Case study analysis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis - Case Study Example In the e-learning project, strong team work made it to attain its objective making the Australian Customs Service to provide excellent services. Being a body that is responsible for provision of security and integrity of Australia borders, Australian Customs Service noted the need to develop a system that would ensure effective collaboration among the 4,900 employees (David, 2006).The e-learning project was undertaken after the Customs evaluation and came to a conclusion that it will achieve the expected outcomes. One of the notable strengths of the project is that it enjoys the support of the large number of employees. In this way, it would not face resistance during implementation. Additionally, Australian Customs Service applied new technology that is positively viewed as a major solution that faces security personnel. The project also underwent extensive analysis before being implemented, implying that minimal resources were lost resulting to a higher rate of return on investment. The strong working relationship between the project managers and the working group is another strength that made the e-learning project to achieve its objectives. Based on the need by the Customs to provide a project that is effective, the process of planning e-learning took a lot of time. The costs that the Customs underwent in terms time and financial resources could have been possible reduced by outsourcing the project. Due to the modern technology that the e-learning project is adopting, the Customs have an opportunity of conducting training programs easily. On their part, people working in Australian Customs Service will get a chance of enhancing their skills thus becoming more productive. The e-learning project can also be adopted by other security agents that work in collaboration with Australian Customs Service. In this way, the Customs work will not only

Perception is Reality in Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway Essay -- Woolf

Although the entire novel tells of only one day, Virginia Woolf covers a lifetime in her enlightening novel of the mystery of the human personality. The delicate Clarissa Dalloway, a disciplined English lady, provides the perfect contrast to Septimus Warren Smith, an insane ex-soldier living in chaos. Even though the two never meet, these two correspond in that they strive to maintain possession of themselves, of their souls. On this Wednesday in June of 1923, as Clarissa prepares for her party that night, events during the day trigger memories and recollections of her past, and Woolf offers these bits to the reader, who must then form the psychological and emotional make-up of Mrs. Dalloway in his/her own mind. The reader also learns of Clarissa Dalloway through the thoughts of other characters, such as her old passion Peter Walsh, her husband Richard, and her daughter Elizabeth. Septimus Warren Smith, driven insane by witnessing the death of his friend in the war, acts as Clarissa' s societal antithesis; however, the reader learns that they often are more similar than different. Thus, Virginia Woolf examines the human personality in two distinct methods: she observes that different aspects of one's personality emerge in front of different people; also, she analyzes how the appearance of a person and the reality of that person diverge. By offering the personality in all its varying forms, Woolf demonstrates the compound nature of humans. As an extremely unconventional novel, Mrs. Dalloway poses a challenge for many avid readers; Woolf doesn't separate her novel into chapters, almost all the "action" occurs in the thoughts of characters, and, the reader must piece together the story from random bits and pieces of information... ... more. All of these contrasts affirm Woolf's contention: no one can or should ever be denoted as someone with only dominant characteristic, because no one remains unvarying. Yet this novel isn't just about Mrs. Dalloway or her complex nature, but rather of Woolf's realization that as Mrs. Dalloway is multi-dimensional, every human is a mixture of his/her concepts, memories, emotions; still, that same human being leaves behind as many different impressions as there are people who associate with that person. Furthermore, Woolf evokes the following question: If everyone's impression of another is just a fragment of the whole, what is the "real world" like, where everyone's consummate nature is in view? Only then does one realize that such a thing, a consummate nature, doesn't exist, and with the human personality, what you see at this very instant is what you get. Â  

Progressive case analysis Essay

Over decades operating in a highly competitive environment, the key strategy that makes Progressive the top three in the $165 billion US private passenger auto insurance industry is focusing on innovations and customer satisfaction. Established in 1937, from the beginning, Progressive approached the market with an innovative method by providing customers drive-in claims service and the ability to make monthly installment payments. That, on one hand, appealed more opportunities for people who could not afford paying insurance in lump sum to have their vehicles protected. Besides, it helped Progressive enter the market with competitive advantage to approach more potential customers. In 1957, by positioning the market correctly and understanding all market segments’ potential benefits that had not been realized by competitors, Progressive was willing to take risk to enter the nonstandard segment, which includes drivers with poor driving records or high risk profiles. This strategy, in turn, increased the company’s sales significantly and turned Progressive into a major brand in the insurance industry. The fierce competition of Allstate in the nonstandard market in 1985 and the approval of the Preposition 103 mandating insurance