description.Be sure to use your keyword in the title, again in the description and, if possible, also in the URL: Google bolds keywords, which serves as an eye-catcher for your readers.And finally, a call-to-action, such as an invitation to visit the site, is always very useful.Overall, the art of creating snippets is to customize the content within a restricted space so it convinces and appeals to a user who will want to know more. Remember your title and description text should not be repeated.Meta Tags for Advice PagesTo create a snippet for an advice page, anticipate w hat the user might be seeking. What information will he need after typing Battery life iPhone 6 ? What does she need to know if shes looking for Car paint for small scratches? The title and Meta description (and the page behind it) should be optimized for these kind of searches.At best, the snippet itself will tell the user part of the answer. If so, the reader will immediately recognize that the advice needed is likely to be on this page. But be careful: Do not falsely advertise be sure the website behind the SERP listing actually answers the users search question.Unnecessary product information or grand sale offers shouldnt be in the Meta description of an advice page. Those searching want some helpful information; they are not (yet) seeking to make a purchase.The title functions as a short and precise heading that is designed to attract the users attention. A short description can serve as a focal point and provide an accurate indication of what the user may expect from the unde rlying page. For example, How to repair paint damage on your cars bodywork.Meta Tags for Product PagesFor product page Meta tags, the snippet should provide the user with some facts about each product. While this can be done very simply and directly, its much better to make the text more appealing and exciting to address users at an emotional level.Many online shops remove a product page Meta description altogether. When this occurs, Google provides an automated description, but the shop owner is then throwing away a prime opportunity as the snippet can be designed to stand out from the other SERPs results.Take-Away Points:Optimize SERP snippets for Informational or Transactional keywords.Insert keywords in the title, description and URL.Include a call-to-action if possible.Get straight to the point: Put the most important information first.Use brief, clear forms of expression.Attract attention to your title.Dont make false promises: The website behind the click must deliver the exp ectation.2. AdsAd refers to commercials designed to encourage users to visit a website. Ads can be roughly divided into display ads and search advertising. Display ads include advertising formats the user encounters on a website, such as banners, pop-ups or text ads, while search advertising consists of ads displayed to the user within the search results of a query entered into Google.The majority of display ads are more like graphic elements that include text segments. Although our discussion will focus on the textual content of display ads, text used in search advertising follows a similar pattern.Construction of an AdDisplay ads, as well as ads used in Google AdWords, typically feature a headline and a URL, plus one to three lines of text. As with snippets in search result pages, these ads are also intended to catch the readers attention and encourage the user to click.What Should be Included in an Ad?The page that the user clicks to enter should match the display ad, and you sho uld therefore include the keyword and maybe even reflect the page design.Advertisements generally work best with correct spelling and vocabulary. Occasionally, the use of text abbreviations or slang may serve as an eye-catcher if used in a headline or URL. In Google AdWords, as with organic snippets, the keyword appears in bold and is thus clearly highlighted. An AdWords text must include the keyword in the headline, text and/or URL.In many cases, a call-to-action makes sense, but its not always necessary. You can prepare the user for whats on the following page with phrases such as Cheap, Buy Now or Register Now.HeadlineAd headlines should have an advertising focus, and appropriate keywords and eye-catchers here can increase the CTR. So words and phrases like now, offering, low or starting from will show up frequently.TextThe text of an ad should make the offer very clear. To achieve this, the use of short, clear sentences is very important so that the user only has to think about the content.URLThe URL can often be modified in the display, which gives advertisers additional design options and also allows URLs to incorporate keywords and/or messages.Take-Away Points:Adopt a definite promotional tone.Incorporate keywords in your title, description and URL.Insert a call-to-action.Utilize eye-catchers such as now and low.Write clear sentences.Mention your shops special features.3. Social MediaSocial media is an important factor in online marketing and a strong contributor to website traffic. Online shops can also benefit from social networks if they publish the right content.If a post is crafted well, it can tempt many users not just to click on the post, but thanks to the inherent virality of social networks they may also share it with their own fans and followers.What Should Be Included in a Social Media Post?Creativity and experience can be used to create interesting social network contributions for almost any product.Stimulating an exchange between a store s users or between the store and its users is a great way to generate both commitment and online traffic. Asking questions about products also works well, but a call for interaction can really motivate your followers for example, asking users to photograph themselves using a product, requesting product reviews or polling customers to share their experience or give their opinion on current events. Amazon, for example, recently asked its users to share photos of their dogs.Social networks are made for communication and provide online shop owners with an excellent opportunity to listen to their customers. Take your users seriously and talk with them, providing not only product pages but also help and creative advice.What to Consider When Writing PostsWriting a successful viral teaser is often a matter of luck. Generally its impossible to predict if and why one post will spread like wildfire while another wont. Nevertheless, there are some simple methods to increase the probability of a click.Be simple and concise: Try to write your teaser using clear, short sentences. Get straight to the point, and put your important information as close to the start of the teaser as possible. Theoretically, you have an unlimited amount of space for a social media teaser, but studies have repeatedly shown that shorter teasers are more effective. Use enthusiastic and active language without passive constructions and nouns.Write appealing posts: To ensure that readers notice your posts, use appropriate keywords in your teasers that describe at a glance what happens once they click. Posts containing pictures are much more likely to be viewed than those without.Be creative: No other channel allows you to reach so many people that quickly with short texts. And even if the reach is not necessarily sustainable, its worth maintaining a social media presence in order to build a community.Take-Away Points:Interact and communicate with your followers.Post interesting product advertising.Li sten to your users. Write in short, clear sentences.Use words and pictures as eye-catchers.4. EmailEmail is one of the most effective