Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Ethical marketing in the community, the consumer-oriented

M
ore than ever, macro marketing system the world has been closely linked. Broad thrust towards market-driven economy is dramatic evidence that the consumers want the freedom and choice not only in politics, but also in the market. Centralized economy was clearly unable to make ends meet.
Although there are a lot of talk about the world as a whole region, but not until we get there. A person who lives in Kenya may have a cell phone and watch TVserta get a glimpse of the quality of life enjoyed by the developed western societies, for they were all not feel real. The real thing is a struggle to meet the most basic necessities of life, for survival against hunger, malnutrition, and epidemic spread of water. Challenges faced by consumers and marketing manager in the advanced economies countries, by contrast, is not large.
In a relative sense, some consumers in the world can expect so much, and gained so much from what they expect. But is good that the companies give us what we want? When you think about the difference between the problems of hunger and too much fast food, it is not difficult for consumers to decide which one is more fortunate. However, if this is just a comparison between two groups of consumers? Is the situation in underdeveloped countries is an extreme? Will things get better if no member kta too great an emphasis on marketing? Do we really need so many brands of products? Is the amount of money spent on advertising really help consumers? Is it wrong if we look forward to ordering fast food at any time? And conversely, if all options are simply raise the price to be paid benaar consumers without actually giving any added value? In general, if the marketing is able to serve the public good dengaan?
The question is what will become a staple in this chapter. So that we can learn and hold a full marketing, what and how the contribution of marketing manager in the marketing process macro.
HOW SHOULD MARKETING evaluated?
Satisfaction and cost are the two criteria used to evaluate the impact of marketing. There is a conclusion that micro-marketing efforts undertaken by various individual companies often spend exorbitant fees, while the macro is not marketing.
The purpose of Evaluation Influence
Every nation has a social and economic goals are different. Dictatorship for example, very concerned about efforts to meet the needs of society as understood by the political elite. In socialist countries, the goal is to meet the needs of the community may be as defined by planners in government officials. In the U.S., the main purpose of the system of market-driven economy is to satisfy the needs of consumers as they are, the consumer, to understand. This objective implies that political freedom and economic freedom coexist and that the citizen in a free society have the right to live as they wish.
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAN be measured?
Therefore our goal of customer satisfaction, marketing effectiveness should be measured by how well it can satisfy consumer marketing. Already there are various ways to offer to measure the level of customer satisfaction one costomer American Satisfaction Index.
Individuals Subject to the satisfaction of Hope
Such indices enable effort tracking changes in consumer satisfaction measures from time to time and even allow for comparisons between countries. Demkian However, attempts to interpret the measure of satisfaction that there is a limit. One basic issue is that 1) satisfaction is relative and depends on the level of desire or expectation, 2) tend to increase the level of desire based on the success / failure, 3) customer satisfaction is a concept that is very personal, and assess the "average" satisfaction of the entire community does not provide a complete picture to evaluate the effectiveness of macro-marketing.
There are Many Ways of Measuring Marketing Effectiveness of Micro
Measures the marketing effectiveness of a particular company is also difficult, but it is possible to do. Individual business firms can and should attempt to measure how well their marketing mix to satisfy the customer (or why they fail). For measuring customer satisfaction can be used:
A. American costomer Satisfaction Index;
2. Attitude research studies;
3. Comment cards;
4. E-mail responses on the website;
5. Consumer responses / complaints;
6. Opinion of the sales force and intermediaries; H
7. acyl test the market and profit.
Although evaluating the effectiveness of marketing is difficult, but it is not impossible to do.
Micro marketing often takes time Cost Too High
Many companies are implementing marketing programs are successful, but others maih oriented and inefficient production. For the latter company, micro marketing is not uncommon to burden them with a very high cost. In general, marketing inefficiencies caused by one or more of the following three reasons:
