Manas National Park or Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Essay

Manas National Park or Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is a Wildlife Sanctuary, UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, a Project Tiger Reserve, an Elephant Reserve and a Biosphere Reserve in Assam, India. Located in the Himalayan foothills, it is contiguous with the Royal Manas National park in Bhutan. The park is known for its rare and endangered endemic wildlife such as the Assam Roofed Turtle, Hispid Hare, Golden Langur and Pygmy Hog. Their goal is to be able to fully fund the preservation and keep the sanctuary alive and thriving for many years to come. This is an effort that will take everyone that is involved help. One particular ecological uniqueness is the vegetation: The Burma Monsoon Forests of Manas lie on the borders between the Indo-Gangetic and Indo-Malayan biogeographical realms and is part of the Brahmaputra Valley Biogeographic Province. The combination of Sub-Himalayan Bhabar Terai formation with riverine succession leading up to Sub-Himalayan mountain forest makes it one of the richest biodiversity areas in the world. The main vegetation types are: Sub-Himalayan Light Alluvial Semi-Evergreen forests in the northern parts. * East Himalayan mixed Moist and Dry Deciduous forests (the most common type). * Low Alluvial Savanna Woodland, and * Assam Valley Semi-Evergreen Alluvial Grasslands which cover almost 50% of the Park. Animals in the sanctuary: * The sanctuary has recorded 55 species of mammals, 380 species of birds, 50 of reptiles, and 3 species of amphibians. Out of these wildlife, 21 mammals are India’s Schedule I mammals and 31 of them are threatened. The fauna of the sanctuary include Asian Elephants Indian Rhinoceros, Gaurs, Asian Water Buffaloes, Barasingha, Tigers, Leopards, Clouded Leopards, Asian golden cat, Capped Langurs, Golden Langurs, Assamese Macaques, Slow Loris, Hoolock Gibbons, Smooth-coated Otters, Sloth Bears, Barking Deer, Hog Deer, Sambar Deer and Chital. * The park is well known for its rare and endangered wildlife which is not found anywhere else in the world like the Assam Roofed Turtle, Hispid Hare, Golden Langur and Pygmy Hog. Manas houses about 380 species of birds. Manas have the largest population of endangered Bengal Florican. The major other birds includes Giant Hornbills, Jungle Fowls, Bulbuls, Brahminy Ducks, Kalij Pheasants, Egrets, Pelicans, Fishing Eagles, Serpent Eagles, Falcons, Scarlet Minivets, Bee-Eaters, Magpie Robins, Pied Hornbills, Grey Hornbills, Mergansers, Harriers, Ospreys and Herons. Two major biomes exist in Manas and they are the grassland biome and the forest biome. The biological interrelationship among the life forms in the area pretty much coexists with each other as anywhere else in the world where there are predators and prey but with the help of people to govern their environment a little bit so that the species survive and don’t become extinct. Their was quite a bit of human intrusions precisely a century ago the British Government declared Manas as a protected area and hunting and killing of wildlife was banned. In 1928, the name Manas Wildlife Sanctuary was inscribed and by 1955 Manas was approximately 391sq kms large. Manas Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as a Tiger Reserve in 1973; which was amongst the first in the country and was also declared as the World Heritage site under the N (ii) (iii) (iv) in the year 1985. In 1989, the status of â€Å"Biosphere Reserve† was also granted to Manas. In the year 1990, the center declared this region as â€Å"Manas National Park†. A lot of effort has been made and achievements such as at least 47 poachers around the Manas National Park surrendered to MMES their hand made guns. MMES have employed most of these ex-poachers as guards paying them monthly salaries. MMES also established the MMCA or the Conservation Area which the society is responsible for. Constructing roads and bridges in the area and maintenance of these roads for the past few years have been solely the MMMES achievements. Domestic as well as foreign tourists visit the place and eco-tourism is gaining momentum. MES is eagerly looking for donations so that their enthusiasm and willingness to support conservation takes a materialistic path. Most of the times MMES is in need of funding and they depend on the tourists or contributors to help them financially. If Manas revives back to a stable state which I think is quite possible, MMES would have played a herculean role in this effort. In fact, the Maozigendri boys are an example for the youth of this country to step forward and protect Mother Nature who is most vulnerable to destruction. The Manas Maozigendri Eco-tourism society stands tall as an exemplary organization with a lot of passion and tremendous wildlife conservation values. So we as that people began to participate and support our wildlife preservations and the diversity of the area. Preservation through Communication Preservation through communication can be reached through publications, newsletters and community and outreach activities. Teaming up with Wilderness Committee’s to host an educational slideshows. Things like this can be very informative for example â€Å"Over 50 people came out to listen to Caribou Biologist, Dave Quinn, discuss one of BC’s most endangered species. Over 700 people attended the Hyde Creek Salmon Festival in November and NWPS was one of the many environmental groups in attendance.   They provided a relevant presentation about wildlife as a feature of the festival. Thanks to a large number of volunteers, NWPS is able to continually update their website to provide current, interesting information. Through their ‘Passion for Wildlife’ program they engage a number of people in the preparation of educational information about the wildlife they seek to preserve. Each year many members of the public visit this website to access current information about its wildlife education and habitat stewardship programs, as well as up to date information about wildlife in British Columbia. †¢ Preservation through Education Another way is through education through the Wildlife Education Programs in schools, language centers, seniors’ homes and community centers throughout the region. Through these programs people will be provided with information on wildlife in BC, endangered species and environmental issues. Each year they provide an entertaining and informative wildlife presentation for over 700 school-aged children. †¢ Preservation through Involvement The NWPS had launched the Nature Walk & Workshop Program in 2005. Seven classes from the Lower Mainland participated in the Nature Workshop program and visited one of the following natural areas: Lighthouse Park, Bear Creek Park, Capilano River Park, or Burnaby Lake Park.   