Law problem scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Law problem scenario - Essay Example As a result, Brian has sought a conveyance and with an alleged approval of Derek, sells off the property to Eric without the knowledge of Chloe, who also owns the property. Albert is no more, and therefore, he cannot be called up to elaborate on any unclear issues in relation with the will, such as the sharing mechanisms of the house. The acquisition and or the act of ceding ownership of the property by any of the three new owners of Acacia Garden, on condition of its being commingled with each others claim on the same attracts ‘confusion.’ Notably, in confusion, any of the three new owners of the property are commingled, and as such it cannot be split and reverted back to its original condition, before Albert had written the will. In light of this, the property is expected to retain its features as envisaged in the will, and as such the will binds the three regarding the management and use of the property. Through the will, the three of Albert’s grandchildren hav e legal and equitable ownership of the house (Proffatt, 1989, p.31). Legal concept and equitable ownership Chloe like her co-owners of the property have the legal and equitable ownership rights on Acacia Garden, subject to the will. Therefore, she should be entitled to any returns that may arise from the sale or use of the property. The idea of beneficial ownership, as a deviation from the precise legal ownership forms an imperative part of the English legal tradition. In Medieval times, an aggrieved party could only gain legal redress if they supported their petition with an existing legal document. Such documents were usually few and rigid and rarely served justice. In such scenarios, plaintiffs served the Chancellor with their petitions, complaining that the prevailing conditions fell beyond the scope of the general systems. In response, the Chancellor then opted to issue or retain remedy to the plaintiff depending on his judicious evaluation of the case. These verdicts eventuall y evolved into a structure of law referred to as equity (Ayotte, & Bolton, 2011, p. 3401). Equity is a distinct body of laws that is different from the prevailing common law. From this legal concept, the current English law separates equity from legal ownership, in which case, equity permits the exploitation and gain from the property to be looked at in a different way from the legal possession of the same. Whereas Chloe and Derek retain ownership of the property, Brian would manage it and share whatever returns it yields with his concurrent owners. But despite the fact that Acacia Garden is a concurrent estate, he has refused to honour the interests of the others. According to Craig, and de Burca, (2011, p.120), the property is possessed by three persons simultaneously and as such the parties have equitable rights to it including its sale. Chloe should emphasize her role by citing the joint tenancy rule, which refers to a concurrent relationship whereby a property is owned by two o r more parties simultaneously and under the same legal document. In this case the will written by decedent Albert serves as the binding legal document that should serve its purpose of ensuring the fiduciary duty plays out in the management and or sale of the property. Regardless of the sanctity of the will, Brian opts to violate and sell the property without following the due process of the law. Brian’s blatant disregard for common law presents legal challenges which may not be easily solved, especially now that he cannot be traced. Derek also claims ignorance of the

The Benefits of My Fantasy Football League Essay Example for Free

The Benefits of My Fantasy Football League Essay The difference between knowledge and intellect is remarkable, yet many times these words are used interchangeably. Knowledge refers to facts on a given subject; intellect refers to a person’s perspective, how they view, analyze, and interpret their environment . Unlike I.Q., intellect can and should be taught to our students, but instead our current schooling system is focused on ensuring students memorize the facts required to pass an exam. In his essay, â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism†, Gerald Graff explores the limits current education standards impose on our youth’s development. Graff presents the idea that perhaps the subjects that we normally associate with â€Å"anti-intellectualism† are just as capable of being subject of critical thought as Shakespeare’s plays. â€Å"Real intellectuals turn any subject, however lightweight it may seem, into grist for their mill through the thoughtful questions they bring to it† (Graff, 381). This idea is central to understanding the rest of Graff’s argument. If no subject is more deserving than another, then every subject—sports to science—should be utilized in the classroom as learning tools. Young students are motivated in complicated ways. The things that interest them are normally not academic texts of Plato or George Orwell. The author himself identified himself as a person who â€Å"hated books and cared only for sports† (Graff, 381). The only readings that interested him were sports novels and magazines. Over time, Graff developed the idea that his love for sports was not actually anti-intellectual as he had previously assumed, but was as intellectual as his university studies. He claims that had his teachers utilized his love for the workings of the sports world as an outlet to spark academic discussion and