...BEST PRACTICES IN MEASURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION Case Study: Comcast Corporation GM588: Managing Quality INTRODUCTION In a competitive marketplace where businesses compete for customers, customer satisfaction is seen as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a key element of business strategy. It is critical to give customers the opportunity to provide feedback about their overall satisfaction level and specific likes and dislikes. It is equally important to consistently measure and monitor that input. Without an effective customer satisfaction research program in place, a company will lose business, missing opportunities, and putting itself at a competitive disadvantage. “Customer wants and needs drive competitive advantage, and statistics show that growth in market share is strongly correlated with customer satisfaction.”(Evans, 2010) An outstanding customer experience creates promoters, and promoters are more valuable to a company than other customers. Customer satisfaction is tied directly to profitability. If your customers are happy, they tend to be loyal. And if they’re loyal they not only buy more, they refer other customers. Well-established research by Bain & Company found that, for many companies, “an increase of 5% in customer retention can increase profits by 25% to 95%” (Bain, 2000). The same study found that it costs six to seven times more to gain a new customer than to keep an existing one. Moreover, one bad...
Words: 1797 - Pages: 8
...[pic] UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI SCHOOL OF BUSINESS MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION DSM 608: ADVANCED STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT STRATEGIC ANALYSIS OF A CASE STUDY USING ANALYTICAL TOOLS CASE STUDY: GAME TIME DECISION FOR AppDIRECT Presented by: Alick K. Kalima……………………..................................D61/76940/2012 Betty Amulyoto………………………………………………. Linda Ngenoh………………………………………………… Lawrence Njagi………………………………………………. Nyatichi Kibwage…………………………………………….. Elizabeth Akinyi……………………………………………… Stephen K. Ngui……………………………………………… John W. Oichoe……………………………………………… Rebecca Barasa……………………………………………… Mohamed A. Abbey…………………………………………. To: Dr. Zachary Bolo Awino (Ph.D) July 2013. Table of Contents Page 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………1 CASE STUDY: AppDIRECT Introduction This essay strategically analyses the case of AppDirect using SWOT as an analytical tool. It looks at the background of the firm, its core business, strategies employed to win competitive advantage, major achievements and challenges faced. The write up further explores the opportunities and threats that the external environment of AppDirect presents to the firm and how they can be taken advantage of and countered respectively. Lastly recommendations and alternatives solutions to challenges will be suggested. 4 Why SWOT Analysis? SWOT is an acronym that stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. As...
Words: 994 - Pages: 4
...Sheree Starr Strategic Management-5480 Florida Institute of Technology Dr. Uchenna Nwabueze April 07, 2013 Executive Summary Major Player’s in the U.S Voice-over Internet Protocol market namely Comcast Corporation, Time Warner Cable, Cox Enterprises and Vonage have embraced internet technology and wireless broadband making VOIP one of the most sought out service. Skype’s partnership with AT&T only fuels the boost usage of Voice- over Internet Protocol usage over land line usage. In the wake of these technology advancements, it became clear to entrepreneurs that offered voice traffic and internet service would be one of the next major applications to take full advantage of Voice-over Internet Protocol. There are more advances than innovations in the VOIP world. That’s because some of the most important developments had more to do with commercial and political maneuvers than with technical creativity. One of the most prominent developments was net net neutrality which enables user access to participating networks that advocates no restrictions to materials throughout the modes of communication allowed online ("The mobile World," 2011, para. 4). Further, this industry also have to consider pressures influenced by the government ( FCC) that could dismantle net neutrality by limited user access as well as decrease the power of big wireless communication giants like AT&T. Still, such maneuvers often helped spread the benefits of VOIP much more than technical innovation...
Words: 2193 - Pages: 9
...Abstract Antitrust laws were put in place to make sure markets are free and open, which is the foundation of a vibrant economy (ftc.gov). The benefits of these laws are mainly for the consumer, and they infuse competition in any market space, which ultimately leads to good prices and high quality products and services. To better assert the fact that Antitrust Laws have in fact been enforced for the protection and benefit of the consumer, one must look at actual cases in which organizations have been investigated for violation of Antitrust Laws. In the following paper, I’ll be focusing on Apple’s antitrust investigation. Additionally, we’ll identify some costs associated with the antitrust behavior, and why Apple was investigated? To conclude, we’ll then shift our focus to weighing out whether or not monopolies and oligopolies benefit society, with at least looking at one study where they did benefit. Apple Gets Investigated and Charged Apple, which has an oligopoly market structure because of their number of competitors, pricing similarities and dependencies with other vendors, was hit with a huge fine for antitrust violations (in the 840 million range). Apple was investigated for helping facilitate a price hike in the e-book market space by colluding with major publishers. The U.S. Department of Justice said this conspiracy was designed to undercut online retailer, Amazon.com Inc’s dominance of the fast-growing e-book market (Reuters, 2013). However, what really drew attention...