Through this program, students learn about wildlife, visit wildlife habitats and participate in stewardship activities. Many individuals visit natural spaces and learned about wildlife in BC through their Owl Prowl field trips and a special Earth day program. †¢ Preservation through Stewardship Having the community to assist in the preservation through stewardship in another avenue. In celebration of Earth Day 2005, NWPS hosted a trail restoration event in Deep Cove, BC. Over 20 volunteers and community members assisted the District of North Vancouver Parks Department by helping restore a section of the popular Baden-Powell trail. At the end of the day, our team had built an 11-step staircase on the trail and had planted many tree seedlings Animal Rescue Calendar – Supporting Animal Rescue Groups Supporting animal rescue groups is a very good way to support preservation. This year NWPS produced a TISOL Animal Rescue Calendar. They reached another 5,000 people and cemented working relationships with over 12 groups. They have planned for this campaign to break-even for this year and have established a platform for greater success in the future. †¢ Outreach Funding – Support from Communities Annual outreach campaigns can reach people out of your arm reach. And you do this by asking them to engage in supporting the environment through our education programs. If intrusion goes unchecked the lost for the preservation will be great. We really have to look at the big picture here when we see this because it is not a small problem, to some it may be but this kind of intrusion could cause many species to become extinct. Can you imagine ten years from now not being able to show your child, or grandchildren what a Bengal Tiger looks like. I mean to literally not be able to visit the zoo and have to tell you child that this particular animal no longer exists. This will happen to many species if certain precautions are not takes. Wildlife is just as valuable as our own; it creates a balance here on this earth. Reference http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/338 http://www.wild-india.com/WildlifeSanctuaries/manas-wild-sanctuary.html

A Passage To India by E.M. Forster - 1224 Words

In A Passage To India, E.M. Forster uses the technological infrastructure motif to support his theme that people from vastly different backgrounds have difficulty forming true friendships. He contrasts the stately, structured English architecture with the chaotic, organically-inspired Indian architecture and the high-tech, powerful English automobiles with the more primitive transportation alternatives that the Indians possessed. Forster then uses this technological gulf as a metaphor for the significant social stratification between and different cultural mores of the English and the Indians in colonial Indian society. When Mrs. Moore and Dr. Aziz begin to become close, Dr. Aziz’s self-consciousness about his meager abode ultimately leads to a conflict that severs their friendship. Forster also uses the pretentious English clubhouse as a polarizing backdrop when the English glitterati squash Miss Quested’s initial attempts to befriend Indians. Then, when Miss Quest ed and Dr. Aziz visit the Marabar caves, they arrive using primitive transportation (i.e., elephants and horses). After Miss Quested panics and falls down the hill, Mrs. Derek serendipitously arrives to sweep her away in a fancy automobile, leading to the ultimate rupture of any friendship between Miss Quested and Dr. Aziz. Through Forster’s use of this technological infrastructure motif, he vividly demonstrates the separation in power and social class between the ethnic groups in colonial India which,Show MoreRelatedA Passage to India by Forster650 Words   |  3 Pagesnovel, A Passage to India, Forster expresses this male dominance by writing, â€Å"He took no notice of them, and with this, which would have passed without comment in feminist England, did harm in a community where the male is expected to be lively and helpful† (Forster 52). They say that to be female is to be passive, agreeable, timid, emotional, and conventional. The feminist theorists’ a rgument of a male centered society is definitely present in the novel A Passage to India. E.M. Forster revealsRead MoreE.M Forster’s novel A Passage to India1026 Words   |  5 PagesLeonard Woolf considers E.M Forster’s novel A Passage to India to be a representation of ‘’the real life of politics in India, the intricacy of personal relations, the story itself, the muddle and the mystery of life’’ (Jay, 1998). Fosters novel has been the subject of literary criticism from many angles given the highly controversial subject matter which is called into question as to whether it is a genuine representation of India under colonisation written from an objective experience, and whetherRead MoreThe Negative Representation of the East in E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India836 Words   |  3 PagesIn this paper I would like to argue that E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India has represented the East in a negative way. 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Edward Morgan Forster was born in LondonRead MoreEssay on A Passage to India1304 Words   |  6 PagesTherefore, E. M. Forster, author of A Passage to India, uses such techniques to portray the true nature of reality. The conflict between Adela, a young British girl, and Aziz, an Indian doctor, at the Marabar Caves is one that implements multiple modernist ideals and is placed in British-India. In this novel, Forster shows the relations and tension between the British and the Indians through a series of events that were all caused by the confusing effects of modernism. E.M. Forster implements suchRead MoreSummary Of A Passage Of India 1404 Words   |  6 PagesEnglish Journey To India In the novel, A Passage to India, E.M. Forster describes how the heritage and civilization of India profoundly differs from England when a class of English set foot in Indian territory with detrimental effects to follow. Introduction Cultural Background of India and England Entering the Caves Detrimental Effects Courthouse Letters with Aziz Assumptions Conclusion Ameera Salman Mrs.King AP English 11 December 2, 2014 The novel, A Passage to India, starts off by statingRead More The Important Role of the Marabar Caves in A Passage to India2630 Words   |  11 PagesThe Important Role of the Marabar Caves in A Passage to India      Ã‚  Ã‚   During the fourteen years that followed the publication of Howards End, Edward Morgan Forster underwent a harsh mood change that culminated in the publication of A Passage to India, Forsters bitterest book (Shusterman 159).   Forster was not alone in his transition to a harsher tone in his fiction.   A Passage to India was written in the era that followed the First World War.   George Thomson writesRead MoreSummary Of A Passage Of India By Quot. Forster1475 Words   |  6 PagesA Passage to India, written by E.M. Forster, is a story of human relations between the British colonists and the people of India. Dr. Aziz, a native Indian and main character in the novel, is extremely frustrated of the way others think about these two cultures together. Some may say it s the position of superiority the British hold that the Indians perceive as degrading. Throughout the novel there is a clear tension between the natives and the colonists that relate to both fictional and historicalRead MoreAnalysis Of Forster s The White Man s Burden 852 Words   |  4 Pages 2. E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India: colonization: emancipation and the bridge of cultural interaction ‘Since freedom is our natural state, we are not only in possession of it but have the urge to defend it’ Étienne De La Boà ©tie Take up the White Man s burden– Read More An Inward Collapse of the Human Perspective in Forsters A Passage to India3965 Words   |  16 PagesCollapse of the Human Perspective in Forsters A Passage to India      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The reverberation of sound in the form of an echo is threaded throughout E.M. Forsters A Passage to India, and the link between the echo and the hollowness of the human spirit is depicted in the text. The echo is not heard in the beginning of the text when the English newcomers, Mrs. Moore and Ms. Quested, arrive in India; it is more clearly heard as their relationship with India gains complexity. The influence of the colonizers

