E-shopping and Saudi Consumer Decision Research Proposal

E-shopping and Saudi Consumer Decision - Research Proposal Example There has been an interesting impact on the Saudi consumer decision in purchasing behavior of the e-shopping facilities. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the changes in the purchasing behavior of Saudi consumer due to the e-shopping facilities. The goal of the paper is to discover the different types of changes in the Saudi consumer purchase decisions. In the Saudi countries, in the last 10 years, there has been a large increase in the use of ATM cards and plastic money. More than 90 % of the total consumer payments in the USA are done with the use of debit cards, credit cards, cash cards and ATM cards. Saudi countries are now not so much different from the USA as they are following similar trends. Electronic payment systems and the advent of e-shopping have enabled the consumers to make payments through the internet and make purchases online rather than physically visiting a store. Saudi Arabia is the center of Islamic world and generates major revenues from the export of crude oil and oil related products. Per capita income of the country in 2009 has been 18, 855 US$. A significant portion of the total population is comprised of foreign expatriates and workers. ... Saudi Arabia is the center of the Islamic world since many years and is the largest Arab economy. The taxation rates in the country are very low which encourages many multinationals to locate their offices in the Saudi land. The population mainly comprises of youth with high per capita income. Saudi is also the largest IT center in the region. Research Problems and Questions The problems that will be faced in the research are that the Saudi culture does not allow the women to participate in these types of activities. In Saudi society, the males are the dominant individuals of the family who make most of the purchasing decisions for the family. The women are also involved in the purchasing decision but are limited to household items such as appliances, clothes of children and furniture. Daily usage items and household consumables are also purchased by the women. The culture is also a hindrance for the researchers to reach the women in the households. These are the women who make most of the orders for products online using e-shopping facilities. The questions will not ask about the family details of the individuals as this is not entertained in the Saudi world. 75% of the population is not using the internet, therefore only the 25% using the internet is the choice for the researchers. In the internet using population, only the males would be available for research questions as the society does not line if women answer their personal questions to the researchers. One of the other major problems in the research process is unavailability of historic data. There is no historic data for the consumers' shopping as it has never been recorded. Hence there will be no base to make the comparisons. Most of the research questions are

An Exploration of Beethoven and Haydn Music Careers Essay

An Exploration of Beethoven and Haydn Music Careers - Essay Example Beethoven was born in a place then called Cologne which is the Germany at present. During his youth Beethoven moved to Vienna and stayed there. It is in this phase of his youth that he met another influential icon Joseph Haydn. Beethoven experienced a meteoric rise in his career as a virtuoso pianist although his youth was later plagued by the deterioration of his hearing capabilities. The predicament did not annihilate his career as he continued conducting and performing even when he had gone totally deaf. While Joseph Haydn developed his music career as an isolated musician a condition which as he put it, â€Å"forced him to be original†, Beethoven on the other end stemmed from a musically endowed pedigree. He was named after His grandfather Ludwig by his mother Ludwig Maria. Davies, Peter J, states that,†His grandfather was a musician at Roman Catholic Flemish lineage and was at some point Kapellmeister at the court of Roman Clemens August of Bavaria.† Beethoven’s father was Johann van Beethoven who lived from 1740-1792. Beethoven got his initial orientations into music from his father who was a natural tenor singer at the electoral court at Bonn. The development of Beethoven's music career was later supervised by Tobias Pfeiffer, a friend to Beethoven's father Johann. Like Haydn' Beethoven's music endowments were noted when he was of a tender age and this is well illustrated by the fact that by 1778 the youngster was already learning the organ and the viola upon his piano mastering endeavors. Haydn parents noted that Haydn had a musical endowment and reckoned that he would not get proper training in the place they were living in then Rohrau thus they accepted the offered by a relative Johann Matthias Franck to have Haydn trained as a musician by Franck from his home in Hainburg. On Beethoven's part, one of the most noted mentors of Beethoven was Christian Gottlob Neefe, the court organist. Neefe is particularly remembered for helping Beethoven make inroads into the classical music pedestal by assisting him to get his first compositions published. The compositions were an assortment of some keyboard melodies and variations. Musicians like other artists are custodians of a society's culture and history. This is so owing to the undeniable sensitivity of artists to the influence of various factors that charcterise their place and time settings. Traces of cultural, political, economic and social influences