Turned-off customers produce devastating ripple effects that quickly drag companies into a morass of mediocrity, while organizations that apply a constant flow of customer-centered innovations see consistent strengthening of their customer base. This book will get all managers and employees thinking about the little things that can make all the difference.
This handbook is a comprehensive reference source designed to help professionals address organizational issues from the application of the basic principles of management to the development of strategies needed to deal with the technological and societal concerns of the new millennium. The content of this fourth edition has been revised to reflect a more current global perspective and to match the updated Body of Knowledge (BoK) of ASQs Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE). In order to provide a broad perspective of quality management, this book has specifically been written to address: Historical perspectives relating to the evolution of particular aspects of quality management, including recognized experts and their contributions Key principles, concepts, and terminology relevant in providing quality leadership, and communicating quality needs and results Benefits associated with the application of key concepts and quality management principles Best practices describing recognized approaches for good quality management Barriers to success, including common problems that the quality manager might experience when designing and implementing quality management, and insights as to why some quality initiatives fail Guidance for preparation to take the CMQ/OE examination. Organized to follow the BoK exactly, throughout each section of this handbook the categorical BoK requirements associated with good quality management practices for that section are shown in a box preceding the pertinent text. These BoK requirements represent the range of content and the cognitive level to which multiple-choice questions can be presented. Although this handbook thoroughly prepares individuals for the ASQ CMQ/OE exam, the real value resides in post-exam usage as a day-to-day reference source for assessing quality applications and methodologies in daily processes. The content is written from the perspective of practitioners, and its relevance extends beyond traditional product quality applications.
Business Models for Transforming Customer Relationships What if there were a way to turn occasional, sporadic transactions with customers into long-term, continuous relationships--while simultaneously driving dramatic improvements in operational efficiency? What if you could break your existing trade-offs between superior customer experience and low cost? This is the promise of a connected strategy. New forms of connectivity--involving frequent, low-friction, customized interactions--mean that companies can now anticipate customer needs as they arise, or even before. Simultaneously, enabled by these technologies, companies can create new business models that deliver more value to customers. Connected strategies are win-win: Customers get a dramatically improved experience, while companies boost operational efficiency. In this book, strategy and operations experts Nicolaj Siggelkow and Christian Terwiesch reveal the emergence of connected strategies as a new source of competitive advantage. With in-depth examples from companies operating in industries such as healthcare, financial services, mobility, retail, entertainment, nonprofit, and education, Connected Strategy identifies the four pathways--respond-to-desire, curated offering, coach behavior, and automatic execution--for turning episodic interactions into continuous relationships. The authors show how each pathway creates a competitive advantage, then guide you through the critical decisions for creating and implementing your own connected strategies. Whether you're trying to revitalize strategy in an established company or disrupt an industry as a startup, this book will help you: Reshape your connections with your customers Find new ways to connect with existing suppliers while also activating new sources of capacity Create the right revenue model Make the best technology choices to support your strategy Integrating rich examples, how-to advice, and practical tools in the form of "workshop chapters" throughout, this book is the ultimate resource for creating competitive advantage through connected relationships with your customers and redefined connections in your industry.
Written to celebrate the Institute's centenary, The Marketing Century explains: how the key elements of marketing have developed; how the various aspects of marketing contribute to performance; what it is that great marketers do; and how the discipline of marketing may develop in the future. While The Marketing Century describes the years since 1911 it also describes the 21st Century: a time when the ability to understand and connect with customers is more rewarding, complex and valuable than ever. It explains: The three forces shaping the past, present and future of marketing: globalization, technology and ethics How people behave and connect – and how businesses can benefit from these insights The need to manage for the long-term as well as the short-term Marketing's impact on business strategy and leadership The last 100 years have seen a rapid rise in the impact of marketing. It is an activity which has grown in scope and significance, with more people than ever before now engaged in the exciting, fast-changing world of marketing. The development of the Chartered Institute of Marketing closely reflects the growth and progress of business in general and marketing in particular. Just as marketing has developed as an activity that is highly valued, varied and vital in its contribution to business success, so the Institute’s work has expanded as an indispensable source of insight, guidance and practical support. The Marketing Century provides expert analysis of some of the most significant developments in marketing of the last 100 years – and the next 100. Each chapter looks at the past, present and future of a different area of marketing, with chapters covering: Strategic Marketing (Martha Rogers and Don Peppers) Customer Relationship Management (Merlin Stone) Segmentation (Malcolm McDonald) Innovation (John Saunders and Veronica Wong) Public Relations (Paul Mylrea) Branding (Graham Hales) Advertising (Jonathan Gabay) Digital Marketing (Philip Sheldrake) Sales and Business Development (Beth Rogers) Sustainability (John Grant) Internal Marketing (Keith Glanfield) Social Marketing (Paul White and Veronica Sharp) Each chapter explains: How the subject has developed What is currently ‘best practice’ How this aspect of marketing connects with other topics The influences and trends shaping the future
This handbook is a comprehensive reference designed to help professionals address organizational issues from the application of the basic principles of management to the development of strategies needed to deal with today’s technological and societal concerns. The fifth edition of the ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook (CMQ/OE) has undergone some significant content changes in order to provide more clarity regarding the items in the body of knowledge (BoK). Examples have been updated to reflect more current perspectives, and new topics introduced in the most recent BoK are included as well. This handbook addresses: • Historical perspectives relating to the continued improvement of specific aspects of quality management • Key principles, concepts, and terminology • Benefits associated with the application of key concepts and quality management principles • Best practices describing recognized approaches for good quality management • Barriers to success, common problems you may encounter, and reasons why some quality initiatives fail • Guidance for preparation to take the CMQ/OE examination A well-organized reference, this handbook will certainly help individuals prepare for the ASQ CMQ/OE exam. It also serves as a practical, day-to-day guide for any professional facing various quality management challenges.