A. Lack of interest or understanding of customers' tastes are fickle;
2. Merger-4P that does not fit in part due to the excessive emphasis on internal issues rather than customer-oriented;
3. Lack of understanding or adjustments to the marketing environment, especially with what is done by the competitor.
Macro Marketing Requires No Cost Too High
Critics often claim that the macro-marketing systems lead to poor resource utilization and pushing against the unfair distribution of income. Most of these complaints suggests that some marketing activities by individual Performance Management should not be allowed-and because of this, our macro marketing system to be less satisfactory.
Efforts to Assist Micro-Economic Growth
Furthermore, the critics think that the marketing lead to higher prices, restricted output and national income and the declining availability of jobs.
Advertising is a true waste of resources?
Advertising is a micro marketing activities that a lot of criticism. Many ads are disturbing, harassing, misleading and essentially ineffective. This is one reason micro marketing often requires a very high cost. However, advertising can also make the process of micro and macro marketing work better. Because advertising is a way to tell a lot about the prospects of a company's products.
Consumer is not Just Puppets
The idea that companies can manipulate consumers to buy whatever the company is not trying to correct production. In fact, many new products fail to pass the market test. Even large companies can not even guarantee that the new product launch will always succeed.
The desire and need for Change
Consumer wants and needs continue to change. So the task of marketing is not just satisfy existing customers at a time in history, but need to find a variety of new and better ways to create value and serve consumers.
Marketing Is Making People Materialistic?
No doubt that marketing raises materialistic values. However, people disagree on whether the marketing of these values ​​to create or attract only values ​​that already exist.
Reflecting the marketing value that we profess
Critics say that the marketing would promote wrong values-for example, the emphasis on sex appeal to get attention and generally sending the message that the most important is personal satisfaction. The experts who study the values ​​of the community agree that in the short term, reflecting the marketing of certain social values, whereas in the long run encourage and affirm those values. Furthermore, many companies struggle to find beliefs and values ​​held by their customers. Then they refused to use the ads that are potentially abusing their target customers are.
Improving the Quality of Life Products
It is clear, the quality of life can not be measured simply by the quantity of material goods. However, when we look at the product as a means to an end rather than an end in itself, the product does have the potential to meet the higher needs.
Not All It Needs Unmet
Some critics claim that our macro-marketing system flawed because it does not provide solutions a variety of important issues, such as the question of how to help people who have no homes, people are not educated and so on. No one doubts that many companies are focusing their efforts on those who can afford to pay for what they offer. However, because the forces of competition drive prices fall, more and more people able to buy what they need. Fit between supply and demand is stimulating economic growth, create jobs, and distribute income among more people. In other words, the market economy makes efficient use of resources. However, this can not guarantee that the government assistance program would be effective. This is an important societal issue. Consumer society in the State dekomratis give some responsibility to the world of business and partly to the government.
VARIOUS CHALLENGES FACED Marketers
Performance of business enterprises still leaves plenty of room for improvement. This presents a challenge for students and marketers.
A. Improve marketing performance so as to meet consumer needs and able to follow changes and trends is important.
2. Marketing managers must constantly evaluate their strategies to ensure that they are not lagging far behind competitors. The marketing manager must be able to pioneer a groundbreaking effort to find markets and new approaches that have a competitive advantage.
3. Marketing managers must be able to face the pressures of international competition.
4. Must be able to use technology wisely.
5. Must be able to build something of a higher quality and more secure as a social responsibility.
6. Need to work harder and smarter to find a variety of ways that satisfy consumer needs without compromising the environment.
7. Marketing managers must be able to give attention to the rights and privacy of consumers.