can be identified in an artists work and Beethoven's works are not an exception. A close exploration of His music indicates illuminant influences of values of Enlightenment and the surge of Romanticism which dominated the European society in his time. As Davies, Peter J, (Opcit) concurs this is glowingly illustrated by the composition and dedication of his music piece the Eroica which is Italian term for 'heroic" to the Leader Napoleon whom the musician had admired for his ideals of democracy and republicanism values of the French Revolution. Haydn's mettle in his isolated music career development earned him the label of "father of Symphony' and also father of "String Quartet". Haydn and Beethoven shared similar inclinations to the values of enlightenment in music. Beethoven later retracted the dedication to Napoleon when the Leader shifted into embracing imperial ambitions

Food Safety Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Food Safety Management - Essay Example Botulism intoxication can result in death, which most often is caused by respiratory failure. The latent period is typically 12-36 hours but can range from 6 hours to 10 days. Stringent hygienic procedures while cooking and canning are recommended for keeping the disease at bay. In this case of food-borne botulism was termed as a clinically compatible illness in a village resident after laboratory confirmation of botulism or a history of eating the same food as previous botulism cases. It was found that 14 persons in the village had eaten fermented beaver tail and paw on January 17. Almost 20 hours after consuming these items, three of the 14 people developed symptoms suggestive of botulism, including dry mouth, blurry vision, and general weakness. Two patients developed respiratory failure and required intubations and mechanical ventilation. Two patients recovered without any further complication. The third one required tracheotomy tube placement and mechanical ventilation for one month. This patient had also been hospitalized with botulism in 1997. Of the other 11 infected persons, four reported minor symptoms compatible with botulism, including dry mouth and nausea, and were admitted to a hospital for overnight observation. One of them was hospitalized for 10 days with persistent ileus. The remaining seven were kept under observation for 48 hours. The clinical specimens from the 14 infected persons were tested... Six hours after the onset of symptoms, the three patients were administered with A/B and E botulism antitoxin. Two patients recovered without any further complication. The third one required tracheotomy tube placement and mechanical ventilation for one month. This patient had also been hospitalized with botulism in 1997. Of the other 11 infected persons, four reported minor symptoms compatible with botulism, including dry mouth and nausea, and were admitted to a hospital for overnight observation. One of them was hospitalized for 10 days with persistent ileus. The remaining seven were kept under observation for 48 hours. The clinical specimens from the 14 infected persons were tested for botulinum toxin at CDC. Type E toxin was detected in serum specimens from two of the ICU patients and in stool from the third. Despite minor symptoms, the other 11 persons had no toxin found in specimens and were not considered laboratory-confirmed cases. The same toxin was also found in the three beaver paws tested from the implicated meal. Beaver is hunted in southwest Alaska, and certain parts are often fermented and are eaten later. In this outbreak, the tail and paws had been wrapped in a paper rice sack and had been stored for up to three months in a patient's house before consumption. Some of the beaver tail and paw had been added to the sack as recently as 1 week before it was eaten. The severity of the case was low. The number of people infected was less and proper treatment was immediately administered to them. Out of the the 14 infected persons only three had to be hospitalized, rest eleven were discharged after being kept under observation for 48 hours. There were no causalities in the outbreak and it was brought under control in

The Role of Power and Politics in Organizations Assignment

The Role of Power and Politics in Organizations - Assignment Example The company that I am going to focus on is called Procter&Gamble. This company was set up a bit more than 180 years ago. The company operates in more than 190 countries and it is planning to expand its performance. Being such a giant in the world of washing powders and cosmetic utilities, the company should meet certain high requirements both in the public and inner policy of the company. The purpose of the company sounds as â€Å"to provide branded products and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come. As a result, consumers will reward us with leadership sales, profit and value creation, allowing our people, our shareholders and the communities in which we live and work to prosper† (http://www.pg.com). Having a purpose signifies about the planned strategy and policy of the company. Moreover, the company has the clearly-stated vision and strategy. The feedback from the customers is greatly a ppreciated since it adds to the improvement of the company. P&G claims it is striving for the life quality improvement but not for its income. The company has worked out the program of introducing environmentally friendly products. The policy of the company is based on the rule â€Å"to create the prosperous company from within it†. It implies the profound staff and management policy. The general goal of the company