marketing tools for directly targeting customers and prospects and bringing traffic to your page. First, your email recipients have already expressed an interest in your shop by providing their email address or by signing up for your newsletter. Second, because of the data already at your disposal, no other method can offer the same level of targeted focus.What Should Be Included in an Email Newsletter?A newsletter typically consists of a subject line, a title and an introductory text, one or more teasers about articles, pages or products, a complimentary close and contact details.SubjectAfter the sender details, the subject line is your emails first contact point with the recipient. If the reader does not find it convincing, the chances of your mail being opened will decrease. Many readers receive dozens of newsletters and promotional emails every da y, which they delete unopened. So your subject line must carefully tread a fine line between engaging wording that will prompt a click and a run-of-the-mill spam advertising message.The subject should be concise and to the point with the most important keywords in the beginning. Focus your subject line according to your target group for example, address men and women in different ways or personalize the subject line using data such as the name and location of the recipient. But be careful: This method risks being considered spam.In any case, the subject should encourage a click and then fulfil the expectations raised. Avoid stock phrases like Our current offers for X. Instead, try to entertain your readers and pique their curiosity: How to bring back your cars showroom shine.And one thing that always helps is to experiment. So why not create different subject lines and analyze which type resonates best with your readers?Salutation and IntroductionYour newsletters form of address is a matter of taste. Some readers prefer a Dear Mrs. or Mr. while others prefer Hello. Newsletters may vary considerably according to the industry, content and relationship with the readers. Addressing the reader by name whether first name, last name, or both is always the most important consideration because it establishes a personal relationship with the recipient from the beginning.Your introduction should be brief because anything overblown may lose your readers before they reach the important content. Use short, clear sentences to prepare the recipient and move them on to the core content.TeaserAs with SERPs, ad and social media teasers, your newsletter teaser should be clear and concise. Even if you have more space available, remember your reader has very little time for lots of information. Users probably just skim the newsletter anyway, so make it easy. Perhaps you could highlight the most important features or set them apart with a colon in front. Your reader should recogn ize the teaser as soon as possible, and graphics may help to achieve this.The farther down the newsletter your teaser appears, the lower the probability that it will be clicked. So put your most important teaser near the beginning and make it clear where the reader should click. The headline itself should be clickable, and a link should also be placed at the end of the teaser, possibly with a call-to-action such as learn more now!Be accurate and stylistically appealing: Avoid long, complex sentences; use active rather than passive verbs; and check spelling and grammar carefully.Complimentary Close and ContactThe close should be short and polite, and many readers will appreciate a direct contact and a contact address. Think about whether you should send your newsletter in the name of a particular employee (such as the CEO) or whether the sender will be an entire team or the company. Whatever you decide, your readers should be given the opportunity to respond to a direct contact.Take- Away Points:Adopt a subject-specific focus relevant to your target group, use a concise format and avoid spam advertising.Avoid standardized wording; the subject line should be enticing.Personalize your greeting, and keep the introduction as short as possible.Place your teasers where they will attract attention, highlighting the most important.Include an address and contact person.Dont Miss This:The next part of our series deals with publicly accessible content on your website. Discover the most persuasive content to use for your readers on your landing page, your product and category pages and in your blog.

How to Read Shakespeare Dialogue Aloud

How to Read Shakespeare Dialogue Aloud On first sight, Shakespeare dialogue may seem daunting. Indeed, the idea of performing a Shakespeare speech fills many young actors with fear. However, you should remember that Shakespeare was an actor himself and wrote for fellow performers. Forget criticism and textual analysis because everything an actor needs is right there in the dialogue – you just need to know what you’re looking for. Shakespeare Dialogue Every line of Shakespeare dialogue is packed with clues. Everything from the imagery, structure, and use of punctuation is an instruction for the actor - so stop looking at just the words in isolation! Clues in the Imagery Elizabethan theater didn’t rely on scenery and lighting to create a scene, so Shakespeare had to carefully choose language that created the right landscapes and moods for his plays. For example, read aloud this passage from A Midsummer Night’s Dream where Puck describes a place in the forest: I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows,Where oxlips and nodding violet grows. This speech is loaded with words to suggest the dream-like quality of the text. This is a clue from Shakespeare on how to read the speech. Clues in the Punctuation Shakespeares use of punctuation was very different – he used it to signal how each line should be delivered. Punctuation forces the reader to pause and slows down the pace of the text. Lines without punctuation naturally seem to gather momentum and emotional energy. Full stop (.) Full stops naturally bring the sense and energy of the line to a close.Infrequent commas (,)A comma forces a slight pause in delivery to reflect a tiny development or shift in the character’s thought process.For example, read aloud Malvolio’s line from Twelfth Night: â€Å"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.† Did you notice how the commas forced you to pause and split this sentence into three parts?Repetition of commas (,)Commas can also cause a line to gather in emotional intensity. If you see lots of commas together, evenly spaced and splitting the lines into small snappy chunks, then this is Shakespeare’s way of asking you to emotionally invest in the dialogue and build up its rhythmic intensity, as in this example from King Lear: ... No, no, no life!Why should a dog, a horse, a rat have life,And thou no breath at all? Thou’it come no more;Never, never, never, never, never.Colon (:) A colon signals that the next line should sound as if it is responding to the previous line, as in Hamlet’s â€Å"To be, or not to be: that is the question.† Do Not Add Punctuation If you’re reading aloud a speech written in verse, you may feel the need to pause at the end of each line. Do not do this unless the punctuation specifically requires you to do so. Try to carry the sense of what you’re saying into the next line and you’ll soon discover the correct rhythm of the speech. You should think of a Shakespeare play as a blueprint for performance. All the clues are there in the text if you know what you’re looking for – and with a little practice, you’ll soon discover that there’s nothing hard about reading Shakespeare’s dialogue aloud.

