Important Discoveries And Contributions That Were Made By...

Abstract: - The many concepts we currently have in the field of mathematics are thanks to great mathematicians from different cultures throughout time. An important era when great mathematical discoveries were made was during Medieval Times, or the Middle Ages. In this paper we discuss important discoveries and contributions that were made by three famous mathematicians of this time period including French Nicole Oresme, German Jordanus Nemorarius and Italian Leonardo Pisano, better known for his nickname of Fibonacci. Key-Words: - Medieval, Mathematics, Fibonacci, Arithmetic, Sequence 1 Introduction Mathematics has grown and expanded its many concepts thanks to mathematicians from different societies throughout time. A very important era in history is considered to be the Medieval Times, or the middle ages. According to reference [6], â€Å"People use the phrase ‘Middle Ages’ to describe Europe between the fall of Rome in 476 CE and the beginning of the Renaissance in the 14th century.† The Middle Ages, or Medieval Times, are known for their famous art, architecture, crusades among other things, but there were also mathematical contributions happening during this time period. Mathematical concepts that we know and use nowadays are thanks to contributions made from different mathematicians throughout time. The Medieval Times are no exception since great men living in this era contributed to the beautiful subject of mathematics. Some of the many intelligent minds from this eraShow MoreRelatedGreat Events and Contributors in the Field of Mathematics918 Words   |  4 Pagesabout various inventions and discoveries especially in the mathematics field. There were various people who made great contributions to the mathematics field which are applicable and still in use to date. This paper will therefore look at two among the many great events and the contributors of the events in the mathematics field. About 250BC there were various inventions and contributions by Archimedes who was considered as being among the greatest mathematicians in history. He is still honoredRead MorePhysics 11373 Words   |  6 PagesThough his most notable discoveries were in the field of astronomy, we cannot label him simply as an astronomer. He authored many important works including, Sidereal Messenger (also known as Starry Messenger), but unfortunately, due to the power of the Catholic church in his native Italy, his work in astronomy was widely rejected by his countrymen. His contributions to physics also place him in the ranks of the greatest scientists of all time. Without Galileo’s contributions to astronomy, mathematicsRead MoreThe Contribution Of Leonhard Euler1712 Words   |  7 Pagesfascinating and talented man who made significant contributions in mathematics, physics, engineering and astronomy (Stockstill). The incredible amount of work he produced in mathematics has made his name famous around the globe. He has produced more work than any other professional in mathematics (Australian Mathematics). His work in calculus, graph theory, and mathematical notation has greatly influenced mathematics (Euler Website). Euler was a great 18th-century mathematician but also worked in music theoryRead MoreCompilation of Mathematicians and Their Contributions11615 Words   |  47 PagesI. Greek Mathematicians Thales of Miletus Birthdate: 624 B.C. Died: 547-546 B. C. Nationality: Greek Title: Regarded as â€Å"Father of Science† Contributions: * He is credited with the first use of deductive reasoning applied to geometry. * Discovery that a circle is  bisected  by its diameter, that the base angles of an isosceles triangle are equal and that  vertical angles  are equal. * Accredited with foundation of the Ionian school of Mathematics that was a centre of learning and researchRead MoreGreece s Impact On The World1360 Words   |  6 PagesKratos-power, which, in literal, means power to the people. Athenian democracy was established as a result of continuous reorganizations with a concept in mind of individual rights for citizens. An excellent quality of the Athenian democracy was that citizens were elected annually and allowed to further a longer term unless an awry situation, then an abrupt change of government can be acted upon on. Direct democracy helped the citizens of Athens to develop intellectually, and broaden their minds, and culturalRead More Mileva Marić Einstein and her contribution to Albert Einsteins work1293 Words   |  6 Pagesmost important papers of his career, and won the 1921 Nobel Prize for that work. He spent the last 30 years of his life working on a unified field theory, but never succeeded. He was never again as successful as when he was with Mileva. Albert Einstein was born in 1879 in Germany and died in 1955 in USA. Albert Einstein won the 1921 Nobel Prize for physics for his services to theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of photoelectric effect. The most important yearRead MoreStanding On The Shoulders Of Giants999 Words   |  4 Pagesthe shoulders of giants† is a very common phrase heard in regards to the scientific community. New and modern works and discoveries are always based on the findings of those that came before them. Even if work done in the past has been proven to be wrong, they still laid the foundation for future scientists to revise their information and improve upon it. One of the most