Words: 1032 - Pages: 5
...Abstract Provides an overview of IP addressing, the current standard IPv4 and the future standard of IPv6. Explains the limitations of IPv4 and the reasoning behind looking for an alternative IP addressing protocol. Addresses the advantages of the new IPv6 addressing technology with improved security, auto-configuration abilities, and improvement in routing. Explores mobile IPv6 features and the concerns with deploying IPv6 now and in the future. Studies Comcast as the first early-adopter of the technology and both their need for the adoption so early in the game and how they deployed the technology without interrupting service to customers. Investigates what steps need to be taken to deploy IPv6 with regard to current hardware still running IPv4, such as tunnels and translators like NAT64 and ALG. Also discusses the security risks and difficulties with deploying the technology right now with recommendations on how to avoid potential attackers through IPv6. Explains stateful and stateless automatic configurations, the new features of IPv6, and flow labels that IPv6 uses to increase efficiency by prioritizing data to devices that are on the same path. Introduction to Internet Protocols Every machine has a unique identifier that differentiates it from other machines on a network. This number is called the Internet Protocol address. There are two different standards for IP addresses, IPv4 and IPv6. IPv4 is the first version of the Internet Protocol address to be largely...
Words: 3006 - Pages: 13
...Case Study 5: Net Neutrality Q2. Do some Internet research to identify the current status of Net Neutrality legislation being considered by Congress. Briefly summarize the content of the legislation. Net Neutrality in the United States has been an increasingly heated issue since the Internet blossomed. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has power to regulate "interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories" (FCC, n.d.). It would, therefore, seem a natural fit to include the Internet as another means of regulated communication. Currently, FCC regulations shape Net Neutrality more than laws. However, the FCC has recently been deemed by the court to lack the authority to enforce Net Neutrality. It's Open Internet Order, a set of policies prohibiting the blocking or charging of services by ISPs, was largely struck down in early 2014 in the ruling of Verizon v. Federal Communications Commission (Weil, 2014). The reasoning of the court was that the FCC cannot regulate the broadband providers because they are defined as data services, not telecommunication services. Since that ruling, the FCC has been considering policies involving tiered Internet access, but has yet to act. Since the court struck down FCC rule of network neutrality, there have been several attempts to enact laws regarding Net Neutrality. These include: • S. 1981, The Open Internet Preservation...
Words: 1237 - Pages: 5
...An open Internet has been a part of modern culture for almost two decades now. Our expanding digital borders have given rise to a new marketplace for business, entertainment, education, and communication. This burgeoning new environment has become what it is today largely due to it's low barriers to entry, speed, and wide reach (“The Information Age”). An underlying principle that has enabled the success of the Internet is that of network neutrality, a term coined by Columbian Law School Professor Tim Wu in regards to how networks, and more importantly Internet Service Providers (ISPs), handle data. Having come under attack in recent years, the need to defend Net Neutrality and to require the companies which provide Internet service to adhere to regulations in defense of their consumers has become even more important. Tim Wu goes so far as to give an example of the Neutrality Principle and his vision of a law enforcing net neutrality: “Broadband Users have the right reasonably to use their Internet connection in ways which are privately beneficial without being publicly detrimental. Accordingly, Broadband Operators shall impose no restrictions on the use of an Internet connection except as necessary...” (166). The principle itself, while attempting to...
Words: 2143 - Pages: 9
...Part II. Introduction. Managing Organizational Change at Comcast Comcast has several successful ventures but continues to struggle with its earned reputation. The magazine, The Consumerist, named Comcast as “the worst company in America” in 2014. Comcast reveals itself as an interesting subject to analyze pertaining to its organizational behavior; in order to understand the management level decisions into which the company is steering. Who is Comcast? Comcast is a publicly traded multinational mass media company that is based in the United States with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as its headquarters. When it comes to revenue, Comcast is often regarded as the largest company in broadcast, cable and telecommunication industries. It was founded by Ralph Roberts, Daniel Aaron, and Julian Brodsky on June 28, 1963. Presently, the company is being chaired by Brian Roberts, who also serves as the current CEO of the company and is the son of the founder. Michael Angelakis acts as the Vice Chairman with David Chen as Executive VP. The company claims that it operates for business and is rooted into small businesses with 29 regional networks. As a large Internet provider, the company is equipped with 600,000 miles of fiber optics enabling users to have 10 Gbps and is also used for their cable connection (Comcast, 2015). Comcast offers products and services such as cable television, broadband Internet, and television broadcasting with channels such as E! Entertainment Television and NBC...
