Britney Spears - A very public breakdown

Aged 25 Britney Spears recently suffered what appeared to be a very public breakdown when she was reported to have driven to a hairdressing salon and shaved her own head.

A child star who first found fame in 1993 as a member of the American TV show The Mickey Mouse Club, she went on to have phenomenal success with her first single "Baby....one more time" and a debut album which became the highest selling album of a teenager of all time.

With her media stock riding high she won MTV awards and publicly announced her relationship with fellow Mickey Mouse Club child star Justin Timberlake who had himself carved out a successful solo singing career.

When she broke up with Justin Timberlake though things started to go wrong and the media were there to not only see her burst into tears during a TV interview, but were at hand to report her Las Vegas marriage to her childhood friend Jason Alexander and it's annulment two days later.

Britney did get married for real to one of her backing dancers, Kevin Federline, in April 2004. The media were quick to report that the marriage would prove to be less than happy and while her new husband tried to carve out a singing career for himself, Britney became pregnant. The new baby did nothing to save the marriage and Britney and Kevin filed for divorce in December 2006 after just two years of marriage.

Rarely out of the media spotlight, Britney then alarms friends and family as she appears to mentally self-destruct resulting in the shaving of her head and visits in and out of rehab centres.

Reports have suggested that Britney is being treated for postnatal depression and that doctors believe that any substance abuse was a reaction to post-baby blues and an intense feeling on Britney’s part that she had lost control of her life.

Do you think this is the price people like Britney pay for having achieved stardom; or is it the fault of the media that continually fuels the paparazzi; or is it the general public that buys the newspapers and magazines that take delight in reporting when celebrities have bad hair days?

Participate in this weeks open survey Britney Spears - a very public breakdown

Flawed Customer Services (Part 3) - Single Point of Failure

In the previous two parts of this article the suppliers were shown to be wanting but their main problem was that they did not have sufficient and effective feedback in place to identify and resolve problems.
In this third and final example the supplier is relying on a procedure that has a serious and unnecessary 'single point of failure' risk.

Example 3 – Single Point of Failure

This final supplier offers customers a very clever application that converts between different media formats and offers a free trial that will allow the software to be fully tested before purchasing.

They market their product as a full suite and also in a number of 'lite' versions for customers who do not require all the bells and whistles. The product is sold in the region of $800 for the full version and $250 for the 'lite'.

For this supplier I purchased the 'lite' product on Christmas Eve as I required the software to complete a project that I needed to be finished by the New Year.

The order was confirmed online and a message displayed to inform me that an email would be sent to confirm the order and that it would contain download instructions, I was able to confirm that the email address that it would be sent to was correct.

No email was received confirming the order and containing download instructions so I logged onto the suppliers website and using the order detail menu options I was able to locate the order.

Mistake 1 – No backup

Although in this particular case the email entered was correct I noticed that within the ordering process there was no facility that would have allowed me to correct the email if it were wrong.

There was also no procedure to confirm that the email entered was typed correctly, this would normally done by requesting that the typed email be repeated.

There was no procedure to allow the customer to resend the confirmation and if the email were entered incorrectly, but by chance was a valid email address, it would be possible for an unauthorised third-party to receive the download instructions and validation key.

Even though there was a facility provided that allowed the customer to track the order through the website there was no procedure to allow the download to be initiated through logging onto the website.

Although there was the facility to download the full suite and then activate it using a software license key, this facility was not available for the 'lite' version.


Mistake 2 – Reliant on customer services

In this particular case the problem was made worse because the order was place on Christmas Eve and so contacting customer services meant waiting until their personnel returned from the Christmas holidays.

For problems such as being unable to download a product a backup procedure online would reduce the number of support queries requiring human attention.

Mistake 3 – No feedback

Ordering procedures that do not allow customers to give feedback are missing the opportunity to gain from the customer's experience and this supplier was another who did not have any official feedback channel.

Summary

The reliance of email notification without having any backup procedures fails to take into account that mail systems are becoming less reliable as a first contact often due to over zealous and multi-layered spam filters.

Not validating an address before sending sensitive information such as download instructions and access keys is very cavalier.

Having made the effort to allow an order to be tracked, it makes little sense not to include a download option along with the order details.


In Conclusion

This series of articles has showcased three companies that each had automated procurement procedures and had established a customer service methodology that on paper would appear to be effective.

In each case the manufacturers would have benefited from employing a simple 'catch all' customer satisfaction survey to allow them to check that their ordering procedures were quick and effective that in turn would have allowed them to improve their sales and/or reputations.

Experiencing problems is a fact of life, but for good customer services it is important to be able to catch problems and then learn from them in a manner that continually validates and challenges a businesses ordering and fulfilment systems.

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To view a number of other articles relating to customer services and customer satisfaction surveys please visit Survey Galaxy Knowledge Base.

Flawed Customer Services (Part 2) - Alienating the Customer

In part one of this three part article it was shown that a particular supplier failed to make a sale because they had made it unnecessarily complicated for a certain category of customers to locate the required information to purchase the product. Because they also failed to gather any feedback the flaws in their procurement procedures are likely to remain undetected and unresolved.
This second example does receive feedback but as you will see it is feedback that is going to the wrong person, if the 'problem' is also the customer services channel then problems can exist that are not apparent to the company.


Example 2 – Alienating the Customer

While in travelling in South Africa I found myself wanting to watch a DVD on my notebook computer but when I tried to access the DVD through Microsoft's Windows Media Player it displayed an error which advised me that I needed to purchase an add-on before I was able to access DVDs.

Windows Media player directed me to a list of suppliers and I chose one who greeted me with the marketing line, 'You are five minutes away from watching a DVD on your computer'.



Mistake 1 – No trial

Not providing any free trial for commodity applications is unusual as it benefits the manufacturer and the customer if the software can first be tested to ensure it works and meets the customer's expectations.

With a trial offer if there is any problem with the application potential customers do not generally mind if they have had the chance to try before they buy.

Mistake 2 – Un-documented and Unnecessary Restrictions

Because of the relatively low price of the product I completed the online order form and received an email order confirmation giving me a link for the download. I clicked on the link and my download accelerator kicked in that allows me to download files quicker by splitting the download file into smaller files and using simultaneous downloads.

After a few seconds the download failed and I found that I was unable to restart the download. I looked at the email confirmation and found instructions on how to log onto the suppliers website and check the progress of an order and in doing so I found a download button. Unfortunately when I clicked on the download button I received a message informing me that I had exceeded by download limit which was set at five and therefore was left with no option but to email the suppler for assistance.

I received an automated response to my email to notify me that my email query had been received and that they would deal with my enquiry using their first come first served support policy.

After several hours I received a response to my email informing me that they had reset the download count and then, as an aside, also notified me that their download procedure did not support download applications that allowed the download to be restarted and/or accelerated.

Turning off the download accelerator I was able to download the file without too many problems.

Download accelerators are common and allowing restarts only sensible as it reduces the download traffic where some unreliable connections are concerned. However, if there are restrictions that do apply, then not displaying what they are prior to the customer clicking on the download link is inviting support problems.

Mistake 3– Falling between Sales and Support

Once the download was complete I installed the software and when loading the DVD that I wanted to watch a DVD I was asked to register the product online which I did.

Once I had completed the online registration and created an account to allow me to receive technical support the application started and the application read the title and gave me the options to 'play', 'reset' or 'eject'.

I selected 'play', the screen went blank and then it returned to the same menu, no error message. No matter how many times I tried, even after restarting the computer I could not get past the 'play' option.