Applying Servant Leadership in Practice 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Applying Servant Leadership in Practice 2 - Essay Example This gives the person the urge to continue performing better in the assigned duties every day (Sansone & Harackiewicz, 2000). The motivation might also involve organizing forums where people engage with others from other areas for exchange programs. The exposure given to a person reveals a challenge since he or she learns something unique from the peers. Motivating an extrinsically motivated individual would be through having prize tags for successful completion of tasks. This is because people will work hard in order to achieve the prize offered by the other. The motivation might also entail promotion or evaluation of people in which they strive to achieve the top spot (Sansone & Harackiewicz, 2000). A performance-driven team is inspired by the desire to satisfy others rather than attain external rewards. This group dedicates time and personal commitment in order to achieve their objectives without any target of gaining external returns (Mook, 2006). However, in some cases, like sports, a performance-driven team aims towards being the best in the game by claiming victories in all their matches. It is also prudent that a performance-driven team depends on a good leader who motivates members to get better every day and produce high quality services (Mook,

Cultural Factors of Euro Disneyland In Terms Of American and French Essay

Cultural Factors of Euro Disneyland In Terms Of American and French Practices and Behaviours - Essay Example This paper tells that Euro Disneyland has become one of the major tourist attractions for Europe and France. There are various elements of the theme park which are now subject to discussion in this paper. These elements refer to cultural factors, mostly in terms of American and French practices and behaviors. This essay shall answer four questions. The first shall use Hofstede four cultural dimensions as a point of reference and discuss the key cultural differences between the United States and France. It will also discuss how Trompenaars’ research helped explain the cultural differences between the US and France. This essay will also discuss the three mistakes made in the management of Euro Disneyland. Finally, it will present three lessons which the company should have learned on how to deal with diversity. These questions are being discussed in an attempt to re-assess the cultural elements involved in the management of Euro Disneyland, in the hope of making eventual suggest ions on the management of the current resort or other companies seeking to secure their businesses abroad. Americans and French perceive each other differently. The Americans perceive the French to be arrogant, flamboyant, and emotional. They are also perceived to be hierarchical in their power structures in organizations. On the other hand, the French perceive Americans to be aggressive and unprincipled, immorally liberal, as well as highly stressed workaholics. Power distance refers to the understanding within organizations of the extent to which power is distributed within the institution. Within the American and French cultures, power is hardly distributed evenly.   It is founded on management positions within the organizational culture and based on the power distance relationship.  

Memory Management Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Memory Management Paper - Essay Example Protection helps prevent any malicious or malfunctioning program to make any unauthorized access to memory portions and cause interference in other program’s operation causing system level errors. While protection limits access to memory, it is required that the protection scheme provides some flexibility to allow for sharing of memory space as well e.g. of read only programs. A number of cooperating processes that may be executing the same program should be able to access the same part of main memory containing the same main program instead of having individual duplicates of the same program which would waste a lot of the precious memory space. Concurrency control must be maintained in case of sharing of program data. Relocation is responsible for allocating a user process a place in memory by converting the program’s logical address to physical address. During swap in, it is necessary to relocate a process from the physical disc to main memory. Usually a program occupies the same place in memory when swapped in. However, it may happen that during a swap in, the usual memory place of a program may not be available. So, in that case, the program will have to be relocated to a new memory place and memory references would have to be translated to the actual physical address. Memory is required to be organized in a way that the programs with read only elements are stored in a separate portion within it. Secondly, memory is divided into two types depending on the speed of access; main memory and secondary memory. Main memory is volatile and allows for the programs to be accessed quickly while the secondary memory is long term storage and allows slow access for the long term stored

Job Analysis Questionnaires Are Structured Tools Psychology Essay

Job Analysis Questionnaires Are Structured Tools Psychology Essay Kevin Leon Menezes , wrote an article in 2009, in which he said that : Pakistan is actively participating to rename our Personnel Departments as Human Resources, the remaining developed markets are literally asking that : Is HR a career in crisis ? The best answer lies here that HR has an important role and is evolving and we have to move forward and leave behind the traditional administrative functions and to contribute dynamically n positively accordingly. A research conducted by Elina M. Antila Anne Kakkonen in 2008 depicts that the top level management believes that the participation of the HR managers is of due importance and they agree upon that there should be a common policy in this regard. Certain factors which explain the roles in the case organizations mainly focused on certain factor groups and they were found similar across the respective cases. Now, the problem lies here that our situation is completely different than that of the developed markets and this is primarily because of the fact the HR here is mainly practices by the multinational companies. Paucity of the Pakistani firms has developed their HR factions to a great extent but on the contrary these factions are the concepts being borrowed from the West or Japan. However, criticizing the HR seems to be the main issue around the globe respectively. Every organization has jobs and it has to go through the process of staffing. Job analysis is the main process through which one determines the duties of the required positions and the credentials of the people in order to hire them. Job analysis leads to write job descriptions and job specifications. A job description entails the information of what