thought, he would have earned a stronger education. While Graff was postponing his English homework to have a debate with his best friend about who was the best pitcher in the 50s, he was practicing the skills that would later allow him to become a successful professor at the University of Illinois. Engaging in heated debates about baseball gave Graff opportunities to practice forming coherent arguments supported with evidence he had to collect and analyze while at the same time perfecting his conversation skills and logical thought patterns. What is the goal of elementary education if not to teach one how to learn and think? Sure, one needs to know their multiplication tables and Presidents, but the curriculum should be designed to teach students how to educate themselves in order to think critically about their world. The first step in education, according to Graff, should be providing the pupil with a topic they are interested in. Doing so gives students a bridge from their social life into the academic world and will yield students that are more interested and involved in their studies. Graff acknowledges that there are limits to this approach just like any other. A quote from his peer, Ned Laff, summarizes the challenge in education. â€Å"[The challenge] is not simply to exploit students’ nonacademic interests, but to get them to see those interests through academic eyes† (Graff, 385). Being a cognoscenti on the top songs of the decade is not enough, one should be able draw relationships between the trends of the songs in order to come to a general conclusion or theory that is applicable to other areas of life. Graff is careful to not belittle the classic academic texts and subjects. He claims that educators should use the topics their students are interested in as a gateway to more challenging topics. If one can teach a student to think critically about the implications of performance enhancing drugs in today’s athletes, then the hard part in education is complete. Once a student knows how to think critically, they can apply that technique to whatever subject they want to study for the rest of their life. It gives the power and responsibility of teaching to the student themselves. Graff ends his argument by appealing to the readers logic. Suppose he is wrong, and allowing trending topics in the classroom does not in fact motivate the student to become a student of the world. What does the educator stand to lose in trying? Even if all they ever are interested in studying are the current stats of the Baltimore Ravens, â€Å"they are more literate and reflective than they would be otherwise† (Graff, 386). I believe Graff presented a strong and valid argument worthy of discussion. I am able to relate on many levels with Graff. Often I find myself more interested in my fantasy football team than my college courses. Previously, I had assumed time spent on fantasy football was time wasted, but this essay has allowed me to develop a different perspective. In order to have a successful team, I had to decide what players would complement each other; this required close analysis of their strengths and weaknesses. Memorizing and studying stats has allowed me to develop my statistical analysis skills, a skill that otherwise would be left unrefined. After each season, game, play, I have to reevaluate my thoughts on a player in order to take into account the new information. It has taught me that the greatest players make the same amount of novel mistakes as the worst players but repeat their errors only a fraction as often. If more of my teachers had exploited my love of sports earlier in my education, I might have a more accurate idea of my academic capabilities. Although I agree with the central tenets of Graff’s argument, I think he is overly critical and general of today’s educators. There are teachers who exploit every opportunity to intrigue their students, and they deserve to be acknowledged in any argument critiquing the current education system. These are teachers who go beyond the status quo of â€Å"teaching to the exam.† They are the educators who attempt to instill in their students a passion to learn, explore, and test the boundaries of their mind. It is also important to elaborate on my use of the word â€Å"teacher.† A teacher is not restricted to the classroom, but I have extended the term to encompass all one’s advisors, especially a child’s parents. I believe Graff would agree with my statement that a child’s parent plays a vital and irreplaceable role in the education of a child. Rather than discourage discussion of the popular topics, parents can facilitate classroom learning through critical discussion of subjects directly related to the youth’s life. â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism† details a not so unique argument in a way that is easy for the general public to sympathize with. It provides people with a justification for their â€Å"guilty pleasures† and encourages a more critical mindset no matter what you are doing. I would recommend the article to my peers, teachers, and teammates alike. Works Cited Graff, Gerald. â€Å"Hidden Intellectualism.† They say I say. Eds. Graff, G., Birkenstein, C., and Durst, R.. New York City: W. W. Norton Company, 2012. 380-386.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Essay -- Crib Death SIDS

SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, a leading cause of death in infants under the age of one, has left medical experts unable to clearly define sudden infant death syndrome. After thirty years of research, the medical field has not discovered definite causes for SIDS. Medical experts have suggested many theories that have been studied and debated. In the Western world, SIDS is the most common cause of death for infants between two weeks and one year of age, but SIDS also occurs throughout the world. SIDS most commonly happens during sleep, although it can occur anywhere, such as in baby carriages, safety car seats, or even someone’s arms. There are no warning signals and there are no products to prevent SIDS. Ninety-five percent of SIDS cases happen in infants between two weeks and four months. The rate of occurrence is higher for boys than girls, with 60% percent in boys and 40% in girls. (American 1) Infants born to teenage mothers and low birth weight are considered high risk factors for SIDS. SIDS has been researched throughout the world, with many medical experts debating the studies. Some past theories believed to trigger SIDS were childhood vaccinations, blood disorders, apnea and even parent neglect, but none of these theories were proven true. In a more recent study, the H Pylori Link to SIDS proposed that there was "An association between Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Helicobacter Pylori infection." (SIDS Alliance 5) The study asserted that H Pylori, a type of common bacteria associated to ulcers, was lethal when passed through saliva from an infected parent or other care giver by contact such as kissing. Among other reasons, the study was found faulty because the control population was flawed. On May 14, 2000, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development funded research announced finding that SIDS infants have an abnormal brain pathway. The affected areas of the brainstem are important to the functions in regulating breathing, heart beat and body temperature and arousal. "These findings show that SIDS infants have a more global biological deficit than we previousl... ...aap.org/policy/re9946.html. 2. Emery, RW Dr., Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: A "Diagnosis" in Search of a Disease, Journal of Clinical Forensic Medicine. Harcourt International, Australia, 1995, pp. 121-128. http://www.forwoman.net/owh/pr/1998%20Press%20Releases/22coct98.htm 3. SIDS: Uncovering the Mystery. Intellihealth, Harvard Medical School Health Information. http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH?t=23873&p=~br,IHW|~st,24479|~r,WSIHW000|~b,*|. 4. Study Confirms Deficit in Brainstems of SIDS Victims. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, May 16, 2000. http://156.40.88.3:9000/cgi-bin/query?mss=simple&pg=q&what=web&user=searchintranet&enc=iso88591&site=main&q=SIDS. 5. H Pylori Link to SIDS Challenged by SIDS Medical Experts. SIDS Alliance Organization, Media Advisory, Oct. 25, 2000. http://www.sidsalliance.org/media/default.asp?goto=85.

Accounting Profession

The workload of the office is measured 2 In terms of actual clients; rather than attempting to measured the firm In terms of the billing hours or dollars. Two individual clients serviced by the firm illustrate the complexity of coordinating the activities within one local, targeted firm within the region. One client Is an independent 011 and gas entrepreneur that operates over an expanded region which may involve operations in multi-states when exploration is active. A second client is a construction company that has crews operating in four states on a weekly basis..The required accounting and tax documents (paperwork) ND information change exponentially with the addition or deletion of new clients to the existing client list. A concurrent change is that of administering a database to ERM the tell to manage the required coordination between separate accountants working independently but for the same client. The firm's workforce is made up of two partners, one non-partner associate an d various other hourly personnel. The firm currently operates offices in two locations within a single state.The CPA Firm (CPA) partners recognized within the past several years that a paper intensive environment ad resulted in a firm-wide system that was in danger of collapse. One of the two partners, the senior partner, was assigned the specific task of developing policies related to two interrelated purposes involving the use of technology: (1) to improve the management of the processes and work (data) flow within the firm's system and (2) to undertake strategic planning to insure the firm's continued growth and success by improving cost efficiencies through better usage of technology.The research group (authors of the study) used the results of an interview of a partner of a repressions law firm (in a parallel study) using the nine milestones recommended by the SEARCH (the National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics) during the literature review as a guide in dete rmining the strategic planning and implementation for a typical law firm within the Justice system in order to compare research results between two different, but similar, professional firms.The milestones permitted the research group to organize its findings in a manner that is consistent with other efforts within the Justice system (law firm) while also providing similar structure for a CPA that is governed by parallel expectations.However, since the law firm was a component of the Justice system the findings are grouped into fewer categories to allow the research group to structure the intent of the recommendations provided by SEARCH to a specific case study (of