is to improve the life of every customer and to make him/her loyal to the company. The major elements of any organizational culture, such as purpose, values and goals, originate with the company formation and they are maintained and are to be transferred to the next generations. The growth strategy that the company of P&G sticks to means attracting new customers every day and making their life more meaningful. â€Å"Our Values reflect the behaviors that shape the tone of how we work with each other and with our partners†( P&G Must Proceed With Caution). Pro cter&Gamble has many principles that it demands from its staff and management. First of all it takes care about respect to each individual -no matter weather it is a customer, a manager or a potential buyer. The organization is indivisible from the people working for the organization and those people who keep it on float. The customers’ needs and demands are the top priority for the organization. The whole functioning of the company is strategically planned and worked out. Certainly, there are some cases, when a company has to act spontaneously in certain circumstances, but in general in has the plan of its development, operation and marketing. The next principle that is of great importance for any company is the one about innovations. Bringing in innovations is the main engine of the company’s development. Innovations are accepted both in the sphere of the product quality and in the sphere of advertising ad merchandising. The next point deals with competition – the company wants to be the best in its field. The only way to win the competition is to gain the customers’ loyalty and work on constant improvement of the company’s performance. Moreover, the company is focused not internally but externally. It means that the feedback with the customers is the dominant element for it. It cannot be said that the managerial system, and corporate culture is ignored - it is just not as important as knowing

Southern Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Southern Company - Essay Example Southern Company is an electric utility company headquartered in Atlanta.    The firm possesses electric gadgets in ‘Alabama’, ‘Florida’, ‘Georgia’, and ‘Mississippi’ and services millions of customers. It also provides services in fiber optics and wireless communications fields. The brands of this company are known for their customer service, which is highly excellent, have high reliability standards, and for the best part have priced their retail electric prices below the national average. The hiring system of the company was at the entry level, and individuals were promoted internally for leadership positions to be filled.  Because of this, the company had a very low turnover rate, of which the result was that an older and more tenured workforce was present. After much thought, the Company came up with a group of leaders who had a professional level of business knowledge and were conversant with the company’s organizat ion and culture. In the late 1970s, the company hired a large number of people, and this ensured that by the year 2003, most of those workers who had remained with the company were beginning to face retirement (Goldsmith, Marshall, Carter, Louis, & Best Practice Institute, 2009). The company’s employees had and still have a retirement age of 50 years old, so many executives had to retire in large numbers, and also those who succeeded them would have to follow shortly. With this, the cthis assisted the firm to review and reform their succession planning and leadership development efforts to ensure that they had a well planned from which effective leaders would be able to meet the company’s future business needs. The company’s leadership people formed teams that assisted in the overall ratings. Leaders comprehended what they wanted after the recognizing the performance standards. They were equipped with skills of making employees work outstandingly hard (Goldsmith , Marshall, Carter, Louis, & Best Practice Institute, 2009). Leaders are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that their companies have the maximum performance ability and also to ensure the effectiveness of the company’s employees. Leaders are tasked with ensuring that employees’ performance is effective, and also should be able to develop and integrate new workers (Cohen, 2007). Developing and retaining of existing workers is also a major concern, while also finding ways to attract skilled workers to a company is another role of a leader. Talent management is the process by which an organization finds ways and means to retain, motivate, attract, engage, train, plan, manage, and most importantly develop individuals who can make the company rise to unimaginable heights in the global market. For every person coming into working economy, they have a particular talent and qualification. The Talent Management program enables these qualifications and talents to be sys tematically used in the operative process of a company. Most companies have a type(s) of employee appraisal system. Many companies are at a disadvantage of experiencing the lack of manual staff evaluation systems. Many individuals have trouble differentiating between performance management and performance appraisal. Performance Management is the process whereby the employees’ activities and outcomes are in line with the company’s objective and also ensures that whatever the outcome and activities involved, they are for the success of

Eusebius Pamphili Essay Example for Free