I visited the supplier's website and navigated to the support page and entered my account details but the password I entered was reported as being incorrect. After a few attempts I took the option to have my password sent to me again. A message came up to say that an email had been sent to verify the password and I was able to see from the displayed message that the verification email was being sent to the correct email address.

After several hours and multiple attempts at having the password re-sent no password confirmation email was received therefore preventing me from being able to register my problem using the proper technical support procedures.

Mistake 4 – Not understanding the Customers query

I sent an email explaining the initial problem with the download that I confirmed resolved and reported that I now had a problem with the software and was also unable to access the technical support page to report the technical problem.

After several hours I received an email reply that simply gave me instructions on how to download the software.

I replied pointing out that the problem was no longer with the download but with the software and also not being able to access the online technical support.

I then received an email confirming that I needed to register the product to get technical support.

I replied to say that I had registered the product, that the registration was confirmed because when I tried to log on to the support I was receiving a message to say that although it recognized my login ID the password was incorrect. I was able to request a password confirmation, that appeared to be being sending it to the correct address but I was not receiving the email. I confirmed to them that I was therefore unable to log on to technical support and register the problem.

Mistake 5 – Annoying the customer

I was naturally annoyed to receive a reply to say that they were unable to deal with technical support calls and that I needed to contact the technical support by telephone. A basic rule for good customer services is that you do not get the customer to do a company's internal communication.

In my reply to them I pointed out that the cost of the software was not worth the cost of the international phone call in trying to call a technical support line in the USA. I requested that they notify their own technical support team on my behalf or perhaps they might find it easier to offer me a refund.

Mistake 6 – Making the customer really annoyed

I received confirmation that they were unable to deal with technical queries and again listed the procedures for me to register the product to obtain technical support.

I took my time to reply and spell out clearly that they really needed to read what I had previously written and that we were now beyond the technical support stage and that we were now in the commercial decision stage where I would like then to agree, or advice otherwise, to a refund.

Mistake 7 – Loosing the customer

I finally received an email offering me a full refund and a partial apology for the problems. The refund was received once I had agreed to delete the downloaded software which I was more than happy to do.


Summary

By offering a full refund the supplier resolved the problem to my full satisfaction but made no attempt to fix any of the reported problems, either as to why I was unable to access the support area, why I was not receiving the password confirmation and why the software did not function properly.

Whatever personal criticism I might have with the people who were responding to my emails, there was no alternative channels open to me to contact the company's management so that I could alert them to my growing frustration.

When one customer experiences a problem it is often important and useful to understand the cause of the problem even if the final solution is to offer that customer a full refund. In this particular case there seemed an unnecessary demarcation, and no internal communication, between sales and support preventing customer's problems, that fall between both camps, to be addressed.

Requesting customer feedback that is then channelled through to management is not a new idea. Hotel and restaurants chains have for years often had feedback cards that are not handed in to the staff but posted directly to head office, ensuring that negative comments are not lost and positive comments genuine.

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To view a number of other articles relating to customer services and customer satisfaction surveys please visit Survey Galaxy Knowledge Base.

Flawed Customer Services (Part 1) - Not closing the sale

Ask most businesses to rate how important it is to them to have satisfied customers and few would say anything other than 'essential'.
From a company's own perspective their customer services procedures might appear to tick all the right boxes but what appears to be a good procedure can sometimes fall short when viewed from a customer, or perhaps more importantly a potential customer's perspective.

Some would argue that customer service has been in decline as the growth of automation and the need to minimise overheads has eroded the human side of customer service. There is no doubt that the type of personal one-on-one customer service that was so common throughout the USA and Europe in the 1950's is a relic of the past with technology steadily replacing people.

Some automated technologies have proved more successful than others, call centres, especially when they are situated in far flung countries, can come in for criticism that may or may not be fair. Although the economics make sense it is easy to see how customers can get frustrated when the technology and savings drivers are put above customer experience.

What can often be missing from many a customer service procedure is the canvassing of regular and effective customer feedback, not for the sake of ticking another box, but because a customer's real-life experience is possibly the most important metric available to any business, large or small.

This three part article was inspired after I recently experienced first-hand problems with three separate suppliers that resulted in them either loosing a sale and/or frustrating me, a potential customer.

What struck me was that all three had what appeared at first to be well established customer services procedures that would be able to handle my query and resolve any difficulties in an efficient and professional manner, yet all three failed and for different reasons.

Automation is not the enemy, but automation must be carefully thought through as being frustrated by a machine is universally despised.


Example One – Not closing the sale

This first supplier offers one of the most popular FTP applications and a thirty day fully functional risk free trial. Emails are sent to 'remind' the customer at about the halfway stage and then towards the end of the trial period to that has the effect of encouraging those that have not yet purchased the product to both fully test the application and hopefully make a decision to purchase the product.

However, for this US supplier I was working outside the USA and when after a successful trial I went to click on the link to purchase the product the price I was quoted was in US dollars.

The US dollar is a global currency, no, it IS the global currency and I, like many others, are not often put off, certainly when it comes to low value commodity items, if the currency is not our local currency but on this occasion there was a notice that stated, 'for international customers please click here'.


Mistake 1 – Planting doubt and causing hesitation

For anyone seeing the message from outside the USA it would naturally cause them to hesitate, which I did, thinking perhaps that I should just check that there might be benefits in purchasing the application locally.

On clicking on the option I was requested to select my country, which I did, and then I was provided with a list of perhaps a dozen or so local, but unfamiliar, suppliers.

Since none of the names were familiar and other than their address to go on I chose one, a choice based on nothing more than arbitrary reasoning.

Mistake 2 – Going backwards

When clicking on my chosen link I was taken not to the product page but the local supplier's website's home page and greeted not with information about the application I was interested in, but general information about the supplier who it turned out provided a number of software applications and IT services.

Because of the extensive range of services and products they provided it took me some time to first locate a general list of available applications, then to navigate to the correct section where I found a number of the FTP supplier's applications. From the list of five products I was finally able to select the FTP application that I was interested in.

Mistake 3 – No 'buy now' option

Having spent time locating the product I was to be disappointed further because there was no price, nor 'buy now' button, just another offer to download a 30 day free trial.

Because I had already trialled the software I was ready to purchase and I wanted to know the price.

Mistake 4 – Not making it simple

I decided to go back to the list of local suppliers and choose another name from the list but my experience was the same, I was faced with the problem of locating the application and this time I was not advised of the price but instead given an offer to request a quotation for what I knew to be a $40 commodity item.


Mistake 5 – Loosing the sale

It was at this point that I thought I would just go back to the original screen and purchase the product direct from US manufacturer as had been my first intention, but because I was feeling that I had been sent on a wild goose chase I then decided that I could actually do without the product and so cancelled my order.

Mistake 6 – Not learning

The final mistake that the manufacture makes is that where at the end of the trial period when I do not take up the option to purchase the product they make no effort to find out why.


Summary

This supplier has a good and popular product. They offer a 30 day free trial of the software that can be purchased online direct from the manufacture. By offering local suppliers they would be able to provide local support that some customers might prefer, or find essential.

In failing to get feedback, they are missing an opportunity to not only validate their procedures but maintain contact with potential customers who are perhaps undecided as to purchasing the product.

Simple and clear pricing is important, especially for a commodity item and although a free trial is commendable it still requires a commitment from the customer who will often want to know the cost of a product before they invest the time needed to test the product.