the job involves. In addition to this. Job description brings harmony to the work functions, support to maintain a well constructed salary structure and help the employees to understand their jobs in an easy manner. The main objective of the job analysis is that it focuses on the knowing of the different components of a workers job. The gist of job analysis is mainly effectiveness and efficiency that is to do the right thing in a right manner respectively. The prime motive we get from the job analysis is that it increases companys profitability, productivity and sustainability. A job description is a calligraphy which provides certain information on all the required duties and responsibilities assigned to the individuals performing a job. Clear, accurate and thorough job descriptions are important to the performance of the organization and for the employees as well. Job description is important for every position in the organization. It is a contract with the employee and it must be provided to him. It should be simple and precise and on the contrary if its not precise, it will affect the overall performance of the employee. Mostly, job analysis provides the information in the job description. The job analysis should be accurate and complete. Job description describes the job irrespective of the persons who hold that job. A well constructed job description should be kept specific, manageable and it should also have a direct relationship with the performance review in order to measure the performance management using ones job description. 2.1Job Analysis Tools THE CONTEXT OF WORK (REALISTIC JOB PREVIEW-RJP) Nowadays it is common for human resource professionals to recognize that job interviews are now a two-way process. In order to make this statement simpler, the hiring organization assesses the candidates while the candidates assess the hiring organization and the job respectively. This is mainly the understanding and thus it develops the Realistic Job Preview (RJP). It is now an essential part of the process of recruitment process in which the different organizations provide both favorable and unfavorable work information to their candidates. 2.2 What is a Realistic Job Preview? Realistic Job Previews (RJPs) are devices which are used in the initial stages of personnel selection in order to provide the potential candidates with information on the pros and cons of the job. This does not include the duties of the job but also what the job is exactly like and what are the working conditions to be considered. This type of preview certainly happens in the initial stages of the selection process. It provides a realistic picture of the ambience to the candidate and also covers: Norms of the organization The environment in which the candidates will work The ordinary tasks that the potential candidates may face RJP provides the candidate detailed information regarding the job so that they can decide for their suitability for the job. RJP shall portray a clear picture to the candidates informing them about the positive and negative aspects of the job in order to be successful. It is an essential part of the process of selection in which it gives the clear idea of the job to the candidates after being hired. Some experts believe that if the information provided to the candidates during an RJP is accurate, then it will be easy for the candidates to decide whether the job is right for them or not. By using the process of RJP, it reduces the expectations of the candidates who dont think that certain conditions will meet their requirements. This helps the organization a great deal as when the individuals accept the job, their expectations are not too high from the organization and thus it results in fewer apprehensions. Fleishman Job Analysis Survey F.jas is a hand book for ability requirement. It is a taxonomy which has detailed description of different kind of abilities required for a job. F. Jas contains specific job analysis scale. Functional Job Analysis Scale FJA was first used in 1940. Now days it uses seven scales to find out the performance of the workers Things Data People Worker Instructions Reasoning Math Language F.JA was used for a long time in USA as a part of the DOT. This has now been replaced by O.NET MOSAIC The office of the personal Management (OPM) is using multipurpose occupational system Analysis. Inventory close ended for information on federal court job. The OPM has started different projects; each project is working on different occupation. Two types of description are used, which are Tasks and Competency. MOSAIC is in fact working in all Govt Jobs. OCCUPTIONAL ANALYSIS INVENTORY (OAI) It was designed to yield mal job information It has five categories. 1 information received 2 Mental Activities 3 work behaviors 4Work Goals 5 Work Context. OAI has been used to gather information on 1400 jobs. However the reliability has been lower as compared to PAQ. Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) It is a study of job characteristic against human characteristics. The item of study has five catagories. Information input Mental process Work output Relationship with other persons Job context The researchers have collected a large data which has given reasonably good results. Work Profiling System (WPS) The system was developed to help employees to help accomplish human resources functions. The WPS has computerized system which records symbols of qualities related to personality like hearing skills, sight, taste , smell, touch, Body coordination, verbal skills, Number skills, complex Management skills, personality and Team Role. DICTIONARY OF OCCUPATIONAL TITLES In 1930, the occupational information was local so there was no co-ordination in different affairs. In 1934 a national database was developed and so in 1939 the first dictionary of occupation data DOT was published. However in 1990 it has become less useful due to many reasons. When in 1991 the published fifth edition, it was discovered that the new technological change are making the job more complicated, so the DOT approach was developed by US Employment service, despite that DOT is extensively used in social Security and immigration adjudication within the united state. Job analysis questionnaires are structured tools used to gather information about work as it is performed in each organization. Questionnaires may be used by the job analyst in an interview or completed by the job incumbent. Preparation of a job analysis questionnaire takes both time and skill of individuals knowledgeable of the jobs being analyzed and the development of questionnaires. Job analysis questionnaires may be hardcopy or electronic. They may be designed specifically for an organization, or more general to collect information from a large number of people working in many different organizations. Some conventional job analysis programs ask job incumbents to complete a preliminary questionnaire describing their jobs. The purpose is to provide the job analyst with