Eusebius Pamphili Essay Eusebius Pamphili, also called Eusebius of Caesarea, is one of the key figures ever documented in the field of church history writing/narration. He took into account essential happenings about a specific event and made accounts for people of great importance in the christian realm. Eusebius was exposed to events and he himself was an eyewitness of some martyrdom in several occasions like what happened in the persecution of Christianity in the time of the many Roman emperors. He was famous for his two historical works: â€Å"Chronicle† and â€Å"Church History†. He also wrote several books which served as references by many people like the â€Å"Apology for Origen†, â€Å"Praeparatio de Evangelica† (Preparation for the Gospel), â€Å"Demostratio Evangelica† (Proof of the Gospel), and other scholarly works that possesses historical values in itself. He appended supplements on the work, â€Å"On the Theology of the Church† to preserve the Nicene doctrine of the Logos against Athanasius principles. But perhaps another historical mark for Eusebius was his detailed accounts in the lives of the martyrs of the Palestine, Origen, and others. He also claimed that he witnessed persecutions in Egypt and Tyre. Furthermore, his prominent works in heresy hunting was also successful, an attribute only a few individual have during his time. His works, being focused in several Christian doctrines and teachings, is what makes it valuable for Christians today. This does not necessarily mean all his teachings were of absolute truth, but the fact that his works can be studied either to resolve or abhor the philosophy which depends on the bias and principle of the reader. Claiming that he had opportunities to witness such brutality made to the early Christians, it is therefore valuable to read his accounts for the readers to assess his claims as well as to consider his claims or despise the same. 1 The focal point of his work is to narrate in a very explicit way possible what transpired during that specific event based on Eusebius accounts and other writings. Taking into account what happened during the persecution experienced by Christians during that period by the authorities is also one of the main points of his writing. The so-called â€Å"Martyrs of Christ† were also mentioned in the book including the method of execution applied unto them. Having burned live, fed into wild beasts, and other mutilation process were clearly stated in the book. Moreover, he made a careful manifestation on the essential parts of the book by giving commentaries which had disputable issues involved. He also expressed contrasts in the claims of Eusebius by including accounts from other manuscripts as well, and stating its case in contrary to Eusebius claims. One clear example would be on the issue of the questionable escape by Eusebius from the persecution while the rest of his company suffered. Eusebius claimed that he escaped through the help of his friends from the authority. However, he was accused by others that he denied the faith, the main reason why he escaped from the prison. Another excerpt from the book would be the concern on his teachings regarding the basic Christian doctrine as again being challenged by other Christians. The contents of the book tackle on numerous historical accounts which are very important in studying the church history. Eusebius accounts, as well as others’ writings must be acknowledged by those who ventures into the history of the early Christians. Describing explicitly the tortures experienced by early Christians, the author carried out the gravity of the said affliction. These reasons, the author believed were some of the factors why the book had to be furnished. Critical commentaries were in scripted by the writer of the book. He clearly included both sides of the issues whenever there are conflicting sides arguing for a specific event stated. Credibility of the author depends on where he got the details included in his writing, as well as on how he presented those data he gathered. Since these issues were clearly evident in the writing of this manuscript, one can say that the author’s credibility should not be in question. There are other writers who did a great job expounding the history of the church. They also claimed reliable sources as to where they acquired the details of their writings. They presented their commentaries with objectivity, making them a likely author. These descriptions cited were also integrated in the works of the author mentioned in this entire assessment. Readers of this generation would be having a clear insight on the topics included in the manuscript made by the author. They can either approve or detest some of the details written but this writing would surely provide them a good reference in studying church history. They can also witness the author’s independent view on certain issues in the history of the church. Aside from all of these, this book should also be treated as a supplement on the topic of persecutions of the early Christians and the other details in a particular regime of past Roman emperors. The substance of a manuscript depends on several factors which includes its intrinsic importance and on how appropriate the book is in its field. This work made a great contribution in narrating events which focused on the writings of Eusebius. Stating all the ideas and principles incorporated in this writing, there is no way that this manuscript be given less importance, particularly in the grounds of studying the history of Christianity. From narrating the life of Eusebius, his circumstances, his accounts on the persecution of Christians and other relevant accounts made this book commendable.

