The process of learning was interesting and captivating. Starting with a broad subject where I analyzed the literature on the importance and the effects of customer satisfaction in Apple.inc. In this first part, secondary literature was analyzed with the aim of getting a background picture of how Apple.inc values its clients. This was done with the aim of understanding the factors that affect customer’s satisfaction, and the level of customer satisfaction of Apple.inc customers. The main objective of the first paper was to analyze existing literature about Apple.inc and customer satisfaction.
The second paper was a detailed business research proposal which would analyze primary data in an attempt to understand the factors that affect the level of customer satisfaction in Apple.inc, and why Apple.inc places so much attention not only to customer support, but also, customer delight. It is important to note that this second paper was more of a systematic science probe of customer satisfaction in Apple.inc and why it should be emulated by other companies.
Learning by doing research is more effective than just being taught in class (Ferlazzo et al., 2012, p. 209). It is more of a self-discovery process that captivates the mind of a learner, creating a memorable learning experience. Since the learner is engaged in the learning process, he/she effectively and efficiently learn new facts. For instance, in my two papers, I have learned a lot without straining—it was both puzzling and fun. This method of learning is very useful and should be encouraged.
In this learning process, I started by analyzing different literature sources to create a background for my research. Therefore, in the first activity, it was more of a literature review that was used to create a conceptual framework for the second part of the learning process (activity 2). For activity 2, it was a research proposal that would be used for studying the main factors that affect the level of customer satisfaction in Apple.inc. In a way, the first activity of literature review was done as a prerequisite to activity 2.
In The Course Program
The learning process was very useful in my course program. I was able to learn so much, especially in the first paper, where I was analyzing existing literature on customer satisfaction. I have to note that, most of all the papers that I analyzed were rich in information. This was very important in improving my knowledge base in customer satisfaction and why businesses cannot survive without it—it is the backbone of any enterprise. This has helped me to understand better what was taught in my course program. Most of those literature materials I read, helped to clarify the course content.
In My Future Career
The knowledge base I got from the first paper (which was a literature review of the importance of customer satisfaction and the factors that affect it), will play a pivotal role in all my future plans and career. For instance, if I became a manager or director of an organization, I would ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction, because I understand its importance and how detrimental it can be for the organization if the customers are not satisfied with our services.
Most successful organizations/ managers are the ones that make sure their customers are satisfied with the type and quality of the services they offer. Some even go an extra mile to ensure that their clients are not only satisfied by their services and products, but that, they are also delighted.
In the second paper that I did, I learned the process and the importance of the research process, which will be important in my future career. As a professional in my field, I would be required to undertake research on various subjects, so as to understand issues and problems and come up with solutions. The importance of research is not only to inform but also to come up with solutions to problems (Chell and Karata?-Özkan, 2014, p. 392), and encourage creative thinking and knowledge sharing (through literature review). I might also decide to become a research scientist with the knowledge gained from this learning experience.
Through this activities, I have learned the importance of business research. It is a fundamental tool in which successful businesses get more royal customers compared to their competitors. For example, in activity one, Apple.inc, through ensuring customer satisfaction, has performed better than other computer electronic giants such as Samsung. This means that when customers are more satisfied with your products and services, compared to your competitors, most likely you will win a loyal customer base (Publishing, 2013, p. 252)(just like Apple).
The impact of customers’ satisfaction on businesses and the factors that affect it, can only be learned via business research. Business research can aid you in the determination of your customer’s choices and preferences, so that you can target specific market groups with a certain preference; thereby attracting more clients and more clients means more profits which translate to improved business performance (Jr, 2014, p. 211).
In the learning process, I learned that business research which mostly consists of surveys, is vital for decision making. For example, according to Ben Lovejoy (2016), Apple.inc relies on customers’ feedback for its research purposes which are geared towards understanding its customers better, so that they can satisfy their needs. From this, it is clear that business research is important in decision making in a company. Other than customer surveys, businesses can also use focus group discussion to understand customer needs.
Through these activities, I have also learned the importance of business research. It is the tool that is widely used by businesses to assess and understand their customers, so that they can improve their products in line with the customers’ expectations; which are based on past customers’ feedback, as in the case of Apple.inc, that has employed a customer’s feedback mechanism that allows collection of customer’s feedback (Catherine Simmons, 2012, p. 281).
Another importance lesson that was learned, is the importance of customer surveys in business research. Customers’ surveys such as questionnaires can be very effective and efficient tools for business research, they can help a researcher collect a lot of data from respondents without spending a lot of money and time. Also, the questionnaires allow researchers to collect respondents data without bias, especially in open-ended questionnaires—respondents are free to give their views without being controlled or guided in a given direction which might influence their views. Any business that would like to become successful must try to do business research and understand their clients better (Wyse, 2012).
In qualitative business research, I learned that it has three main types which are explanatory research, exploratory research, and descriptive research. The main difference between explanatory research and descriptive research is that explanatory research doesn’t have a predefined hypothesis, while descriptive research has a predetermined hypothesis (Seliger and Shohamy, 2013). As for exploratory research, it is mostly carried out due to natural occurrences (Hair, 2015, p. 147).
Another important lesson that was learned from these exercises was the two types of research approaches: interpretive, and positivism (W. Lawrence Neuman and Karen Robson, 2012). When the research concentrates on the facts and figures it is called interpretive, while, when it focusses more on the opinions and feelings of the respondents it is called positivism approach.
Conclusion
All in all, the learning activities have enabled me to learn the importance of the learning process. It is obvious that the learning process is very essential—it is a structured, sequential process that is effective in collecting and analyzing data and is a useful tool for understanding various problems in nature and coming up with solutions. This will be critical in future career and life as an expert in the business world. This learning process was more engaging and more effective, and I learned a lot.
References
Catherine Simmons, 2012. Tools for Strengths-Based Assessment and Evaluation. Springer Publishing Company.
Chell, E., Karata?-Özkan, M., 2014. Handbook of Research on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Ferlazzo, L., Sypnieski, K.H., Hull-Sypnieski, K., 2012. The ESL / ELL Teacher’s Survival
Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language
Learners of All Levels. John Wiley & Sons.
Hair, J.F., 2015. Essentials of Business Research Methods. M.E. Sharpe.
Jr, L.R., 2014. Proceedings of the 2009 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual
Conference. Springer.
Publishing, B., 2013. Good Small Business Guide 2013, 7th Edition: How to Start and Grow
Your Own Business. A&C Black.
Seliger, H.W., Shohamy, E., 2013. Second Language Research Methods – Oxford Applied
Linguistics: Oxford University Press.
Quantitative Approaches. Pearson.
Wyse, S.E., 2012. The 4 Main Reasons to Conduct Surveys [Online]. Snap Survey. Blog. URL
https://www.snapsurveys.com/blog/4-main-reasons-conduct-surveys/ (accessed 6.4.17).
Lovejoy, B., 2016. Apple beats Samsung by just one percent in American Customer Satisfaction
Index. [Online] Available at: https://9to5mac.com/2016/06/01/american-customer-satisfaction-index-apple/ [Accessed 04 April 2017].
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