famous and well-known scientists of the times was Leonardo Da Vinci. Da Vinci was born April 15th, 1452 in Italy, by the full nameRead MorePythogoras of Samos Essay examples1350 Words   |  6 Pages Pythagoras of Samos is often described as the first pure mathematician. He is an extremely important figure in the development of mathematics yet we know little about his achievements. There is nothing that is truly accurate pertaining to Pythagorass writings. Today Pythagoras is certainly a mysterious figure. Little is known of Pythagorass childhood. Pythagorass father was Mnesarchus, and his mother was Pythais. Mnesarchus was a merchant who came from Tyre. Pythais was a native of Samos. AsRead MoreThe Life Of Albert Einstein923 Words   |  4 Pagesgraduated from the Federal Polytechnic School. Soon after that, he became a Swiss citizen, but was unable to find a teaching position, so he accepted a job offer as a technical assistant in the Swiss Patent Office (â€Å"Albert Einstein – Biographical†). Three years later, Einstein and Maric finally get married, and in 1904, they celebrate the new life of their son, Hans Albert (Time Line of Albert Einstein s Life). Since Einstein had plenty of free time at the office, he dedicated that time to beginRead MoreCommon Laboratory Operations5997 Words   |  24 PagesList of the entire famous scientist Alessandro Volta(1745-1827) An Italian Physicist who was a pioneer in the development of electricity. He created the first electric battery in 1800. This battery gave the world its first continuous, reliable source of electric current, and led to all important discoveries of the use of electricity. The unit of measuring electromotive force (emf), Volt(v) is named after him. He also proposed the law that the air expands at a constant rate with increasing temperature

Death of a Salesman - 915 Words

Define The American Dream. In what way does Death of a Salesman point out the hopelessness of chasing this dream? Are there any rewards? The idea of the American Dream is truly subjective. To some, it is living in the lap of luxury in all aspects. To others, it is a chance at a better brighter opportunity for themselves or their families. Arthur Millers Death of a Salesman portrays the promise of the American Dream in the form of opportunity, freedom, success and wealth; the ability to acquire all material comforts in American Life, and sacrifices one must make in order to achieve it. For Willy Loman, hard work could not earn him everything that he wanted or thought he deserved. Willy judged life in terms of material wealth.†¦show more content†¦Once again, Willy chooses his fixation on the American Dream, over his marriage and children. Willie lived to pursue the American dream rather than just live it simplistically, and organically. â€Å"Death of A Salesman† puts an immense amount of pressure on its main character. This dream, this idea of true happiness and success is similar to dangling a carrot in the face or a horse. The horse may give chase, running far and fast, but never reaches its intended goal. Willy Loman held onto a dream, and did everything and anything to reach it; even at the expense of his marriage and family. His demise was Rivera 4 tragic and unfortunate, and a result of a consumer oriented society in which he was never able to fit in. He has lost sight of achieving the true goal of the American Dream; happiness and freedom. Willy has made quite an effort in attempt to achieve this goal, such as having an affair, a life away from his family, all of which sent him on a crash course headed for disaster. All of this is proof that living out this American Dream, will never be a reality, unless we live in reality. To chase a dream is hopeless; you must work hard and earn your keep to achieve it, like everybody else. Upon doing so, it is possible to reap the benefits, and collect your reward no matter how tangible or intangeable they may be.Show MoreRelatedThe Death Of A Salesman1496 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction Today, the play The Death of a Salesman is celebrated in many theatres. The play is regarded as one of the finest dramas of American theater play. It was written in 1949 by an American playwright Arthur Miller. After the play was produced, it was first opened at the Morosco Theatre and starred Lee J Cobb as Willy Loman, Cameron Mitchell as Happy, Mildred Dunnock as Linda, Howard Smith as Charley and Arthur Kennedy as Biff. The play has been revived on Broadway four times and won manyRead MoreThe Death Of A Salesman857 Words   |  4 PagesSome stories have stood the test of time. These stories are relatable are leave readers feared perplexed. Oedipus the King is the tragic story of a man whose figurative blindness at a young age lead to his literal blindness at an old age. The Death of a Salesman converts this to a modern society of a man who just wants to do good for his family but doesn t see the effect of his actions. Although 2400 years separate these stories, readers can still relate to both the same. The genre of tragedy is interpretedRead MoreDeath of a Salesman990 Words   |  4 PagesDiscuss â€Å"Death of a Salesman† as a film. How could this film be more film-like? The well known late 1980’s play Death of a Salesman was beautifully crafted and opened my mind up to the reality of some people’s fantasies. When I first began to watch the play, I had immediately noticed that it was a play