Liberalization And The Economic Growth - 2232 Words

Liberalization or the 1991 economic reforms marks 25 years this year. Debates continues on whether growth precede or followed liberalization. India has experienced unprecedented growth over the past three decades. However this growth has co-existed with increase in inequality, unemployment across the country as certain regions, sectors and social groups have disproportionately benefitted from the growth. At least 38 percent in India continue to live below the national poverty lines (Ruparelia et al 2010). It has not been able to generate employment growth, which is one of the most important cornerstones to translating economic growth into poverty reduction and promoting social equality. ‘India is and for some time will remain one of the†¦show more content†¦Section 3, will discuss the factors that decreased the demand for labour. Section 4, will discuss several factors, which decrease the effective supply of labor. Section 5, will be used for conclusions. 1.Jobless growth: The Paradox. The liberalization theory suggests in order to generate employment and achieve greater social equity in countries like India where labor is abundant and relatively cheap, significant openness to the global market is essential. The 1991 economic reforms marked ‘a clear break from the country’s socialist strategy of state-directed, heavy-industry based, and import substitution industrialization’ (Chamarbagwala 2006:1997). India implemented a range of economic policy since the mid 1980s. Reforms brought changes in the economic growth rates. Though a section of economists reject the role of liberalization in injecting growth. Neo-liberals like Panagariya claims that the most surprising myth, current among a few economists, is that growth was not a result of the post-1991 reforms and that it could be traced back instead to the 1980s(Panagariya 2012). Whereas the economic historian Delong (2003) argue that the post-1991 reforms followed, rather than preceded, the growth acceleration. Nonetheless, the Indian economy has been enjoying a relatively positive growth rate since the 1980s.The annual growth rate in the pre-reform period

The Legal Implications Of Using And Editing Graphical Images

ASSIGNMENT 30.3 P6: LEGAL IMPLICATIONS OF USING AND EDITING GRAPHICAL IMAGES COPYRIGHT WHAT IS COPYRIGHT? Copyright is type of legal right which protects work produced by you once your idea has been verbally and physically expressed. The name of the current copyright act in the UK is the â€Å"Copyright, Designs and Patents Act† which was founded in 1988. The act lays out a ‘rule book’ as such which focuses how a piece work can be used. This underlines the rights that both the owner of the work has and what the person using the work has. You can do many things with your copyrighted work including sell it, allow people to use it for a fee, rent it or even keep it for only yourself to use. WHAT DOES IT PROTECT AND WHY? Copyright laws protect the original work of things like writers, drama (on TV, on stage etc.), music (by most artists, you can’t just copy someone’s song.), drawings (paints, digital photos etc.) Software is also protected under this act too. 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New Business Adventure and Target Market

Question: Write the description for New Business Adventure and Target Market. Answer: Introduction: An identifying business opportunity has become a key success factor for the modern marketers today, as it helps to analyse the degree of improvements the business is going to experience through the new venture. Before entering into the new business venture, a precise evaluation of the target market needs to be conducted by the entrepreneurs to attain knowledge regarding the competitors and the validity of the present experiment as well. This scenario becomes more crucial in the beverage industry as the number of competitors is rising significantly in the global market (DingBang, 2012).Considering the fact, the current study attempts to open a coffee shop in the Singaporean market and its business opportunity as well. This study also provides the logical justification for choosing beverage industry along with its validity in the Singaporean market, considering the case study of a fast food organisation ABC Coffee Limited (Ltd). ABC Coffee Limited has planned to expand its current busi ness venture in the Singaporean Coffee industry. Considering the fact, a range of competitor analysis of the ABC Coffee Limited fast food industry would also be made in the current study ending with the reflection note of the overall study. Opportunity and justification of the new business venture: The Singaporean Coffee market is primarily dominated by Nestle, which accounts for more than 42% of the retail value share (www.euromonitor.com, 2016). Supporting to this fact, Sutherland (2007) stated that the Coffee business profitability in increasing by 7-10% regarding the retail sales volume. Thus, the Singaporean Coffee market could introduce new business opportunities to the ABC Coffee Ltd. At the same time, it could also create greater competitiveness of the current firm as well (Pawle and Delfaud, 2014). However, the fresh ground Coffee pods and a variety of Kopi items could likely to benefit from an increasing customer base, as this product is considered more appealing to the customers from the older generation. Steger and Ionescu-Somers (2008)also added that due to the beach location, the international visitor rate in the region is frequently increasing. The customer footfall in the beachside restaurants grew by 17%. Additionally, the regular disposable income has influenc ed the tourists to increase the expenditure margin by another 8% in the present business location (Taleghani et al. 2013) This scenario indicates that the Changi Beachside location could facilitate the current business venture regarding experiencing greater footfall. The affirmative response of the existing population regarding the Coffee and beverage item could benefit the firm by increasing revenue, margin of averaging 10 % for each business year (www.singaporecoffee.org, 2016). Thus, it could be inferred that the ABC Coffee Limited could achieve a sustainable business positioning for its new business venture. Porters Five Forces: Competitive rivalryThe firm ABC Coffee Ltd would face a strong force of competitive rivalry in the market of Singapore. For an example Sutherland (2007) stated that a large number of firms like Strabucks, Costa Coffee would be the main competitors of the ABC Coffee Ltd. Bargaining power of buyersThe company would experience the strong force of bargaining power of buyers while operating in the seaside of Sinagpore. The substitute availability of the products and the lower switching cost would be the most significant forces affecting the business of the ABC Coffee Ltd.Bargaining power of suppliersThe firm would face the weak force or bargaining power of the high variety of suppliers (DingBang, 2012). The large overall supply would affect the operation of the single suppliers of the firm. Thus, the firm would need to adopt a strategic initiative to diversify its supply chain process. Threat of substitutesThe firm, ABC Coffee Ltd would experience the strong force of the threat of the sub stitutes. In the opinion of Taleghani et al. (2013), the Five Forces analysis model affects to the impact of the substitute goods and services offered by the coffees shop. The availability of the adequate substitutes would restrict