the CPA) regulated by professional, federal and state statutes/regulations to a professional law firm within a specific segment of the overall Judicial system yet regulated in a similar manner. Both types of professional firms have legal and ethical obligations to protect their clients' interests (manual and electronic do cuments, etc. 3 STRATEGIC DISASTER PLANNING The CPA notionally had a self-contained computer- based information system housed internally in one of the two branch offices of the firm. As growth of the client base grew and the firm expanded the firm added a part- time, consulting-in-nature IT support that continues today. Initially IT periodically backed up the firm's data on an infrequent basis that evolved into a routine practice over time. However, no firm backup policy or procedure existed; rather the IT staff simply implemented common sense and applied what experience had shown them was the service the firm needed.In short, simple use of backup tapes and disks as determined informally by the IT consultant as his time permitted. However, as the CPA continued to grow the partners began to informally create a plan for backup; however, the backup was still localized and stored at one of the firm's office where the primary IT operation was housed. The easy plan established and used wa s to store duplicate copies of computerized files in the same physical location where the master copies were located.Experience proved to be a lesson learned. The offices of the firm are located in an area of the U. S. That is prone to hurricanes. While the offices are not located on the coast hurricane damage NAS occurred within the elite to the firm and the original partners learned that offside storage of backup copies could prove to be a wise course of action in an area that has experienced hurricanes on a frequent basis. Thus a backup of computerized records with offside storage became the default plan for several years.The senior partner, upon being charged with the responsibility to improve the management of the processes and work (data) flow within the firm's system and to undertake strategic planning to insure the firm's intended growth and success by improving cost efficiencies through better usage of technology initiated planning by developing a firm wide identification o f technology needs, policies and procedures that would be necessary for the firm to successfully survive a natural disaster.This planning effort included charging the IT consultant with the responsibility to recommend changes in the computerized firm-wide system that would permit the daily backup of all databases and other files at remote sites including alternative network capabilities that could be used to resume email and there communication capabilities as quickly as possible if the main office location was down due to a natural disaster. The plan was to have alternatives that would permit the firm to resume and maintain operations from various sites within the U.S. If necessary. On no single date was the system to be backed up at only the main location by having the master and backup files physically located at the same system. The IT consultant recommendations were used by the senior partner to subsequently develop plans for the CPA which addressed the backup, relocation, secu rity, and covert in the areas of hardware, software, databases, and physical 4 structure or operational areas, and telecommunications-network links internal and external to the CPA.The IT staff was requested to provide the senior partner with suggested scenarios that would describe the cause and effect of actions (procedures) that the CPA should implement. Examples provided by the senior partner included the following: 0 Hardware – laptop computers were to be taken home (and subsequently to evacuation locations) by individuals the laptop was assigned to by the firm. All non-removable computers, etc. Were wrapped in heavy plastic for retention from wind and water damage (anything short of a direct destructive hit).The CPA buildings were to be secured to minimize the effect of wind and water debris and structural damage. 0 Software – All software programs, systems and applications, backed up and sent to offside locations in second firm office located another geographical region of the country. 0 Databases – all data backed up and copies moved to local and distant locations electronically and hardcopy. Two sets prepared and kept at two different locations locally and one set sent to an off-site location in Tennessee (and not in line for hurricane damage).Telecommunications- network – reviewed the backup contingency plans with vendor that was located in another geographic region to initial recovery efforts once the CPA and vendor could resume contact and after power and other utilities were restored. Partners of the CPA were obviously kept in the loop and were advised to carry identified hardware, software, and paper files to other locations (homes and perhaps subsequently to evacuation location areas outside to the disaster area). The partners supervised t transfer of items to the second CPA location (from one gulf coast state to an inland state overnight).August 26, 2005 the path of Hurricane Strain continued to indicate that the CPA likely would be within the projected landfall area and subsequent inland path of destruction. The increasing magnitude of the hurricane became obvious to the firm personnel and the disaster plan was set in motion. The plan identified those responsible for each of the planned areas of