Their biggest mistake is that they do not integrate their own products tightly enough with their distributor's websites. If the manufacturer has potential customers that are being referred to a local supplier they are in a position to link directly to their products on the local supplier's website and should insist that the local supplier ensures that the pricing is clear and the order process is simple.

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To view a number of other articles relating to customer services and customer satisfaction surveys please visit Survey Galaxy Knowledge Base.

The Net Neutrality Debate

In August 2005 a decision was made by the US Federal Communications Commision to put the high-speed Internet Services Providers(ISPs) under the same regulation umbrella as phone companies. The ISPs interpreted the decision as permission to charge websites a premium for faster networks and also suggested that the more successful companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Google should contribute financially in improving the internet infrastucture.

However, opponents argue that a multi-tiered Internet would be against the fundamental principles of the Internet and stress the importance of maintaining a level playing field and are wary that with the wrong legislation the telecom companies could hold companies hostage, or have an unfair advantage over rival companies.

Some argue that there is already a tiered systems in place where people have access to the Internet via dial-up modem (slow) and high speed broadband connections that range in speed from 2MB to 16MB and beyond.

Although the telecom companies point at the more successful websites not paying their fair share, net neutrality supporters say it is the masses that are making use of the successful websites so penalising the larger successful companies would effectively penalise the masses.

For a short promotional video that explains in simple terms the essence of the pro Net Neutrality argument visit Save The Internet.

To see the views of those people that argue that Net Neutrality is a myth and that the proposed legislation rather than degrade will only improve the Internet please visit Debunking Net Neutrality Myths.

Who will get your vote?

Participate in this weeks open survey The Net Neutrality Debate

Gerald Ford, 38th US President - How will he be remembered?

Gerald Rudolph Ford the 38th President who served between 1974 and 1977 died on December 26, 2006.

Gerald Ford has been the only person to have been appointed to the US Vice Presidency under the terms of the 25th Amendment when Nixon's Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned.

When Richard Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal on August 9, 1974 Ford became the only person to hold the Presidency without having been elected either President or Vice President.

Gerald Ford was to occupy the White House for just 896 days where although he sought re-election where he narrowly lost out to Jimmy Carter.

One of Ford's first act as President was to controversially pardon Richard Nixon, an act that some say lost him the next election.

With the resignation of their President, Ford assumed the role of President at a time when the US economy was in disarray, a worsening energy shortage and where there was great division throughout the country.

How do you view Ford's Presidency? Was he right to pardon Richard Nixon and do you think he pardoned Nixon after striking a deal with him prior to Nixon's resignation?

Participate in this weeks open survey Gerald Ford, 38th US President - How will he be remembered?

Survey Galaxy's - Tutorial Video Centre Updated

We are pleased to announce that all the Survey Galaxy tutorial videos have now been updated to reflect the websites latest look and feel.

All the training videos require Flash player which is often included as standard in most browsers but if necessary can also be downloaded free from Adobe.

A number of new tutorials have also been added that cover the online Results Analyzer facility.

For more information or to view the videos please visit the Video Centre.

How Much Do You Know About Santa Claus?

With Santa about to start his annual rounds soon we ask how much you think you know about Santa Claus?

Take our festive survey and tell us how old you think he is and where you think he gets his all money from?

Participate in this weeks open survey How Much Do You Know About Santa Claus?

The Best Ever Similes Written by High School Students?

From a short list of similes that have been compiled by American high school English teachers and taken from actual essays assignments we ask you to pick your favourite top three.

Participate in this weeks open survey The Best Ever Similes Written by High School Students?

Is Fiji's Military Coup a Bad Thing?

The South Pacific island of Fiji is now in the process of its fourth coup in twenty years.

Historically this tourist paradise has always experienced tension between the ethnic Fijian population who make up the majority and the minority Indian Fijians.

The man responsible for the latest coup, Fijian Military chief Frank Bainimarama, was himself responsible for putting down the last coup in 2000.

Since July 2005 he had publicly threatened that he would topple the government if it were to implement legislation that would pardon the jailed 2000 plotters.

The coup has been widely condemned around the world but there appears to be mixed views among the Fijians population. The Ethnic Indians who now make up roughly 40% show strong support for the commander who has insisted that his goal was to establish a government that stood for all citizens of Fiji.

Do you think that the coup should be Internationally condemned?

Do you think the world is interested in what happens in Fiji?

Should the UN intervene?

Participate in this weeks open survey Is Fiji's Military Coup a Bad Thing?

'One Laptop per Child' project debate

In November 2005 MIT's Nicholas Negroponte first showcased a prototype of a $100 robust laptop for the developing world’s children which was welcomed at the time by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan as an "expression of global solidarity".

The 'One Laptop per Child' project has had its critics, some asking how anyone could build such a computer when the screens alone cost about $100, others questioning the value of computers to both learning and economic development.

A year later and about to launch, the cost of the finished product when the machines go into full-scale production by Taiwan-based Quanta Computer is likely to be nearer $150 than $100 but it is hoped that the $100 target will be achieved with volume if they prove successful.

Kofi Annan has said that with the laptops "Children will be able to learn by doing, not just through instruction - they will be able to open up new fronts for their education, particularly peer-to-peer learning," and that the initiative was "inspiring", and held the promise of special and economic development for children in developing countries.

Do you think that a low cost laptop for the developing world’s children represents worthwhile aid?

Do you think that the money spent on equipment would be better spent towards more teachers?

Do you agree with Bill Gates, Microsoft’s chairman and a leading philanthropist for the third world, when he has questioned whether the concept is right to “just taking what we do in the rich world” and assuming that that is something good for the developing world, too?

Where do you stand on the 'One Laptop per Child' debate?

Participate in this weeks open survey 'One Laptop per Child' project debate

(For more detailed information on the project please visit the One Laptop per Child website.)

Was Saddam Hussein's trial fair?

Iraq's Special Tribunal has found Saddam Hussein guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced him and two of his co-defendants to death by hanging for their part in the killing of 148 Shia Muslims in Dujail in 1982 after a failed assassination attempt against him.

Do you think Saddam Hussein received a fair trial?

Do you think the death sentence is appropriate?

Participate in this weeks open survey Was Saddam Hussein's trial fair?

All change on Capitol Hill - Time for a New Foreign Policy?

With the American mid-term elections now done and dusted and the democrats handed power of Capitol Hill there could be a change of US foreign policy from the Bush neoconservative approach that relies on the US military strength to one that is about building ties with other nations.

Is it time for a change in US foreign policy and do you think that the US security depends less on military might and more about finding agreement with other nations?

Participate in this weeks open survey All change on Capitol Hill - Time for a New Foreign Policy?

Madonna's child - Should the Ritchies be allowed to adopt?

Madonna's life has always provoked controversy and her reported planned, and Malawi Government approved, adoption of the now infamous 13 month old David Bandahas has created a new furore.

Has Madonna, and husband Guy Ritchie, used her celebrity to flout Malawi's adoption laws?

Has the boy's father been exploited?

Has a child from the developing world been turned into a commodity?

How cynical are you of the increasing number of celebrities that show their willingness to support and help Africa?

Participate in this weeks open survey Madonna's child - Should the Ritchies be allowed to adopt?

Does North Korea Pose a Threat to the World?

North Korea has made no secret that it is actively pursuing a programme of nuclear development.

On October 9th it announced that it had conducted its first test of nuclear explosion, a statement that no country to date disputes.