the customers to shift towards the rival coffee shop. Threat of new entrantsAs the firm, ABC Coffee Ltd is the new entrants in the market of the beverage industry, moderate cost of doing business and moderate supply chain cost would help the brand to enhance the market share (Venkatesh, 2015). On the other hand, the other new entrants with the high cost of brand development would become a threat of new entry firm to the ABC Coffee Ltd. Evaluating the target market: At the initial stage of the new venture, ABC Coffee Limited could start the store operation nearby Changi Beach, in the eastern region of Singapore. Also, the firm could primarily focus on the cappuccino, espresso, caf latte, cold smoothies and Cold Coffee. Along with the smoked chicken, burgers and waivers also need to be introduced to catch the attention of all age groups as well (Chen, 2007). The store location could also generate added advantage regarding attracting a large pool of customers (Bahar and Aysel, 2015). The professionals and a large pool of student group, can be attracted towards the firm, due to product innovativeness and the store location as well.In brief the target audience of the Coffee shop ABC Coffee Limited could be as follows: Kids and teenagers: Customers aged between 13-17 years could bring 2-5% sales of the firm. Steamed milk and whipped cream topped Coffee drinks could also become popular among the teenagers and the kids. Fridell (2007) also stated that kids go with the parents to have fun in the Coffee shop. Thus, the food quality needs to be managed considering the health choices of the parents. Complimentary products: The complementary food items such as the sandwich, burgers, smoked chicken, etc. could be offered as additional items to attract more customers towards the brand. Offering the corresponding item could be feasible for the brand as the brand has prior experience related to the fast food service industry. Adults and young adults: The current firms primary target market could be the men and women aged between 25-45 yrs. Considering the fact, Etienne (2006) stated that this group of people accounts for more than 52% of the Singaporean Coffee business. Focusing on these target segments could help the firm growing the strength of its target audience at a rate of 3% per year (www.singaporecoffee.org, 2016).Conversely, Jones (2010) indicated that the fierce market competition in the Singaporean beverage market might resist the firm attaining large customer base towards the enterprise. Thus, greater investment in the research and unique product offering could reduce the chances of gaining moderate customer bases in the initial phase of the business. Considering the fact, the brand could introduce traditional food items, which can bring the majority of the customers to the brand. Within the first two-quarters, the firm could target to earn revenue of 45,000 SGD. Krishna et al. (2014) also added that decent return on investment could be experienced by offering unique product offerings in competitive pricing offerings. Thus, through the potential brand planning and targeting the adult and young generation customers, the brand could experience more than 30% profitability in the Singaporean Coffee market (www.singaporecoffee.org, 2016). Once the business manages its individual identity, a diversified product range could be introduced to maintain the brand popularity among the competitors (Davis et al. 2012). Secondary research for analysing the competitors and the validity of the venture: Starbucks and the Nestle are the prime competitors of the ABC Coffee Ltd. Starbucks Coffee Singapore is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Starbucks Coffee since 2004. The first Starbucks store was opened in December 1996 (www.starbucks.com, 2016). According to the opinion of Iqbal (2012), Singapore is the third international country where the firm has introduced its sensitive customers to enhance the experience of Starbucks. It has been observed that the firm has managed to contribute 4% of the market share to the Singapore economy. In the opinion of Lim (2016), the quality of both the beverages and the complementary food items are the major advantage of the brand. However, Venkatesh (2015) argued that the brand fails to tap the middle-income group due its premium price range. Hence, it could be derived that diversified product offerings and the attractive store ambience could help the firm, ABC Coffee Ltd. to draw the attention of the customers. Adding to this, the other rival group, Nestle, which had obtained almost 42% retail value share in the coffee market of Singapore (www.nestle.com.sg, 2016). The firm has started its Singaporean operation in 1912 and has built its success largely in the coffee market of Singapore (www.nestle.com.sg, 2016). The affordable price range of the products is the major advantage of this company. As per the opinion of Taleghani et al. (2013), the unlimited complementary food items are the prime strength of Nestle. Therefore, the firm ABC Coffee Ltd. would need to focus on the standard food quality and the affordable price range for attaining the customers attention. In this present scenario, Sutherland (2007) mentioned that offerings of complementary beverage items would be helpful for the management of ABC Coffee Ltd. to grab the attention of the customers. As per the opinion of Pawle and Delfaud (2014), the range of Cappuccino and the other beverage has to be started from S$6 per product and the Espresso could be started from S $7. Therefore, it could be inferred that diversified product offering with an affordable product range and the lucrative store ambience could help the brand to increase the customer attention. Supply Chain Management It is the proven fact that the beverage industry is highly dependent on the supply chain management system. Therefore, the ABC Coffee Ltd. would encounter the risk of supply chain management process if could not appoint potential suppliers. As per the opinion of Davis et al. (2012), the loss of a single reliant supplier could lead the firm to experience a huge loss of the income. Thus, it could directly affect the consistency of the business. In this present context, DingBang (2012) stated that selection of more suppliers and maintain a healthy relationship with the suppliers could help to mitigate the distribution and supply loss. As a consequence, if one fails to deliver the required ingredients, the product could be expected from the other suppliers. High Capital Investment As the firm is going to penetrate in the new target market, a high capital investment would be a high risk while developing the set up at the area Changi Beach in Singapore. It has been speculated that there is the presence of several leading competitors with the same domain so that, the high capital investment would not be convenient for ABC Coffee Ltd. while entering into the coffee market of Singapore. On the other hand, Fridell (2007) mentioned that the products withdrawn from the market would require covering by its selling costs. Thus, it would require to include a strong settlement for reminiscence the cost that has been experienced by the other coffee companies. The high capital investment would experience a loss of funds to the entrepreneur of the ABC Coffee Ltd. Market Stability Considering the opinion of Jones (2010), as the coffee shop would be located in the beach area so that the coffee shop would attain the maximum percentages of the visitors. As a consequence, the management of the ABC Coffee Ltd. would need to keep a focus on the health factors of the customers. The