Customer service phrases that will help in any tough situation

Customer service phrases that will help in any tough situation Customer service is  important in any company. They are the front-runners  for customer interaction and satisfaction. With that being said, customers judge a company based on their interaction experience either through phone, email, or face to face.   Depending  on how well it goes customers  can decide  whether or not they want to continue business with these companies. With these tips on how to handle customers in tough situations, you are bound to help them feel valued and heard. Your customer service will be unforgettable!Source [ SlickText ]

Secrets - Ladybug, Ladybud... essays

Secrets - Ladybug, Ladybud... essays Sometimes in life, if you do not tell the truth or if you withhold information it causes a lot more grief than if you had just been honest. These secrets are destroying relationships everywhere. In Ladybug, Ladybug... the secrets kept between characters causes them to come close to losing one another. Without allowing people to become close or neglecting to tell them of important information about yourself you will lead yourself to destruction. In W.O. Mitchell's Ladybug, Ladybug... secrets are destructive as demonstrated through Nadya and Lyon's secrets and also through life assessing images. The worst kind of secret is one in which you withhold information that could potentially save a person's life. Nadya's secret is one of this nature. She neglects to tell her employer, and newfound friend, about her ex-lover who had been stalking her. She also keeps this from her young daughter who should be more cautious with strangers. The problem grows when Nadya becomes worried about her ex-lover and keeping him a secret to the point of ignoring and not paying attention to her child. This causes the child to be distraught and unaware of things around her. As Lyon, her new friend, notices the tension and questions Nadya about what had happened, why she was upset, she replies, "I ran across someone out there, a guy. Somebody I'd just as soon I hadn't run across. That's all. No big deal" (p. 80). Being unaware of the dangers, Lyon does not pay close enough attention to the child either, considering the extra attention needed now to keep away from harm. In fact, while at the park with the child he falls asleep on the park bench. "Maybe he ought to join her now. No. This time the round-about had really taken it out of him, and it was lovely here with that spring sun so kind on his eyelids" (p. 208). Through this unconcern for the child, she falls into the hands of her kidnappe ...

Ford Focus Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ford Focus - Term Paper Example Further, different marketing strategies have been adopted by the company in order to meet the Ford’s objectives in promoting this new brand of car in the market. The company had used several promotional campaigns in order to create brand awareness to its target market around the world, such as print and digital ad campaigns. Moreover, it continues to evolve itself in order to meet the high demands of customers and keep track of technological advancements in the business world. In order to achieve excellence, Ford has laid out its set of objectives to lead their workforce in realizing the company’s goal. II. Company Description and Input from Corporate Strategies â€Å"Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903† and become one of the top carmakers across the globe (â€Å"Heritage†). Ford had partnered with various businessmen to form the company. The first three cars, namely, the Models A, C, K, and T were done by three workers, and in order to in crease their production of cars, Ford introduced the assembly line in 1913. Since then, the company had a high demand for its Model T cars because it was sold at a cheaper price. In 1920, the company became the top carmaker in the world. After the company had befallen during the World War I and II, the company picked up its pace and became successful in the production of cars like the Thunderbird and Mustang. In 2006, the company had undergone reconstruction with the hope of producing more cars that attract consumers (Wilson). During the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009, Ford had maintained its composure, and it never asked for government financial assistance to continue its operations in comparison with its other competitors, such as Chrysler and GM. Also, the company relied its financial capability by focusing its strategy on the Ford car brand. The market share of the brand had increased as a result from the implementation of the strategy (Ferrel and Hartline 3l). Lately, the c ompany had created cars that answered to the needs of people, as well as integrated the latest technologies on their designs. In 2013, Several Ford car models are made available, including the Hybrid, Edge, and Escape, which feature the latest technology and consume less fuel as compared with other cars in the market (â€Å"Product Information: Ford 2013 Product Guide†). The company’s mission and vision statement emphasizes the importance of a unified team, plan, and goal to position itself as a leading company in the automotive industry. In order to achieve a unified team, Ford urges its workforce to uphold cooperation and create a team with a common objective so that it will remain or maintain as the best automotive company in the world. The company’s cooperation and teamwork can be accessed through bringing out the satisfaction of customers, employees, and business partners. It has also laid out its unified plan for the future, which includes: (1) a constant evolution of its operations that conform to the present demand and demographic behavior of the market; (2) speed up the creation of new products that conform with the preferences and desired needs of customers; (3) improve the financial environment of the company and; (4) work like a team in an effective manner. The main goal of Ford is â€Å"delivering profitable growth for all† (â€Å"Our Company: One Ford Mission and Vision†). Jackson, Sawyers, and Jenkins also cited one of the