Security and safety


Health and safety at work is high workers' rights that must be met by the company in addition to other basic rights. Companies should realize and understand that the worker is not a resource that is constantly used, but as social beings who must be kept and observed that there are many risk factors and dangers in the workplace.

In addition to the company, the government was partly responsible for protecting the health and safety. Efforts made by the government to issue regulations governing the K3 are:

A. Act 1 of 1970 on Occupational Safety and Health (K3);

2. Permenaker No.05/Men/1996 on Health and Safety Management System (SMK3);

3. Law no. 13 of 2003 on Manpower; Article 86 and Article 87.

Goals and objectives contained in this SMK3 is creating a safety and health systems by involving elements of management, labor, working conditions and environment in order to prevent and reduce accidents and occupational diseases as well as the creation of a workplace that is safe, efficient and productive.

Health and Safety Management System (SMK3)

Health and Safety Management System (SMK3) is part of the overall management system which includes organizational structure, planning, responsibility, implementation, implementation, achievement, assessment and maintenance of safety and health policies in order to control the risks associated with work activities in order to the creation of workplaces that are safe, efficient and productive productive. (Permenaker PER.05/MEN/1996).

Figure 1. Key Element Management System K3

In the application of K3 Management System, the Company shall implement SMK3 5 key elements:

a. Commitment and Work Safety Policy and Kesehataan

Firm commitment to this can be seen from the presence of adequate resources; availability of budget, quality workforce and other facilities needed in the field of occupational safety and health; Establishing the personal who has the responsibility, authority and duties are clearly in the handling of occupational safety and health; occupational safety and health planning are coordinated; malakukan work assessment and follow up the implementation of occupational safety and health; Establish occupational health and safety policy and ensure commitment to the implementation of K3 Management System;

b. Plan

The company must make in order to achieve effective planning and successful implementation of K3 Management System activities with clear objectives and measurable yanng. Planning should include goals, objectives dann performance indicators applied by considering the source of hazard identification, assessment and appropriate risk control requirements of the applicable legislation and the implementation of the initial review of the safety and health.

c. Application / Implementation

In achieving the objectives of safety and health companies must appoint qualified personnel in accordance with the system implemented.

d. Measurement and Evaluation

Companies should have systems to measure, monitor and evaluate the performance of K3 Management System and the results should be analyzed to determine the success or to identify corrective actions.

e. Management Review

Regularly reviewing and improving the implementation of K3 Management System on an ongoing basis with the aim of improving safety and health performance. The review covers K3 manajamen System: Evaluation of the implementation of occupational safety and health policies; Objectives, targets and safety performance and health; audit findings K3 Management System: Evaluation of the effectiveness of the implementation of K3 Management System.

Consumer Complaint Behavior

If consumers are not satisfied with a product or service, what do they do? Consumer complaint behavior (consumer complaint behavior) is a term that encompasses all the different consumer action if they feel dissatisfied with a purchase. The researchers identified five behaviors common complaint, namely:
 
 
 
1. Retailers face a certain way.
2. Avoid the same retailers and persuade friends and family, to avoid the same retailer.
3. Take open action involving a third party (for example, launched an official action to obtain compensation).

4. Boycott a company or organization.
5. Create an alternative organization to provide goods or services.
 
 The first three behaviors - handle links related to the retailer, rather than degrading the brand or the store and ask friends to avoid it as well, as well as through third-party complaint - an open response to the problem of the products or services where consumers are demanding compensation, either personally punish the retailer by the withdrawal of business or by requiring some kind of reimbursement. This replacement can be in the form of money or a replacement product. Two recent behavior of more far-reaching. Instead of appealing only to their own business (hope not from your friends and family) that launched a consumer boycott of the general attempt to alter marketing practices and / or promote social change. Perhaps the most drastically the behavior is the last: creating a completely new organization to provide goods or services.

Behavioral model of consumer complaints to identify two main objectives to complain. First, consumers complained to cover economic losses. They may try to swap the product problems with other products, or trying to get their money back, either directly from the company / store and indirectly through legal action.