Floating Restaurants Are A New Phenomenon Marketing Essay

Floating Restaurants Are A New Phenomenon Marketing Essay Floating restaurants are a new phenomenon for dining out in Cairo, where customers can be provided not only with a meal but also an entertaining casual dining experience with unrivalled views of the Nile River. This study aims to identify customers perceptions of the floating restaurants sailing down the Nile River and also explores the different attributes that influence customer satisfaction with, and increase the intention of repeat patronage for, Sailing Floating Restaurants. Frequencies, means, Pearson correlations, cross tab and factor analysis were used for the data analysis. The results indicate that aspects such as parking spaces, healthy, and local dishes, along with rest-room cleanliness are pivotal attributes to create satisfied customers and to increase repeat patronage intentions. Floating restaurant managers should reasonably take into consideration the trip length, which contributes significantly to customers satisfaction and repeat patronage intentions.(Published in 2011).Likewise, if there are any local traditions when the behaviour of domestic guests may seem disturbing to uninitiated foreign guests, such as the rowdy lutefisk evenings in some Norwegian restaurants (Jensen and Hansen, 2007). The study by Jensen and Hansen (2007) suggested that harmony is the most emphasized value among experienced restaurant consumers in Norway .The findings of other studies on value and satisfaction provide support for linking value to satisfaction, not satisfaction to value (Babin, Lee, Kim, Griffin, 2005; Jones, Reynolds, Arnold, 2006).For example, studies show that neighborhoods composed of racial and ethnic minorities have more than twice the number of fast-food restaurants (Block, Scribner, and DeSalvo 2004; Ball).Such women may be more likely to encounter environmental barriers to healthy food choices, often living in neighborhoods with fewer supermarkets (Morland et al, 2002b) and more fast food restaurants (Block et al, 2004).Dining motivation may affect this relationship because it determines consumers evaluative judgments during their dining experiences (Park, 2004).Consumers expect safe food and demand information about the origin of their food (Van Rijswijk Frewer, 2008).It has been found in many studies that restaurateurs are concerned with making lasting impressions, perpetuating a wonderful dining experie nce and creating an impressive ambiance for their customers (Cheng, 2006; DiPeitro, Murphy, Riviera, Muller, 2007; Gupta, McLaughlin, Gomez, 2007; Lacey, 2007; Oh, 2008; Ryu, 2005).If customers are satisfied with the food or service in a restaurant then they are more likely to re-visit it and thus increase its profits (Gupta et al., 2007).Several researchers controlled for the effect of advertising and promotions in their studies on customer loyalty because of their influence (Buckinx Van den Poel, 2004; Chu et al, 2007; Gupta, McLaughlin, Gomez, 2007).Service differentiation means enhancing perceived value by providing services or service attributes not provided by the competition (Claycomb and Martin, 2001, p. 391).Here, a small number of studies note the importance of the congruence and compatibility between the perceived attitudes and behaviours of fellow customers within the service setting, that is, the extent to which patrons within the service environment behave in a man ner that is deemed appropriate by other customers present (see Grove Fisk, 1997; Martin, 1996).Park (2004) defined the consumer value of eating-out as the value consumers derived from food, service, and restaurants when eating-out, which suggests that customers do not pursue dining value only to satisfy their hunger.On the other hand, less restrictive zoning in low-income areas may have contributed to an abundance of unhealthy food options, particularly fast food (Block et al. 2004; Morland et al. 2002).Restaurants tend to be less active in preferred customer program unlike hotel or airline industry because restaurant customers favor immediate, necessary, and monetary gratification (Jang Mattila, 2005).Convenience therefore becomes one of the main motivators for restaurant customers in choosing a restaurant (Jang Mattila, 2005).Kivela (1997) segmented restaurant customers on the basis of preferred restaurant types, including fine dining/gourmet, theme/atmosphere, family/popular a nd convenience/fast-food restaurants In the history of restaurant management, providing compelling sensory experiences to patrons has been critical for deriving patron satisfaction, and restaurants have thus invested large amounts of expenditure in