Global Economic Environment and Marketing Essay

Global Economic Environment and Marketing - Essay Example This has lowered the cost of production for the company which in turn has provided them cost leadership. This also allows the company to maintain its environmental standards (The Times Newspaper, 2009). The key economic factors are: Firstly, the use of renewable raw materials and smarter use of them along with a dedicated relationship with suppliers have contributed to the company’s performance. Secondly, the economies of scale enjoyed by the company in terms of huge production scales. This has further lowered production costs. Thirdly, it has strategically placed its sourcing materials close to the supply chain to reduce costs. This factor further reduces the cost of handling by the company and contributes to its profit. Lastly, the use of innovative technologies has increased the profits of the company over the years. This paper aims to understand the impact on the marketing strategies of IKEA on account of globalization and the impact on the changing customer behaviour. Pot ential economic impact on marketing strategies IKEA initially operated with ten stores at the time it had opened. The increasing integration of the world economies on account of globalization has made IKEA operate a large number of stores to present day. The number of stores has raised to 345 in 42 countries in 2013 (IKEA Group, 2013b). IKEA has expanded its business across the continents of US, Asia along with the countries of Europe. The business environment it had to face in the different countries was different. For example, when it entered China, it faced a unique problem at hand by following its low pricing strategy. The Chinese customers were confused with the low prices of products, while the local companies began to copy the design. In China, the company chose to enter in a joint venture and customize its products to meet the aspirations of the clients (Chu, Girdhar and Sood, 2013). Porter’s five forces can be applied to understand the marketing strategy of the firm. Firstly, the competition from other firms becomes an important factor. IKEA has created a highly competitive market for its business. Secondly, the threat of new entrants can pose a problem to a firm. This threat is relatively less for IKEA because of high levels of market saturation and high capital investments. Thirdly, the bargaining power of suppliers is one of the forces. In case IKEA, all the suppliers strive to maintain a good relationship with the firm. IKEA has maintained strategic relationship with the suppliers, but reduced their bargaining power. The threat from substitute products is another component in Porter’s five forces. This threat is again weak in relation to IKEA because of its large scale. The bargaining power of the buyers is also less due to the large scale of operation of IKEA. This section concentrates on some of these forces in shaping IKEA’s choice (Luxinnovation G.I.E., 2008). Competitive advantage The factor which has contributed signific antly to become the greatest competitive advantage for the company is cost leadership. This has mainly owes to the self-sufficiency of the company. The company strives to provide for the home furnishings that are contemporary in sense of style, robust in quality and offers it at reasonably fair prices. IKEA does not depend on the third party manufacturers instead the employees of the company design the low cost furniture which can be readily assembled by the customers