a first draft of the necessary job information. It is also meant to be a first step in obtaining incumbent and supervisor approval of the final job description. Of course, not all employees enjoy filling out questionnaires. Also, employees vary in verbal and reading skills and may overstate or understate their work activities. Usually, the job analyst follows up the questionnaire by interviewing the employee and observing his or her job. Position Analysis Questionnaire The best-known quantitative approach to job analysis is the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ). Developed by Dr. Ernest J. McCormick* and associates at Purdue University, the position analysis questionnaire is a structured job analysis questionnaire containing 194 items called job elements. These elements are worker-oriented. Using the terminology of the Department of Labors 1972 job analysis formula, they would be classified as worker behaviors. The items are organized into six divisions: (1) information input (2) mental processes (3) work output (physical activities and tools) (4) relationships with others (5) job context (the physical and social environment) (6) other job characteristics (such as pace and structure) Each job element is rated on six scales: extent of use, importance, time, possibility of occurrence, applicability, and a special code for certain jobs. (*During and after WWII, Dr. McCormick worked for the Federal Government contributing to the Dictionary of Occupational Titles.) These descriptors flow from McCormicks model of the operational functions basic to all jobs: sensing (information receiving), information storage, information processing, and decision and action (physical control or communication). These functions vary in emphasis from job to job. Job analysts or supervisors usually complete the position analysis questionnaire. In some instances managerial, professional, or other white-collar job incumbents fill out the instrument. The reason for such limitations is that the reading requirements of this questionnaire is at the college-graduate level. Analyzing Job Analysis Questionnaire Data Data from the position analysis questionnaire can be analyzed in several ways. For a specific job, individual ratings can be averaged to yield the relative importance of and emphasis on various job elements, and the results can be summarized as a job description. The elements can also be clustered into a profile rating on a large number of job dimensions to permit comparison of this job with others. Estimates of employee aptitude requirements can be made. Job evaluation points can be estimated from the items related to pay. Finally, an occupational prestige score can be computed. Analysts can have position analysis questionnaire data computer-analyzed by sending the completed questionnaire to PAQ Services. Position Analysis Questionnaire Uses The position analysis questionnaire has been used for job evaluation, selection, performance appraisal, compensation planning, assessment-center development, determination of job similarity, development of job families, vocational counseling, determination of training needs, and job desig The Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) developed by McCormick, Jeanneret, and Mecham (1972) is a structured job analysis instrument to measure job characteristics and relate them to human characteristics. It consists of 195 job elements that represent in a comprehensive manner the domain of human behavior involved in work activities. The items that fall into five categories: Information input (where and how the worker gets information), Mental processes (reasoning and other processes that workers use), Work output (physical activities and tools used on the job), Relationships with other persons, and Job context (the physical and social contexts of work). Over the course of many studies, PAQ researchers have aggregated PAQ data for hundreds of jobs; that database is maintained by Purdue University. A wealth of research exists on the PAQ; it has yielded reasonably good reliability estimates and has been linked to several assessment tools

Genre Analysis: Musical The Wizard of Oz Essay

The Wizard of Oz is one of the biggest American Musicals in film. It has become known world wide, it is apart of our American popular culture, and is best known of all films. It was based on the novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum in the 1900s. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayar in the year of 1939. This film just hit the end of the â€Å"Golden Age of the Musical† that started in the early 1930s. MGM benefited greatly from the hit of the rebirth of musicals. It’s known for the use of technicolor which is a system of making color motion pictures by means of superimposing the three primary colors to produce a final colored print (Websters Dictionary), fantasy storytelling, interesting and creative characters, and the musicality imbedded into it. There was also a complex use of special effects for film in that specific time era which helped the film receive special notice. MGM’s film had many awards but one of the most famous one was the award of Best Original Song for â€Å"Over the Rainbow.† It was sung by Judy Garland as Dorothy just five minutes into the movie after she was trying to get her Aunt and Uncle to come to a realization of what happened to her poor little dog Toto. In the beginning of the film â€Å"Over the Rainbow† is played by MGM orchestra over the starting credits. There is a big taste of fantasy in this particular film which kind of in a way departs away from the musical genre. There is many scenes of flying monkeys, and the wicked witch of the West and Glinda, the good witch of the South, and the munchkins, and talking lions, and a tin man, and a talking scarecrow. There are many musical scenes that I am fond of in The Wizard of Oz like the scarecrow’s song â€Å"If I only had a Brain†, the tin man’s song â€Å"If I only had a Heart† and the lion’s song â€Å"If I only had the Nerve†. The Wizard of Oz was the famous directors, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayar’s, most popular musical in his time. Starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale was one of the best professional choices MGM had in his career. She was the stand out in the whole film. Also starring Frank Morgan as the wizard, Ray Bolger as the scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Bert Lahr as the cowardly lion, Billie Burke as Glinda the good witch of the south, and Margaret Hamilton as the wicked witch of the west. â€Å"Somewhere over the Rainbow† became Judy Garland’s signature song. She has been in 32 of MGM’s films and she won a Golden Globe Award, Grammy Awards and the Special Tony Award. She was then nominated the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in â€Å"A Star is Born†. Everyone of the lead rolls in The Wizard of Oz has been in many of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayar’s other films.