Words: 7078 - Pages: 29
...Case Study One Read the following case and answer questions below. How Secure Is Your Smartphone? Have you ever purchased antivirus software for your iPhone, Android, or cell phone? Probably not. Many users believe that their iPhones and Androids are unlikely to be hacked into because they think Apple and Google are protecting them from malware apps, and that the carriers like Verizon and AT&T can keep the cellphone network clean from malware just as they do the land phone line system. (Telephone systems are “closed” and therefore not subject to the kinds of the attacks that occur on the open Internet.) Phishing is also a growing smartphone problem. Mobile users are believed to be three times more likely to fall for scams luring them to bogus Web sites where they reveal personal data: Why? Because mobile devices are activated all the time, and small-screen formatting makes the fraud more difficult to detect. So far there has not been a major smartphone hack resulting in millions of dollars in losses, or the breach of millions of credit cards, or the breach of national security. But with 74 million smartphone users in the United States, 91 million people accessing the Internet from mobile devices, business firms increasingly switching their employees to the mobile platform, consumers using their phones for financial transactions and even paying bills, the size and richness of the smartphone target for hackers is growing. In December 2010, one of the first Android botnets, called...
Words: 2351 - Pages: 10
...ECON 203 - Case Study case study I. Table of Contents I. Table of Contents ……………………………………………… 1 II. Summary of Article ……………………………………………… 2 III. Concepts from Microeconomics Applied to Article …………. 4 A) Monopolies vs. Perfect Competition…………………… 4 B) Natural Monopolies……………………………………… 4 C) Price Discrimination……………………………………… 5 D) Price Controls for a Natural Monopoly……………… 5 E) Picking an Output Level………………………………. 6 IV. Analysis of Paper ……………………………………………….. . 7 V. Works Cited ………………………………………………………. 8 II. Summary of Article In a recent article written by Chris Moran titled “Why New Fiber Networks are Required to Shatter Monopolies of Comcast and Other ISPs” (Moran, 2013), the author commiserates with consumer’s financial frustrations that are stemming from monopolistic cable companies. Moran explains that the cable monopolies have come to exist as a result of outdated regulations that force a certain company upon a consumer based on their zip code. The article proclaims that with the introduction of fiber-optic networks, these monopolies may finally shatter. Moran’s article correspondingly references an editorial that was written by Christopher Lee, published in the Washington Post, which focuses on how cable companies are able to maximize their profits (Lee, 2013). Moran’s article highlights Lee’s core argument, which is that cable providers are engaging in price discrimination. Basically, by offering...
Words: 1717 - Pages: 7
...DCS5138 Management Information Systems CASE STUDY 1 Flexible Scheduling Good or Bad for Employees? With nearly 1.4 million workers domestically, Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in the United States, Wal-Mart is also the nation’s number one retailer in terms of sales, registering nearly $379 billion in sales revenue for the fiscal year ending January 31, 2008. Wal-Mart achieved its lofty status through a combination of low prices and low operational costs, enabled by superb continuous inventory replenishment system. Now Wal-Mart is trying to lower costs further by changing its methods for scheduling the work shifts of its employees. In early 2007, Wal-Mart revealed that is was adopting a computerized scheduling system, a move that has been roundly criticized by workers’ rights advocates for the impact it may have on employees’ lives. Traditionally, scheduling employee shifts at big box stores such as Wal-Mart was the domain of store managers who arranged schedules manually. They based their decisions in part on current store promotions as well as on weekly sales data from the previous year. Typically, the process required a full day of effort for a store manager. Multiply that labor intensity by the number of stores in a chain and you have an expensive task with results that are marginally beneficial to the company. By using a computerized scheduling system, such as the system from Kronos that Wal-Mart adopted, a retail...
