...Case Study: Bank Of America How it learned that what customers really want is to Keep the Change THE PROBLEM Innovation in services is rare. In financial services, the last big breakthrough was online banking, nearly a decade ago. In October, 2005, Bank of America (BAC ) brought out a radically different product that broke the paradigm. It's called Keep the Change.The cocept solves a critical banking problem -- how to get consumers to open new accounts. The product works like this: Every time you buy something with a BofA Visa debit card, the bank rounds up your purchase to the nearest dollar and transfers the difference from your checking into your savings account. It also matches 100% of transfers for the first three months, and 5% of the annual total, up to $250 a year. Since the launch, 2.5 million customers have signed up for Keep the Change. Over 700,000 have opened new checking accounts and 1 million have signed on for new savings accounts. THE RESEARCH How did Bank of America create Keep the Change? In the spring of 2004, it hired an innovation and design research firm in Palo Alto, Calif., to help conceive of and conduct ethnographic research on boomer-age women with children. The goal was to discover how to get this consumer segment to open new checking and savings accounts. For the next two months, a team of five BofA researchers and four researchers from a West Coast consulting firm visited Atlanta, Baltimore, and San Francisco. They observed a dozen...
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...Foreign Study: Asian restaurants still foreign to U.S. chains By Bob Krummert Fast-casual concept gurus take note. Now there’s yet another reason why a chain restaurant that serves Asian food should be a can’t-miss proposition: lack of competition from other chains. Numbers compiled by foodservice database and analytics firm CHD Expert show that of themore than 64,000 Asian restaurants now doing business in the U.S., only six percent are run by chains. Factor in the many other attributes this segment holds and you’d think fast casual developers would be opening new Asian concepts as fast as they could think them up. That’s not the case, even though this segment provides most of the things customers want from a contemporary restaurant experience. Consider: Asian food embraces a wide variety of unique ethnic flavors; most dishes are inherently healthful; the nature of Asian meal preparation makes it easy for patrons to customize their orders without overburdening the kitchen; and Asian dishes travel well, a particularly important component given the current boom in takeout and delivery business. All this and relatively low price points, too. Restaurant industry watcher Technomic sees more growth on the way. “There's something about Asia,” Technomic writes in its roundup of 2015 food trends. “Asian foods have been trending for years, but the world's biggest and fastest-moving continent always delivers something new. In 2015, look for the breakout of Korean, mainstreaming of...
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...Ex-convicts do not live an easy lifestyle in prison, however, when they reenter society, they have even bigger struggles to face. In the outside world ex-convicts do not face the intimidation of other convicts, but rather disrespectful and pessimistic attitudes from employers. Ex-convicts are immediately judged and labeled based off of their rap sheet. What these employers seem to forget is that, these ex-convicts are people trying to make a living as well. Jeremy Travis, President of Criminal Justice at John Jay College, and Christy A. Visher, Director of The Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies (CDAS) at the University of Delaware, performed a study on prisoners and their needs to adapt back into society with more ease. In their article, Travis and Diaz 2 Visher touched upon the previously mentioned idea, “Individuals returning home from prison have been shaped by their offending and substance abuse histories, their work skills and job histories, their mental and physical health, their prison experiences, and their attitudes, beliefs, and personality traits.” (Travis, Visher pg 91) Travis and Visher are not specifically referring to employers, but that is where most discrimination on ex-convicts occurs simply from the section on the work application that asks if one has ever had any trouble with the law. Any person who has to check that box must feel discouraged in some way. One may argue that having an ex-convict in their work place will cause uneasy tensions...
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...A case Analysis for “Does this milk shake taste funny?? “ For RKC MBA, Unit # 1, Assignment # 3 Class #442 - MBA 57597 - Organisational Behaviour Analysis: There are four things / persons involved in this situation; we must go thru all these characters. 1) Paul 2) George 3) The Eastern Dairy company 4) The Union & Colleagues Paul has taken the head of operators / production for the night shift. The other operators are following for the plan and production even though he is in the same position with others. His main objective is to produce at any quality and clean up the pipes before end of the shift George looks a social person & friendly nature with other colleagues. This nature he might have been learnt from local teenage gathering place ( a drive in restaurant)). He is a loving nature person (We come to know from his romance with Cathey). His family looks old convention & tradition family. He is not high achiever, is not interested in the studies even his parents are ready to support. He took menial jobs in the past summers and not a challenging job. He took Eastern Dairy job for money that he needs for dating & for car (physiological & social needs).He likes excitement and challenge, as we can see that he has interest in Hot Cars. Eastern Dairy company looks a good pay master (with this many employees may stick to longer years by motivated with good pay scale). The company has given a free hand to the night shift operators, no manager for the night shift. The day shift...