Case Study-Barclays

BARCLAYS: MATT BARRETT’S JOURNEY – WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS I. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS, CASE INTRODUCTION AND KEY POINTS Introduction The case covers the introduction of Matt Barrett as CEO of Barclays and the changes he introduced to the organization to maintain its competitive position within the retail financial services industry. In an increasingly competitive environment, Barclays is losing ground due to its lack of data-driven actions and small global presence. The case outlines the actions taken by Barrett to transform some of the key characteristics of Barclays’ corporate structure, and concludes by presenting the challenge he will face in getting management buy-in in order to implement his vision. The key challenges that Barclays faces include: market consolidation, the emergence of the Euro and European Central Bank, increased reliance on IT and web-based platforms, and the rigidity of its own corporate structure. II. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT ANALYSIS Summarize the external environment, including conditions in the general, industry, and competitor environments. a. The General Environment Definition: The general environment is focused on the future and can be analyzed by considering the STEEP framework: Social/demographic, Technological, Economic, Environmental/geographic and Political/legal/governmental factors at play. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Social/Demographic Technological Economic Environmental/Geographic Political/Legal/Governmental Discussion Question 1: Perform a STEEP analysis to understand the general environment facing Barclays. How will Barclays be affected by external factors? In particular, what will the effect of globalization be in terms of threats and opportunities? Social/Demographic Segment ? English is becoming increasingly the world-wide language of business offering Anglophone Barclays opportunities to expand into international markets with reduced language barriers. BARCLAYS |1 BARCLAYS: MATT BARRETT’S JOURNEY – WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS Technological: ? ? ? Increased world-wide reliance on IT and the emergence of web-based solutions in 2000 will elevate Barclays’ need to diversify portfolio offerings. Barclays’ must update its â€Å"woefully inadequate† Management Information Systems (MIS) and begin to automate labor intensive processes to reduce costs. In order to enter new markets to increase revenues and satisfy institutional investors, Barclays must invest in increased technology capabilities. Economic: ? ? ? Robust economic environment due to tech boom will increase liquidity in the marketplace. As a result, acquisitions will be more costly than in a down economy. However this will also cause capital to be more accessible. Market trends towards consolidation will pressure Barclays to regain its industry leadership position through acquisition. Globalization and world economy flattening will require Barclays to become a global company expanding its offerings beyond its current UK focus. Environmental/Geographic: ? Geographic borders and distances between countries are shrinking with increased technology and a globalized economy. This will both require and facilitate Barclays’ global presence. Political/Legal/Governmental: ? ? Emergence of the Euro and strengthening of the EU will reduce FX exposure for the European markets and stabilize European economies. European Central Bank will control interest rates in Europe making Barclays more vulnerable to its decisions (versus the decentralized banks prior to the Euro emergence). With an ever increasing number of banks operating across both political and geographic borders, Barclays must expand its reach beyond the UK to remain competitive and avoid a potential takeover. In doing this, Barclays must consider a set of threats and opportunities that are involved with operating outside the UK: Threats 1. Operating a multinational corporation involves managing across multiple cultures, languages, and economic environments – Barclays’ organizational structure must be flexible enough to adapt to these. . Low brand recognition internationally would make competition against local institutions costly. BARCLAYS |2 BARCLAYS: MATT BARRETT’S JOURNEY – WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS 3. Relocation abroad requires high infrastructure costs. 4. Locating Barclays’ and its customers’ assets across multiple currencies exposes both to fluctuations in exchange rates. 5. Failed expansion into foreign market might damage brand image and alienate n ew customers. Opportunities 1. Increased global reach and brand presence. 2. Diversified risk. 3. Possibility to create new revenue streams through new customer acquisition. 4. Gain first mover advantage in emerging markets. 5. Increases attractiveness of Barclays to multinational corporations. b. The Industry Environment Definition: An industry is a group of firms producing products that are close substitutes. In the course of competition, these firms influence one another. Typically, industries include a rich mixture of competitive strategies that companies use to pursue above-average returns. In part, these strategies are chosen because of the influence of an industry’s characteristics. Compared with the general environment, the industry environment often has a more direct effect on the firm’s strategic competitiveness and above-average returns. The industry environment is the set of factors that directly influences a firm and its competitive actions and competitive responses. Porter’s 5 Forces Model is a powerful tool for understanding the dynamics amongst the five key factors that determine an industry’s level of rivalry and profit potential. [Outlined below, High=H; Medium=M; Low=L] 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Threat of New Entrants (or barriers to entry) Supplier Power Threat of Product Substitutes Buyer Power Intensity of Rivalry Discussion Question 2: Use Porter’s Five Forces Model to analyze the retail financial services industry in the UK. Given this analysis, is the industry attractive or unattractive? The below Porter’s 5 forces analysis shows that the retail financial services industry in the UK is a potentially attractive industry due to low threat of new entrants, supplier power, and substitutes. On the other hand, medium buyer power and high rivalry within the industry could inhibit return possibilities. Threat of New Entrants (or barriers to entry): Low ? ? High infrastructure costs Barclays has high brand recognition within the UK, less so in its other markets BARCLAYS |3 BARCLAYS: MATT BARRETT’S JOURNEY – WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS ? ? Regulatory and security issues make market entry complicated for smaller players NOTE: Mergers of existing banks, if considered ‘new entrants’, must be addressed given the consolidation trend existing in the market. Smaller regional banks could pull customers away from Barclays if they were to merge and offer more extensive services but retain local roots and connections. Supplier Power: Low ? Switching costs among IT suppliers low in a fragmented industry Threat of Product Substitutes: Low ? Traditional, paper based, systems have become outdated and are no longer feasible. Asset management advice is preferred by customers over DIY Buyer Power: Medium ? ? Price sensitivity of retail consumer (major revenue stream for Barclays) relatively high compared to