Art Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Art Class - Essay Example American art tend to be more inclined towards presenting self-determination, achievement and liberation of the colonies. However, American art was always overshadowed by the European art and was popular at that time contrary to popular belief. Consequently, Romanticism focused more on emotions, paint textures, and highlights to truly capture the heart of action and emotion. American art is more modern compared to the Renaissance art and European art. The American colonial period consisted of portraits as colonists wanted to establish their identity in the new world. Undoubtedly, this picture is not achromatic as it uses very light colors. From my perspective, it seems as if it is American art since it is very cosmopolitan. There are countless ways of describing a work of art and great depths of one’s expressions and mines of creativity In this particular image, the artist clearly has been extremely creative from every angle and touch. This graphic is a great image as it depicts a typical hand brush that is utilized for cleaning purposes. The brush itself is painted in a very elegant manner with amazing finish. Every bristle is clear and gives the feeling of cleanliness to the audience. Furthermore, the bristles variation in color is a clear depiction of a unique style that the artist has embraced. From my perspective, it seems that the bristles are made using very thin rods of sheets that are strong and durable. The most interesting aspect about this image is the fact that the bristles are very clear. The dustbin in this image is blue and resembles the one that is used for regular housecleaning purposes. The background colors are very solid and in essence truly bring the hue of light and dark c olors. The assimilation of colors is truly the embodiment of modern day art with clear pixels and each color dot being unique. Truly, the brushing was conducted in an elusive manner which

Cambodia Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cambodia - Assignment Example cribed as a third-world nation, its people poor and most towns ragged and dirty but its natural beauty and ancient architecture make it a tourist destination. Angkor Wat, located in province of Siem Reap, was built in the 1200’s to honor the god Vishnu. It served as the capital and state temple of the Khmer Empire, an ancient nation that was almost as large as all of present day Southeast Asia. Discovered by French explorers during the 18th Century, the ancient structure of Angkor Wat (translated as â€Å"Temple City†) is considered one of the Eight Wonders of the World. The height of classical Khmer architectural style and grandeur, Angkor Wat is a national symbol appearing prominently on the Cambodian flag. The Killing Fields refer to several places where massive numbers of people were massacred and buried by the Khmer Rouge, a regime that took control following the Cambodian Revolution in the mid-‘70’s. By the end of its reign of terror in 1979 more than a million had been brutally butchered, people considered dangerous such as intellectuals and those aligned with the previous government. (â€Å"Travel and T ourism,†2001). Tourism has made a comeback in Cambodia following the end of political unrest in neighboring Thailand two years ago. Many tourists, about one-third, enter Cambodia through Bangkok, Thailand. The government is promoting ecotourism, both encouraging visitors while sustaining the natural beauty and quiet serenity of its more than 800 ancient temples. Tourists enjoy both daytime and nighttime excursions of Cambodian temples and other heritage sites. What may be the more attractive feature of Cambodia are the areas that have yet to be discovered. The city of Sihanoukville, located on the shores of the Gulf of Thailand has recently become a tourist destination. The government reopened the airport there and is redeveloping the city in addition to encouraging the building of hotels, shopping centers and a casino that opened just last year.

