Practice+task

To: Michelle Li (Electrical Engineering Trainee Manager) From: Sam Wu (Electrical Engineering Trainee Manager) Date: 21 October 2009 Subject: Computer Monitors Problem Hi Michelle

I’ve just received a letter from Jameson Technology complaining about some computer monitors they bought from us. I hope you can help me deal with it. Apparently there are a couple of problems with the monitors. First they can’t move the monitor and secondly the image is blurred. Do you have any idea what is causing these problems? Perhaps the blurring is due to the cable connector – what do you think?

Also they are unhappy with the paperwork they need to do to complete the warranty. I agree it does seem quite troublesome. Finally, they are not so pleased with the sales department staff – they haven’t been able to get any reply to their messages. Why do you think that is?

Hope you can get back to me soon.

Cheers

Sam

To: Anson Cheung (Senior Sales Manager) From: Sam Wu (Electrical Engineering Trainee Manager) Date: 22 October 2009 Subject: Jameson Technology Computer Monitors

Dear Anson

I received a letter earlier this week from Jameson Technology commenting on some difficulties they were experiencing with the computer monitors they recently had bought from us.

**1. Monitor Problems** First they stated that they could not move the monitor and secondly the image was blurred. I believe the first problem is because they have not loosened the holding screw under the monitor, while the blurring is probably a result of a faulty cable between the monitor and computer. I think we should send an engineer to Jameson to test the cables and loosen the holding screws.

**2. Warranty** In addition to the above, they are dissatisfied with the paperwork required when completing the warranty. I tend to agree that the present process is slightly cumbersome, so perhaps we can move to an online system using RFID technology.

**3. Sales Staff Reply** Finally, they remarked that they did not get any reply from sales staff after they had left telephone messages. This is probably a result of the temporary staff employed recently, so maybe we should increase their training and also make sure an experienced supervisor is always on duty.

I hope these suggestions are satisfactory and I look forward to your reply.

Regards

Sam


 * 1. **** Introduction **

This report was requested by Gary Tsang, Marketing Manager of F.Worthington Electronics (FW). It concerns the performance of our MP3 players in the market, especially when compared with that of Keysound MP3 players. The aim of this report is to discover the reasons why FW MP3 players perform worse than Keysound MP3 players. Data for the report were gathered in September 2009. A sample of 500 FW and Keysound users respectively were surveyed about their satisfaction levels concerning 6 aspects of the respective MP3 players.

** 2. **** Findings **


 * 2.1 ** Table 1 shows that in 4 of the 6 aspects, FW MPS receives lower satisfaction levels than Keysound MPS players. While sound quality and battery life generally are found to be satisfactory, in terms of design and battery life, the FW users are far less satisfied than their Keysound counterparts.

**2.2 Design** Less than half of FW users are satisfied with the design of our MP3 player compared to nine out of ten Keysound users. This is probably due to the age of our model. First, the Keysound MP3 player was only launched 18 months ago while our MP3 is already 3 years old. In recent years design preferences have changed a great deal, and it seems that our MP3 player is now seen as out dated by many consumers, while the Keysound one is seen as modern and slick.

**2.3** **Functions** In terms of functions, the FW player also receives lower satisfaction ratings (below half) than its Keysound counterpart (above half). The likely reason for this is the different methods for transferring music flies between the two players. While Keysound uses a click and drop method, FW requires software to be installed on the user’s computer.

** 2.4 Headphones ** FW headphones quality also receive significantly lower satisfaction ratings than Keysound, just over one third satisfied compared to over two thirds. This is probably due to FW headphones being manufactured in China, while Keysound uses Japanese manufactured headphones which have a higher quality.

** 3. **** Conclusion **


 * 3.1 ** The findings clearly indicate the main sources of dissatisfaction for FW MP3 players are the poor design and the lack of easy transfer of music files between the player and the user’s computer. Users are also dissatisfied with the quality of FW headphones.

** 3.2 ** It can be concluded that in order to increase the market share of our MP3 players, we should take some immediate measures to improve the design, functions and headphones of our MP3 players.

** 4. **** Recommendations **

After considering the findings, the following recommendations are made.

** 4.1 ** Given that users found the design of the FW player out of date and poor in comparison to other models, it is recommended that our player is completely redesigned to take account of the changing fashions of the market place.

** 4.2 ** In the light of the low satisfaction that users found with the functionality of our MP3 player, it is suggested that more advanced technology be incorporated into future models to improve their user friendliness.

** 4.3 ** As a result of the poor satisfaction users gave our headphones, it is proposed that we implement strict quality control procedures in our factories within China.