The second reason why consumers engage in legal action. The second reason why consumers engage in complaint behavior is to rebuild their self-image. Often the purchase of a product is tied to the buyer's self-image, so that when the product is less successful, then the person's self-image down. To improve self-image, consumers can use word of mouth communication is negative, stop buying because look at the brand, complain to the company or take legal action.
In accordance with its objectives, management information systems should be able to help everyone in need of decision making with more precise and accurate. But we realize that the various roles that belongs in the activity he is performing, everyone is trying to fulfill the duties and responsibilities assigned to him as well.In an attempt to solve a problem, problem solvers may make many decisions. Decision is a series of actions that need to be followed in solving the problem to avoid or mitigate negative impacts, or to take advantage of the opportunity. This condition is not easy with the growing complexity of the activity and the limited resources available. Moreover, the required information is not derived directly from the source. For the management of the user information need a support system (support systems) that can improve decision making, especially for conditions that are not structured or support system to a certain extent only. There are two important reasons why management needs a support system that is able to improve their decision making.

    
The decision to build information systems that can meet the needs of upper management. By simply relying on management information systems without the help of its supporting systems, it is difficult for management, especially in the upper level to take strategic decisions. This is because generally the strategic decision-making is more of a policy with a broad impact and / or unstructured situations.
    
The need to create a reporting and decision-making processes that have meaning (significance). Management here in the push for how to develop better reporting for the implementation of performance measurement activities and inform the various types of new decision-making. With the help of a support system that is prepared, then this will better enable management to get the reporting and decision-making process better.
Besides the two reasons stated above, there are several other reasons why the support systems needed to complement the existing management information system, namely:
  1. To complement the management information system that is available is because this system will       certainly further accelerate the calculation. 
  2.  To overcome the weaknesses of the existing management information systems, especially in the unstructured information present or information is only intended for upper-level management.
  3. To enhance capabilities in processing and storage of data and information, reduce costs, support the technical aspects in the decision-making, and
  4.  To support quality, and provide a competitive advantage for its users.

Database and Database Management Systems

Advances in computer technology allows organizations to collect and manage large amounts of data. Processing and computer storage have full power and comparatively cheap before the organization can effectively use information obtained during normal operations. Information from orders, financial transactions, manufacturing activities, human resources, government regulations, and other information from many sources together provide a model of all actions that affect the organization. The ability to store, retrieve, and this information manipuloasi memungkinkanorganisasi mengelol operations efficiently and effectively.Data is organized into files, each file contains the records, and each record consists of data elements (fields). Levels exists in the database concept. Data management is a subset of IRM that performs the function of collecting, testing and integrity, storage, maintenance, security, organization and retrieval of data. Secondary storage devices are of two types, namely sequential and direct access. User application to determine whether batch or online processing is used. Batch processing can be implemented using sequential storage media or direct access. While the online processing need direct access. The term used to describe the realtime online system that reacts to the physical system activity in fast enough to control the system.Database is a collection of all resources and the organization's computer-based database management system is a software application that stores the database structure, relationships between data in the database, as well as a variety of forms and reports with datbase berkitan it. The database is controlled by the database management system is a set of related data records and explain to each other.In the era before the database, system performance suffers because of the physical storage constraints. These difficulties are partially overcome by using inverted files and link list. Data in a database managed by database management system (DBMS). System was originally designed for the mainframe, which currently exist in the micro computer version and involves a relational structure.The first step is creating a database to determine data needs to follow a problem-oriented approach. Elements are then described in the data dictionary, and an explanation is communicated to the computer via a data description language (DDL) to generate the schema. Subskema reflect the needs of individual users. Having determined the scheme and subskema data can be entered. The user database can be either a person or an application program. People using the query language and programming using DML. DBMS to work with the operating system to provide a content database for the users.All DBMS have a DDL processor and database manager, but at the micro version usually does not include performance statistics module processor or backup / recovery. DBMS can reduce the repetition of data, to achieve the independence of the data, integrate data from multiple files, data or obtain information quickly, and improve security. The person in charge of the enterprise data resource called database manager (database administrator) - DBA. DBA has four areas of responsibility related to the database, including planning, penerapam, operations, and security. Some DBA DBA headed by a manager.Users of the database that can be involved in knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) such as data warehouse, data marts, and data mining. Data mining begins with a hypothesis based on the verification of the user about what he believes as a parameter query database. Data mining based on the findings to develop the ability of users to identify data patterns that are usually expected users. The discovery process in the development of the database is repeated, the repeated measures such as data acquisition, data cleaning, model search, and model predictions, to the needs of users is reached.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Reclaiming your account: Password Reset/Forgot Password