Brand sense Essay Example for Free

Brand sense Essay In measuring the Brand Experience of the target segment, companies focus on the response and understanding of their customers and their reactions on the part of the particular five senses while handling the brand in question. Further, this array of experiences of the customer reveals the perception of the user extending the issue to question the self; about the identity or for using a certain brand, what image the customer gets about the self. Speaking strictly, who am I? This is a kind question that seeks the image or the perceived image of the person; thus, the personality. Relating the perceived image of the user and the brand in use; Brand Personality of the brand can be derived. In this entire process the essence of a brand can be identified by using different senses for different kinds of brand with need and experience of different customers, the employees involved with the brand and the particular target segments. To make a cross-section of this marketing idea; the unique presentation of the senses and the allied questions to the brand, can be observed in the brand sensory wheel that segregates the divisions of the total composition of the senses (Brand Sense, 2001). Source: Harvest Consulting Group LLC. The discovery of the sensory approach has enabled companies to unfold the essence of the current service and the possibilities of the future avenues. Author has logisised this that it will enrich the brand loyalty and makes the existing relationship deeper. Behind this happening, the five senses can play a crucial role. To know the fate of a brand conducting the sensory audit is a vital step to forecast the brand’s multiplication power on its sensory touch point. Ascertaining the brand’s stimuli, enhancement, and bonding capabilities, decides the execution of the above knowledge. The essence of this approach is the simple fundamental of including more senses to make the brand base stronger. We also follow this while evaluating the brand and its surroundings too. To explain, a visual encounter of Starbucks retail follows the suite bellow: Sight: Brand logo on building, cups, and bags Sight/Sound: Uniform and customer approach Sight/Sound/Touch: Interior aesthetics (sofa, colors, wall paper, music) Smell/Taste: Distinct aroma of freshly ground coffee This process also unveils the concept of smashability factor, which measures the strength of an individual sense for a brand and hoe much impact it can give. A real-time example of the application of the auditory sense reflects from the recent transformation of the Cadillac brand. For the hard penetration of the European and Japanese car makers into the American luxury car segment, Cadillac Source: brand papers. had to bear the burn of declining sales figure during late 80s and early 90s. To retrieve the brand from the grip of the downward graph, the same has been assessed, disassembled, reassembled, and re-positioned by late 90s. To do so, the brand invested in molecule analysis to create a new meaning to its design and market preference. This entire process has remodelled the brand from its â€Å"grandpa drove into a fast, sexy, and desirable product† concept to the recent Caddy commercial with Led Zeppelin playing â€Å"been a long time† that blaring out from the speaker (Brand papers, 2009). the innovation of the sensory branding has opened a plethora of concepts to associate the brand with the target group and it has no end to create feel factors. This is because, the central theme of this process is entirely depending on the nature, which again is the adobe of the man kind. Reference Brand Sense.(2001). Building Brands with Sensory Experiences. New York: Harvest Consulting Group LLC. Brand papers. (2009). Sensory Approach. Retrieved March 14, 2009, from http://images. google. com/imgres? imgurl=http://www. brandchannel. com/images/papers/272_gm_flagship_cl. gifimgrefurl=http://www. brandchannel. com/papers_review. asp%3Fsp_id%3D680usg=__eiohIvWqTVwC7vNmelzj2n_t4JQ=h=315w=400sz=52hl=enstart=14um=1tbnid=Ny3PU6pNRmcVVM:tbnh=98tbnw=124prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbrand%2Bsense%252BMartin%2BLindstrom%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26um%3D1 Lindstrom, M. (2005). Brand Sense: Build Powerful Brands through Touch, Taste, Smell, Sight, and Sound. New York: Simon Schuster Adult Publishing Group. Additional Reading Johnson, L. and Learned, A. (2004). Dont think pink: what really makes women buyand how to increase your share of this crucial market. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Ornbo, J. ; Sneppen, C. and Wurtz, P. F. (2008). Experience-Based Communication (illustrated). Springer.