that of corporate client Switching costs of retail consumer (major revenue stream for Barclays) relatively high compared to those of corporate client Intensity of Rivalry: High ? ? Customer loyalty and brand recognition make switching of banking provider less likely Large number of competitors within the retail banking space NOTE: Competition within the industry is based on both price and services The Competitor Environment c. Definition: The competitor environment is the final subject of analysis required to gain a full understanding of the company's external environment. A competitor analysis focuse s on each company against which a firm directly competes and involves gathering and interpreting information about its competitors. Competitive rivalry is the ongoing set of competitive actions and responses that occur among firms as they maneuver for an advantageous market position. Especially in highly competitive industries, companies constantly jockey for advantage as they launch strategic actions and respond or react to rivals’ moves. It is important to understand competitive rivalry because it influences a firm’s ability to gain and sustain competitive advantages. 3 I’s Framework Leveraging the 3 I’s framework provides a thorough overview by grouping competitors into three buckets: immediate competition, impending competition, invisible competition. BARCLAYS |4 BARCLAYS: MATT BARRETT’S JOURNEY – WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS 1. Immediate Competition: Immediate competitors to Barclays are considered to be the major financial institutions located in the UK such as Lloyds TSB and RBS. These institutions are gaining increasing presence over Barclays due to their lower cost structures and improved efficiencies. 2. Impending Competition: Impending competitors to Barclays include international financial services firms such as Credit Suisse First Boston, and smaller firms operating in one of Barclays’ business categories such as investment advisory firms (Zoete Bevan, Wells Fargo Nikko). . Invisible Competition: Barclays’ invisible competitors include smaller UK based businesses that focus solely on a product offered by one of Barclays’ divisions, such as smaller mortgage lending businesses (Woolwich). III. INTERNAL COMPANY ANALYSIS Summarize internal company factors including: capabilities and weaknesses, value chain activities, strategy, and financial situation. a. Outline the company's internal capabilities and weaknesses. Definition: Capabilities exist when resources have been integrated to achieve a specific set of tasks and are frequently developed within a specific functional area. In addition to identifying the company's opportunities and threats from the external environment, another important objective of the situation analysis is to evaluate strengths and weaknesses as input for developing the company's strategies. Discussion Question 3: What are the main capabilities of Barclays? Does Barclays have a core competence? Barclays’ main capabilities include retail financial services and corporate banking within the UK. The company’s core competencies (i. e. trengths relative to competitors that give it a competitive edge) include: a strong brand presence within the UK, a strong domestic franchise, new innovative leadership under Matt Barrett, and outstanding (276%) market cap growth from 1995-2000. BARCLAYS |5 BARCLAYS: MATT BARRETT’S JOURNEY – WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS Discussion Question 4: Create a SWOT analysis to understand Barclays’ strengths and weaknesses. Does Barclays have a sustainable competitive advantage in the re tail financial services industry? If so, what is the source? Strengths 1. Strong brand presence within UK 2. 76% growth in market cap from 19952000 3. Strong domestic franchise 4. Strong new leadership with strategic vision (Matt Barrett) Opportunities 1. Opportunity to expand into global markets (Barclays Global Investors only 2% of business) 2. Ability to strengthen existing brand presence within Europe (10% of sales and profits) 3. Streamline cost sharing among business units (HR, IT, Finance, etc. ) Weaknesses 1. Cost to income ratio significantly higher than competition (business units operate as silos) 2. Narrow focus (61% of revenue from RFS, capital division focused on debt products) 3. Limited global presence (80% of profits from UK) Threats 1. Management reluctance to embrace new strategies, demoralized staff 2. Competitors have lower cost advantage 3. Stronger global presence of international competitors 4. Dissatisfied institutional investors 5. Inadequate IT systems can inhibit growth Barclays’ competitive advantage includes its: strong presence within the UK market both in terms of locations and brand recognition, strong innovative leadership, and international presence. Barclays’ business strategy has focused on growth within the UK and has not invested enough capital into international expansion. In a globalizing economy with rising multinational financial corporations, the lack of a strong international presence is something that could significantly hurt Barclays in the long-term, and even turn it into a takeover target as institutional investors continue to lose faith in the company. b. Conduct a Value Chain analysis to identify value-creating activities. Definition: By exploiting its core competencies, a competitive firm creates value for its customers. Value is measured by a product’s performance characteristics and by its attributes for which customers are willing to pay. Companies with a competitive advantage offer value to BARCLAYS |6 BARCLAYS: MATT BARRETT’S JOURNEY – WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS customers that is superior to the value competitors can provide. Value is created by innovatively bundling and leveraging resources and capabilities. A value chain analysis provides information relative to primary (inbound/outbound logistics, operations, marketing & sales, and service) and secondary (firm infrastructure, human resources mgmt, technological developments and procurement) activities. A value chain representation of Barclays’ primary and support activities is presented in the diagram below. This information can be used to establish a business strategy which targets select activities to create a sustainable competitive advantage. Primary Activities ? ? ? ? Inbound/Outbound Logistics: N/A Operations: o Strong focus on Retail Financial Services (RFS), account for 61% of revenue o Sold cash, equities, and corporate finance businesses to focus on debt products Service: N/A Marketing and Sales: o Strong focus on UK market and low global presence o Reliance on UK brand recognition Support Activities ? ? ? HR Management: o Executive committee not performing as decision making team o Higher than average staff expenses put heavy strain on cost structure Technology Development: o Management Information Services (MIS) system is outdated and inadequate Firm Infrastructure: BARCLAYS |7 BARCLAYS: MATT BARRETT’S JOURNEY – WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS o Divisions operating as silos (each has own HR, IT, etc. ) o Lack of data driven decision making processes o Introduction of the Euro and the European Central Bank affect Barclays’ exposure to foreign exchange as well as interest rate changes both for the company itself and its clients Procurement: N/A Discussion Question 5: Which components of Barclays’ value chain have made the company successful thus far? What changes to Barclays’ organizational structure and focus are necessary for Barclays to remain competitive? Barclays has become a major player in the banking industry through strong brand presence within the UK, earning it one out of every five personal customers, and a clear focus on Retail Financial Services (RFS). However, both its UK presence and RFS focus have failed to provide a sustainable competitive advantage for the company. In order to remain competitive within the banking industry, Barclays must examine and redesign various components of its value chain including: 1. Focus on Retail Financial Services: a. Barclays must expand its focus beyond RFS by creating new product offerings for corporate customers and further expanding internationally to give newly acquired corporate customers global access. 