health obscurities of the customers could affect the market stability factor of the firm. The comprehensive market research on the coffee industry reflects that high price of the products could reduce the market popularity of the newly developed coffee shop as there are several rivals like Costa Coffee (Kolk, 2012). The organised service lines could be helpful to increase the customers footfalls in the coffee shop. Hence, the introduction of a healthier menu and effective workers could help to enlarge the sustainability of the coffee shop in the target market. Reflection: The current reflection describes that ABC Coffee Ltd. is going to penetrate with its new venture of coffee products in the market of Singapore. After analysing the current research, I perceived that a clear evaluation of the target market requires being conducted by the entrepreneurs. It has been observed that the market evaluation and the validity of the present venture are equally important while developing a new business set up in the new market. The study is also helpful to understand the logical justification for selecting the beverage industry in the market of Singapore. During the study, I understood that the entrepreneur of the organisation needs to take severe steps while expanding the business with a new venture like ABC Coffee Limited, which is going to enhance its business operation to the coffee beverage from fast food items. In the portion of the opportunity in the target market, the firm has encountered the leading organisation like Starbucks, Nestle as its main compet itors. I have realised that the coffee business profitability in the market of Singapore is continuously increasing. In the addition, I have realised that The Changi Beach Area in the Singapore would be a premium place for starting the new business venture for ABC Coffee Ltd. I perceived that the fresh ingredients, lucrative store ambience and the diversified food product items could be helpful for attaining the maximum customer footfalls in the seaside area. Furthermore, the study has helped me to understand the affirmative response of the existing customers regarding the Coffee and beverage item that would benefit the coffee shop to increase the revenue margin. The evaluation of the target market segment reflects that the brand would get different types of customers starting with kids, teenagers to young adults and the business personnel. In the addition, the seaside location of Changi Beach in Singapore helps the firm to compete with the leading rivals. During the research, I cam e to know that affordable price and lucrative store ambience would be fruitful for ABC Coffee Ltd. to draw the attention of the customers. After that, while analysing the issues of the firm at the time of development, it could be measured that Supply Chain Management, High Capital Investment and the Market Stability would be the reason of the risk issues for the firm, ABC Coffee Ltd. while developing the new set up of a coffee shop in Singapore. On the other hand, the strategic initiatives like a potential group of suppliers, innovative product offerings and the low investment would help the brand to overcome the issues. At the initial phase, this kind of activities would help the brand to attain an optimum level of popularity in the market of Singapore comparing with the leading coffee firms. Finally, the analysis of the current share of the existing players like Nestle, Starbucks and Costa Coffee has helped me to acknowledge the initial requirement of the brand to organise the new business venture. Moreover, during the research I perceived that offering diversified products and online customer service could be considered effective enough for the ABC Coffee Ltd. to achieve an outstanding brand positioning and sustainable marketplace in the Singaporean coffee market Conclusion and recommendation: The overall study indicates that the overall brand positioning of the ABC Coffee Limited could attain a potential market position by offering everyday coffee items such as Kopi and Espresso. Altogether S$20,000 capital could be invested to experience a revenue balance within the competitive market segment. The innovative product offerings could be the unique selling proposition of the favourite brand as well. However, at the initial phase, lack of adequate funding could also resist the name from investing a large sum in its marketing activity. Thus, the name popularity might be affected. On the other hand, offering healthy food and average product pricing could also help the brand, attracting all age and income group customers towards the brand. At the same time the market share of existing players such as Nestle, Starbucks, Costa Coffee, could also generate questionable business sustainability of the current firm. Thus, offering product variety and online customer service could be c onsidered sufficient enough for the favourite brand to attain a remarkable brand positioning in the Singaporean coffee market. Hence, the firm could experience higher business sustainability in the Singaporean Coffee Market. References: Association, S.C. (2014) Singapore coffee association (SCA). Available at: https://www.singaporecoffee.org/ (Accessed: 11 July 2016).Bahar, T. and Aysel, E. (2015) Customer love: Research on the ranking of food and beverage locations, Management Marketing, 10(2), pp. 2022.Chen, M.-H. (2007) Entrepreneurial leadership and new ventures: Creativity in entrepreneurial teams, Creativity and Innovation Management, 16(3), pp. 239249.Corporation, S. (2015) Starbucks Singapore. Available at: https://www.starbucks.com.sg/about-us/starbucks-singapore (Accessed: 11 July 2016).Davis, B., Lockwood, A., Alcott, P. and Pantelidis, I. (2012) Food and beverage management. 5th edn. New York: Taylor Francis.DingBang, L. (2012) Attractiveness of coffee and the elements for building a attractive coffee shop, Journal of Convergence Information Technology, 7(20), pp. 4755.Etienne, G. (2006) Principles of cleaning and sanitation in the food and beverage industry. United States: iUniverse.Fridell, G. (2007) Fair trade coffee: The prospects and pitfalls of market-driven social justice. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division.Iqbal, B.A. (2012) Indo-Us business relations in 21st century, Singaporean Journal of Business , Economics and Management Studies, 1(3), pp. 2336.Jones, C. (2010) The rise and fall of the high street shop as an investment class, Journal of Property Investment Finance, 28(4), pp. 275284.Kolk, A. (2012) Towards a sustainable coffee market: Paradoxes faced by a multinational company, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 19(2), pp. 7989.Krishna, L.K.R., Watkinson, D.S. and Beng, N.L. (2014) Limits to relational autonomy--the Singaporean experience, Nursing Ethics, 22(3), pp. 331340.Lim, G. (2016) Value chain upgrading: Evidence from the Singaporean aquaculture industry, Marine Policy, 63, pp. 191197.Nestl in Singapore (no date) Available at: https://www.nestle.com.sg/aboutus/nestle_in_singapore (Accessed: 11 July 20 16).owned, E. is privately, trademarked, terms, these and Policy, P. (2016) Coffee in Singapore. Available at: https://www.euromonitor.com/coffee-in-singapore/report (Accessed: 11 July 2016).Pawle, J. and Delfaud, D. (2014) How does your cappuccino feel?, Research World, 2014(44), pp. 5052.Steger, U. and Ionescu-Somers, A. (2008) Business logic for sustainability: An analysis of the food and beverage industry. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.Sutherland, K. (2007) Market overview: Food and beverage, Filtration Separation, 44(2), pp. 3234.