rate cuts of 20% in 1989 caused a crisis at Progressive. The company attempted to reduce cost by firing 1,300 employees. In addition, the efforts in understanding consumers’ perception and behaviors facilitated the company to launch its new strategy called Immediate Response in 1990 with the attempt to build trust in consumers. The main advantage of this strategy was that it speed claims process and increased customer satisfaction when accidents occurred. Immediate Response could be considered as one of the major improvements and transitions of Progressive that could help the company improve customer retention. Facing the intense competition, along with launching Immediate Response, in 1990, Progressive also focused on diversifying its product line by running experiment to write standard policies. The investment in training agents and changing their selling behaviors raised considerably consumers’ awareness of the company’s products in the preferred and standard segments, which consequently increased the company’s revenues significantly. In addition, the introduction of Express  Quote in 1993, which provided quotes from the top eight local competitors, turned Progressive into a full line supplier. This approach also helped the company have more chance to sell its products directly to consumers. The invention of Internet in 1995 facilitated Progressive to be the first company in the insurance industry selling its products online. This created competitive advantage for Progressive to compete when the company launched its website to help customers manage their policies as well as increase quoting and policy application processes. Progressive has never stopped innovating in its products. The application of GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) devices in 1998 t o track customers’ driving behaviors and the introduction of the new program called TripSense in 2000 helped the company implement usage based charging method. By offering discounts to drivers who got involved into these programs, the company tried to raise consumers’ awareness of the correlation between driving behaviors and risk of accidents. Customer satisfaction has always been the key metric driving Progressive’s strategy over time. In 2000, Concierge Service was launched to serve customers better in case of accidents. Instead of waiting for their damaged cars fixed, customers were now provided an instant replacement car while the repair was done. That way, Progressive could save time for customers and save storage and rental car cost for the company. Not only that, Progressive continued to introduce Total Loss Concierge service, which replaced cars that had been totaled. This strategy did not only help the company reduce turnaround time and replacing cars for profitable value but also increase customer satisfaction considerably. In the effort to diversify its product line and exploit more benefits from the current custom ers, in 2000, Progressive started offering homeowner’s policies. The purpose was to attract and retain current auto consumers who wanted to have their auto and home protected from the same insurance provider. However, the strategy confronted the problem of lacking data that help create a pricing advantage. Since 2000 until now, the company has had major changes in many different aspects such as management, company organization, information technology, human resources. Among those, it is that Glenn Renwick took over the role of Peter Lewis in the company’s executive management put the company in the harder challenge of competition. Notably, in 2006, while the insurance market was softening, the strategy to keep the price firm caused  Progressive some disadvantages. On the other hand, the fierce competition from strong competitors such as Allstate, State Farm and GEICO, whose advertising campaigns have been so aggressive that Progressive has to always keep an eye on them and keep improving. II. SWOT Analysis 1. Strengths Firstly, Progressive is among one of the top leading automobile insurers in the United States. It has a strong position in both personal automobile and commercial automobile markets. Progressive’s use of risk analysis among all automobile users has enabled it to increase the larger customer acceptance in comparison to its competitors. Secondly, progressive’s use of technology and data is excellent. Progressive was the first insurer to go online. The company invested heavily in information technology. Progressive used detail data on drivers to price its policies and could claim to be industry’s first. Progressive used website effectively to help customers get quick and information. Moreover, an online quote is helpful, easy and quick to compare prices when customers shop for home insurance without having to wait for an agent. Thirdly, Progressive had a strong distribution channel. It focused on direct sales and independent agents, which helped to expand its market share in the United States. In addition, progressive used innovative approaches to increase customer satisfaction. Total Loss Concierge level of claims service was designed to provide total auto physical damage losses. Customers could opt for a different car, and pay the difference if the value of the totaled car was less. Fourthly, Progressive has a strong and reliable workforce. Progressive has over 28,000 employees. When recruiting, company makes sure that the individuals can embrace technology and are comfortable with change. The company invests a great deal in training. Employees work in claims and are trained with skills related to Progressive careers. 