2. Outdated and inadequate MIS system: a. In order to manage its internal functions efficiently, Barclays must adopt technological innovations and update its MIS system. 3. Lack of data driven decision making: a. In order to compete in an industry driven by statistics and analytics, Barclays must emphasize data driven decisions throughout its corporate structure. 4. Fragmented core divisions: a. Operating fragmented core divisions such as HR and Finance creates additional costs as well as bureaucracy and inefficiencies. Barclays must consolidate these shared services. BARCLAYS |8 BARCLAYS: MATT BARRETT’S JOURNEY – WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS c. Financial Analysis Definition: Financial analysis is used to assess the viability, stability and profitability of a company or operating division. The analysis is done using quantitative historical performance found in the financial reporting documents (Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Statement of Cash Flows). The goal of the analysis is to understand a company’s financial health through its profitability, solvency, liquidity, and stability. Given the financial information provided in the case, it is clear that Barclays is lagging behind its competitors in cost control measures, and has allowed both PP&E and Staff Expenses to rise above its competitors’ average. Operating expenses as % of income In addition, an analysis of the company’s divisions and their respective earnings contribution reveals that Barclays heavily relies on its Retail Financial Services division for a large portion of its earnings; this suggests that diversification might be needed. NOTE: Further analysis into the average contribution of each revenue stream for other players in the industry is needed before diversification can be e ntirely justified. BARCLAYS |9 BARCLAYS: MATT BARRETT’S JOURNEY – WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS IV. STRATEGY FORMULATIO N Summarize Barclays’ strategic position as it relates to its current strategy and the components thereof. a. Summarize Barclays’ current strategy. Barclays’ current strategic objective is to drive profits by consolidating internal functions and expanding its international presence. The company is a major player in the UK financial services and retail banking industry but has lost ground internationally despite rapidly rising market capitalization. Fragmented internal divisions and a lack of aggressive expansion have brought up the need for extensive managerial and structural changes to the firm. This prompted the hiring of a new CEO, Matt Barrett, who established a series of restructuring goals for Barclays to remain competitive. b. Strategic Analysis Definition: Conduct an analysis of Barclays’ business strategy by using the 4 P’s Framework. The 4 P’s Framework is used to understand a company’s strategy based on its Position (Mission, Values, and Vision), Priorities, Payments (what it will spend its money on to reach those priorities), and Performance (how it will measure success). By completing the framework, we can analyze a company’s current, future, or recommended priorities as well as set forth a path in order to achieve goals and measure accomplishments. Use the 4 P’s Framework to analyze the firm’s past/current/future strategy. 1. Position a. Mission: To provide innovative products, excellent careers, positive community contributions B A R C L A Y S | 10 BARCLAYS: MATT BARRETT’S JOURNEY – WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS b. Values: Fact based decisions, customer service, and value maximizing strategy c. Vision: To be one of the most admired financial service organizations in the world 2. Priorities: 1. Develop cross-group synergies to lower costs and improve efficiency 2. Expand reach of Barclays brand abroad through strategic alliances/acquisitions 3. Continue to diversify existing business portfolio 3. Payments: 1. Invest in adequate IT systems 2. Invest in human capital initiatives to align incentives and boost morale 3. Invest in marketing and strategic alliances/acquisitions in underserved regions/segments 4. Performance: 1. Shareholder returns vs. peer institutions 2. Customer and revenue growth (double profits in four years) 3. Increased profit due to lower costs and increased efficiency (reduce costs by ? 1bn) Discuss possible recommendations that Barclays could follow going forward to improve the performance of the company. Determine the decision criteria and also analyze the pros and cons of each recommendation. In order to remain competitive within the marketplace, Barclays must: 1. i. ii. iii. 2. i. ii. 3. i. ii. iii. Develop cross-group synergies to lower costs and improve efficiency by: Rebuilding core infrastructure to consolidate HR, IT, and Finance groups across individual divisions Reducing costs by 18% (? bn) Realigning incentives to reward value-add decisions; Expand Barclays brand abroad though: Increased brand presence in Europe to enter top 5 ranking Strengthening of the brand in US and Africa; Continue diversifying the existing business portfolio by: Expanding Barclays product and service portfolio to strengthen weak or underrepresented areas to serve affluent/high net worth segments Decrea sing reliance on Retail Financial Services by strengthening Barclays Capital and Barclays Global Investors divisions Entering new markets by acquiring major players (e. g. Woolwich). B A R C L A Y S | 11 BARCLAYS: MATT BARRETT’S JOURNEY – WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS Question Reduce staff expenses Option / Hypothesis Reduce labor costs by increasing automation Decision Criteria ? Cost/Benefit analysis ? Effect on employee morale ? Technology capabilities ? Revenue growth ? Barriers to entry ? Effect on current resources ? Revenue Pros †¢ Long term cost reduction †¢ Streamlining of processes †¢ More control over information flow and analysis †¢ Does not cannibalize existing revenue streams †¢ Increase global reach and brand presence †¢ Diversifies risk †¢ Existing customer loyalty and brand presence †¢ No need for customer acquisition Cons †¢ High up-front cost †¢ Lengthy implementation period †¢ Technology risk †¢ Negative effect on employee morale †¢ High cost †¢ High risk and FX exposure †¢ No trial period †¢ Culture clashes, integration logistics †¢ Might stretch resources too thin †¢ Requires investment in infrastructure and human capital †¢ Requires new expertise Diversify target markets Increase revenue through new market entry with current product suite Diversify product offerings Increase equity and investment banking focus of Barclay Capital division growth ? Barriers to entry ? Effect on current resources B A R C L A Y S | 12

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