PMA Results on Flight Express Aircrafts

The Beechcraft Baron 58 is the brainchild of Hawker Beechcraft Corporation. The corporation developed this particular model in1970. According to the Corporation’s website, a new Beechcraft 58 costs around 1.2 million dollars (Baron58 n.d). The specifications of this plane include a twin engine piston, six passenger seats, and two aft doors. It has a gross weight of 2450-2500 kilograms and a maximum take-off weight of 2450 kilograms.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on PMA Results on Flight Express Aircrafts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Flight Express is an air carrier company with a fleet of eighty-nine aircrafts. Out of these, twenty-seven are Beechcraft models (Flight Express 2010). Flight Express has its headquarters in Orlando, Florida and it operates in twenty six other states across the United States. Express prides itself in being a time-critical and an on demand carrier that specialises in regional air transport. The airline transports packages for several companies including those in publishing, life science, and banking industries. Flight Express’s pilots log over 64,000 flight hours annually (Flight Express, 2003). Although Flight Express operates under FAR (Federal Aviation Regulations), its operations will be looked into from the CAA’s perspective for the purpose of this cost assessment. This is mostly because the company’s FAR approved records are not accessible to the public. Since the cost assessment is done for a general case of 200 hours, the results obtained through either regulations (FAR or CAA) should not have a vast discrepancies between them. The Beechcraft’s maximum take-off weight is below 2730 kilograms, it is henceforth classified as a light piston engine aircraft (Civil Aviation Authority 2005). There are five specified maintenance checks for this aircraft category. The first one is Check A and it must be carried out before the first flight of the day. The second check is the fifty-hour check. This check has to be carried out after every fifty flight hours or alternatively after six months of operation. Then there is the 150-hour check that is carried out after every one hundred and fifty hours of flight. The other checks are the annual check- carried out after every twelve months, and the star inspection. The civil Aviation Authority stipulates most of these checks. According to the Authority, Check A requires the engine’s air filter to be inspected with emphasis on its cleanliness. The tyres and wheels of the plane also have to be checked for damages. The inflation levels and other anomalies also have to be checked.Advertising Looking for essay on aviation? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition, the functionality of the fuel pump has to be inspected during this check. The fifty-hour check involves inspection of the fuel pump, air filt er, wheels, and tyres. Extensive checks of these areas have to be carried out after either fifty hours of flight or six months whichever comes first. Most of the times, this check involves replacement of oil filters and tyres. The 150-hour check on its part coincides with the 50-hour checks. This means that all the inspections stipulated in the 50-hour check are included in this one. The standard operations in this check include engine servicing and sometimes tyre replacements. This check must be carried out after every one hundred and fifty hours of flight. On the other hand, the annual check is carried out after every twelve months. During this check all oil filters are replaced. The tyres might also be replaced if any signs of damage or wearing out were found. The fuel pump and the engine air filters might also be replaced during this annual check (Civil Aviation Authority 2005). Appendix X illustrates a study of how PMA parts can reduce the maintenance costs for Flight Express a ircrafts. For instance, it is assumed that Flight Express operates each Beechcraft Baron 58 for about 200 hours annually. This means that several parts will have to be replaced in accordance with CAA’s regulations. This means that aircraft parts like engine air filters, oil filters, main tyres, and nose tyres will be needed in the course of these checks. Other parts that can be replaced within the 200 hours of flight are fuel pumps and wheel assemblies. However, these parts are rarely replaced within this period in normal circumstances. Appendix X lists the estimated number of replacements that can be made within two hundred hours of flight. Within the estimated time frame of two hundred hours, a single aircraft will require these parts to be replaced; two engine air filters, one fuel pump, eight oil filters, two wheel assemblies, four main tyres, and two nose tyres. If Flight Express chooses to use OEM parts when making these replacements, it will cost the company fourteen t housand, seven hundred and ninety seven dollars and seventy eight cents. This includes the cost of a fuel pump that is often very high priced by most manufacturers. However, if Flight Express chooses to use PMA’s parts it will only cost the company a total of four thousand, nine hundred and eighty four dollars and fifty two cents. This indicates that Flight Express is set to save around sixty six percent in material costs if the company chooses to use PMA’s products. These possible savings are in terms of a single aircraft.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on PMA Results on Flight Express Aircrafts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Considering Flight Express operates a total of twenty seven Beechcraft Baron 58 aircrafts, the company stands to make substantial savings if PMA parts are used. Each of these aircrafts has an approximate two hundred hours of flight in one year. The total number of replacement s is in turn expected to be around fifty four engine filters, twenty seven fuel pumps, two hundred and sixteen oil filters, twelve wheel assemblies, one hundred and eight main tyres and fifty four nose tyres. If the company goes for PMA products, the company can save in excess of two hundred and forty thousand dollars in each maintenance cycle. When this list excludes the high priced fuel pumps, it will still cost Flight Express 45,136.54 dollars. It will cost the company seventy seven thousand, five hundred and forty six dollars and four cents if these same products are sourced from OEM. One of the limitations of this assessment is the method used to arrive at the average two hundred hours of flight per year. This is because this figure is estimated from the number of flight hours logged by each pilot annually (Flight Express 2010b). Summary The results of this case study indicate that PMA’s products are cheaper compared to those from alternative companies. Aviation companie s can take advantage of the cost cutting options provided by PMA. Any aviation company that chooses to use PMA-made spare parts stands to save a lot of money in maintenance costs. References Baron58, n.d, Beechcraft Baron 58 General Information. Web. Civil Aviation Authority, 2005, CAP 411: Light A/C Maint Schedules (Aeroplanes). Web. Flight Express, 2003, Initial and Recurrent Flight Training Handbook: Beechcraft 58 Baron. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on aviation? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Flight Express, 2010, About. Web. Flight Express, 2010b, Flight Express Fleet. Web. This essay on PMA Results on Flight Express Aircrafts was written and submitted by user Fallen One to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Customer Service as a Part of Business Strategy

Customer Service as a Part of Business Strategy Literature Review Customer service is an essential part of business strategy (Sahaf 2008). Any company that ignores the quality of services that it gives to its customers commits a strategic blunder. This literature review explores the conceptual issues that govern the provision of excellent customer service. The review has four sections. The first section deals with the definition of customer service.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Customer Service as a Part of Business Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The use of the term â€Å"customer service† requires delineation to ensure that there is not confusion with other aspects of customer care in the business. It is also imperative to develop a working definition of the term for this project. The second part of the review covers service quality in general and online service quality. The expected outcome of this project will be the development of a websit e that can improve customer service for Igno Merchandise Company. In this regard, the standards for online service quality in the company must satisfy user expectations. The last three areas of interest include a review of the online tools available for online customer service applications, web design principles for customer service websites, and the risks posed by online customer service. Definition of Customer Service The term â€Å"customer service† does not have a universal definition despite the widespread use by both entrepreneurs and scholars. This is hardly surprising because of the multiplicity of viewpoints relating to the subject. Wagenheim and Reurink (1991) defined customer service as a management strategy that focused on meeting customer expectations. This definition relied on the idea that every organisation would do whatever it took to satisfy its customers in order to attain its goals efficiently and effectively. However, it was very broad since it covered al l activities undertaken by a business. For instance, RD departments exist to produce products that satisfy customer expectations. Does this mean that RD activities form part of customer service? This definition fits better where there is contact with customers. In this case, it is useful as a means of setting customer service objectives.  