The Hollow Men by T.S. Elliot. Essay Example for Free

The Hollow Men by T.S. Elliot. Essay In The Hollow Men there is a conflict between an intense longing for a state of edenic purity and the contradictory search for a more lasting form of order through denial and alienation. It can be observed that The Hollow Men expresses the depths of Eliots despair, but the poet in a sense chooses despair as the only acceptable alternative to the false existence of the unthinking inhabitants of the waste land. The despair of The Hollow Men is controlled by intellectual principles, in the way the poem consciously evaluates experience in abstract terms, distinguishes between opposing states of being, and establishes, both in form and subject matter, the illusion of visionary experience. The poem represents the progress of Eliots own intellectual soul, but this progress is frustrated by the poets attraction to a visionary imagery. The Hollow Men replaces the rich and chaotic style of The Waste Land with an austerity of expression and a more contemplative mood. The formal strategy of The Hollow Men, like its content, seems designed to show how effectively the inarticulate influences the conception and creation of a work of art. The formal aspects of the poem imitate the characteristics of the hollow men it portrays. For example, their desire to avoid speech (5) is comparable to the poems general paused rhythm, and the technique of constant repetition and negation: The eyes are not here / There are no eyes here. (5) Moreover, the Paralyzed force, gesture without motion (5) applies not only to the men themselves but to the poem as a whole, which exhibits little narrative progression in the conventional sense and lacks verbs of direct action. As the hollow men walk together, say prayers to broken stones, and whisper meaninglessly, so the poem itself moves toward a conclusion only to end in hollow abstraction, broken prayer, and the meaningless repetition of a rhyme. The reduction of poetic expression to the minimum does away with metaphor and simile and produces a final section of the poem which almost completely lacks modifiers. The poetic style marked by verbal austerity and negation forms a counterpart  to the theme of rejection of the validity of human experience at every level. In this respect the poem expands on the theme of denial explored as part of the individuals search for meaning in The Waste Land. The Hollow Men explores this boundary situation in its images of finality or extremity and in a theme that comprises two different states of being. The poems speaker anticipates with dread that final meeting (5); the men walk together In this last of meeting places (5); the final section, in its generalized abstraction of all that has gone before, tells us that This is the way the world ends. The Dantescan image of the lost souls Gathered on this beach of the tumid river (5) belongs to a boundary theme that recurs throughout Eliots poetry: Prufrock escapes from the world of skirts and teacups to the world of visionary imagination by means of a walk upon the beach. (6) The protagonist of The Waste Land sits down and cries By the waters of Leman,(7) then on the shore with the arid plain behind me. (7) The persona of The Hollow Men has arrived, intellectually and physically, at the limit of one world only to find that its deliberate disguises (5) hide a limited lack of possibility: between capacity and existence Falls the Shadow. (5) (5) The Hollow Men, T.S.Eliot, (6) The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T.S.Eliot. (7) The Wasteland, T.S.Eliot

The Yellow Wallpaper and The Chrysanthemums -- Comparative, Allen, St

Restraints are set by parents on their children to aid with the developmental process and help with the maturity level. Restrictions and the ability to control exist in our society and our lives. We encounter restraints daily: job, doors, people, and the most frequently used and arduous become intangible. In the following stories tangible and intangible scenarios are presented. Autonomy, desires, and talents spurned by the husbands in John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysanthemums and Charlotte Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.† The authors share views regarding a similar theme of male domination and imprisonment. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† involves the treatment of a depressed woman who is driven insane in a male imposed detention in her own room. On the other hand, Elisa Allen in the â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† struggles internally to find her place in a fully male dominated society with definite gender roles. The mirror-like situations bring upon a different reaction for both the women in different ways. The importance of symbolism, control from their husbands, and the lack of a healthy marriage will be discussed in this paper in two stories. Elisa Allen and the narrator of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† are both trapped in various ways and the sexuality leads to this entrapment. Elisa feels confined and limited; â€Å"the high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world† (226). Trapped inside the house and feels isolated from the world outside. The chrysanthemums symbolize her scope of life where she devotes most of her time with this activity. The chrysanthemums, strong and thriving, portray Elisa’s current physical condition. She treats the chrysanthemums like her children; â€Å"she held the flower po... ...e husbands possess a male ego of power that leads to lack of understanding in their marriages. The wallpaper symbolizes the trapped narrator and the structure of the tradition. Also, Elisa’s chrysanthemums are discarded and the narrator’s feelings are disowned which portrays the rejection of women. Elisa ends up â€Å"crying weakly like an old woman† and settles for wine (233). The narrator’s actions lead to her husband fainting â€Å"but he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him every time† (447). The narrator is insane and causes faintness in her husband, hoping that she now has an escape. To conclude, John Steinbecks â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† and Charloette Perkins â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† show two different outcomes mainly arisen due to being trapped inside an isolated house or a garden and having a limited life under a husband's control.