responsibility. When the decision was made by the partners-owners of the firm to implement the disaster plan there was approximately four hours remaining in the work week.CPA employees were already concerned for family and personal reporter and the firm began to allow employees to leave work early to tend to those needs. However, a core of employees – partners and one staff person remained to oversee the completion of disaster procedures. Who did what? When asked this question the senior partner stated that the partners did the activities related to insuring the hardware, software, databases, 5 telecommunication-network and structural preparations were completed as quickly as possible.He commente d that what most have to remember is that Hurricane Strain grew from a category 1 too category 4 or 5 within a very short timestamp. All disaster planning had been based on what disaster experiences in the past had shown would be probably. The IT consultant worked non-stop until the last items were relocated, secure, backed up and ended their efforts on Sunday, August 28th. The CPA partners at both locations dealt with the business end of the disaster plan implementation.Those tasks included : 0 Notifying clients and carriers the CPA was â€Å"battening down† and would be back in touch as soon as possible, 0 Arranging to have any imminent incoming checks re-routed to the off-site inland state location (for feet and operational banks), 0 Updating voice messages for the office, 0 Making final decisions about which paper (hard) copy file needed which level of protection (covered, uncovered, removed to another location, etc. , 0 Reviewing that all electronic (soft) copy were back ed up according to the plans to insure that copies were located in several locations locally and remote and the person responsible for each copy, Providing phone contact lists for all employees and giving out partner information to all employees (who had already been sent home to deal with personal and family assister preparations), and 0 Checking insurance policy coverage (and later following through [for example, business interruption insurance has been troublesome]).

How to Build Relationship in a Small Business Essay

According to Gronroos (1997), marketing in relational terms means â€Å"To establish, maintain and enhance relationships with customers and other partners, at a profit so that the objectives of the parties involved are met. This is achieved by mutual exchange and fulfillment of promises†. As to whether a business will profitably benefit from investing in relationship with its customers and other stakeholders, a lot depends on the nature of the business. With regards to certain sectors, like the service sectors, it becomes imperative to develop the relationship with its customers, so as to ensure consistent growth and sustainable competitive advantage. In big organizations like the banks, the bureaucracy makes it difficult for these institutions to be responsive to the needs of their customers. Hence customer relationship building becomes problematic. But taking a small business like a hairdressing salon, various relationship management techniques are blindly employed by these hairdressers to build relationships with customers. This paper uses the situation of a hairdressing salon located at Akweteyman, a suburb of Accra, Ghana to explain how relationships with customers are built over the years. Top Curls Beauty Salon, located in Akweteyman, is owned and run by Joyce Owusuwaa. She has employed three hairstylists and has six apprentices. She has operated the business for Ten years, and currently is patronized by lots of women from the locality and beyond. Relationship management techniques clearly play out in such small businesses because of the fact that those delivering the services are mostly the owners, and have the passion to see the business grow, hence making them highly entrepreneurial. Conditions that are conducive to relationship management It is not every business that can profitably practice relationship management. Certain conditions must exist to foster the development of an intimate relationship with clients. According to Szmigin and Bourne (1998), the value of a relationship, and by implication the desire to commit to it, will depend on the nature of the service, the nature of the consumers and the nature of the situation. Berry (1983), discussing the service sector identifies three conditions for the applicability of Relationship Management. First of all, the customer has to show a continuing and periodic desire for the service. Secondly, the service customer must be able to select the service provider, and finally there must be a choice of suppliers available to the customer. Berry (1995), further points out that, high involvement services, such as banking, insurance and hairstyling services have the characteristics which lend themselves to relationship building. Taking the case of Top Curls Beauty Salon located at Akweteyman, a suburb of Accra, it has the conditions conducive to Relationship building. Women, both young and old, have a continuing and periodic (which could be fortnightly or weekly) desire to have a hairstyle that enhance their beauty and appearance. The clients, in this case the women themselves; do the selection of the hairstylist. There is also a plethora of hairstylists and salons around the Akweteyman locality, in which case constitutes a large pool of hair salons available to the customers. So how does Top Curls Beauty Salon build relationship with customers? Consistency