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...ASSESSMENT INFORMATION PACKAGE – EXAM 473 Copyright © 2010 U. S. Postal Service Contents • Preparing for the Examination • What to Expect in the Exam Room • Obligation to Provide Reasonable Accommodation for Qualified Applicants with a Disability • Frequently Asked Questions • Sample Test Questions Preparing for the Examination Read all the information in this package. Come to the test physically and mentally prepared. Get a good night’s sleep. On the day of the test, you will need to arrive at the testing center 15 minutes prior to the beginning of your appointment to allow time for the check-in process. Be sure to leave yourself enough time for traffic, finding the test center location, parking, and getting to the exam room. What to Expect in the Exam Room Upon arrival, you will be required to present one piece of state or U.S. Federal Government issued photo ID as specified in your appointment confirmation email. If you are a current USPS employee, you may bring your USPS ID badge. You will not be permitted to take the assessment if you do not present an ID meeting the stated requirements. Personal items are not allowed in the testing room. This includes all electronic devices such as cell phones, pagers, and PDAs. Please do not bring any unnecessary personal items to your assessment appointment as storage may not be available. We also ask that you not have anyone accompany you into the test center as there is not adequate space for visitors...
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...READ THIS ARTICLE BEFORE READING THE BNB CASE UNEQUAL TREATMENT ALIENATING CUSTOMERS ISN’T ALWAYS A BAD IDEA, MANY FIRMS DISCOVER Banks, Others Base Service On Whether an Account Is Profitable or a Drain ‘Redlining in the Worst Form’ By Rick Brooks Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal CHARLOTTE, N.C.–Fielding phone calls at First Union Corp.’s huge customer service center here, Amy Hathcock is surrounded by reminders to deliver the personal touch. Televisions hang from the ceiling so she can glance at the Weather Channel to see if her latest caller just came in from the rain; a bumper sticker in her cubicle encourages, “Practice random kindness & senseless acts of beauty.” But when it comes to answering yes or no to a customer who wants a lower credit card interest rate or to escape the bank’s $28 bounced-check fee, there is nothing random about it. The service all depends on the color of a tiny square—green, yellow or red—that pops up on Ms. Hathcock’s computer screen next to the customer’s name. For customers who get a red pop-up, Ms. Hathcock rarely budges; these are the ones whose accounts lose money for the bank. Green means the customers generate hefty profits for First Union and should be granted waivers. Yellow is for in-between customers: There’s a chance to negotiate. The bank’s computer system, called “Einstein,” takes just 15 seconds to pull up the ranking on a customer, using a formula that First Union declines to detail of minimum balances...
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...I work as a trainee for E-Solutions a recently established local company specialising in E-Commerce consultancy and in design implementation and hosting of E-Commerce websites for small local businesses. E Solutions has a potential new client a clothes manufacturing business called Trends which is considering an E-Commerce website. I have been asked to meet with the managing directors at Trends to explain the benefits and drawbacks of an E-commerce website. The benefits of introducing an E-Commerce system to the organisation of Trends clothing would be a huge benefit to their business. The reason is because it will give the company additional source of revenue via a marketing and distribution channel. They would have fewer overheads like no expansive or employee costs, phone, insurance power or any other bills that they would deal with on a regular basis. For Trends clothing company having an E-Commerce business it would be open 24 hours a day seven days a week. Having the website there customers don’t have to travel long distances no more to get to their store as the E-Commerce will allow them to visit the store with just a few clicks away. With being online your store will be global and anyone with an internet connection can visit your store. They can sell to customers from anywhere around the world no matter what their time zone is that they live in. The customer can also locate the product a lot quicker and there is no pushing a trolley about to get up to the checkout...