Key Communication Issues Of Interracial Relationships Cultural Studies Essay

Key Communication Issues Of Interracial Relationships Cultural Studies Essay What are some key communication issues of interracial friendships? Interracial friendships provide a context of equality in which intergroup differences may be addressed to reduce prejudice and conflict. Measures of the extent of interracial friendships also reflect the state of race relations in a society, capturing the positive feelings between group members rather than the negative sentiment so often emphasized in studies of racial attitudes. When friendships cut across racial lines, they represent a form of bonding capital and a form of bridging capital (Samovar Porter, 1994). There are several communication issues which arise in interracial friendships, and these may cause communication barriers among friends (Samovar Porter, 1994). The first issue is language, and this may prove to be a communication barrier if interracial friends do not adequately understand each others language. This may serve to affect the friendship, as they will not be able to understand each other. Another issue that may arise relates to culture. Differences in perception of culture, especially if friends see issues from different viewpoints, may be a barrier to communication. This issue is more pronounced when there are inherent differences in religious views, by friends from different religions. Finally, differences in ideologies of perception of life between interracial friends may act as a barrier to effective communication. Some people are conservative while others are liberal, and when such friends are having conversation, this might degenerate into conflict due to different views and opinions. This happens if the friends are not accommodating the other person s opinions. 2. What are some key communication issues of interracial romantic relationships? Although interracial and intercultural romantic relationships have been present throughout history, they have rarely been culturally encouraged or even accepted. In fact, these relationships have often been prohibited. Ultimately, however, an increase in racial and/or ethnic diversity within the United States should cause a corresponding increase in interracial and intercultural dating and marriage, eventually promoting greater acceptance of these relationships (Gudykunst Kim, 1992). There are several communication issues which arise in interracial relationships , and these may cause conflicts among couples (Gudykunst Kim, 1992). Similar to interracial friendships , language can prove to be a communication barrier if interracial couples do not adequately understand each others language . They may be unable to communicate effectively , and this may harm their relationship . Similarly , differences in perception of culture may be another communication issue in interracial romantic relationships. Although many communication issues are the same across all romantic relationships, these relationship must also contend with issues of discrimination and identity. In interracial romantic relationships, the partners are aware of social disapproval. In some instances they are alienated from friends and families. They are required to consider social and historical forces concerning race and sexual identity in ways that other couples are not. Their communication behaviors reflect these concerns. Romantic relationships and the communication that occurs within them vary widely. Cultural scripts guide how people conduct conversations in romantic relationships, too. The factors include individual differences like love style and the degree of security or certainty about the relationship, as well as contextual considerations like geographic distance and social sanctions. 3. How can computer mediated communication (CMC) can both facilitate and hinder intercultural relationships? Computer-mediated communication (CMC) refers to human-human interaction via the computer. Some of the popular applications of CMC are email, instant messaging (IM), chat rooms, bulletin boards, and newsgroups. Compared to face-to-face (FtF) communication, CMC liberates communicators from the need to be physically co-present and thus from the consequent influence of nonverbal cues. Although some theorists and researchers argue that CMC-based intercultural relationships cannot be as rich as those formed in FtF encounters, others have identified ways in which CMC can actually increase intimacy among intercultural relationships. Research findings suggest that under Computer-mediated communication (CMC), intercultural contact can lead to reduced prejudice and positive attitude change (Klak Martin, 2003; Rubin Lannutti, 2001). These kinds of discussion facilitate person to fully describe and interpret the intercultural world and experiences in which they live. online discussions can provide a dialogic starting point for connecting with persons lived experiences- their own and others. online discussions facilitate dialogic learning is that they provide a comfortable venue in which people can explore controversial and/or ambivalent feelings about intercultural topics. People may not offer their true voices and experience on these issues in face-to-face discussions due to the fear of creating incommensurable or irreconcilable differences or because of a social desirability issue. However, the filtering out of nonverbal cues, not being able to see the reactions of others, or the identity characteristics (age, gender, race etc) that may hinder communication-makes everyone feel more at ease. 4. Define popular culture. Popular culture could be defined as sets of values, beliefs, trends or modes of symbolic expression readily available to and acknowledged by the masses (McCluskey, 2006). Popular culture is opposite from high culture which