North Korea claims that its weapons are just for defence, but no-one outside the country can be certain how many it has, or if it really has any at all. Some view North Korea's claim to have nuclear weapons as an attempt to force the US into concessions.

The US are worried that North Korea might try to generate much-needed cash by selling nuclear secrets and weapons to terrorists or other nations hostile to the US.

Does North Korea represent a threat to the region, or the US?

Do the UN sanctions that have been placed on North Korea since October 14 represent an act of war?

Is North Korea just taking the opportunity to demand attention while the US are bogged down in Iraq?

Participate in this weeks open survey Does North Korea Pose a Threat to the World?

New Look and Feel to Survey Galaxy website

It has just been over a month now since we launched Survey Galaxy's new look and feel.

The majority of changes were to the Survey Galaxy Home page where we hope that new visitors will find all the information they require and navigation even easier.

In changing the rest of the site we have been careful to retain the Survey Galaxy simplicity and limited the changes to more relaxing colours and clearer navigation.

We hope new and old members will find the new layout to their liking but please feel free to give us your feedback as we always welcome constructive comments.

What are the Most Romantic Movies of all Time?

What romantic movie stands head and shoulders above the rest?

Were you moved by Titanic or do you hanker back to era of the black and white movie and all time classics such as Casablanca?

Which movie pairing had the most on screen chemistry, can Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet match the 40's pairing of Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart or Clark Gable and Joan Crawford from the 30's?

Participate in this weeks open survey What are the Most Romantic Movies of all Time?

Should Muslim Women Living in Western Societies Unveil?

The British Cabinet Minister Jack Straw, whose constituency has a large Muslim population, has provoked anger and indignation among broad sections of the Muslim community in calling for Islamic women to stop wearing the veil(niqab) covering their face.

Mr Straw says that the practise hindered community relations and was a visible statement of separation and of difference.

Mr Straw said that he had chosen his words carefully. "We are able to relate to people we don't know by reading their faces and if you can't see their faces, that provides some separation," and went on to say "Those people who do wear the veil should think about the implications for community relations."

Some of Mr Straw's supporters have added that this was an important issue that needed to be debated.

British Muslim leaders and fellow Labour MPs, have however pointed to a series of statements from ministers which they say have challenged attitudes towards multiculturalism.

Was Mr Straw right to bring the subject up for debate?

Should Muslim Women be encouraged to unveil themselves when they live in Western societies or do these comments only serve to demonstrate the lack of understanding and tolerance towards people with different faiths?

Participate in this weeks open survey Should Muslim Women Living in Western Societies Unveil?

How Superstitious Are You?

Are you in any way superstitious?

Do you believe old wives tales, omens and signs to indicate lucky or unlucky things ahead?

Would you wish on a shooting star or knock on wood after mentioning good fortune?

Participate in this weeks free survey How Superstitious Are You?

Did the Pope make a good point or a faux-paux?

In a controversial speech the head of the Catholic church Pope Benedict XVI was widely condemned for quoting a 700-year-old exchange between a medieval Byzantine emperor and a learned Islamic scholar "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached".

Did the Pope agree with this view or was the point he was trying to make valid but lost in 'headline' sound bites?

Can the head of a faith that has through the ages had hideous crimes carried out in its own name be in a position to judge other faiths? Can the Islam faith be self critical?

Participate in this weeks free survey Did the Pope make a good point or a faux-paux?

What are the most important things in life?

What are the most and least important things in life?

Select from our short list the five that you think the most and least important.

Participate in this weeks free survey What are the most and least important things in life?

How will history view the Bush/Blair legacy?

The Bush/Blair era of interventionist policy is coming to a close as both play out their remaining days in office.

Together they have passionately argued that state sponsored terrorism posed a serious threat to the 'freedom' and 'way of life' that was enjoyed by the world's democracies.

However, many have argued that far from eliminating terrorism their foreign policies have failed at every level and are directly responsible for creating a new threat from home grown extremists, or at the very least, discourse between communities that previously lived in harmony.

As both governments continue with their fight against an unseen enemy, many have argued that the 'freedom' and 'way of life' that needs protecting is being destroyed by the very 'need' to fight terrorism.

Critics of Bush and Blair say that the previous administrations policy of containment proved far more effective and that home-grown threats are the direct results of their pre-emptive doctrine.

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger recently stated that "The diplomacy appropriate to denuclearisation is comparable to the containment policy that helped win the Cold War: no pre-emptive challenge to the external security of the adversary, but firm resistance to attempts to project its power abroad and reliance on domestic forces to bring about internal change."

Do you think that the 'interventionist' approach was and still remains correct, or do you think it was always seriously flawed?

Participate in this weeks free survey How will history view the Bush/Blair legacy?

Tom Cruise True Superstar or Mission Impossible?

In August Tom Cruise and Paramount, so long a partnership that seemed to have been made in heaven, announced that they were to part company.

A bitter and public divorce is now likely as Viacom Inc's Chairman Sumner Redstone belittled Tom Cruise by publicly evicting Cruise's production company from his company's Paramount Pictures studio.

In a war of words, Cruise's team have claimed that it was they that left while Paramount executives have given 'unreasonable behaviour', 'excessive demands' and unfordable salaries as the reasons for 'their' decision.

In recent months Tom has been seen bouncing on Oprah Winfrey's sofa to declare his love for a girlfriend who then it is rumoured gave birth in Scientology-demanded silence, where gossip would have it that he went on to eat the baby's placenta. Are these the actions of a 'weirdo', untrue gossip or just Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise?

Will the Tom Cruise cash cow be snapped up by a rival company, will he fade away or will he threaten the major players by finding funding for new films through new channels?

Were Paramount right to take a stand or will Tom Cruise go on to serve them humble pie?


Participate in this weeks free survey Tom Cruise True Superstar or Mission Impossible?

Are Honorary Degrees a Slap in the Face to Real Students?

It takes the majority of people time and sacrifice to study and successfully achieve an academic degree.

For those that succeed there is the public acknowledgement of receiving their degree dressed in the traditional gown and hat and the personal satisfaction of having achieved a qualification respected throughout the world.

However, for a fortunate few there is the Honorary degree handed out on a plate by the world's academic institutions.

Honorary degrees are not a modern day phenomenon, the first being awarded to the brother-in-law of Edward IV by England's Oxford University in 1478.

Are honorary degrees that are awarded to the famous and infamous valid recognition for people who took a different path through life or are they a slap in the face to real students?

Participate in this weeks free survey Are Honorary Degrees a Slap in the Face to Real Students?

Is Community Service Suitable Punishment For Famous People?

Boy George, the androgynous eighties pop icon, was ordered by an American court to complete five days of community service that required him to sweep the streets of Lower Manhattan.

He was joined by a gaggle of news photographers, reporters and fans that together prevented him from carrying out his assigned duties forcing the sanitation department to instead find a gated parking lot for him to clean.

Other stars who like Boy George have been given community service instead of custodian sentences have been George Michael, Winona Ryder and Halle Berry.

Is community service a suitable punishment for people in the public eye or is it a punishment that is just not appropriate to the rich and famous?

Participate in this weeks free survey Is Community Service Suitable Punishment For Famous People?

Is Hizbullah a Terroist Organisation?

As the Israeli military action against Lebanon continues unabated and with no end in sight, UN proposal put forward to cease hostilities are viewed by the Lebanese government as one sided and have described one proposal 'agreed' by the UN council as simply "a recipe for more confrontation".