and not a movie. Usually in a film, there is a hero, heroine, climax, something they are fighting for, and usually (nine times out of ten) a happy, heroic ending. This movie included none, atRead MoreDeath of a Salesman606 Words   |  3 PagesWilly Loman: Victim of the American Dream Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman tells the tale of Willy Loman, a man who falls from the top of the capitalism system in a resonant crash. Being controlled by his fears of the future, and stuck in his memories of the past, Willy fully contributes to his self-victimization by putting little blame on his own mistakes. Although Willy is perceived as selfish, it is important to see that he is misguided. His character is one of a common man, he has neverRead MoreThe, Death Of A Salesman909 Words   |  4 Pagesdesire to be the breadwinners of the family, wish to achieve only success, become unemotional and might take dangerous risk to prove manhood. Many feminist novels, plays or short stories such as Frankenstein, â€Å"A Dollhouse†, â€Å"Yellow Wallpaper†, â€Å"Death of a Salesman† showcase the ill effects of gender roles. Women had to fight to have the same advantages and opportunities that men possess. Before modern times, many people would believe that a woman s place is in the home but now it is common for the modernRead MoreThe Death Of A Salesman1024 Words   |  5 PagesVictoria Gutierrez Professor Gilbreath Drama 10 6 April 2015 1026 Words The Death of A Salesman San Joaquin Delta College presented Arthur Miller s Death of A Salesman on Sunday the twenty-second of March at 2 o clock in the afternoon. This play is about a young man and his father coming to terms with the past and their futures. Willy Loman, an old salesman, is dealing with both financial and health difficulties. He is put under even more pressure when his unsuccessful son, Biff, returnsRead MoreThe Death Of A Salesman859 Words   |  4 PagesThe Death of a Salesman is a heart-wrenching story of a man named Willie, and his fight for economic freedom. The story takes place in 1931, and it starts off with Willie’s faint memory of his father, who was a flute maker and a salesman. Willie is a sixty three-year-old salesman who has work his entire life to achieve the common goal of the American Dream. Nevertheless, while trying to achieve economic freedom he ends up becoming trapped in the process. Willie in a lot of ways, died before his carRead MoreThe Death Of A Salesma n995 Words   |  4 PagesHope Miller’s play, The Death of a Salesman (1949) was about a family, and their struggles for the American dream. The family composition was not unlike that of an average family, a mom, a dad, and two children. Mom, Linda, tended to the house, oversaw the finances, as well as the lives of the remaining family members. Dad, Willy, supported the family as an on-the-road salesman. At first, Willy’s outbursts were confusing, but as I read the outbursts began to unfold the meanings buried in the storylineRead MoreDeath of a Salesman1187 Words   |  5 PagesDeath of a Salesman There are some who would argue that it is precisely the ultra-capitalist mentality of individuals like Willy Loman that has propelled the American Economy to global dominance, but Arthur Miller’s classic work â€Å"Death of a Salesman† begs the question: at what cost? What does it do to a person, this desperate need to â€Å"be number one man?† Each of Willy’s sons draw a different lesson from his life and their assertions about how one should live offer a compelling choice for modernRead MoreDeath of a Salesman1278 Words   |  6 PagesSteve Flatley Flatley 1 Mr. Nevels English 102 June 17, 2010 The Struggle Within There is a complete descent into madness evident in Miller’s â€Å"Death of a Salesman.† The struggle Willy Lowman has come to endure during a life of lies and false hope is portrayed very well by Miller’s use of dialogue, stage comments, prologue, and time and perhaps best shown by the use of dialogue and character interaction. By putting all of these elements to good use Miller paints a perfect picture as

OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION Free Essays

string(151) " each market as unique and implements a different approach in order to leverage on customer intelligence on its clubcard \(Datamonitor Europe, 2004\)\." ABSTRACT The ultimate objective of most business to customer (B2C) organizations today is to increase on their productivity and revenues through system simplification, organizational potential and incremental improvements. Customer satisfaction is key to achieving this objective. With the continuously tighter global market competition, it has become a necessity for most organizations to focus on their operations in order to increase on their profitability and gain market leadership (Nice group, 2006). We will write a custom essay sample on OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION or any similar topic only for you Order Now Customer service has thus become the main priority for these organizations to retain their market share and increase on their profitability. Operational management plays a key role in ensuring this customer satisfaction. This analysis thus seeks to examine the effectiveness of operational management in ensuring customer satisfaction within a customer facing B2C organization. An in depth case study of Tesco will be used to obtain the relevant data for this analysis. A multi-method