of quality of service For Joyce, quality of service is very critical to building a long-term relationship with its customers. Quality of service, in terms of a hairstylist, has to do with how good the client feels at the end of delivering the service. Not necessarily the final product in terms of pleasant appearance, but how the person was attended to at the salon upon entering it, how the salon attendants as well as the final hairstylist were gentle with the hair of the client, may be in terms of how gently they stroke and caress the client’s hair and the kind of pep talks that went on with the client during the service, all go a long way to establish an excellent quality of service in the mind of the customer. This could lead to repeat patronage as well as referrals. But the question one may want to ask is; how does she ensure that this quality of service is at least maintained, even to the extent of her brief absence? Though she has about six apprentices, she also employs three hairstylists who had undergone an extensive training and coaching from established beauty schools, and mentoring from her. These three stylists have the flair for the job and assist her as well as deputize for her in case of her absence. In fact these girls are trained all-round, and can solve every client issue. Customization Every customer, be it existing or new, that enters Top Curls Beauty Salon is unique in lots of ways. Customers differ in their appearance, shape of their head, the texture of their hair, the color of their hair, the length of their hair, the strength of their scalp, their likes and dislikes, their socialization and exposure, level of education, age and complexion etc. One style will definitely not fit all of them. This calls for customized service. In fact the business of hairstyling thrives on variety and customization of services to individual customers. The hairdresser gains a better knowledge of the customer’s requirements and needs over periods of encounters. This knowledge can then be combined with social rapport built over a number of service encounters to tailor and customize the service to customer’s specifications. But there is a challenge for Joyce when a customer wants a style which is in vogue, but which will not fit the customer. In a situation like this, persuasion is done with all the tactness, and explanations given to convince the customer that a better style, which is also in vogue will best suit her and give her that â€Å"knockout† appearance and appeal. Customization is very much aided by the next point, which is; two-way communication dialogue. Two-way communication dialogue The rapport between a hairdresser and her customers is very important if a long term relationship is expected. The kind of communication dialogue that ensues in the salon does not only bolster the relationship, but also brings a lot of client issues to the fore so that the hairdresser can best satisfy the needs of the customer. According to Joyce, she constantly engages the customers in a dialogue, all to unearth their needs. Some customers, based on how they have been conditioned in other salons, just remain quiet throughout the period that they are being attended to. These customers leave the salon only to change their hairstyle as soon as they get to the house. By engaging them in a conversation, they feel comfortable to actually come out with how they want their hair to look like, hence promoting the likeliness of future business and referrals. It is only through a two way communication dialogue that customer needs could be met. High level of interaction There is a high level of interaction between a hairstylist and her customers. The relationship between a woman and her hairdresser is unique. This is because she develops an intimate relationship with her hairdresser as a result of visiting the salon regularly. Women go to the extent of confiding in their hairdressers on issues like personal relationships or marriage and family issues. Why won’t they, if they trust their hairdressers enough to alter their physical appearance, sometimes radical? For some customers, it is all about enjoying the whole experience of going to the hairdresser. For this people, you can always have a good chart at the hairdresser’s salon, as well as catch up on the latest gossip. Hence hairdressers initiate certain lines of conversations and gossips, especially fashion, all to get the salon exciting. Some also go to the salon because they need someone to talk to. They tell their hairdresser really personal things, having in their mind that thei r hairdresser is a good person to speak to, because they are completely separated from their lives. With the advent of technology, this form of bonding with customers is enhanced by mobile phones, which makes it possible for the interactive platform to be extended outside the salon. Plays a professional as well as an advisory role Hairdressers play a professional as well as advisory role to their customers. One could classify them as â€Å"informal† psychologists, who exert a level of influence on their customers, not only to change their hairstyles, but positively impact on their lives. Moreover, by virtue of their knowledge in hair grooming and taking care of hair in terms of what hair products the consumer should avoid and those that are suitable (health wise) to them, hairdressers always have the client at heart and appear to act in the interest of the client. If a client should suffer a hair loss, or let’s say suffer a scalp infection as a result of