Despite the past rhetoric from Hizbullah calling for the destruction of the Israeli state few will be prepared to argue that Israel faces a real threat of destruction or occupation from Hizbullah, Hammas or Iran.

Israel is however actively engaged in the destruction of a nation, bombing Lebanon back "by 20 years", as the Israeli military put it, and is in occupation of Palestinian land.

Much has been said and reported to label Hizbullah as a terrorist organisation and the root cause of Israel's military escalation but how true is that accusation?

This weeks survey tests your knowledge of Hizbullah and asks if you view Hizbullah as a terrorist organisation or a legitimate resistance movement?

Participate in this weeks free survey Is Hizbullah a Terroist Organisation?

How should recreational drugs be classified?

A number of countries have recently looked at the systems used for classifying drugs.

A recent UK report stated that they found "The system for classifying drugs is inconsistent, irrational and "not fit for purpose".

The same report was highly critical of the police, the Government and its advisers and called for the classification system to be put on a scientific basis, according to the harm a substance causes.

The committee that compiled the report took advice from a panel of drug experts and concluded that alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than ecstasy, LSD and cannabis, based on a "rational" classification system that the committee strongly supported.

The committee took into account research conducted by the University of Bristol who assessed a list of 20 drugs, legal and illegal, in nine categories and weighed up the physical harm, tendency to induce dependence and the impact on families, communities and society.

Using a "rational" ranking method showed that some legal substances were much riskier than those deemed most dangerous, the current Class A drugs.

Others that have been demonised, notably ecstasy, are near the bottom of the table of risk. Even though it is legal alcohol was high up the new scale because it is involved in more than half of all visits to accident and emergency departments and orthopaedic admissions. Alcohol often leads to violence and is a frequent cause of car accidents.

Another legal drug tobacco is estimated to cause up to 40 per cent of all hospital illness and 60 per cent of drug-related fatalities.

By the experts' method, alcohol and tobacco would both be Class B drugs which in the UK currently includes Amphetamines, Methylphenidate (Ritalin), Pholcodine and carries a punishment for possession of up to five years in prison or an unlimited fine; Or both.

The committee want to see the classification of drugs routinely reassessed using a rational and court sentences for drug abuse stratified according to how far up the new scale a drug lies.

Do you think that the classification of drugs should be based on risk factors and not the present systems that tend to be inconsistent and the results of ad hoc judgments and historical accidents?

Participate in this weeks free survey How should recreational drugs be classified?

Are you a Holiday Junkie?

Are you a holiday junkie or do you find it hard to take a break?

This weeks survey asks how many days holidays you are entitled to and on average how many do you take.

Would you like more holidays and how much importance do you place on holidays?

With many wonders of the world to see, or world events to witness, which are the ones you have seen, or would you like, to see?

Participate in this weeks free survey Are you a Holiday Junkie?

Is Israel's Military Action Against Lebanon Justified?

After a Hizbullah attack where two Israeli military personnel were captured Israel retaliated by launching a major military attack on Lebanon and imposed a navy blockade.

Critics have argued that in their attempt to destroy Hizbullah Israel have set out to collectively punish the people of Lebanon.

This weeks survey asks if you think that the bombing of bridges, ports, power plants and Beirut airport are justified and if the Israelis are right to demand the return of two soldiers when they have themselves imprisoned many hundreds of Palestinians?

Participate in this weeks free survey Is Israel's Military Action Against Lebanon Justified?

Have you Joined the Podcast Revolution?

A Podcast is audio or audio visual content that is created and then saved in a format so that it can be downloaded from the web onto people's personal PC's, IPod or other audio players that support the MP3 format.

The term Podcasting is meant to rhyme with broadcasting and is a derivative of Apple's popular iPod platform. Individual websites and websites such as iTunes make it easy for you to subscribe to podcasts that are broadcasted on a irregular or regular basis such as daily, weekly, monthly.

There are Podcast that cover nearly every available subject both by amateurs and professionals. An audio Podcast can be likened to a radio show that can be downloaded to a portable device and played at anytime, for example when people are travelling.

This survey asks how familiar you are with Podcasting and which podcasts do, or may, interest you.

Participate in this weeks free survey Have you Joined the Podcast Revolution?

Stars with Glasses, Looking Cool or Just Ridiculous?

Jake and Elwood wore their Ray-Ban Wayfarer II sunglasses day and night, today designer sunglasses are de rigeur for anyone in the public eye.

But are some 'A' list celebs committing fashion hari-kari unaware that the public are laughing at them or are we rushing to the designer stores to emulate their style?

We have put forward a short-list of stars wearing their shades and ask you to rate them for being cool or ridiculous?

Participate in this weeks free survey Stars with Glasses, Looking Cool or Just Ridiculous?

Which are the best ever movie remakes?

If movie studios can't come up with an original ideal and they have exhausted the sequel they often turn to the remake.

Which re-made movies have been better than the original and which despite all the advantages of improved technology are those that should have been left well alone?

Which are your all time favourite top three re-made movies and which are the classic movies you would like someone to remake?

Participate in this weeks free survey Which are the best ever movie remakes?

Pro-whaling nations win vote to resume whale hunting

Global Warming has been talked about for many years but now it seems that many of the early predictions such as the melting of the Arctic ice shelf and extreme weather are now a reality.

Many political figures around the world have accepted that Global Warming represents an inconvenient truth that must be faced and many are campaigning serious to globally cut human generated greenhouse gas emissions.

The pro-whaling nations won their first vote towards the resumption of commercial whaling for 20 years.

The latest meeting of the International Whaling Commission backed a resolution calling for the eventual return of commercial whaling by a majority of just one vote.

Japan, who were pro-active in securing the victory said that the outcome was "historic".

Conservation groups expressed dismay at the outcome and have urged all nations to work harder to prevent the decision from being ratified. For the 1986 ban on whaling to be lifted it needs support from three-quarters of the commission.

Japan and other pro-whaling nations want to move the International Whaling Commission away from conservation towards managing whale numbers.

Most scientist agree that the numbers of certain species of whales have now reached pre-ban numbers and so could support controlled commercial whaling.

Do you think that the ban on whaling should be lifted?

Participate in this weeks free survey Pro-whaling nations win vote to resume whale hunting

How serious are the effects of Global Warming?

Global Warming has been talked about for many years but now it seems that many of the early predictions such as the melting of the Arctic ice shelf and extreme weather are now a reality.

Many political figures around the world have accepted that Global Warming represents an inconvenient truth that must be faced and many are campaigning serious to globally cut human generated greenhouse gas emissions.

Emerging countries such as China and India are reluctant to stifle their economic growth and President Bush has publically announced that he is only interested in focusing on technologies that deal with the issue.

Sceptics who argue that the global climate is merely in the midst of a natural cycle are now faced with strong evidence that indicates that global warming is accelerating proportionally to the human output in greenhouse gasses and that there will become a point when the damaged caused is irreversible.

How serious do you view the issues surrounding Global Warming and do you think your own government is doing enough to address the problems?

Participate in this weeks free survey How serious are the effects of Global Warming?

FIFA Football World Cup Finals 2006

The FIFA World Cup Finals kick off 9 June in Germany.

Will home advantage get Germany to the final, or will Brazil, the bookies favourites, continue to build on their legacy as the true masters of football?

Can England as the tournaments second favourite match their potential and claim the crown of the sport they invented?

Could it be the year of the outsider when a band of no hopers stun the establishment and show just what a funny old game football is?