strategy will thus be employed involving a quantitative survey through mailed questionnaires to the subordinate employees and semi-structured interviewing of senior managers within Tesco PLC. The interview scripts and survey questionnaires will then be analysed using thematic coding. Finally, conclusion will be drawn based on the findings obtained. INTRODUCTION In the recent years, globalization, information technology, super highway communication and international trade have posed numerous challenges and opportunities to business to customer (B2C) organizations which have resulted in the enhancement of the manufacturing capabilities through the introduction of new facilities, materials, procedures and techniques (Krajewski Ritzman, 2002). Hence managing the production/service system has become a major challenge in the global competitive environment. In order for business organizations to keep abreast with rapid technological changes and globalization impact, these leading edge organizations, both public and private, must have the ability to deal with the dynamic changes. Operational management leads the way for these business organizations to achieve their goals with minimum efforts. Operation management is that aspect of business the handles the production and service systems (Johnston et al, 2003). It is concerned with activities producing goods or involved in the delivery of services required by customers (Johnston et al, 2003). These activities are at the core of any organization and involve management of a vast majority of the organization’s assets, expenditure and its employees (Krajewski Ritzman, 2002). A commonly held misconception is that operation management involves only the manufacturing activities. It should however be noted that services are increasingly important and their contribution to the national economy far outstrips that of the manufacturing. Additionally, the overwhelming employment majority is provided by the service industry (Krajewski Ritzman, 2002). Operations management can therefore be defined as the effective planning, organizing and controlling of an organization’s resources and activities necessary to provide the market with tangible goods and services (Johnston et al, 2003). It thus applies to manufacturing industries, nonprofit organizations and service industries. Often, the main activities of operations management are production, product development and distribution. Related activities include inventory control, managing purchases, logistics, supply chain management, quality control, storage and evaluation processes (Johnston et al, 2003). The focus is mainly on maximizing resources, increasing efficiency and most importantly, ensuring customer satisfaction. Therefore, OM often includes substantial measurement and analysis of the internal processes. With the continuously tighter global market competition, it has become a necessity for most organizations to focus on their operations in order to increase on their profitability and gain market leadership (Nice group, 2006). Customer service has thus become the main priority for these organizations to retain their market share and increase on their profitability. Ultimately, successful operations management is the key to ensuring customer satisfaction by creating more value than the competition. This proposal thus seeks to examine the effectiveness of operational management in achieving better customer satisfaction within a customer facing B2C organisation. PROBLEM STATEMENT The ultimate objective of most business to customer (B2C) organizations today is to increase on their productivity and revenues through system simplification, organizational potential and incremental improvements (Nice group, 2006). Customer satisfaction is thus key to achieving this objectivity. However, most B2C organizations are currently encountering a necessity to respond to the rapidly changing customer preference, needs, tastes and desires (Nice group, 2006). Stiff competition coupled with increasingly changing customer needs has proven to be the endless driver of organizational performance improvement (Nice group, 2006). For these organizations to remain competitive and retain a larger market share in the global market, efficient management of the operating systems, including both the human resources and material management, must be made a priority. RATIONALE FOR SELECTING TESCO AS CASE STUDY The main purpose of this analysis is to examine the efficiency of operational management in ensuring customer satisfaction within a customer facing a B2C organisation. For this purpose, we selected a case study of Tesco PLC to obtain the relevant data for this analysis. Tesco PLC belongs to the retail industry and their principal products mainly include groceries, Consumer goods, telecoms and financial services (Datamonitor Europe, 2004). Tesco is one of the largest British retailers in terms of the global sales and domestic market share. It has over 923 stores and employs more than 240, 000 people (Datamonitor Europe, 2004). Operational management plays a key role to attaining the primary objectives of Tesco. Whether the current operation objective is to increase on profitability or to improve on customer service, the way in which Tesco utilises its resources have significant impact. As a consequence, there have been an increasing number of innovative developments in operations management in Tesco. Tesco