Words: 2932 - Pages: 12
...Bibliography Page 12 Background The beginning of Time Warner Cable (TWC) can be traced back to 1968 when American Television and Communications (ATC) was founded. Later, between 1973 and 1978, Time Inc. acquired 100% of ATC and Warner Communications formed Warner Cable. In 1989, the merger of Time Inc. and Warner Cable was announced, later becoming what we know today as Time Warner Cable. As noted on the company’s website 1, Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) is among the largest providers of video, high-speed data and voice services in the United States, connecting more than 15 million customers to entertainment, information and each other. They currently operate in 29 states and have over 51,000 employees. Time Warner Cable Business Class offers data, video and voice services to businesses of all sizes, cell tower backhaul services to wireless carriers and managed and outsourced information technology solutions and cloud services. Time Warner Cable Media, the advertising arm of Time Warner Cable, offers national, regional and local companies innovative advertising solutions. In 2012, TWC acquired Insight Communications. As of the end of 2012, TWC had annual revenues of over 20 billion dollarz had a stock price around $96 per share and ranked 142nd on the Fortune 500 list of companies. From a strategic perspective, TWC has adopted as their mission statement: “Connect people and businesses with information,...
Words: 2389 - Pages: 10
...Preparing to Conduct Business Research: Final Brent Byerly, Michelle Kendrick, Emily Maldonado Jarell Reed, Ceasar Sciocia Business Research RES/351 Stephen Grunig University of Phoenix 18 May 2015 Research Question: Research questions provide “means” to determine possible answers or solutions, within thoughts or to provide reasonable data In today’s entertainment services and ever changing platforms, how do cable or satellite companies continue to be relevant without becoming obsolete technologically and over saturated with competition that it alienates the consumer? Many research questions will arise, to see whether or not; our business provides the best in television programming. 1. Does Direct TV provide fast and friendly services? 2. Among other brand for commercial television, why do you choose Direct TV? 3. Do we provide television packages at a reasonable price? 4. On a scale from 1-10, with 10 being the highest, how would you rate our company within viewing purposes? 5. We also provide bundling services, is this something you as a customer like? Data Analysis Approach Data analysis refers to evaluating data using logical reasoning and to examine all of the data provided. There are so many tests that can be used to determine accuracy within a business in providing customers satisfaction through data. Within using the null hypothesis, our company will benefit. Parameter is a previous measurement of the sample of the population. Within...
Words: 1562 - Pages: 7
...Case Analysis Paper AT&T Vs. Skype Author’s note This analysis will identify the key issues revealed in the case study, “Skype vs. AT&T and the future of telecommunications” (Strickland et al 2011). The analysis will explore the current state of the telecommunications industry with the rapid emergence of the Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, wireless communications and the effects on traditional landline or what is known as Publicly Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). This effort will look into current problems and successes with increased focus on AT&T and Skype. Additionally, this paper will attempt to provide a perspective on the key issues with assumptions of what some of the causal factors may have been. Finally, what the companies’ leadership may consider for the future. Prior to examining the key issues of Skype and AT&T, what is Skype vs. AT&T? Skype was currently one of the industry leaders in VoIP and desired to challenge AT&T and other large phone companies. The telecommunication business is certainly going through a technological revolution with increased demands for faster speeds and services. Additionally the infrastructure is in demand to grow with the customer needs. AT&T along with several other landline based companies owned a major portion of the Internet infrastructure. Skype requires access to the Internet by way of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in order for Skype to provide their VoIP service...
Words: 1513 - Pages: 7
...Case Analysis Paper AT&T Vs. Skype Elmo Scuby DeVry University Keller School of Business Author’s note This analysis will identify the key issues revealed in the case study, “Skype vs. AT&T and the future of telecommunications” (Strickland et al 2011). The analysis will explore the current state of the telecommunications industry with the rapid emergence of the Voice-over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology, wireless communications and the effects on traditional landline or what is known as Publicly Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). This effort will look into current problems and successes with increased focus on AT&T and Skype. Additionally, this paper will attempt to provide a perspective on the key issues with assumptions of what some of the causal factors may have been. Finally, what the companies’ leadership may consider for the future. Prior to examining the key issues of Skype and AT&T, what is Skype vs. AT&T? Skype was currently one of the industry leaders in VoIP and desired to challenge AT&T and other large phone companies. The telecommunication business is certainly going through a technological revolution with increased demands for faster speeds and services. Additionally the infrastructure is in demand to grow with the customer needs. AT&T along with several other landline based companies owned a major portion of the Internet infrastructure. Skype requires access to the Internet by way of Internet Service Providers (ISPs)...
Words: 1485 - Pages: 6