2. Weaknesses: One of the weaknesses of progressive is operation expenses. Lewis’s principle â€Å"hire the best† and â€Å"pay the most† with the purpose to pay at the top end of industry pay scales for good employees’ performance can increase company’s expenses. In addition, this can create competitive pressures among the employees, which could result in negativity in the company. The other  weakness of progressive is its inability to create brand awareness. Its competitors like GEICO, State Farm and Allstate were better able to create customer awareness through advertisement campaigns. The company needs to focus on building a better brand awareness if it wants to increase its market share in the auto insurance industry. Another weakness of progressive is its failure to cope with pressure associated with competition from its competitors. Big players like, State Farm, Allstate and GEICO have created competitive pressure directly to Progressive. For example, Allstate’s low cost structure caused Progressive crisis and 1,300 employees fired Furthermore, progressive’s difficulty to smooth management transition is another weakness. When Peter Lewis stepped down as president in 2000 and Glenn Renwick took up the post, company went through some tough times. Renwick’s decision to raise insurance rate affected growth and profits adversely. 3. Opportunities Innovation has and will create great opportunities for growth. Greater innovation can bring Progressive the chance to get more unique products and services in order to meet customers’ needs better. Many innovative services such as Express Quote, Concierge Service have helped the Company to serve and satisfy clients better. Furthermore, the firm was in top CIO Magazine’s CIO-100 list in recognition of its innovative practices and products. In addition, its website usually rated as the best one, facilitates to accesses information more easily. Moreover, Internet is another area that has potential for growth. The development of Internet offers Progressive the chance to expand their business and access directly to customers. They also can market to a much broader user for relatively less price. Homeowner Insurance is another area that offers opportunity for growth for progressive. In 2000, progressive started offering homeowners policies. However, the company was unable to generate enough data to have pricing advantage so they cancelled the entire initiative in 2002. Now, with the advent of technological advancement progressive could once again explore this area to generate more revenue in the future. One other area that provides great opportunity for expansion and growth is Emerging markets. Emerging markets like China, India, Russia and Brazil are expanding at the rate of knots. Although there are various risks factors associated with doing business in these countries, there are also greater rewards that come with it. 4. Threats One of the threats Progressive faces is intense competition from its competitors. The insurance markets in the US are more and more competitive with a large number of players supplying a broad range of products and services. Progressive Corporation has to face fierce competition with these players. The three biggest rivals of the Corporation include State Farm, Allstate, and GEICO. â€Å"State Farm was number one in the personal auto insurance industry with a market share of 18% in 2006 and also the leading home insurer†. The follower is Allstate, the second largest player I both personal auto and homeowners’ industries with market shares of 11%-12% in each in 2006. Moreover, GEICO was the fourth largest personal auto insurer with a market share of 6.7% in the same year. The other threat Progressive face is changing rules and regulations. Insurance regulations vary considerably among different States of the United States. This varying regulation has great impact on the firm’s operation. For example, the Proportion 103 was passed on November 8, 1988 in California, which mandated rate cuts of 20% in 1989. Due to this Proportion, the company had to pay out $50 million to 260,000 policyholders. The benefit was seriously affected, along with the strong reduction of market share in California market. Increasing nature natural disasters is another threat that affects all insurance companies including Progressive. Natural disasters cause damage to both house and vehicle, which increases expense for the company. As predication, â€Å"major climate changes are likely to occur in the coming decades†. Therefore, insurers have a risk of facing with a trend toward higher losses due to more claims relating to natural disasters. Reduction in insurance rates and use of sophisticated data mining techniques are other threats to progressive. While insurance rates are softening, Progressive is determined to hold prices firm. This decision could make the customers get away to other insurers, whose rates are lower. â€Å"Everyone was using  sophisticated data mining techniques and focusing on better claim support†. This reduces the chance of being distinguished from other supp liers. III. Recommendations Innovation has historically proven to be a vital tool for progressive insurance. Therefore, the company should continue to put more weight on innovation. An innovation offers the company a chance to improve its products and services whereby it can gain competitive advantage over its competitors. Progressive should also invest money in advertising in order to increase customer awareness. Progressive already has a larger customer base, but if it wants to compete with the industry giants like Allstate and State Farm, it needs to invest more in advertisement to attract and engage more customers. Developing and expanding the company’s market in foreign countries is one-area progressive insurance needs to focus on if they are to reduce financial risks. Expanding the market in other countries enables progressive to maintain a stable finances in case the U.S economy goes down. Furthermore, progressive needs to work on new lines of products and services if they are to thrive in a highl y competitive industry. In addition, expanding business to other areas like providing financial services or home security systems provides Progressive Corporation with opportunity to diversify its income sources.