is widely accepted by high class and usually considered of great value and does not attempt to appeal the crowds attention. on the contrary, popular culture is wildly liked and propagated by the public, with the aim of attracting publics attention and making profits. As Williams (1976) expounded, popular means being seen from the point of view of the people rather than from those seeking favour or power over them. In addition, popular culture is different from folk culture which is more ethnic and traditional while popular culture usually has nothing to do with outmoded and it only deals with what is in fashion. Popular culture was spread by commercial need. The products from popular culture such as films, magazines and fashionable dress are all goods merchants use for profit-making. From this point of view, commercial destination is a distinct from other forms of culture among popular cultures identities. Since popular culture was born, an indispensable friend of it which is so-called mass media has been accompanying with it, including newspapers, television, radio and internet. obviously, people have to use, at least one kind of mass media when they feel like learning news, searching something in the latest fad and keeping in touch with others. It infers that mass media is something like ligament and support of popular culture. Another characteristic of popular culture is that it is often adopted by young people, almost the monopoly of the youth. Consequently expressions of popular culture in everyday life are always exciting and fashionable, such as Hip-hop and Bungee jumping. Also, most enthusiasts of fast food, short text message and rock n music are youth. Young people enjoy themselves in popular culture with no doubts. 5. How can cultural group portrayals in popular culture forms influence intercultural communication? In the international arena, scholars have turned to the notions of cultural imperialism developed in 1920s in the critique of popular culture, especially U.S. domination of the resources and media market in the world and its implications on intercultural communication (Condon Yousef, 1975). These scholars believe that people are informed about other cultures from popular media and cultural products. The media representations of other cultures can be used to remove the misconceptions and stereotypes of other cultures. one of the incredible uses of popopular culture as medium of intercultural communications is hidden behind its own cultural icons. The cultural role-models, could be distinguish to be based on two types real and fictitious (Gudykunst Kim, 1992) Popular culture icons can penetrate in the cultural communication on a multi-ethnic multi-cultural level. The first level is the representation of the real life, success stories, of a few dozens of people who are incredibly blessed and through their work and dedication had managed to achieve an international fame and glory. The vast wealth that they had acquired in the process is there just there to complement their stardom stature. Their real power, at lest in the context of pop-culture, is their ability to communicate and moreover to reach their followers through the world, a loyal army of supporters ready at all times to spend parts of their often moderated income on products or memorabilia with which to add to the financial wealth of their role-models, celebrities of different status ex: actresses musicians etc. The perfect example of the popular icons could be the one of the most controversial celebrities Madonna. She had undergone, different image transformation, form a boy-toy playgirl in the 80s through a flamboyant queer/gay culture supporter to a loving and down to earth mother in a matter of few decades. However, throughout all stages of her constant image change she had mange sharply to influence cultural change trough out the globe and to raise and promote and established new ideas and social values. The role of the popular icons as a role models, should not been underestimated, as that power is by far the most useful tool which the pop culture posses as the means of intercultural communication. 6. How does the media portray racialized others? Through media people are taught and reminded of their social position by all three kinds of representation-race, gender, ethnicity, and sexuality. Gender, race, and sexuality are all part of an interlinked system of representation that helps describe and define who has power in relationship to others. In this interlocking system, some are constructed as having power and dominance, and others are depicted as being powerless and submissive, and sometimes subservient. The subordination of some is requisite for the empowerment of others. In this world of media representations, visible differences are highlighted and some time accentuated so as to clarify who has power and who does not. Whiteness comes to having meaning in relation to the representation of racialized others. As the late Ruth Frankenberg suggested, whiteness is a product of negative difference; people come to understand themselves as white through a process by which they know who they are by what they are not. Another way of saying this in relation to Asia and Asian Americans is that whiteness becomes meaningful when contrasted to Asianess. Whiteness is therefore a default racial identity, an identity that does not come from the inside so much as being define by what is not observed to be constitutive of the other. 