What is almost guaranteed is a fair share of controversy, some breath taking skill and disappointment for thirty one teams and elation for one.

Who do you think, and who would you like, to win, and who do you really not want to win?

Participate in this weeks free survey FIFA Football World Cup Finals 2006

Divorce

In the United Kingdom the House of Lords have ruled that two ex-wives are entitled to a share of their wealthy husbands assets.

Previously, divorce settlements for stay-at-home mothers were aimed at providing maintenance based purely on living expenses, the new ruling allows the stay-at-home partner to claim compensation.

Do you think that the elements that are now to be used in determining the financial settlement for a divorce are fair?

Should short marriages be treated any differently to long marriages?

Should marriages that didn't produce children be treated differently to those that did?

Do your sympathies lie with the wage earner or the home maker?

Participate in this weeks free survey Divorce

Terrorist Attacks & Sugical Bombing

The Palestinians have suicide bombers who blow themselves up amid the bustling crowds of Tel Aviv, while the Israelis use rockets fired from unmanned planes into the city centre.

Are both forms of attacks equally abhorrent, or equally justified or does the degree of justification come with the degree of sophistication used by the delivery method?


Participate in this weeks free survey Terrorist Attacks & Sugical Bombing

SEO Expert Or Just A Cowboy?

As a website owner it is perfectly natural to expect your website to rank near the top of the search results. After all, with all that fantastic content that you’ve just spent days and weeks fine-tuning, how could it not be immensely popular?
And as sure as night follows day, when your site fails to make the first page it’s tempting to blame Google, because, how could your beautiful new website be the problem?

So, take a deep breath and read the next line.

It’s not Google’s fault, it’s not your website’s fault: it’s your fault.

Sorry, but you haven’t finished the job. Your next task is going to be challenging, but in this new world, competition is fierce, and to finish the job you’ll need to pay careful attention to the various ways you can claw your site up the rankings.

But don’t despair. You can get help, it even has a name Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and there are plenty of consultants and companies offering SEO services, the only problem is sorting the wheat from the chaff. Luckily for you, you are just about to read The Six Golden Rules for Choosing an SEO consultant.


Golden Rule Number 1: Contacted by an SEO firm? Keep your wits about you!

Although it does not automatically follow that all SEO firms that contact you are just out for a quick buck you should keep your wits about you and be wary of any that do. The majority of good SEO consultants will rather react to an inquiry than spend time trawling the Internet looking for poorly optimized websites.


Golden Rule Number 2: Guarantees are lies – spurn them and the companies that offer them

Okay, as Golden Rules go it is not fair to say that all guarantees are lies, there are a few genuine guarantees that are offered in good faith and as a sign of confidence, nevertheless err on the side of caution and treat them all as you would a suspect standing over a dead body with a smoking gun.

SEO consultants have no control over how the search engines search; they have no influence over the competition and so no matter how much you want it they are not in any position to offer you meaningful guarantees with regards to the results that can be achieved.

There are no 'special relationships' or 'tricks', if you are offered a guarantee, or think yourself covered for insisting on one, it is quite possible that the guarantee offered will be worthless.

Guarantees that are freely offered are generally not what they seem. Anyone with a basic knowledge of SEO will be able to rank you high for an uncompetitive search phrase; being ranked number one for a search phrase that no one is using is as useful and expensive as erecting a billboard in the middle of the Sahara Dessert.

Golden Rule Number 3: Secretive SEO's should be shown the door

Your relationship with an SEO consultant should be similar to that you would expect from your accountant as you are ultimately responsible for your website and the actions of the people that you employ to build and maintain your website.

There is no reason for an SEO consultant not to explain why and what they are doing and they should be prepared to document all that they have done. They should not insert undocumented code and you should be careful of those that want to install their own software; give consideration as to what will happen if you decide at a later date to end you relationship with them.


Golden Rule Number 4: Treat references with a pinch of salt

References are useful but will not always tell the whole story. Ten years is a lifetime in SEO, and it is a subject that is more to do with understanding the 'now' than the 'then'.

Search engines in their current form first started to appear in the mid 90's and a lot has changed in search engine technology which gave birth to the SEO consultant. As the search engines have become more adept at spotting and penalising websites that achieve prominence by stealth rather than merit, so SEO techniques have had to evolve.

Despite the SEO basics being the same for any website how they are applied and to what degree is very dependent on each specific website; its design, maturity, market, purpose, objectives, the type and size of the organization as well as how competitive the market. Some SEO techniques that are relevant and effective for some websites will be irrelevant and ineffective for others.


Golden Rule Number 5: Prepare to be disappointed

Limit your expectations. No matter how good the SEO consultant they will not be able to take you from 'nowhere' to a number one listing overnight. There is no magic bullet that will allow a one page website to permanently out rank a large multi-national, if you believe those that say there are, expect to be disappointed.

SEO takes hard work, time and patience.


Golden Rule Number 6: Are they worthy of your trust

The most important quality to look for in an SEO consultant is trust, as more often than not you will be entrusting your SEO consultant with your business and reputation.


If you are not familiar with SEO speak you need someone who is not going exploit your ignorance, isn't going to shift blame on to others and is going to do things right, with long term objectives, and not implement solutions that offer immediate rewards followed swiftly by long term and serious pain.

A good and trustworthy SEO consultant is worth their weight in gold, like good neighbours; when you have found one, think twice before moving.


Have you got a Champ or a Chimp?

The following is a questionnaire that can be used as an aid to ask potential SEO consultants a number of questions.

Based on how they respond to the questions it will help you root out those that lacks the basic knowledge, expose those that are willing to tell you what you want to hear and identify those that will tell you what you should hear.

It is not recommended that the information you gleam from the questionnaire is used as the sole criteria for evaluating an SEO consultant but it will help identify the SEO cowboy, saving you time, money and heartache.

SEO Expert Or Just A Cowboy?

Music Taste Survey

What is your favourite era for music? Are you a 60's child or only into Zeitgeist music?

Participate in this weeks survey and help us determine the kinds of music that you enjoy listening to and we'll be able to work out, once and for all, which decade really is the most popular for music.


Participate in this weeks free survey Music Taste Survey

CIA Director Nomination

US President Bush has nominated Air Force General Michael Hayden to head the CIA.

Civil rights groups and lawmakers have expressed concern at putting a military man in charge of a civilian agency.

Some Democrat and Republicans Congress members have baulked at the prospect of a general leading the CIA, saying it could give the Pentagon too much influence in intelligence gathering.

President Bush said of General Hayden that he "knows our intelligence community from the ground up and has been both a provider and a consumer of intelligence. He has demonstrated an ability to adapt our intelligence services to the new challenges of the war on terror."

Peter Hoekstra the Republican and chair of House Intelligence Committee has said "I do believe he is the wrong person, in the wrong place at the wrong time"

Do you think that President Bush has picked the right man for the job or does putting a military man in charge of a civilian agency spell danger?

Participate in this weeks free survey CIA Director Nomination

Best Ever Movie Soundtracks

Since the first publicly released talking picture The Jazz Singer (1927) music has been part and parcel of movies.

The movie soundtrack could often carry an otherwise ordinary picture and a classic soundtrack would stick in the minds of the audience long after the pictures had faded from their memory.

Which non-musical movie soundtracks have been your favourite? Choose your top three from our short-list and, if your all time favourite is not there, tell us what it is.