Looking at “The Withered Arm” by Thomas Hardy Essay

Looking at â€Å"The Withered Arm† and at least two other short stories, comment on how Thomas Hardy uses the female characters to influence the reader’s response To prepare for this essay I have read a selection of Thomas Hardy’s short stories: â€Å"The Withered Arm†, â€Å"The Melancholy Hussar of the German Legion†, â€Å"The Distracted Preacher†, â€Å"Tony Kytes, the Arch Deceiver† and â€Å"Absent-mindedness in a Parish Choir†. The first three stories have been studied more closely than the latter two, and will be used to answer the essay title. Given that a reader’s response may be influenced by many factors, such as time of reading, gender, and personal values it is still clear how Hardy expects his readers to respond. Hardy has moulded the language in many ways, resulting in an intricately woven and complex idea of each character in the reader’s mind. There are certain similarities in each story. Hardy seems to use clever twists of coincidences which are not the fault of the unfortunate character/s involved. Tragedy and death also tend to characterise his stories, for example, Matthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½us and Christoph are shot and Rhoda Brook’s son is hanged. The reputation of women plays a big part in all three of the short stories. â€Å"The Withered Arm† differs from the other two stories as it has two main women characters, who are naturally compared, in a subtle but effective manner. Rhoda Brook is first introduced into the story through another characters speech, as â€Å"she† and later in the sentence is described as a â€Å"thin worn milkmaid†. This gives the reader a clear picture of Rhoda before she even enters the story: she is shown as little more than a solitary victim of other people’s gossip. Hardy then presents Rhoda in her home, which is in the lonely and rural countryside. The house is made of mud-walls and is rather rundown and ramshackle: â€Å"in the thatch above a rafter showed like a bone protruding through the skin†. The house and Rhoda seem similar as their looks are both past their best. Rhoda is often presented in the context of a serious and lonely landscape: â€Å"thick clouds made the atmosphere dark†. Rhoda is never a happy character and Hardy shows this well, through descriptions of gloomy landscapes. Rhoda has broken social convention by having a son out of marriage and it seems as if she is being punished for this as the story unravels. Rhoda struggles to look after her son alone, and lives in near poverty. Rhoda does not seem particularly disturbed by her situation but it has cut her off from the rest of the small farming community. Hardy has cleverly associated Rhoda with sadness and superstition. Whenever Rhoda is being mentioned in the story the atmosphere is anxious, sad or tense, for example: â€Å"Brook felt like a guilty thing†. Initially, Hardy places Gertrude on the bright forefront, emphasizing her outgoing, carefree personality, while Rhoda is left as a figure in the background. Rhoda’s speech is limited but even when she does speak it is normally about Gertrude. Hardy uses Rhoda to show the harshness of social convention on women. Rhoda is eventually so excluded from her community that she moves away. Rhoda is threatened by her reputation as she does not want Gertrude to find out about her being the possible cause of the damaged arm. Overall, Rhoda’s situation provokes a sympathetic response from the reader. Gertrude is initially introduced into the story with the landscape in her favour: â€Å"the low sun was full in her face, rendering every feature, shade, and contour distinct†. She is shown as generous, caring, (helping those less fortunate than herself) gentle and innocent; emotionally and sexually. Her speech and behaviour are described with gentle language: â€Å"innocent young thing†. Gertrude changes considerably over time, and is slowly transformed into the spectre of Rhoda’s dream. Hardy prepares the reader by starting to taint Gertrude with Rhoda’s main associations, and gradually Gertrude becomes a darker and more sinister figure. This is shown clearly when Gertrude’s subconscious mind is praying: â€Å"O Lord, hang some innocent or guilty person soon†. She is described as â€Å"cunning†, â€Å"shrivelled† and â€Å"furtive†. Hardy shows what a monster an innocent young woman can become while trying to cope with the harsh world of the 1800’s when her marriage and reputation is all she has. Gertrude failed her marriage in two ways, firstly she did not have children, and secondly, Farmer Lodge no longer found her attractive because of her withered arm (and this was the main motive for