7. What are some recommendations to increase diversity in media, particularly according to gender, race, ethnicity, and physical ability? Historically, the media relied on stereotypes to attract the largest possible audience, thus they reinforced rather than challenged the attitudes of society. The left maintains stereotypical depictions and coverage emphasizing minorities are problems that remain. Studies show African Americans and Hispanics are still more likely to believe the media are biased in their coverage of race and ethnicity than whites, supporting the notion the media are skewed right (Gonzalez et al., 2004). Native Americans are often portrayed as stoic warriors. News and entertainment coverage of Native Americans reinforces the notion that their cultures are almost dead, as current issues are rarely addressed and they are often depicted in traditional garb. Asian men are most often depicted as martial arts experts, while Asian women suffer from too-frequent portrayals as geishas. Women in all media are portrayed as being in relationships rather than careers and as seeking romance more frequently than male characters on television and in film; in essence, the media stresses their domestic interests. The dominant ideology of gender coverage is patriarchal. Today, the representation of many minority groups in media remains small for the population and representation of all groups remains somewhat inaccurate or restricted but strides continue. 8. What are the characteristics of intercultural conflict? Intercultural conflict occurs because of an individuals lack of knowledge regarding external cultural norms and values. Neither of these individuals communicated effectively with each other and the messages conveyed were not as the communicator intended. This created a sense of vulnerability and frustration for both the parties involved (Jameson, 2007). The major characteristics of intercultural conflict are the following: (1) conflict involves intercultural perceptionsperceptions are filtered through our lenses of ethnocentrism and stereotypes, and perceptions color our conflict attribution process; (2) conflict involves interactionconflict is sustained and managed via verbal and nonverbal behaviors, and verbal and nonverbal behaviors are culture-bound concepts; (3) conflict involves interdependencefor a conflict to arise, the behavior of one or both parties must have consequences for the other, for otherwise the conflict parties can walk away from each other easily; (4) conflict involves both self-interest and mutual-interest goalsconflict is a mixed-up and incomplete jigsaw puzzle, both parties needing something from each other in order to complete the entire picture; and (5) conflict involves the protection of intergroup imagesin an intercultural or intergroup conflict situation, conflict parties have to worry about protecting b oth individual and group-based images. 9. What are the contextual sources of interracial/ethnic conflict? Interracial/ethnic conflict is a dynamic process; any one episode is typically the result of multiple sources of conflict (Hall and Mildred, 1987). In other words, conflict can simultaneously involve personal and cultural issues. In order to provide insight into how conflict often becomes racialized, we describe various sources of interracial/ethnic conflicts. Improper communication is a key source of intercultural anxiety and disagreement. The communication process is quite different among other cultures by how, when and why something is said. Communicating to one group may have different meaning to another based on tone, facial expression or nonverbal indicators. These ideas consist of a persons communication style. Miscommunication can happen when an individual communication styles are unique from someone else. In todays diverse workplace, we may have to deal with a co worker whose communication style differs from ours. Learning effectively to communicate among all different cultures is essential regardless of our line of work. For example, arguing, in some cultures is normal, others it is an unfriendly behavior, and for some the argument is highly emotional. Some cultures characteristics might be more reserve while another tends to be more forward in communication. In some cases, a cultures frankness, and values, such as telling it like it is while other groups maintain harmony. A persons accent varies greatly especially within the same language. We should not pre judge ones accent and make assumptions about that persons background. 10. What is the relationship between ethnicity, gender, religion, and conflict communication? Conflicts often arise in any form of relationship. Whether be in an intimate relationship between a husband and wife, employee with a co-employee, superior officer and employee, friend and friend, parents and children, teacher and student, brother and brother, and so many other relationships. In our lives, we often face many conflicts and disagreement on certain issues (Gudykunst and Young, 1992). These conflicts and disagreement are often based on different ethnicity, gender or religion. But even with the existence of conflicts, there are good ways for conflict communication resolution. Conflict communication does not mean that you have to sacrifice your principles; it simply requires one to come to a point to recognize the other persons view, respect it and to further avoid another conflict communication in the future. Any conflict communication must be resolved at the earliest time to prevent further injury to both parties. Although at times, this is not easy for either party, it is still the best way to do it. When there is an impending conflict communication, the best remedy is to talk and not to wait for any future time to settle a conflict. Because of the busy lives of most persons today, conflict communication is often times unavoidable. However, this could be solved and apprehended immediately as long as you keep an open mind to it. Conflict communication should be seen as a means to enhance relationships by finding out a conflict, giving solutions to it and building stronger and better relationships between two different ethnicities, genders, religions.