interior/exterior decoration (Kivela, 1997; Law, To, Goh, 2008) and food presentation (Kivela et al, 1999; Namkung Jang, 2008; Raajpoot, 2002).Research conducted by Mona and Roy, (1999); Pettijohn, Pettijohn, and Luke (1997); Kivela (1997); Gregoire, Shanklin, Greathouse, and Tripp (1995); Auty (1992), and Lewis (1981) found food quality, including food safety and hygiene, to be either the first or second most important restaurant choice factor.In fast-food restaurants, price, convenience, and limited service are the basic characteristics, which have led to quality being one of the principal concepts of the marketing strategy (Baek, Ham, Yang, 2006).The consumption of fast-food has also increased throughout the industrialized world in countries as diverse as Spain, Korea, the Philippines, and Australia (Baek, Ham, Yang, 2006; Bryant Dundes, 2008; Mohammad, Barker, Kandampully, 2005).Previous studies have examined restaurant preferences associated with different groups such as origins of nationality (Barta, 2008; Gyimothy, Rassing Wanhill, 2000), different meal purposes (Cullen, 2004; Koo, Tao, Yeung, 1999), length of stay (Gyimothy et al, 2000), and age (Gyimothy et al, 2000; Yamanaka, Almanza, Nelson, DeVaney, 2003).According to the study conducted by Cullen (2004), portion size is a more important attribute to young consumers.To date numerous studies have been undertaken seeking to address such selection variables including but not limited to customer loyalty (Kim and Han, 2008), ambience (Rowe, 2004), pricing strategy (Pedraja and Yague, 2001), location (Buchtal, 2006; Knutson et al, 2006), menu variety (Choi, Lee and Mok, 2010), food type and food quality within occasion (Auty, 1992), consumer demographics (Bareham, 2004; Kim, Raab and Berg man, 2010), nutritional content (Wootan and Osborn, 2006) and service and/or product quality Fu and Parks, 2001) While many previous studies were also conducted in an actual restaurant setting (Jang Namkung, 2009; Kivela, Inbakaran, Reece, 2000); the uniqueness of this research is that the notion of Gestalt was adopted, and the interactive effects of perceived congruency and individuals pleasure or arousal on satisfaction were being tested.The perception that a restaurant has a reputable, green operation adds a value that is a little more intangible, but definitely important, in the customers mind. Just ask Chipotle how in the world they get away with selling an $8 burrito in a fast casual environment. Customers recognize the value of their green practices and locally sourced ingredients. There are hundreds of ways to make your restaurant more green, and advertising your practices to your customers add value. (Greg McGuire , 2012).Another top restaurant trend is portion sizes. Reduced portion sizes allow customers to spend less or pick and choose more than one dish. This is also a hot trend b ecause the perceived value for the customer is that they have options, and not all of them require a lot of money. (Greg McGuire , 2012) Restaurant Marketing: Using the Internet to Create Customer Value By Rohit Verma, Executive Director, Cornell Center for Hospitality Research Co-authored by Glenn Withiam, Executive Editor, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly Customer value extends far beyond the table or the restaurant itself. Restaurateurs have the opportunity to create customer value from the first contact, whether that means a telephone reservation or an electronic order or reservation. The restaurant operators decision of whether to permit electronic ordering or to accept reservations via the web depends on numerous factors, including balancing guest preferences against the cost of participating in third-party reservation sites. Studies of consumers who have made electronic reservations find that those who prefer the web tend to be younger customers who dine out more frequently than others. The age-old principle of customer value for the restaurant industry is to put the value where the customer can see it. Putting the value on the plate, is essential and that concept hasnt changed in many years. But the customer value chain for restaurants starts long before the guest is seated. Given heavy competition and ever-expanding marketing channels, a restaurateur may never get the chance to demonstrate the value of the plate on the table-if guests book a different restaurant. The battle begins in just getting the guest to the table in the first place. In this article, we offer a roadmap to electronic reservations and distribution, based on several studies of guests use of electronic food ordering, flash deal couponing, and third-party reservation applications. We frame this discussion in terms