recognizes the human elements as a value adding factor; hence the company has heavily invested in continuous professional development of its workforce (Austin, 2004). The plausibility of its operation strategies is also evident through its localizing and multi-formatting efforts to reach the global market (Austin, 2004). The discounter approach has also been useful in establishing strong customer relationships (Nice group, 2006). For its inbound logistics, Tesco has maintained a healthy relationships with its suppliers by importing own and unique systems (Nice group, 2006). Also, for the outbound logistics, the company treats its each market as unique and implements a different approach in order to leverage on customer intelligence on its clubcard (Datamonitor Europe, 2004). You read "OPERATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION" in category "Essay examples" The procurement and distribution of produce are closely monitored and deliveries made through truck fleets (Nice group, 2006). Further, the company keeps track on goods purchased and products likely to be bought in future hence making Tesco as one of the largest databases worldwide. For its supply chain management, Tesco introduced lean management solutions. The company adopted path breaking techniques and systems like point of sales data, continuous replenishment, primary distribution and the RFID technology in order to increase on the efficiency of its supply chain (Austin, 2004). Through its effective supply chain management, Tesco has emerged as a market leader in the retailing industry in UK (Austin, 2004). Clearly, Tesco represents a successful organisation with efficient operational management. It should however be noted that the current expansion of its retail market into Europe and Asian markets have direct implications on operational management (Nice group, 2006). Nonetheless, employing an in depth case study of Tesco, in examining the effectiveness of operational management in ensuring customer satisfaction, meets the objectives of this analysis. RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The primary goal of this analysis is to examine the effectiveness of operational management in achieving better customer satisfaction within a customer facing B2C organization. Specifically, the research would like to accomplish the following objectives: To examine and analyze the operational management of Tesco PLC Understand the role of operational management in the retail industry To infer the correlation between operational management and better customer satisfaction LITERATURE REVIEW INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE Over the past decade the focus of most prior research has shifted significantly but has concentrated predominantly on operations management within B2C organizations. A number of key studies are cited repeatedly in extant literature. Reference to these studies shall be made in this section as most of their contributions still apply to organizational practices today. Also supporting literature review, information for this research will be drawn from various publications and academic journals such as Academy of Management Review and Journal of Operations Management. A REVIEW OF EXTANT LITERATURE Research into operational management has long been a subject of debate in the public discourse (Flynn et al, 1990). Scholars and practitioners have in the past decades complained about the inconsistencies between applications and research into operations management and stressed the need for a field based research (McCutcheon Meredith, 1993). While Cox Ledbetter (1977) found a vast majority of firms in the UK utilizing operations research in operation management, Robey Smith (1973) observed that application of the research findings to real world situations was constrained by the lack of an integrative research. Bufa (1980) noted that we had become experts at defining problems of narrow scope, evaluating the results using a single criterion and building models to represent them. He noted that attention was rarely given to the problems facing practitioners; hence Bufa (1980) called for an operation management research agenda related to the real world. He suggested that results from research into operations management be made understandable and acceptable to practitioners. Buffa further called for continued research in strategic issues such as planning and control, technology, and location analysis among others. Subsequently, Buffa identified capacity planning, positioning and quality control as critical issues that must be addressed by service systems. While surveying four periodicals namely: Management Science, Decision Sciences, International Journal of Production Research and AIIE Transactions; Chase (1980) developed a framework with two dimensions, research orientation and research emphasis, to classify operation management research. He observed that most research in operational management (OM) was not integrative and focused on micro problems. His survey of published articles on OM showed that among the most popular areas for research were work measurement and inventory control. Research in service systems dealt exclusively with micro issues of staff scheduling. Graham Miller (1981), proposed a comprehensive agenda for OM research. Unlike Buffa (1980), this agenda was based on opinions drawn from a panel of practitioners and researchers. Graham and