misapplication of a particular hair product, it will adversely impact on the relationship with the client, and generate a negative word of mouth as well. This situation, the hairdresser avoids as much as she can. These are some of the main reasons why she ensures that clients’ hairs are attended to by her and the three most qualified emplo yees. Just to avoid such incidents. Hence, the clients trust the hairdresser to take care of their hair, which the hairdressers consistently do, in their daily dispensations. High commitment and fulfillment of promises From the above point, one can say that hairdressers exhibit a high level of commitment towards the client, and help the clients solve their hair problems. A typical example is when clients consult their hair dresser on problem of hair loss and breakage. The hairdresser goes the extra mile in recommending an appropriate product for solving the problem. Some hairdressers go to the extent of purchasing the product and assisting the client in applying it, all for a fee, and which helps in bonding with the customer. Hence, a constant commitment to solving the hair problems of the client goes a long way to improve on the relationship with the customer. Furthermore, the hairdresser endeavors to fulfill her promises to the client. It is not easy trusting anybody to change your appearance or outlook. What is the assurance and likelihood that you would like the final appearance you are given? Hairdressers, by leveraging their skills and flair, fulfill the promise of making the client feel good at the end of the service delivery. There are situations where some clients refer new customers, and a challenge appears in terms of satisfying this new customer, and fulfilling the expectation and hype. But hairdressers leverage the two-way dialogue to meet the expectations of this new customer. Long-term orientation and horizon Long-term orientation and horizon is a key feature hairdressers use to build a lasting relationship with customers. How long a customer is kept in a relationship and share of their wallet they spend in that salon is very important to the long-term profitability of the hairdresser. There are situations where customers had relocated to a distant suburb in the capital, and yet trek to the old suburb just to patronize the services of a trusted hairdresser. It is important to see customers as partners rather than opposite parties, as highlighted by Gummesson (1999). He goes on to pontificate that long-term collaboration and â€Å"win-win† as a key feature of building relationships. This view promotes collaboration, and creation of mutual value for both the hairdresser and the customer. There are situations where hairdressers freely apply certain pomades or sprays, at least initially, just to woo these clients in the long-term. Sometimes too, customers are given discounts just to get them to patronize the salon for a longer period. Hairdressers, in this sense, do not wholly transfer cost to the customers. Customers are handed certain benefits which in the long run make them loyal to the hairdresser. This loyalty is sometimes assured and maintained even when customers relocate to different localities. Customer lifetime value Finally, hairdressers view customers, though crudely, in terms of their lifetime value to the business of hairdressing. They nurture the notion that if you can best satisfy and delight a particular customer the more likely you are to have a sustained relationship with the client. This lifetime relationship could be extended to the client referring family members and close peers to that particular salon. Furthermore, taking such a position makes it difficult for the client to break the relationship with the hairdresser. How has Top Curls Beauty Salon benefited from developing such relations? First and foremost, the fact that she has established a bonding relationship with them, the customers do not react negatively to price increments, since they know they are getting value for money. Besides, compared to the prices competing salons are charging in the locality, Top Curls Beauty Salon’s charges could be termed as premium, yet the customers see it as appropriate. Again, some customers move to distant localities and yet regularly visit the salon. The client base of the salon has greatly increased as a result of referrals from these customers. The salon has been able to leverage their service â€Å"brand† into other forms of grooming. The salon now does manicure and pedicure as well. But all these are not without hitches and challenges. Not every relationship developed has yielded the returns. In fact some has yielded negative returns. But on the whole, building a lifelong relationship with its customers has brought some level of success. REFERENCES Gronroos, C. (1997) ‘From marketing mix to relationship marketing – towards a paradigm shift in marketing’, Management Decisions, 35, 4, 322-339 Szmigin, I. and Bourne, H. (1998) ‘Consumer equity in relationship marketing’, Journal of consumer marketing, 15, 6, 544-557 Berry, L. L. (1983) ‘Relationship marketing’, in L. L. Berry, G. L. Sostack and G. Opah (eds) Emerging Perspectives on services marketing, Chicago, II: American Marketing Association, 25-28. Berry, L. L. (1995) ‘Relationship Marketing of Services, Growing Interest, Emerging Perspectives’, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 23, 4, 236-245. Gummesson, E. (1999) Total Relationship Marketing – Rethinking Marketing Management : From 4Ps to 30Rs, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.