of customer value for the simple reason that guests seek value throughout the experience, and they will not become involved where they do not see value. This is particularly true in term s of flash deals. While guests may try a restaurant once using a daily deal coupon, they will not do so twice if value has not been received. The presence of social media and web commentaries seems to have altered customers decision process as they decide which restaurant to book. In the usual process, guests have in mind a set of potential restaurants, and then they apply their own criteria to choose one of those restaurants. The way social media affect this process is that would-be customers who read online reviews may add new restaurants to their choice set during the decision process. Thus, the winning restaurant might well be one that was suggested by the review of a perfect stranger, rather than one that was originally under consideration. Daily deal offers also exert considerable influence on the process. A study by Cornell Professor Chekitan Dev found that an astonishing 70 percent of purchases for travel experiences were made within 15 minutes of receiving an offer from the group coupon firm LivingSocial. In this instance, the decision appears to be a function of price, rather than one of brand. As weve discussed previously, daily deals must be carefully crafted to ensure that the offer is successful for both the restaurant and the purchasers. If you are reading this in a location where social media have not yet penetrated, you may have the luxury of preparing for a time when the internet gains increasing power in your distribution process. While some of our discussion here focuses on restaurants that use reservations, its also true that social media influence the decision process for restaurants that take only walk-ins and use a queue to control table occupancy, rather than reservations. Beyond that, there may come a day when guests will expect to be able to view your queue on the web, and thus determine whether they want to wait in that queue or choose another restaurant. Its easy to foresee a possible marketing approach of letting guests know that your queue is only 15 minutes long if they come immediately to the restaurant. Food Ordering With that background, lets examine how the internet is affecting food-service purchases and restaurant reservations. Considering that the internet is a logical method for ordering food deliveries, Cornell Professor Sheryl Kimes examined the use of the websites for ordering food for carryout or for delivery. While about half of the 470 people surveyed had used some form of electronic ordering, the number-one channel remains the telephone call, which was used for 53 percent of the orders in this study. This study covers U.S. residents, so the proportions may be different elsewhere. Nevertheless, the webs impact continues to rise everywhere. While theres no indication that the telephone will be eclipsed any time soon, electronic ordering is growing steadily. Just over 38 percent of the survey respondents had placed an electronic order, mostly using the restaurants own website. The number-one benefit that customers cited for electronic ordering was accuracy. They also liked websites that were convenient, gave them strong control, and made ordering easy. Its worth noting that convenience in this case also extended to offering delivery of the food once it was ordered. On the other side of the coin, customers who avoided the web for food ordering preferred personal interaction-they wanted to talk to someone. There was also a current of technological anxiety among those who didnt use the web to order food. A comparison of the demographics and purchase patterns of technology users and nonusers provides reasons for restaurants to offer as many ordering channels as possible. Respondents who made electronic orders tended to be younger than those who did not, and the technology users also patronized restaurants more frequently. An earlier study by Technomic found that 60 percent of people between 18 and 34 years have ordered online, but for people over 35 that figure falls to 35 percent. Restaurant operators in the United States are not oblivious to this trend. Just under one-fourth of the 326 largest U.S-based chains offered online food ordering. While we do not have figures for other nations, the direction of the trend is clear. For this study, the type of food ordered most frequently is Italian-style food, particularly pizza. Electronic Reservations If your restaurant accepts reservations, chances are they are being made by telephone. Just as the phone remains the top channel for ordering food, the same is true for