Miller called for OM research in four main areas: service systems, operations control, operations policy and productivity and technology. Graham and Miller recommended the use of case studies and empirical methods to augment traditional methodologies of simulation and modeling. More recently, there has been an increased interest in process design, quality and strategy (Meredith Samson, 2001). The increase is due to improved frequency among journal articles. The current research in quality has taken a more organizational focus unlike the statistical focus noted by Chase (1980). Further, the concept of operational management has revolutionized beyond just the internal production and manufacturing. It now encompasses activities such as product and process design, purchasing, and distribution (Prasad Babbar, 2000). According to Nernesian (2000), operations management is a process that deals with the transformation of raw inputs- materials, labour or capital- into useful goods and services. While this may be true, there is a whole lot dimensions to the operation management arena. However, the main objective of operational management in any organization remains to maximize on resources and improve on customer satisfaction. Customer service is therefore, key to operational management. Slack et al (2004) defines operation strategy as the total pattern of decisions which shape the long term capabilities of any operation and their contribution to the overall strategy. Slack et al (2004) asserts that the objectives of operation management relate to stakeholders interest. In this regard, customer satisfaction is of particular importance to Tesco PLC. In order to ensure customer satisfaction through operational management, Tesco’s operation performance objectives mainly reflect on five aspects namely: quality, speed, cost, dependability and flexibility. As Slack et al (2004) points out, quality is vital for every operation within a B2C organization since it is an important aspect of customer satisfaction. Hence for a grocery retailer like Tesco, quality could mean that stores are clean and tidy, stores are in good condition, staff is friendly, courteous and helpful, and decor is appropriate and attractive. In this regard, Tesco hired staff to be placed into the stores and distribution centers so as to improve on availability and services hence increasing customer satisfaction (Austin, 2004). Additionally, Tesco launched a clubcard which contains customer information hence enabling it to better understand its customers (Austin, 2004). LITERATURE REVIEW SUMMARY There has been a proliferation of empirical research in the area of operations management. Renowned operation management scholars have attempted to focus and direct OM research towards areas of importance and relevance to industry (Wacker, 1998). Clearly, this review has identified that whilst there is an extensive body of publications into operational management, relatively few rigorous and systematic studies have examined the effect of operational management in customer satisfaction. RESEARCH QUESTIONS To develop an efficient operation management, emphasis should be placed on systems approach which stresses on the techniques, concepts and policies essential for effective and economical design, control of manpower, materials, facilities, capital and informational inputs of an organization (Johnston et al, 2003). To guide our research on operational management we will develop the following preposition: To identify the effectiveness of operational management, one should focus on productivity tools such as Manufacturing Resource Planning, Total Quality Control, Simulation and Animation of Production Operations, Just in Time Techniques, Optimized Production Techniques and Decision Support Systems (Johnston et al, 2003). Based on this proposition we develop three research questions: How do these productivity tools increase the efficiency of operational management in Tesco How can operational management be assessed with regard individual performance and productivity of Tesco PLC What is the potential effect of efficient operational management on customer satisfaction METHODOLOGY RESEARCH PHILOSOPHY The study will adapt an intepretivist research philosophy which is characterized by high degree of subjectivity. Intepretivism takes an ideographic approach to the study and requires a more detailed and rigorous analysis (Swamidass, 1991). This particular philosophical approach has been chosen as it allows the researcher to not only observe and learn, but to also actively engage in the discussion on the effectiveness of operational management in ensuring customer satisfaction. Hence the researcher’s knowledge will be closely aligned to that of the participants. Through this particular philosophical approach, the researcher will be able to explore on the subjective meanings that motivate people’s actions and how effective operational management can improve on customer satisfaction. RESEARCH APPROACHES There are generally two major research paradigms often employed in data collection and analysis namely: qualitative and quantitative approaches. Quantitative methods are formal and objective and they involve systematic processes that generate numerical data (Scudder Hill, 1998). Quantitative research is â€Å"used to answer questions about the complex nature of phenomena, often with the purpose of describing and understanding the