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...OBSERVATION STUDY AT BATA SHOWROOM This study aims at identifying how young men and women make the purchase decision in footwear purchases by observing young customers at Bata outlets. The store chosen for this particular study is Bata store located at MG Road Ernakulum. Introduction Company Profile-Bata India ltd manufactures and markets all type of footwear components, leather and product allied to footwear trade. It is headquartered in Calcutta. Bata India Pvt ltd was originally promoted by Bata Shoe Company Pvt ltd from Switzerland. It became public in 1973 and changed into Bata India Ltd. Bata store across the country are company owned outlets which is categorized mainly into 3 types 1. Flagship Store 2. Family Store 3. Bazar Store Flagship store are located in malls, high street with an estimated average purchase per customer of Rs 2250-/. The family store on the other hand are placed in location were an average purchase per customer is estimated around Rs 1000/-, bazar store are generally located in huge markets where a 365 day discounts are provided. This study was conducted in a Flagship store located at MG Road Ernakulum. This store caters all sub-brands of Bata which ranges from the premium brand of Hush-Pupppies to Bubblegummers for kids. Bata has wide range of products which caters a large group of customer ranging from kids to old men and women’s. Bata has different sub-brands among itself which caters different set of its customers. Apart from...
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...CURRICULUM VITAE _______________________________________________________________________ Dinh Thi Thanh Tam No. 60, Hien Vuong Street, Phu Thanh Ward Tan Phu Dist, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam Cell phone: 093.799.9089 Email: dinh.thanhtam146@gmail.com Career Objectives Seeking the positions in Bank and Import/Export Company such as: Trade operations officer Trade product development officer Trade Sales Import/Export officer to utilize my credentials and professional experience in a prestigious organization. Core Professional strengths International settlement, trade finance services and other banking operations experiences Knowledge of treasury, remittance, UCP600, ISBP681 Knowledge in Banking and finance industry Good interpersonal and communication skill Having team spirit and willingness to learn Good planning and organization skill Serious and careful Adopting quickly with new environment Working well under high pressure Problem solving skill Strong integrity and self motivation High sense of responsibility Good command of various computer programs and applications Educational Qualifications and Training Achieved Executive Master of Business Administration in Finance and Banking Diploma, awarded by University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, 2009 2011. Grade: Good Achieved Bachelor Degree in Banking and Finance, Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City, 2002 - 2006. Grade: Good Participated in many internal training...
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...The Enron Scandal Case Study FACTS OF THE CASE Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Enron's predecessor was the Northern Natural Gas Company, which was formed during 1932, in Omaha, Nebraska. It was reorganized during 1979 as the main subsidiary of a holding company, Inter-North which was a diversified energy and energy related products company. During 1985, it bought the smaller and less diversified Houston Natural Gas company > Employed approximately 20,000 staff > One of the world's major electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies. > Revenues of nearly $40.1 billion. Enron was almost universally considered one of the country's most innovative companies. The company continued to build power plants and operate gas lines, but it became better known for its unique trading businesses. Enron’s Line of Business Enron was originally involved in transmitting and distributing electricity and natural gas throughout the United States. The company developed, built, and operated power plants and pipelines while dealing with rules of law and other infrastructures worldwide. Enron owned a large network of natural gas pipelines, which stretched ocean to ocean and border to border. Enron Corporation represented one of the largest fraud scandals in history. As a result of the fraud investigations, the company was forced to file for bankruptcy in December 2001. Enron was “a provider...
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...COMMENTARY ON CFPB REPORT: DATA POINT: CHECKING ACCOUNT OVERDRAFT G. Michael Flores, Bretton Woods, Inc. Todd J. Zywicki, George Mason University School of Law George Mason University Law and Economics Research Paper Series 14-45 This paper is available on the Social Science Research Network at http://ssrn.com/abstract=2499716 Commentary: CFPB Report Data Point: Checking Account Overdraft September 2014 G. Michael Flores and Todd J. Zywicki About the Authors G. Michael Flores is CEO of Bretton Woods, Inc. (www.bretton-woods.com) and is a researcher and business adviser who has studied financial services companies and consumer credit in general for over 30 years, with a particular focus on “alternative” credit programs for the last 10 years. Since 1995 he has been actively involved in advising banks seeking to establish their overdraft programs. He has written and published research papers on consumer credit in the United States and the United Kingdom, as well as papers on payments, including general-purpose reloadable and payroll prepaid cards. Based on these studies, he has testified before several House and Senate subcommittees and spoken to industry groups. He has also authored articles for industry publications. He is a faculty member with Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington in Seattle. Todd J. Zywicki is George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law and a senior scholar with the Mercatus Center at George Mason...