Participate in this weeks free survey Best Ever Movie Soundtracks

Results Analyzer

A beta version of a new facility called the Results Analyzer has now been released. The Results Analyzer will compliment the existing Summary Result and eventually replace the Survey Report facility by providing a number of features including interactive charts, online query options and customised reporting.

While in beta release the Results Analyzer facility will only be made available to members who have a current subscription but when formally released it will be offered as a chargeable option for Pay-As-You-Go members.

For subscribers the Results Analyzer menu option is located on the Survey Details page along with the Summary Results and Detailed Results options.

Pay-As-You-Go members can have a sneak preview of the Results Analayzer, by taking the following sample survey for a test drive Results Analyzer -Sample Employee Satisfaction Survey.

The sample link demonstrates one of the features of Results Analyzer where the results can be configured and third-party access granted.

How should political parties be funded?

In a democracy all political parties require funding to support their campaigns.

In some countries private companies, interest groups and private individuals give vast sums to their chosen party. Is it naive to think that large donations are given with no strings attached?

Do you support the state funding of political parties or the banning, or severe restriction, of advertising campaigns?

Do modern campaigns fail to address the real political issues and stifle intelligent debate?

Participate in this weeks free survey How should political parties be funded?

The Queen at 80 - How do you rate her?

On 21st April 2006 Queen Elizabeth will be 80.

The United Kingdom will officially celebrate and while many will take the opportunity to celebrate her reign, others will find it an appropriate moment to call for the the monarchy to be scrapped.

Is todays monarch just the apex of an invidious pyramid of class distinction, perpetuating privilege and snobbery, or do they represent Britain in a positive light and in way that no political figure could hope to achieve?

Participate in this weeks free survey The Queen at 80 - How do you rate her?

Why Do Good Employee's Leave?

Loosing good employees is not only an expense in terms of time, effort and the associated cost of finding a suitable replacement but also in the untold cost of loosing valuable knowledge and experience that is unique to the organization; Loosing good employees is a problem where prevention is most definitely the best cure.


It is inevitable that employees will leave from time to time but a good employer will want to know why an employee has decided to leave to ensure that personnel are leaving for the right, and not the wrong, reasons.

Concerns of employees can be identified early by the regular use of well designed employee satisfaction surveys, allowing for problems to be resolved and helping to minimize needless loss of staff. However, some problems, especially those that involve personalities, are not always brought to the surface until it is too late.

There are two very common reasons for employee dissatisfaction that can often result in personnel deciding to change jobs, a lack of career development and/or poor management. Both of these problems can be difficult to identify even for organizations that adopt regular 360 degree assessments (i.e. where as part of the overall appraisal system, employees evaluate their managers).

While employed employees can be reluctant to criticize their managers for fear of the consequences, they can however be more candid when completing an exit survey.

Although adopting exit surveys many not prevent individuals from leaving it will help bring to the surface problems that could, if left unchecked, result in poor staff moral for the remaining staff and worse case scenario, a flood of resignations.

Lack of Career Development

Not all employers can offer, and nor do all employees desire, a clear and long term career path. There are just as many people that find comfort and security in doing one job well as there are there are people that need to feel that they are continual being challenged, learning new skills and moving onwards and upwards with respect to the corporate ladder. For organizations to succeed and excel they need the high flyers as well as the steady Eddies of the world.

Where losses due to a lack of career development are occasional they may also be inevitable, but where they are frequent, then changes to the organizational structure might need to be considered to allow for greater career development of the employees.

Poor Management

Many managers achieved their position through promotion, but it does not always follow that a good worker will automatically make a good manager and often people are assigned management position without any formal management training.

Poor managers can be quick to discredit the views of disgruntled staff, 'I was thinking of getting rid of them anyway' and 'they were a waste of space' are typical responses to being asked if there is a problem causing people to leave an organization.

It is proper and natural for senior management to support their line managers by giving them the benefit of any doubt, after all a good managers can always be slighted by poor employees. But by conducting exit surveys, if a man-management problem were to be identified early there is a good chance that it can be addressed and resolved with the appropriate formal training and guidance.

Records

It is not uncommon for people to leave an employer and at a later date put in a claim for constructive dismissal. With 'No win no fee' legal representation this has become a real problem for even good employers. Exit surveys will at best, provide a valuable record of the employee's reasons for leaving, and at worse, provide early warning that a possible claim might be expected.

Unless it is on record a tribunal will not necessarily accept an employer's word that when an employee left they did so without indicating any grievance.

When to conduct an exit survey

Exit surveys can be conducted as part of the termination procedures or they can, with the employee's agreement, be delayed for a few months.

The advantage with delaying an exit survey for a few months is that after a period of reflection a former employee can be less emotional and more objective and if they have taken up another position they may be in a position to compare their previous role with their new role.

The advantages with conducting an exit survey as part of the termination procedure is that although emotions may be running high it is probably more reflective of the employee's state of mind and therefore closer to the reasons they have decided to leave (justified or otherwise). If left until later any comparison between their old and new roles may be the result of them putting on a brave face, and if reasons are given that require action, the delay may well hinder the problem from being resolved.

Summary

Organizations will generally benefit in a number of different ways by including exit surveys as part of their employee termination procedures. They will at the very least provide good records that could prove very valuable later, at best they will provide management with information that can help improve an organization spiritually and with the bottom line.

For a sample Exit survey:

Sample Exit Survey

The Advantages, Considerations and Risks of Employee Satisfaction Surveys

Although there are distinct advantages to conducting regular employee satisfaction surveys online - there can also be risks.

Listed here are some of the main advantages, considerations and the possible risks to conducting employee satisfaction surveys online.

Advantages

Identify Problems - Surveys are can be very effective in identify problems areas before they become serious, especially those that are hidden from senior management.

Working Environment - From something small like a broken chair to the more serious problem of sick building syndrome that can result in personnel experiencing headaches; eye, nose, and throat irritation; a dry cough; dry or itchy skin; dizziness and nausea; and difficulty in concentrating. Surveys allow environmental problems to be identified in a measured and controlled manner.


Remuneration & Benefits - Measure and monitor how satisfied personnel are with their remuneration and benefits.

Mood and Moral - Provides a simple but effective method to measure and monitor the mood and moral of an organization.

Benchmark - In the same way that an organization will consider their financial position by comparison with previous years, so the regular use of online surveys will allow an organization to monitor and measure their progress and development in non-financial terms.

Processes & Procedures - As businesses evolve some of the traditional processes and procedures can become antiquated, personnel are often the first to know and the last to be asked. Businesses evolve and the business processes need to be regularly re-aligned.

Training - Lack of proper training is a common cause of dissatisfaction among employees and can lead to more serious problems such as stress.

Communication - For an organization to run efficiently good internal and external communications are essential, surveys can provide a method to help organizations to monitor and measure how well an organization communicates.

Goals and Objectives - Surveys can measure and monitor the extent that the personnel are aligned with the senior management's business goals and objectives.

Cost Effective - Using an online survey service such as www.surveygalaxy.com surveys are quick and easy to create, simple to deploy and will provide real-time results.


Compliance - To properly comply with an ever increasing array of regulations the modern organization needs to be able to disseminate information throughout the organization and ensure, through records, that the information has been received, and importantly, understood. Online surveys provide organization with a cost effective method to meet many of their obligations.

Keeping the Initiative - It is always better for management to ask than be told. By conducting regular employee surveys management are able to keep the initiative in trying to identify problems that may otherwise manifest into demands.

Considerations

Management Backing - A survey that is both sanctioned and has the support of senior management will go some way in ensuring that any action required, based on the survey findings, will be implemented.