Armistead (1989) developed a more elaborate definition of customer service that had six dimensions grouped into two. The first group constituted the â€Å"firm† dimensions, which included, â€Å"the framework of time, fault-freeness, and flexibility† (Armistead 1989, p. 249). The framework of time referred to the duration, availability, and speed of customer service. In other words, good customer service should be available on demand, for the required duration, and should be offered as quickly as possible. The framework of fault-freeness sought to capture the need to have services that were error free (Armistead 1989). The range of issues captured in this dimension included the information, processes, and products that constituted customer service in an organisation.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More All organisations need to take utmost care to ensure that the services developed for the benefit of their clients are error free. The framework of flexibility sought to address the need for a company to remain adaptable to new situations (Armistead 1989). For instance, a company should have the ability to customise customer services in order to ensure that the solutions provided to each client resolve their specific concerns. This framework also addressed the need for the company to keep on improving customer services. Continuous improvement is a well-known concept in lean production (Creswell 2008).  The second group of frameworks developed by Armistead (1989) was the soft dimensions. These dime nsions were more difficult to control and measure. The three frameworks were â€Å"style, steering, and safety† (Armistead 1989, p. 249). Style referred to the elements of organisational culture in customer service, and the mode of presentation of services. This dimension has two implications. First, it means that the style in which an organisation offers customer services is a product of its organisational culture (Wei Lu 2012). If an organisation esteems punctuality in all its activities, then customer service from the organisation should demonstrate punctuality without any further need for enforcement. The second implication of this framework is that every organisation needs to think about how it offers services to its customers. This includes the attitudes of the customer care staff towards customers, the ambience, and the ease of access to its premises (Ardichvili, Cardozo Ray 2003). In other words, organisations need to think about customer experience in their custome r service initiatives (Cardoso 2009). The second framework in Armistead’s second category was â€Å"steering† (Armistead 1989, p. 249). Steering was the word chosen to represent the sense of control a customer needed to feel when accessing services in an organisation. It also meant that the customer needed clarity about the procedures and processes needed to access services in the company. The third framework was safety. Safety in customer service refers to the level of physical and psychological comfort that a customer feels when dealing with a company (Yang, Jun Peterson 2004). The specific issues outlined in this framework included observing confidentiality and maintaining trust. It also involves assuring customers of their physical safety whenever they interact with the organisation. The definition of customer service offered by Lucas, Bush and Gresham (1996) viewed customer service as the impact of salespeople, business atmosphere, and quality of services on the customers. This definition had a wide area of overlap with Armistead’s definition in regards to the essential components of customer service. The two definitions agreed that customer service was not a single aspect in the activities of the organisation.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Customer Service as a Part of Business Strategy specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The authors viewed customer service as an organisational process, rather than a specific activity.  Donaldson (1986) used a different approach to define customer service by proposing that customer service was the fifth element that organisations needed to add to the four Ps of marketing. This view sought to make customer service one of the fundamentals of good business practices necessary for running a successful enterprise. This literature review shows that the definition of customer service depends on the overall organisational philosophy of a c ompany. The important issue in regards to the definition of customer care is not the accuracy of the term. An organisation should ascribe a meaning to it based on its overall organisational philosophy. The common thread in the definitions reviewed is that a company needs to organise itself in such a way that it can offer the services its customers require as effectively as possible. Service Quality and Online Service Quality Service is intangible, is consumed simultaneously, and cannot be displayed in stock. The process of customer care consists of several mediating activities between the customer and the company (Agyapong Kobina 2012). One of the major challenges that organisations are facing today is an increase in customer expectations in regards to quality of service (Ekankumo, Kemebaradikumo Braye 2011). In a study on customer service, 96% of the respondents said that they buy services from companies that have high quality customer services, regardless of pricing (Ekankumo, K emebaradikumo Braye 2011). Many businesses are finding it extremely difficult to manage competition arising from differences in service quality. This shows that service quality can determine the competitive advantage of a business in a given industry (Wagenheim Reurink 1991). In a study, GSM subscribers in Lagos State stated that they were more likely to choose a service provider based on the quality of services offered without regard to the pricing of the service (Adeleke Aminu 2012). Service quality is very important to service-oriented organisations. Companies that produce services such as banks or telecommunications companies view their services as the products of the company. In these cases, poor services are equivalent to poor products. In product-oriented organisations, customer service is offered to support the consumer when using the product after buying it from the company (Ekankumo, Kemebaradikumo Braye 2011). For instance, an automaker may operate customer service ou tlets that provide services to the owners of vehicles bought from the company. A study by Yang, Jun and Peterson (2004) concluded that the six main aspects of service quality in the internet are reliability, responsiveness, competence, ease of use, security, and product portfolio. These six elements can guide the assessment and development of an online customer service strategy.  Online service quality is the specialised case of services offered through the internet (Cruz Mendelsohn 2010).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Companies that offer their services through the internet use facilities such as emails, electronic newsletters, or chat to help solve customer problems (Curasi, Hogg Maclaran 2001). It is also possible to offer voice based customer service using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) which is accessible through services such as Skype. In the case of companies that sell products through the internet, customer service covers all the activities that the sale process constitutes. This distinction also applies to companies that sell services that are delivered online on subscription basis, such as subscription websites.  From the literature reviewed, it is clear that for this project to be successful, the quality of services offered must be acceptable to the customer. A decision must be made on whether the services will cover customer support and education, or whether the services will be intended for marketing only. A decision is also needed in regards to whether the services will be fr ee. Tools for Online Customer Service The internet has made it possible for organisations to deploy several tools to serve customers online. No issue arises when a company uses these tools to drive sales or to manage existing customers. One of the most interesting aspects of online customer service is the ability to prepare materials that can help to resolve customer complaints without the need for human intervention (Dalal 2007). Many organisations have a â€Å"Frequently Asked Questions† (FAQ) page on their website as the first line of customer care. This page usually carries information that many customers seek frequently. The FAQ page can be very helpful to customers who are trying to know how to use a product (Cardoso 2009). Text based customer support systems include the use of chat and email (Dalal 2007). Chat allows for instantaneous response to customer queries. Chat is ideal for use in situations where a customer needs instructions to operate the product. Chat is al so ideal for dealing with queries from customers because the responses given to such customers can help to speed up the buying decision. Emails also play an important role in customer support especially in cases where it is necessary to give many details (Donaldson 1986). Emails work in cases where the clients are patient to wait for a response. The use of emails can lead to a reduction in service quality if the response time is poor. In some cases, companies use email as a means of providing training for potential clients. In these cases, the company can set up automatic responders that send targeted emails to their clients. This method enables companies to build their brands by increasing the amount of contact they have with customers. At the same time, it is a very good way of passing on large volumes of information in small doses. Some companies operate call centers as part of their online customer service portfolio (Davila, Marc Robert 2007). A new way of providing customer su pport is by use of videos. Many organisations today have uploaded videos that customers can watch to learn how to use their products. By their nature, videos are static and can only resolve well-known problems. Once a company finds out that there is a widespread problem affecting their customers, the company can develop a presentation to be uploaded as a video so that all customers can watch it to find answers to their concerns. Videos are effective for introducing the product to the consumers, and for giving instructions on how to operate the product. Leading video sites in the world include YouTube and Vimeo, which are free services.  