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...How Can Technology Help Law Enforcement in the United State of America Combat Crime Name Institution Organized crime has been a serious concern in the Unites States America for numerous years. The Mafia group was the first known to be an organized crime gang. The Mafia has been powerful organized crime group existed since the 1970’s. The group was known to be planning on how to hijack the people of the United State of America. Technology can help fight organized crimes and safeguard the United States of America. The United States believes that people planning criminal activities should exist in countries that are not stable or rather be in countries that are always in conflict within the nation. The third world countries are the most affected. The main reason is because the countries lack modern and insufficient lawmakers and law enforcement personnel. These countries are not able to purchase the modern technology to fight organized crimes. The agenda should be able to share the intelligence information among the neighboring countries to allow safety and peace among the neighboring countries. The united states should form a network of anti crime which can spread and affect the country's stability and even the neighboring European States. Through technology, sharing information about group crime and mostly the most wanted groups to make work easier to track the criminal groups New technology helps in doing research.The research technology can help in enhancing...
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...1.Cycling can often be the cheapest (and greenest) way to travel around London and is also a great way to visit the city. However roads in London can be dangerous and we advise you to use cycle Cnes where they are available. Transport for London offer free and subsided cycle training for beginners and more experienced cyclist in most London Boroughs. 2. + 18 Student Oyster Photocard. Oyster cards are the cheapest way to pay for single fare journeys on the underground, buses, DLR and some trains in London. In conjuction with Transport for London (TFL) , full time students can apply online for a TPL Students Oyster Photocard which entitles the holder to buy student-rate Travel cards and Bus&Tram Pass season tickets valid for 7 days, one month or longer periods, which cost 30% less than adult-rate season tickets. In order to apply online for your photocard you will need:: 1.Your credit/debit card number and expiry date. 2.A digital photograph of yourself. 3.Your student number. 4.The cost for each application is £10 . London Underground (Tube) Map A design classic, the Tube map makes navigating London's Tube network simple. This easy-to-use London travel map includes a key to all the stations featured as well as the six fare Zones. As a student, depending on your individual circumstances accommodation options are various starting from leaving with the parents which is definitely the cheapest option to renting your very own place. If you have...
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...AS RESEARCH METHODS (UNIT 3) REVISION NOTES A. QUALITATIVE PRIMARY SOURCES (Used by Interpretivists) CASE STUDIES |Advantages |Disadvantages | |Enables you to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of a group under |Not possible to generalize on the basis of its findings. Solutions = carry | |study (Ken Pryce = single West Indian Community in Bristol. Blackman |out a number of case studies of the same type of phenomenon (Zuboff ’88 = | |(’97) = detailed study of homeless in Brighton.) |case studies of 8 organizations to discover the impact of I.T.) | |Generate new hypothesis which can be tested against other data or in | | |later studies (P. Willis = produced a no. of hypothesis about the | | |relationship between education & capitalist societies.) | | LIFE HISTORIES |Advantages |Disadvantages | |Allows the researcher to see the world from the social actor’s point of |Questions raised about the accuracy...
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...JUST FOR FEET, INC. CASE STUDY QUESTIONS 1) Prepare common-sized balance sheets and income statements for Just for Feet for the period 1996-1998. Also, compute key liquidity, solvency, activity, and profitability ratios for 1997-1998. Given these data, comment on what you believe were the high-risk financial statement items for the 1998 Just for Feet audit. 2) Just for Feet operated large, high-volume retail stores. Identify internal control risks common to such businesses. How should these risks affect the audit planning decisions for such a client? Some internal controls risks common to high-volume retail stores would be theft of inventory, inventory accounting methods, false accounts receivable confirmations, separation of duties, authorization controls, information processing controls, physical controls. These risks should affect audit planning by focusing tests of these controls including: checking for safekeeping of documents, making sure there is a proper segregation of duties to avoid theft and misstatements, ensuring all transactions are authorized by management, looking closely at A/R confirmations, and the inventory accounting methods used. 3) Just for feet operated in an extremely competitive industry, or sub industry. Identify inherent risk factors common to businesses facing such completive conditions. How should these risks affect the audit planning decisions for such a client? Inherent risks for extremely competitive industries would...
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