Presentation of satire in Brave New World Essay -- essays research pap

Analyse the passage (John the Savage in the hospital); discern presentation of satire and how it is wrought. In Brave New World Huxley is targeting consumer, materialistic attitudes that existed in his time (and still do today) and extrapolating, then projecting them into the world that is the World State, to serve as a warning to society of the consequences of these attitudes. The passage in question is from Chapter XIV of Huxley’s Brave New World, and more specifically features the incident in which the ‘Savage’, John, visits his dying mother at a hospital, and subsequently instigates a riot because of soma, which he abhors. The drug, soma, in particular is emblematic in its pervasive influence into the World State, of the power of technology and ‘ignorance is bliss’ outlook over science and it’s ideal as a search for truth. Soma is embraced by the populace as a means of instant gratification, embodied by such hypnopaedic platitudes as ‘One cubic centimetre cures 10 gloomy sentiments’ or ‘A gramme is always better than a damn’, drilled into the subconscious of the people, having ‘heard the words repeated 150 times every night for 12 years’. ‘Christianity without tears’ is how Mustapha Mond describes soma, contrasting with the Savage’s view that ‘the tears are necessary’ as displayed in the passage. The first satirical irony of the passage is that John is indeed referred to as a ‘Savage’, whereas the model of humanity shown by John stemming from Shakespeare’s presentatio...

Fate in Shakespeares King Lear :: King Lear essays

Fate in King Lear "There's a divinity that shapes our ends, rough hew them how we will." These words from Hamlet are echoed, even more pessimistically, in Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of King Lear where Gloucester says: "Like flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods, they kill us for their sport". In Lear, the characters are subjected to the various tragedies of life over and over again. An abundance of cyclic imagery in Lear shows that good people are abused and wronged regardless of their own noble deeds or intentions. Strapped to a wheel of fire, humans suffer and endure, prosper and decline, their very existence imaged as a voyage out and a return. The movement from childhood to age and back again, the many references to fortune whose wheel spins humans downward even as it lifts, the abundance of natural cycles which are seen as controlling experience, even perhaps the movement of play itself from order to chaos to restoration of order to division again. Throughout the text, the movements of celestial bodies are used to account for human action and misfortune. Just as the stars in their courses are fixed in the skies, so do the characters view their lives as caught in a pattern they have no power to change. Lear sets the play in motion in banishing Cordelia when he swears "by all the operation of the orbs from whom we exist and cease to be" that his decision "shall not be revoked". How like the scene in Julius Caesar wherein Caesar says "For I am constant as the Northern star" Lear vows to be resolute but dies regretting his decision at the hands of his daughters who claim love him "more than word can wield" and are "alone felicitate" in his presence. That Edmund disbelieves in the influence of the stars adds to the play's recurring theme that part of our fate is our character; that we choose our lot in life by how we choose to act. Similarly, in Lear Gloucester's feelings predict what is to come when he says "These late eclipses of the sun and moon portend no good..." And because of this Gloucester begins to envision a world where "Love cools, friendship falls off, brothers divide..." While his father misunderstands the importance of the celestial bodies, his bastard son, Edmund denies the importance of the movements of the heavenly bodies. He calls it "an excellent foppery" to "make guilty of our disasters the sun, the moon and stars." (Just as in Julius Caesar we learn that "... The fault .