phenomena from the participants’ point of view† (Scudder Hill, 1998). With quantitative methods the researcher is able to infer the conclusion through assessing participants’ perceptions and views. On the contrary, qualitative approaches are non-numerical and focus on gathering mainly verbal data (Stuart et al, 2002). The qualitative paradigm is based on a constructivist principle: the belief that reality is socially and subjectively constructed (Stuart et al, 2002). When looking at qualitative versus quantitative methods of data collection, it is obvious that there are advantages and disadvantages associated with each methodology. RESEARCH STRATEGY In order to capitalize on the strengths of both approaches and offset on their limitations, a multi method strategy will be employed by the researcher in collecting primary data. A multi-method strategy uses different data collection methods within a single research paradigm (Tashakkori Teddlie, 2003). It involves using more than one method but restricted to the methods selected from one world view. According to Tashakkori Teddlie (2003), a multi-method approach is important as it allows for the triangulation on an issue by employing different data sources in order to approach the research problem from the different viewpoints. A multi-method strategy will thus be employed involving a quantitative survey through mailed questionnaires to the subordinate employees and semi-structured interviewing of senior managers within Tesco PLC. DATA COLLECTION There is need for an integration of the original individual study through primary research with an existing knowledge and previous research. Therefore both primary and secondary data will be employed in data collection. Primary data will be based on questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviewing of retail managers at Tesco. Secondary research will be used alongside with primary research. Secondary data will be drawn from independent sources such as academic journals, published articles, textbooks, and internet sources. A review of the secondary publications will help in defining the agenda for subsequent primary research by suggesting the relevant questions to be asked. Secondary data will be useful in ascertaining, comparing and integrating with primary data for the purpose of comprehensive and logical analysis. DATA ANALYSIS Thematic analysis (Saunders et al, 2009) would be adopted in the analysis of data obtained through primary and secondary sources. The interview scripts and questionnaires will be analyzed using thematic coding. Contemporary research themes in operation management (such as the operation strategy, supply chain management, service operations, performance management and lean methods), which are based on the research objectives, will be adopted in analyzing the results obtained from the interview and questionnaires as well as the relevant data obtained from secondary publications. RELIABILITY, VALIDITY AND GENERALIZABILITY Due to the fact that semi structured interviews with one or several individuals would be involved in the data gathering process, the study may be prone to interview bias or error and respondent bias or error (Saunders et al, 2009). Moreover, Questionnaires are less likely to be valid as some respondents may answer superficially while others may not be willing to answer certain questions. Furthermore, survey as an instrument has been criticized with some researchers citing potential difficulties of survey administration. According to Meredith et al (1989), the efficient and effective implementation and administration of survey significantly influences the achievement of satisfactory responses and the overall success of data generation. In order to improve reliability, validity and generalizability, this study will adopt the following standards To increase the validity of the research findings and evaluation of responses the researcher will triangulate the responses with articles from independent sources such as published articles, academic journals, textbooks, and the internet and operation management reports. In order to improve on the response rate and content validity, the survey will be designed, formulated and implemented in a manner that follows recommendations from various authors. In particular, the recommendations on survey piloting, layout and questionnaire design by Churchill (1991), Dillman (1978) and Conant et al (1990) will be adopted. Questionnaires will also be issued on two separate occasions, and the two sets of responses compared statistically using spearman’s rank correlation for continuous data hence ensuring consistency of the responses. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS Some of the limitations that might be encountered by the researcher are discussed in this section and these include: Time constraints in conducting the research, analysis and interpreting results. Lack of enough resources for completing the research. CONCLUSION With the above taken into account, it can be concluded that this research proposal is of paramount importance. This research will contribute to the profound analysis on the effectiveness of operational management in achieving better customer satisfaction within a customer facing B2C organization. Conclusion will be drawn based on the findings obtained from the study. REFERENCE Amundson, S. D. (1998). 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