This is probably one of the oldest functionality that is part of any password based system and by now I was hoping that people will have figured out most of the ways of doing it. But while reading answers on stackoverflow on this topic, I was impressed by new ways being developed and implemented by developers in wild. While reading the discussion I felt that there is lack of a structure to look and study this functionality and this post is an attempt to define a structure.
Before I go there, I wanted to capture my understanding of the password reset functionality.
  • Why - Well if we are not noting down all the accounts we have created in life (either electronically or manually), it is possible that we are going to forget passwords for some accounts as we age. Even if you follow some techniques like having standard passwords across all your accounts, due to site limitations, change in word preferences, etc, you may not remember the applicable password for a site and so the lifesaver
  • Why Not create a new account -
    • a lot may be associated with that account in-terms of your reputation, information, etc
    • site limitations of being able to associate a personal identifiers (may be email address or bank account number) with only one account
    • the account id may be generated and can not be changed during your association with the site (SSN, biometric?).
  • What - Password reset/forgot password is a functionality (a bit different from change password - where you remember/know your password) by which user or someone else on behalf of user is able to change the password without presenting their existing password. Again even though the discussion would focus on password, it would probably apply to any shared secret between user and identity provider
  • How - As discussed earlier, the  password reset can be done by user or somebody on their behalf. This process typically involves
    • Verifying the requester's identity
    • Ensuring that requester is authorized to request password reset (incase requester is same as owner of account, this check may be moot)
    • choose a new password (either generated or accepted from requester subject to fulfillment of password policy)
    • provision the password into the authentication system
    • notification that new password can be used, if out of band password change happens (and possible security notification to account owner that password has been changed)
This post explores the first part of the process i.e. verifying requester's identity

Classification Approach

Based on the basics of authentication process, we know that we can verify user based on something they know, have or are. Now in order for the authentication to work we need to ensure same information is available to user and Identity Provider at the time of verification. This implies that prior to verification there has to be an acquisition process which can be classified based on when (at registration, during usage of account or out-of-idp/user account relationship) and from whom (user, Identity/service provider, third-party like credit rating agency, public data) the acquisition has been made.
The verification process itself can be classified based on the type of shared secret/credential along with other criteria like verification channel.

Example


Based on this we can try to classify an approach for user verification which has been done for some of the most commonly used approaches. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of various approaches in wild and just tries to show how the classification can work for some of the approaches being used in wild

Verification Approach
Acquisition
Verification
When
From Whom
Type
Channel
Registration
Account Usage
Out-of-band
User
Service Provider
Third Party
Know
Have
Are
Single
Multi
What is your pet's name
Y


Y


Y


Y

When was your last withdrawal from account XXX?

Y


Y

Y


Y

Did you live at ZZZ on DD/MM/YYY?


Y


Y
Y


Y

Please provide your date of opening the credit card account


Y

Y

Y


Y

Send a nounce+ to Email Address *
Y


Y



Y

Y

Send a nounce to Cellphone *
Y


Y



Y


Y
One time Password cards for specific duration


Y

Y
Y ^

Y

Y


* The classification may change depending upon the implementation but you get the idea.
^ If IdP is different from Service Provider
+ I do not want to use "temporary password" as it can be confusing

At present not all the permutation/combinations may be utilized but we may find other ways to combine these factors to create new methods. In addition to that, I have a feeling, we would figure out lot more ways of classification of the password reset process.

Why

Even though this was just a thought exercise, I think we may be able to use it to study and compare various verification techniques.  Given that people are already treating some combination of authentication/verification techniques as multi-factor (even though theoretically they may be single factor), it may make sense to develop more detailed classification technique so that we can compare various "multi-factor" techniques and ensure that we are not using pseudo-"multi-factor" techniques. Based on my limited knowledge, I have not run into any such framework but would really appreciate pointer in such direction.