Ask the right questions - Consider careful the questions being asked. If employees feel that the survey is just trying to tick the right boxes the survey could backfire.

A survey that is to be conducted annually should try and ask questions that will provide senior management with an overall health check of the organization.

Avoid questions that will only apply to specific departments or personnel. If some areas of the organization require detailed investigation consider running separate one-off surveys that can be targeted at specific personnel.

Incentive - Most employees will feel that by being able to give their opinions that they are already stakeholders in the exercise and will be happy to participate in the survey as they will expect to benefit from the process.

However, some incentive may help improve the overall response rate or could be used to encourage early participation.

Smaller incentives could be handed out to all employees or all participating employees could be entered into a lottery to receive a more substantial prize.

Anonymous - The decision to allow respondents to remain anonymous or not needs careful consideration. A survey that is conducted anonymously may allow employees to be more candid, however, anonymity may encourage some individuals to make wild accusations that can not be substantiated and cause considerable concern. When in doubt it is often better to keep everything 'on the record' rather than 'off'.

Where survey respondents are known there is the opportunity to chase for surveys that have not been completed and also to follow up on some issues directly with those employees who have raised them as problems.

Comments - Keep free text comments to a minimum because they are difficult and time consuming to measure and analyze.

Consider limiting free text comments to one at the end of the survey or, in the case of surveys that are not being conducted anonymously, allow for a post-survey follow-up to obtain more information where additional and more specific detail is required.

Risks

Management - Some managers can regard any form of employee consultation as a sign of weakness and may have a tendency to dismiss out of hand any negative comment.

Warts and All - A survey is likely to reveal warts and all. Senior management should be prepared for discovering that the top down view can differ from the bottom up view and that ignorance, of any identified problems, can no longer be used as an excuse.


Non-Action - Many employees will invest time and effort in participating in a survey and their hopes and expectations will be raised. Any post-survey non-action is likely to promote cynicism and jeopardize any future initiatives to obtain employee feedback.

Management should formally respond to the issues raised in surveys even if the demands of employees are not to be met. If senior management agree to address and resolve some issues then action needs to have started before any further survey is scheduled.

Can Cause Problems - Where surveys reveal, or bring problems, to the surface there could be a tendency for senior management to blame the messenger.

Summary

The benefits of conducting regular online employee surveys can be considerable, but for surveys to be effective important upfront considerations need to be made. Although the process of conducting a survey can be therapeutic in itself it is the post-survey analysis, response and action that will ultimately determine how useful and effective the process has been.

For a sample employee satisfaction survey:

Sample Employee Satisfaction Survey

A Manager's Guide To Redundancy

Many British businesses have been slow to appreciate the full extent of changes that have occurred over the years to Employment Law and continue to adopt out of date disciplinary and redundancy procedures. Lucky for them then that the only people who seem less aware of the changes are the employees themselves; few employees would believe the extent that they are now protected, but that is not likely to last.


With the maximum compensatory award in unfair dismissal cases now over £50,000 and with tribunals willing to make awards without any regard to a company's financial position, small to medium sized businesses are most at risk.

Part-time and agency workers now have comparable rights as those enjoyed by full time employees and discrimination now carries a much wider definition, with even more to come.

With the introduction of "no win, no fee" legal representation an employee now has little to loose and much to gain by bringing a claim against a former employer. Tribunals do not operate in the same way as a court of law, the company is not 'not guilty' until proven 'guilty' but rather considered guilty until they can prove otherwise. In the absence of real evidence a tribunal will take anecdotal evidence and decide subjectively for themselves as to who, on balance, they believe.


The redundancy guidelines published by governing bodies and often the advice that is received from employment law specialists is not always as helpful as some businesses might like. Take for example where redundancy guidelines talk of a 'consultation' process, what constitutes consultation is often open to interpretation and what an organisation might itself regard as 'consultation' a tribunal might take as 'a premeditated foregone conclusion'.


This article views the redundancy process from an organisations point of view where senior managers are likely to be under considerable pressure, frustrated and keen to act.


Few people, if any, relish the need for redundancies but often there is a desire from management to get a difficult task over with as quickly as possible so that the organisation can move on. Managers need to be educated in the fact that although following the proper guidelines will take longer than just handing out redundancy notices letters the process can bring benefits to the employer if done properly.

In a redundancy situation companies are able to act with complete autonomy, there is no legislative body looking over their shoulders, monitoring the methods used and in the absence of a trade union, employees are unlikely to be au fait with details of employment law. However, if claims of unfair dismissal are subsequently received the procedures and methods a company adopted will be laid bare and heavily scrutinized and the consequences of inadequate procedures penalised.

A tribunal is not a pleasant place for any company official, with the benefit of hindsight a tribunal will asks difficult questions; what was a real crisis six months earlier may be difficult to convey to people who have no knowledge of the business or in some cases the industry.

Being a good employer who operates in good faith and with genuine intentions is not enough, such employers are more and more finding themselves having to pay substantial compensation to former employees, some of whom may be undeserving but nevertheless know how to play the system.

UK companies are no longer seen as merely providing employment but as being socially responsible and when a company takes on new employees they are assuming more responsibility for that person than many realise.

Today companies have to be very aware of what their responsibilities are and how they must act. For small companies where the owners may be more entrepreneurial, the business more hand to mouth, there is no provision to allow them to operate in any other way than that expected of larger and more established organisations.

Some managers can often make the mistake of thinking that redundancy procedures do not apply to junior staff and will still issue redundancies on the fly, such action will only expose them to a possible claim for unfair dismissal that they will have every chance of loosing.

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To support senior managers we have divised a questionnaire that will guide senior management through the steps required when making redundancies.

By completing the questionnaire a manager will obtain a redundancy procedure checklist and if each step is completed a company can be confident that they will be able to vigorously defend any future unfair redundancy claims they receive.

Manager's Guide To Managing Redundancy in the UK

The England Manager

Whatever happens following the world 2006 cup finals Sven-Göran Eriksson won't be the England manager.

How do you rate Sven's time as the England coach, will you be glad or sorry to see the back of him and who should be next up in the firing line?


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Bush - Would He, Could He, Should He Invade Iran?

In April 2006 the respected investigative journalist Seymour Hersh in the New Yorker wrote that the Bush administration was stepping up covert activities in Iran and was planning for a possible air attack while publicly advocating diplomacy.

President Bush dismissed as "wild speculation" reports that his administration had considered nuclear strikes against sites in Iran to prevent the nation from building nuclear weapons.

Hersh however was adamant that "There's been a lot of planning going on. It's more than planning, it's operational planning. It's beyond contingency planning," and claimed that regular military forces had already infiltrated Iran.

Would President Bush seriously consider attacking Iran, could he, should he?

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The Trial Of Zacarias Moussaoui

Zacarias Moussaoui is the only person to be prosecuted in connection with the terrorist attacks of September 11 2001 and has been found by a jury to be eligible for the death penalty.

The 37-year-old French citizen pleaded guilty in April last year to conspiring with al-Qaida to hijack aircraft and other crimes.

Moussaoui was in jail during the attacks having been arrested in Minnesota a month before the attacks after arousing suspicion at a flying school. He initially told federal agents he was training as a pilot only for personal enjoyment.

Reports have suggested that Moussaoui would prefer the death penalty rather than life in prison and regards himself as a martyr.

If the death penalty is thought justified should he be executed or made to see the rest of his life out in prison?

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