Another tool for customer service especially in companies that sell products online is the presence of an online shopping cart (Ardichvili, Cardozo Ray 2003). Shopping carts are indispensible if a company wants to sell products online, and to make the transactions as convenient as possible for its customers. An interesting method of online custome r service is the use of online forums composed of clients of the company. Companies such as Microsoft and Google have facilitated the growth of online communities that depend on their products. These communities allow customers of these companies to discuss among themselves the issues that arise when they use the products of the company. The advantage of this approach is that customers raise the problems and the solutions provided are communicated in ways that customers understand. In addition, the company incurs minimal costs because the content comes from the customers themselves. In conclusion, there is a wide choice of avenues for providing online customer support that includes a FAQ page on the company’s website, chat, email, Skype, or video. Web-design Principles for Customer Service Websites The Igno merchandise company operates within Nigeria. Therefore, there is a need to explore some of the web design principles that can inform the final website developed for custom er service. Several aspects should inform the design of a website meant to provide services to customers. The most prominent design issue is the choice of a domain name (Cruz Mendelsohn 2010). The domain name of a website plays an important role in generating traffic for a website. Websites that have domain names that are easy to remember receive more traffic than those with difficult domain names. Good domain names can help companies that are online to increase the recognition of their brand. The choice of a domain name is therefore a matter that requires careful thought because of the strategic implications it will have on the traffic to the website. Access to the internet in Nigeria is mainly via mobile handsets (Agyapong Kobina 2012). The number of Nigerians who have mobile handsets that can access the internet is on the increase. This means that the company needs to ensure that the website developed for customer service is mobile friendly. In this sense, the companies need to develop mobile friendly websites. In many cases, it is usually necessary to develop two websites, one meant for mobile phones, and the other meant for general traffic. This makes it necessary to develop a system of integrating service on both websites in order to ensure that customers have seamless surfing experiences whenever they switch from the mobile version of the website to the general website. The factors that contribute to user satisfaction with a website include ease of navigation, quick loading of pages, pleasant design qualities, and consistent display across various browsers (Yazdanifard, Edres Seyedi 2011). The importance of ease of navigation increases with the use of mobile phones to access the internet. However, even websites meant for use by PCs should have a logically developed menu that allows customers to find any information that they need as quickly and as easily as possible. This situation is more serious when it comes to mobile web because the screens of mo bile phones have a very small viewing are compared to computers. At the same time, the navigations tools available to users are not as versatile as those found on computers. In this sense, poorly designed sites can erode the quality of user experience when it comes to mobile web access. The speed of loading of a website is a critical aspect in Nigeria because internet speeds are relatively low (Agyapong Kobina 2012). The design of the website needs to have features that allow for quick loading under low speeds. Many customers leave websites that are slow. Customers expect that the mobile version of websites should load as quickly as the PC version of the same website. The final issue that requires consideration in web design is display of the site across different browsers. Internet browsers can display a website differently leading to different user experiences. Therefore, the developers of the customer service website will need to check how the site appears on different. The most common browsers used by many people include Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Opera. Risks Associated with Electronic Customer Service Several risks arise when a company chooses to use the internet for customer service applications. Exposure to these risks affects both companies that offer services using the internet and their clients. The main client side risk associated with ecommerce is privacy. A study in the US showed that up to 63% of customers hesitate to give their details to websites because of the privacy and security concerns (Yazdanifard, Edres Seyedi 2011). While most of the information that people put on online has always been publicly available, it has not been easily accessible without the internet (Wei Lu 2012). Furthermore, it is possible to do more damage with it because of the capabilities of the internet. Cases of identity theft are on the rise because it is possible to construct a person’s personal profile based on information ava ilable online. For instance, someone can call company and request for services based on information found in social media websites.  Another contributor to the online risks is that there are few legal guarantees that can redress online crimes (Yazdanifard, Edres Seyedi 2011). Nigeria holds a bad reputation in regards to internet fraud committed against citizens in other countries of the world. It is usually impossible to track down the perpetrators or to hold them accountable if they are not living in the same jurisdiction. This makes criminals and fraudsters confident that they can get away with internet crimes.  The third client side risk associated with online customer care is that at times, it is impossible to prove making contact with the company if the client uses chat. In cases where the client makes a voice call, there may be no record of the details of the conversation. This makes it difficult for customer to keep track of the progress of the process of addressing conc erns communicated with a company.  Organisations that provide online services face reputational risks. Source of reputational risk are varied. It can arise from hacking, where hackers deface the website (Cardoso 2009). While customers can forgive the company of its website falls into the hands of hackers, it reduces the confidence the clients have in the company in regards to its ability to keep their information safe. Reputational risks can also arise from online fraudsters that claim to work for the company, but whose real intention is to defraud unsuspecting clients (Curasi, Hogg Maclaran 2001). A client may not have a foolproof way of telling whether someone is a genuine employee of the company especially if that person seems to have access to privileged information. If the fraudster is successful, the company loses the confidence of the client. Reputational risk may also arise from poor services, such as delayed responses to client queries posted online. This risk increases because of the increased accessibility of a website to a global audience, compared to the limited number of walk-in clients for a company without online presence. In this case, the company’s customer service unit may be overwhelmed by demand for explanations. This can arise if there is a widespread problem, or if the company is implementing changes that affect its relations with its customers. Conclusion The main issues that arise from the literature review above are as follows. First, it is almost impossible to arrive at a universal definition of customer service because of differences in the philosophical approaches to the issue. In this regard, there is a need to arrive at a definition that will meet the purposes of this project. Armistead’s definition provides a very useful framework for the development of the required definition. The second issue arising from the literature review is that online customer service requires the same dedication to quality found in oth er aspects of customer service. Internet is a tool available for use in providing services to customers and it should be used wisely.  Thirdly, the main tools available for use in online customer service include the use of FAQ pages, Chat, Voice calls, Online shopping carts, and Online forums. All these services can be offered through a company’s website. There is need to consider how each of these tools can be used by the Igno company to meet is its online customer service objectives.  Finally, the company will need to make use of good web design principles to design its customer service website. 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