The United States Constitution - 958 Words

The United States Constitution was adopted September 17, 1787. The purpose around its construction was to add more detailed rights, laws and regulations in the United States than the Articles of Confederation gave when it was established on November 15, 1777. The ratification of the Bill Of Rights added to the constitution December 5, 1791 created a clear understanding of the rights garneted to the American people. The founders created laws and restrictions that limited the governmental power and created a system democracy within those laws and in return fortified the foundation of what would become greatest country in the world. The signing of the executive order #9066 became one of the most violated constitutional failures in United States history. The same country that started a revaluation and constructed the Declaration of Independence for the reason to be free from Great Britain’s miss use of power violated the very foundation the U.S. was built around. After Japanâ€⠄¢s attack on Pearl Harbor, the fear of a second attack on the West Coast caused President Franklin D. Roosevelt to sign Executive order #9066 on February 19, 1942 only two months after the attack. In their article â€Å"the Japanese American incarceration: The Journey To Redress,† Authors Yoshino William and John Tateishi write, â€Å"Executive Order 9066 gave broad authority to the military to secure the borders of the U.S. and to create military zones from which individuals, citizens, and aliens alike, could beShow MoreRelatedThe United States Constitution And The Constitution Essay1491 Words   |  6 PagesThe United States Constitution, this very detailed group of words was written in 1787, but it did not take effect until after it was ratified in 1789, when it replaced the Articles of Confederation. It remains the basic law of the United States then and till the present day of 2016. The first state to ratify the Constitution was Delaware; the last of the original thirteen to ratify was Rhode Island and since only nine were required, this was two years after it went into effect. When the U.S. ConstitutionRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States Constitution Essay1185 Words   |  5 Pages(framers’ of the U.S. Constitution) position on the Presidency: The framers experienced the abuse of the English monarchs and their colonial governors. As a result, the framers were skeptical of the excessive executive authority. Furthermore, they also feared excessive legislative powers. This was something that the Articles of Confederation had given their own state legislatures. The framers of the constitution deliberately fragmented power between the national government, the states, and among the executiveRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States885 Words   |  4 Pages In 1787, our founding fathers came up with a few principles that would establish what we now know as the United States of America. These principles were put on paper to serve as a guideline for how the United States would be operated and structured. This historical piece paper became known as the Constitution of the United States. In the Constitution, a Preamble is implemented at the beginning that essentially tells what the founding fathers set out to do. â€Å"We The People, in order to form a moreRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States894 Words   |  4 Pagesthe substratum for that country. A Constitution can be defined as a document that is the substratum of the country’s principles. Elements in the Constitution may contain sundry information. Which can include: how many terms a leader may serve, what rights the citizens have, how the judicial system works, etc. The United States in no different from those countries. Every constitution is different, no country has the exact constitution as another. The U.S Constitution is a four-page document detailingRead MoreThe United States Constitution Essay1515 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States constitution was written in 1787 by the founding fathers of this country. Now it might be appropriate to question why a document that is the basis of the government for one of the most culturally and racially diverse countries in the world, was written by a group of heterosexual, cisgender, rich, white men. Some might think that a constitution written well over 200 years ago would be outdated and irrelevant to the American society of today but with some research, it is quite theRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States756 Words   |  4 PagesPromulgation and Legislation in the U.S. Constitution: The federal system of government of the United States is based on its constitution. The Constitution grants all authority to the federal government except the power that is delegated to the states. Each state in the United States has its own constitution, local government, statute, and courts. The Constitution of the United States sets the judiciary of the federal government and defines the extent of the federal court’s power. The federalRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States1007 Words   |  5 PagesThe United States of America has previously experienced failure every now and then. With trial and error, the country has learned to correct its ways and move toward(s) perfecting itself. Realizing the ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation is a prime example of the U.S. learning how to better itself. Subsequent to the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution of the United States was set as our new and improved framework of government. Possessing knowled ge on how America, although strongRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States951 Words   |  4 Pageshappening again. Unlike the artifacts, The Constitution of the United States has not been forgotten, it is actually still very alive today. Unlike most relics, The Constitution still holds a very heroic and patriotic implication, freedom. With freedom comes self-government, freedom of speech, religious tolerance, etc. With all these things comes the great responsibility to adapt and fit to the wants and needs of the decade. Even though the Constitution was made for the interests of the people ofRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States1388 Words   |  6 PagesInterpretation of the Constitution is one of the biggest conflicts within the United States–the highly contentious issue of states’ rights resulted from two different interpretations of what powers should belong to the federal government versus what powers belong to the individual states. No issue has ever caused as much turmoil as the issue of states’ rights–but one side must have more valid arguments. Should the federal government’s power be superior, or should the authority of the individual states be heldRead MoreThe Constitution Of The United States1490 Words   |  6 PagesIn 1787 the four founding fathers of the United States wrote the constitution . The constitution was written to let the people of the U.S know how the states would be governed and also to stop the government from having too mu ch power. The constitution is divided into three branches : the Legislative branch, Executive branch and the Judicial branch. All the branches are based on the idea of separation of power in which each branch has a specific power and responsibility and don’t rely on