Creating a culture of Customer Care Essay

1. Good customer care is vital for the success of the centre as the businesses success revolves around the customers, without the customers there would be no business. The benefits for the business of good customer care are – * It gains a positive reputation (which means that people will spread through word of mouth that they received excellent customer service and will recommend the business to their friends and family) * Creates a client base ( Builds a relationship between the client and the business) * Repeat Business (Customers will be so pleased with the high quality of the service provided to them that they will return in the future and recommend the business to family and friends. The benefits to the staff are – * Incentives/bonuses ( for their hard work, commitment to the company and providing excellent customer service to customers) * Job security/ promotions/less pay offs and redundancies ( As the client base expands, the manager of the business may promote people due to their hard work or provide them with job security. The benefits for the customer are – * Satisfaction (The customer would be happy with the product or service provided by the business and feel like a valued customer, they would the return to the business and build a relationship with the business, therefore resulting in them feeling a certain loyalty to the business and purchasing from them often and recommending them to friends and family. * Aftercare ( If there are any problems with the product, the business can provide a solution such as an exchange, refund, advice and returns etc. 2. Internal customers are departments or co-workers within an organisation that may help or give information to other departments to help provide a product or service to an external customer. (E.g. human resources, funding, credit control, stakeholders, employees, shareholders) External customer is a person or business who is not directly linked to the business and is interested in the business and would like to purchase goods or services from the business. (E.g. joiner, builder, consumer, student) The connection between the internal customer and external customer is called the chain of service. The better you treat your internal customers, the better external service you will get. 3. The organisational structure and management best suited to supporting effective customer care is a shorter and flatter one as it allows an easy flow of communication (chain of command) there are less people to consult with and the chance of miscommunication if lower than in a tall structure. It will support effective customer care as the lower level employees can give direct feedback from the customers to management easily and complaints can be dealt with quickly and promptly, it will help the business improve and grow and the customers will gain satisfaction as there feedback will be heard. 4. Empowerment is giving the lower level employees the initiative and power to make decisions on their own without consulting a manager or higher ranking employee within boundaries. It gives the employee a sense of power and save the employees troubling superiors and pulling them from their important duties. It can increase profit within the business and give employees more responsibility. Empowerment helps achieve good customer service as it gives the employees the power to make decisions a high ranked employee would, it gives the employee confidence and authority. It prevents the customer standing around while the employee consults with a manager about a decision that’s to be made and it gives the customer faith in the employee as the employee doesn’t have to consult a manager. Total quality management is an approach that seeks improvement of quality and performance which will exceed or match the customers expectations. The flatter the organisational structure the more empower that employees will receive therefore giving them a higher level of responsibility and decision making, which relieves the managers of the tasks of making less important decisions. 5. The key factors that will contribute to excellent customer service within the visitor centre are – * Staff (staff that have the knowledge to assist and treat customers, have attended regular training courses, are friendly and willing to help) * Feedback forms ( for customers to complete so that the business can see how the improve their customer service so they can strive to do better) * Events/Fun days ( to encourage new clients/visitors) * Customer Aftercare (exchanges, returns and refunds) * Leaflets (alerting visitors of different events that will be taking places) * Following up telephone calls/ emails * Product knowledge * Advice on purchases The strategies that I would suggest for dealing with complaints would be – Let a trained member of staff knowledgeable(empathetic, compassionate and sympathetic) that deals with complaints to deal with the customer. * Log complaint * Apologize for the inconvenience * Propose a solution * Offer compensation Face to face * Let a trained member of staff knowledgeable(empathetic, compassionate and sympathetic) that deals with complaints to deal with the customer. * Take customer into a private room ( to provide them with privacy and confidentiality) * Log the complaint * Apologize for the inconvenience * Propose a solution * Offer compensation Customer Aftercare is the care that the customer receives after they make a purchase (good or service) with a company. Customer care includes returns, refunds, exchange and warranty. Customer Aftercare contributes to improving the levels of customer satisfaction because if the customer is unsatisfied about a product or service that has been provided to them, they can them receive a refund, exchange the goods or exchange it for another good. They will be satisfied with the aftercare they have received and return to the business in the future as they had a good experience. Customer aftercare is vital as it is a part of customer service; it’s the company’s way of showing commitment to their customer service. Examples of customer aftercare are follow up phone calls, text messages or online surveys, this is vital to the business as they can gather feedback on customer service, products, alert customers on upcoming events, sales, special offers and measure customer satisfaction. Customers then feel like their opinion matters and feel valued.