her wanting to cure it). Hardy showed that without a respectable marriage and children, many women felt that their lives were inadequate. Social convention and reputation ruled many women’s lives. This makes the reader feel sympathetic towards women living in that time, and highlights the amount of freedom women have today. â€Å"The Melancholy Hussar†, contains one main female character, Phyllis Grove, who is presented as a figure of the past. Throughout the story Phyllis is rarely described physically; she is an invisible character. Hardy describes Phyllis’ feelings extensively through direct authorial comment, as she says very little. Phyllis is also closely connected with the landscape, and is part of its timelessness. At the beginning of the story, Phyllis’ seclusion is shown through this: â€Å"secluded old manor houses and hamlets lie in the ravines†. In addition, the landscape at this stage in the story is very bleak, symbolising the bleakness of Phyllis’ lifestyle. Phyllis spends most of the story outside, and words describing her are most energetic outside: â€Å"climbs†, â€Å"walks† and â€Å"clambers†. When Phyllis becomes dislocated from what makes her happiest, she becomes dislocated from her landscape; Phyllis was indoors for weeks after she saw Matthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½us and Christoph being shot. To highlight Phyllis’ shyness, she uses the fog and mist to hide her away and protect her. Hardy uses Phyllis to show women’s isolation, which can be due to men; Phyllis’ father is unsympathetic towards her situation and Phyllis’ only hope of having a better life would be through marriage. Phyllis’ life seems to be mapped out before the story unravels because she is connected with men right at the beginning of the story, in this case her father. Phyllis’ only escape from her desperate isolation seems to be to marry, suitable Humphrey Gould, and their engagement is used by Hardy to convey the fact that marriages were seen as respectable and even an accomplishment. Hardy uses the York Hussars as a contrast to â€Å"suitable† and â€Å"ordinary† Humphrey; the Hussars are shown with excitement and passion â€Å"crowds of admirers† and â€Å"foreign air†. Hardy then uses contrast once again regarding Matthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½us Tina; this man is different and catches Phyllis’ attention. When Phyllis is with Matthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½us she is especially alive, as her speech is direct and not shown through reported speech or authorial comment. Also, this seems to be the only time she can actually be heard. In addition, she is described using the most animated language when she is with Matthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½us: â€Å"flushed†, â€Å"agitation†, and â€Å"shaked†. The reader wants Phyllis and Matthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½us’ relationship to survive, as Phyllis is obviously so happy with him. This is what makes the ending so tragic. The stone wall is the place of Matthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½us and Phyllis’ meetings, and it symbolises an important boundary between them. This figurative language used by Hardy is not only showing the physical but also the moral boundary (Phyllis’ engagement) between the two lovers. Phyllis has a quiet independence, which Hardy shows through her willingness to elope with Matthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½us; she is prepared to defy social convention. Hardy shows Phyllis as a victim of circumstance and coincidence, because when she hears that Humphrey has bought her a present, the only thing that holds her back from eloping is her conscience and honesty. Here Hardy indicates that one small, seemingly insignificant moment can change one’s life forever. This can make the reader feel quite insecure and that the world is unjust; Phyllis suffered for the rest of her life simply because she was a good person. Irony is used when Phyllis is buried near Christoph and Matthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½us, near the wall where Matthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½us and her met. The most well known marriage vow contains â€Å"until death do us part†, though ironically they failed to be together in life, and death brought them together. It is also ironic because marriage was meant to be Phyllis’ escape from her secluded life but in fact it was marriage that prevented her freedom. Hardy’s harsh world also extends to men: for example in â€Å"The Withered Arm† when Rhoda Brooks’ son is hanged. In fact, Matthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½us