Root Cause Analyses

Root Cause Analyses

by: Dr. Jan Stringer, Ph.D.

The sole purpose of the root cause analyses is to identify the smallest number of issues that can be shown to drive, control, or predict the largest number of issues within an organization. Few survey research firms have the capability of determining an organization’s root causes because the capability stems from an intimate understanding of psychological research and higher order statistics, and few firms employ individuals with such education and training.As a result of conducting empirical research through NBRI, management is challenged by both the advantage of incisive, astute intelligence of the psychology of the target population, and what is often the overwhelming task of relating, organizing, and prioritizing a large number of issues. Some organizations choose to limit the amount of information they obtain in an attempt to avoid ‘information overload’. However, it is clearly best to gather all of the customer survey and/or employee survey information one can while expending the time and effort to do so, as the costs associated with total inclusion are minimal as compared to conducting additional, follow-up research studies. Of greater importance, limiting the amount of information necessitates choosing between issues, often resulting in the omission of certain issues that may, in fact, prove to be key to the organization’s success or failure. Still, gathering comprehensive information is of little value if it is not used to benefit the organization. It is imperative that the information be turned into action as expeditiously as possible. The task of relating, organizing, and prioritizing a large number of issues is subject to time and manpower constraints within any organization, and is best completed by the research consulting firm. Without immediate direction for action plans, research data represents wasted funds, wasted information, unfulfilled expectations, frustrated managers, and an organization that has failed to maximize the opportunity to develop to its full potential. To turn massive amounts of information into action quickly and effectively, management needs to know the dominant, primary causal factors for the results of the study. For example, we may find that job satisfaction is low and turnover is high in a particular division of a company, while we also find that the same employees feel their compensation and benefits, working relationships, and life balance issues are all at satisfactory levels. Interventions aimed at addressing low job satisfaction, through better job descriptions, training, or career planning, may well decrease the high turnover, but unless it is the root cause of the turnover, the effect will soon fade, and the organization will be faced with the same difficulties it had before the research. To conduct root cause analyses, correlations between each survey item and all other survey items must be conducted. This is a time-consuming exercise for large bodies of data. The correlations are used to identify the items to be used in the regression analyses, which are conducted stepwise, and then linearly on the data. The stepwise regression analyses eliminate those items that exert lesser amounts of influence over the data, and the linear regression analyses provides input to the path analysis, the final ‘line up’ of the primary, causal factors, and the levels of significance of each. In our real world example above, it was found that the management style present in the division of the company experiencing the difficulty with turnover was responsible for the low job satisfaction. In particular, it was found that supervisory training in communications skills would reduce turnover to a greater extent than any other intervention. This intervention was implemented, and the desired results were obtained. Indeed, with root cause analyses, turnover as well as several other concerns not mentioned herein were effectively and efficiently treated with optimal results and minimal interventions. Clearly, time is of the essence. Organizations must act while the information is fresh, expectations and receptivity are high, and gains from the research can be realized. The Root Cause Analyses provide management with the bottom line of their research studies, so that organizations can be developed comprehensively, to the highest levels possible, as quickly as possible, surpassing the competition in all regards.

How To Set Up A Rollicking Internet Retail Business

How To Set Up A Rollicking Internet Retail Business by: Chris Packer   Even with the dot com bust of the late 90s, the number of entrepreneurs who have successfully leveraged this powerful medium to sell products, services or  information and become millionaires in the process is phenomenal.Setting up an Internet business is easy. Running it successfully is slightly more challenging. Which is why countless new Internet businesses emerge every day, only to fold up immediately or wind up slowly in a few months’ time. The truth is that most of these failures are due to inadequate planning and preparation; the Internet still provides one of the easiest means to realize one’s dream of running a successful, low-cost and highly profitable business. Based on my own experience with running several online businesses, mainly niche Internet retail stores, I am confident that some due diligence before embarking on the Internet retail business will go a long way in ensuring its success. At a very broad level, an aspiring online retailer needs to follow three key steps to get the business running successfully: • Market research and planning • Setting up the online store and streamlining the operations • Marketing: Attracting visitors to the store and converting them to buyers. In this article, I will briefly cover the first aspect, ie. research and planning. Research & Planning: Laying a strong foundation to your online business This is one of the most neglected aspects, simply because aspiring entrepreneurs often get carried away by the overall simplicity of getting their online business up and running. However, identifying the right niche is absolutely critical. Get this wrong and your Internet business will flounder. Here’s how I recommend going about identifying a niche market (http://www.internet-retailer.com/product_map.htm) (we’ve used this process quite effectively). Consider the factors below, address some of the questions listed and you are well on your way towards e-commerce riches: • Market and market size: Determine if there a market for the product you are trying to sell online. It is important to know whether the targeted buyers of your product purchase online!  Once you have estimated the size of a market, it will be prudent to see if the market can be further broken down into more narrow niches with lower competition and potentially better returns. • Search potential and competition: Analyze the volume of search traffic (both free and paid, preferably the former) that you will be able to generate, as search traffic is among the lowest-cost means of getting visitors to your website. There are several tools available to do this, the most common being the Overture (Yahoo! Search Marketing) search term suggestion tool. • Competition: Are there big players in the market you are targeting that you need to be wary of? There is certainly no shame in locking horns with the big players but you need to be aware of them and find out means to be better than them. In fact, being a small company/ business might even work to your benefit! • Profit margins: Does the product offer sufficient margins to make it a viable, sustainable business? Take into account all the costs that you can readily identify and add a certain percentage to it to estimate your profit margin. Remember you can only be better off when you’ve planned and prepared for a worst case scenario. • Product supply: Can you ensure regular supply of the product? Which suppliers would you like to source your products from? • Logistics and fulfillment: Does the product you intend to supply involve high shipping and handling costs? Does it require significant level of customer support and other specialist resources? What is the likelihood of product returns and how much should you factor in your estimations? Once you have addressed all these questions to base your decision on the choice of the product(s) to sell, you would have laid a reasonably strong foundation for your online store. Moreover, this research will enable you to formulate strategies in building your website and its marketing. The next step is to build on that strong foundation and begin executing on the strategies you’ve drawn up, which I will cover in a subsequent article.

Towing Your Boat In Europe

Towing Your Boat In Europe
Boat InsuranceYou should check with your insurer that your boat and trailer is covered for any accidental damage or theft during the journies to and from the event, while the boat is aboard the ferry and also for sailing and racing when you arrive. Noble Marine offer 30 days use in Europe as standard on all dinghy policies and cover damage to the boat whilst in transit by road and sea.

Some regattas will require a higher than normal limit of liability, which should be stated in the sailing instructions.

Please check your policy carefully and contact your insurance company, well in advance of your departure, if you require an extension to your policy.

Travel Insurance

When you travel abroad you should always consider buying travel insurance, however you may not be aware that many standard travel policies will exclude cover while you are racing.

As many of our clients travel abroad to compete in a variety of foreign regattas, we have been frequently asked if we are able to recommend a travel policy to cover racing.

The Noble Marine Travel Insurance page will direct you to the web site of CNA Insurance Company Limited who have custom-built pages for clients of Noble Marine, providing the usual benefits of a travel insurance policy plus an optional extension for sail racing on an amateur basis.

Useful Links:

http://www.noblemarine.co.uk

http://www.noblemarine.co.uk/travelinsurance.php3
by:Patrick Altoft

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