restaurant reservations. However, what is not clear when the phone rings is how your guest found you. In this study of 474 U.S. consumers, Professor Kimes (working with co-researcher Katherine Kies) again found a steady growth in the use of websites and mobile phone apps for making restaurant reservations. What she also found was a trend that connects electronics and the telephone. Guests would use the web or a mobile app to locate a restaurant, and then they would complete the reservation on the telephone. More on that in a moment. Respondents to this survey had similar feelings about internet reservations as they did about electronic food ordering. Those who made reservations on the phone preferred the personal touch. Once again the online group is noticeably younger than the telephone-only group, and the web users have a tendency to visit restaurants more frequently than do other customer groups. So, once again, the online crowd appears to be an attractive demographic. One of the difficult decisions for restaurateurs is whether to use a multiple-restaurant reservation site. The decision is not always a simple one, even though reservation sites are growing in popularity, because they do incur an expense. Most reservation sites charge a monthly fee, plus a per-diner fee. Signing an agreement with one of these sites also removes a certain amount of control over the reservation process. Perhaps the greatest concern regarding these sites is the possibility that they do not provide incremental business. That is, a restaurant could very well be paying for an electronic reservation that would have been made anyway, by telephone or on the restaurants own website. Even if the reservations do represent incremental business, restaurants thin operating margins also raise questions about the value of third-party reservation sites. Balanced against the concerns regarding reservation sites is their undeniable popularity among some would-be restaurant guests. About 60 percent of the respondents who had made an electronic reservation used a multiple-restaurant site for their transaction. Two favorable considerations are that using the web reduces the need to have someone answering the phone for reservations and theoretically the restaurant can promote itself by its presence on the reservation site. The sites also provide an electronic reservations book and offer certain table management tools, as well as capturing customer data. The top reason for choosing a restaurant given by this surveys respondents was their previous experience with the restaurant, following by recommendations of friends. However, when this question was posed to those who use multiple-restaurant sites, social media became entwined in the decision process, as we described at the beginning of this article. While experience and cuisine had strong influence, the users of multiple-restaurant sites were significantly more likely to rely on online reviews in choosing a restaurant. Regardless of how they placed the reservation, the most important element, according to these respondents, is the ability to get the time and date they wanted. Reservation accuracy was also important. This group was relatively not concerned about personal contact. The study found that website users do more than just place reservations through the multiple-restaurant sites. They also use these sites to check table availability and to locate a particular restaurant. Additionally, the would-be guests also use websites to find a new restaurant. It is this finding that raises the possibility that restaurant operators should consider the theoretical marketing value of being listed on a multiple-restaurant site. Having located a restaurant, about one-third of the respondents completed the reservation using the telephone. The rest either continued with the reservation on the multiple-restaurant site or they switched to the restaurants own site. In conclusion, the decision of how to connect with your customer depends on your knowledge of how to create value for your customer. It may be that being listed on a multiple-restaurant site or offering delivery for electronic orders is an ideal fit for your restaurant. On the other hand, the cost of third-party reservation sites may not be justified by either the incremental reservations or marketing value. Moreover, for the restaurant industry, personal contact through the telephone is still important. By remembering that the creation of customer value begins with the first contact, you can ensure an excellent experience that puts the value where the customer can see it. http://hotelexecutive.com/business_review/3133/restaurant-marketing-using-the-internet-to-create-customer-value