Congratulations. Your organization is registered to ISO 9001. Guess what? You've just taken the first step in your continual improvement journey. The next step is to step up to world-class status. More than 500,000 organizations around the world have registered their quality management systems to one of the ISO 9000 series standards. How will yours be different? ISO 9004:2000 is an excellent guide to moving beyond the bare basics outlined in ISO 9001:2000.
From Patagonia to Apple, Whole Foods to New Balance, we love our favorite products--and, by extension, the companies that provide them. The emotional connections we form with our beloved brands and services are important relationships--relationships that are potentially worth billions. In the fast-paced, constantly-changing world of the modern marketplace, brands must adapt or perish—strategies, methods, and techniques must evolve to remain effective and relevant. Are you using yesterday’s thinking for tomorrow’s challenges? Brand Intimacy details ways to build better marketing through the cultivation of emotional connections between brand and consumer. The book provides lessons for marketers and business leaders alike who are seeking to understand these ultimate brand relationships and the opportunities they represent. Divided into three sections, Brand Intimacy starts with Context and Understanding. This explains today’s marketing landscape, the effects of technology, consumer behaviors and the advancements around decision making. Through research we discovered that people form relationships with brands the same way they develop relationships with other people. This section provides guidance on how to think about complimentary concepts such as loyalty, satisfaction and brand value. We then explore and compare established approaches and methodologies and showcase why intimacy is a compelling new and enhanced opportunity to build your brand or market your business. The second section, Theory and Model reveals and dimensions the brand intimacy model and dissects it into steps to help you better factor it into your marketing approaches or frameworks. Here you will learn the core concepts and components that are essential to build bonds and the role emotion can play to help you achieve greater customer engagement. You can also review the rankings of the best brands in terms of Brand Intimacy. A summary of our annual research reveals the characteristics of best performers, the most intimate industries, and differences based on geography, age, gender and income. By examining the top intimate brands, we reveal and decode the secrets of the bonds they form with their customers. The third section is Methods & Practice, this details the economic benefits and advantages of a strategy that factors Brand Intimacy. Intimate brands are proven to outperform the Fortune 500 and Standards and Poors’ index of brands. Intimate brands create more revenue and profit and last longer. Consumers are also willing to pay more for a brand they are more intimate with. Conversely, we also explore a series of brand failures and lessons learned to help you avoid common pitfalls in brand management. We articulate the steps to build a more intimate brand as well as share a glimpse on the future where software will play a more important role in brand building. The book outlines a proprietary digital platform that we use to help manage and enable intimacy through collaboration, simulators and real-time tracking of emotions. Business and marketing owners face an increasing difficult task to build brands that rise above the clutter, engage more and grow. Brand Intimacy explains how to better measure, build and manage enduring brands. Brands that are built to inspire as well as profit. Written by experienced marketers and backed by extensive research, Brand Intimacy rewrites the rulebook on how to establish and expand your marketing. The book is equal parts theory, research and practice, the result of 7 year journey and a new marketing paradigm for the modern marketer.
To stay ahead of the pack, you must translate your organization's competitive strategy into the day-to-day actions carried out in your company. That means channeling resources into the right efforts, achieving the right balance between innovation and control, and getting everyone pulling in the same direction. How to keep all this on track? Identify critical gaps in your strategy execution processes, focus on the most important choices you must make, and understand what's at stake in each one. In this concise guide, Harvard Business School professor Robert Simons presents the seven key questions you and your team must continually ask, beginning now. These questions--including "Who is our primary customer?" "What critical performance variables are we tracking?" and "What strategic uncertainties are keeping us awake at night?"--force you to reexamine the emerging data and unspoken assumptions underlying your strategy and how it's implemented through your business processes and structures. Simons's extensive examples then help you understand your options and position you to make the tough choices needed to excel at execution. Drawing on decades of research into performance management systems and organization design, Seven Strategy Questions is a no-nonsense, must-read resource for all leaders in your organization.