and Christoph were subtly shown as heroes because they took the blame for the other two people found in the boat and as a result were shot. The final story â€Å"The Distracted Preacher† contains one main female character, Lizzy Newberry. Lizzy completely strays from the social conventions of the time. Lizzy, like Rhoda, is introduced to the reader through someone else’s speech, but in a completely different manner: â€Å"she won’t have† is used when Mr Stockdale is being informed about her, telling you immediately that she is confident and assertive. Lizzy’s personality is also shown through her leading Mr Stockdale to various destinations and giving him instructions. Hardy makes it clear that Mr Stockdale cannot take her for granted as he is always the one waiting for her and how he looks forward to seeing her: Mr Stockdale â€Å"longed for the morrow†. He cannot control her life as she is so independent and unpredictable. The environment surrounding Lizzy is â€Å"snug and cheerful†, unlike the rural countryside of Rhoda’s and Phyllis’. Other environments associated with Lizzy are smugglers caves such as â€Å"Daggers Grave†; these show her life as exciting and exhilarating. Hardy makes Lizzy the first to speak between her and Mr Stockdale; she is confident as she is the one that approaches him. Lizzy being a widow puts her in a good position as she can be sexually experienced yet single, without it being a scandal. Hardy uses very sophisticated language to describe Lizzy, this shows her subtle superiority and sophistication. He also uses animated language such as â€Å"ascended the hill† and â€Å"tripped at a quickening pace† to show her freedom. Hardy shows Mr Stockdale as rather naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve, by him automatically assuming that a conversation is about love or marriage, when Lizzy is talking to the miller. Also, it takes him a long time to understand what Lizzy does to make money, even after so many clues: Lizzy’s irregular sleeping patterns, her absence from her bedroom at night and him discovering a man’s freshly washed clothes in his room. Lizzy dresses like a man when going smuggling, symbolising her masculinity. In fact, Lizzy is like the man of the house; she makes all the choices and makes money. At one point, Lizzy handles money and this is very symbolic of her freedom. In the other two stories men are hurt physically and in this story Hardy uses this to show Lizzy as masculine; she was shot in the hand. In â€Å"The Withered Arm† Rhoda is jealous of Gertrude for being with Farmer Lodge, and in â€Å"The Melancholy Hussar† Phyllis stays inside for four weeks because she is so upset about Matthà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½us. In this story, however, Mr Stockdale gets upset about Lizzy. For a few days he becomes â€Å"sad† and â€Å"restrained† when he starts to suspect that there might be another man in Lizzy’s life. Also, there is a lack of choices for Mr Stockdale regarding his job â€Å"brought with a single eye to ministry†; in the previous stories the women tend to lack choices. Social convention expected women to centre their lives around men but Lizzy was not prepared to give up her life for a man. Lizzy even suggests that Mr Stockdale gives up his ministry to marry her. I think Hardy implies that money plays a big part in independence, because in the previous short stories women were restrained because of their lack of money, and in this story Lizzy is economically independent and has freedom. â€Å"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s† â€Å"†He’s dead,† she pouted.† This quote shows Lizzy’s rebelliousness but ironically, she ends up writing a book called â€Å"Render unto Caesar†. Lizzy’s marriage and apology to Mr Stockdale show that she eventually conformed to social convention. In the author’s note Hardy says he would have preferred Lizzy to marry Jim the smuggler, and emigrate to America, and that the other ending was only written because of the expectations of the time of publishing. So, even Hardy had to conform to the conventions of the day. The latter ending is more modern and clearly shows the influence of time on Hardy and his admiration of Lizzy. Throughout these short stories Hardy has shown a wide range of characters and has used different women in varying ways to achieve different purposes. Hardy is shown to have a good understanding of the women in that time through these stories. Even though all three of the short stories were written in the third person, Hardy has used language ingeniously. He has evoked many responses from the reader, but predominantly it is one of sympathy for the women.