Thoughts?



Reclaiming your account: Password Reset/Forgot Password

This is probably one of the oldest functionality that is part of any password based system and by now I was hoping that people will have figured out most of the ways of doing it. But while reading answers on stackoverflow on this topic, I was impressed by new ways being developed and implemented by developers in wild. While reading the discussion I felt that there is lack of a structure to look and study this functionality and this post is an attempt to define a structure.
Before I go there, I wanted to capture my understanding of the password reset functionality.
  • Why - Well if we are not noting down all the accounts we have created in life (either electronically or manually), it is possible that we are going to forget passwords for some accounts as we age. Even if you follow some techniques like having standard passwords across all your accounts, due to site limitations, change in word preferences, etc, you may not remember the applicable password for a site and so the lifesaver
  • Why Not create a new account -
    • a lot may be associated with that account in-terms of your reputation, information, etc
    • site limitations of being able to associate a personal identifiers (may be email address or bank account number) with only one account
    • the account id may be generated and can not be changed during your association with the site (SSN, biometric?).
  • What - Password reset/forgot password is a functionality (a bit different from change password - where you remember/know your password) by which user or someone else on behalf of user is able to change the password without presenting their existing password. Again even though the discussion would focus on password, it would probably apply to any shared secret between user and identity provider
  • How - As discussed earlier, the  password reset can be done by user or somebody on their behalf. This process typically involves
    • Verifying the requester's identity
    • Ensuring that requester is authorized to request password reset (incase requester is same as owner of account, this check may be moot)
    • choose a new password (either generated or accepted from requester subject to fulfillment of password policy)
    • provision the password into the authentication system
    • notification that new password can be used, if out of band password change happens (and possible security notification to account owner that password has been changed)
This post explores the first part of the process i.e. verifying requester's identity

Classification Approach

Based on the basics of authentication process, we know that we can verify user based on something they know, have or are. Now in order for the authentication to work we need to ensure same information is available to user and Identity Provider at the time of verification. This implies that prior to verification there has to be an acquisition process which can be classified based on when (at registration, during usage of account or out-of-idp/user account relationship) and from whom (user, Identity/service provider, third-party like credit rating agency, public data) the acquisition has been made.
The verification process itself can be classified based on the type of shared secret/credential along with other criteria like verification channel.

Example


Based on this we can try to classify an approach for user verification which has been done for some of the most commonly used approaches. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of various approaches in wild and just tries to show how the classification can work for some of the approaches being used in wild

Verification Approach
Acquisition
Verification
When
From Whom
Type
Channel
Registration
Account Usage
Out-of-band
User
Service Provider
Third Party
Know
Have
Are
Single
Multi
What is your pet's name
Y


Y


Y


Y

When was your last withdrawal from account XXX?

Y


Y

Y


Y

Did you live at ZZZ on DD/MM/YYY?


Y


Y
Y


Y

Please provide your date of opening the credit card account


Y

Y

Y


Y

Send a nounce+ to Email Address *
Y


Y



Y

Y

Send a nounce to Cellphone *
Y


Y



Y


Y
One time Password cards for specific duration


Y

Y
Y ^

Y

Y


* The classification may change depending upon the implementation but you get the idea.
^ If IdP is different from Service Provider
+ I do not want to use "temporary password" as it can be confusing

At present not all the permutation/combinations may be utilized but we may find other ways to combine these factors to create new methods. In addition to that, I have a feeling, we would figure out lot more ways of classification of the password reset process.

Why

Even though this was just a thought exercise, I think we may be able to use it to study and compare various verification techniques.  Given that people are already treating some combination of authentication/verification techniques as multi-factor (even though theoretically they may be single factor), it may make sense to develop more detailed classification technique so that we can compare various "multi-factor" techniques and ensure that we are not using pseudo-"multi-factor" techniques. Based on my limited knowledge, I have not run into any such framework but would really appreciate pointer in such direction.

Thoughts?