Identifying the Problem

Tahapan untuk melakukan analisis kebijakan - identifikasi masalah:


Identifying the Problem: "PROBLEM DEFINITION

The first thing the policy analyst must do is to ask:
1) Does a problem exist?
2) Can anything be done about it?
3) Does the client have the power?

If the answers are no, then there is no point in doing a policy analysis.


Pitfalls in public policy problem definition:
1) accepting the client's definition of the problem
2) looking only for the simple and obvious
3) thinking that any and all problems need a public solution
4) confusing the need for short- versus long-term solutions
5) confusing the values of individuals versus collectivities


Don't Need Public Policies Do Need Public Policies
Individual problems Social problems
Widespread problems Serious problems
Relative problems Absolute problems

DEVELOPING PROBLEM STATEMENTS

In developing problem statements:
1) think about the problem
2) delineate the boundaries of the problem
3) develop a fact base
4) list goals and objectives for policy solutions
5) identify the policy envelope (key players)
6) develop preliminary costs and benefits
7) review the problem statement

BACK-OF-THE-ENVELOPE CALCULATIONS
One of the first things a policy analyst will do is to try to get a handle on the possible dimensions of the problem and potential solutions. The analyst may ask,

1) How many people are we talking about?
2) What is the likely cost per unit of service?
3) How much of the target population can we serve?
4) How much do we have available to spend?
5) Will more staff be needed?
6) Will this impact the budget/tax rate?
7) What are the trends in this area?
8) What will happen if we do nothing?

For example, try to estimate these parameters if half the children in the state are not receiving the required immunizations before beginning school. Start with the number of children in the state up to age 5. Which immunization"

Social Impact Games :: Entertaining Games with Non-Entertainment Goals

Catatan daftar games yang punya isi serius

Social Impact Games :: Entertaining Games with Non-Entertainment Goals: "A Note on 'Public Policy Games'

Type: Public Policy

Note: These are games designed to educate the public (or some element thereof) on some aspect of policy, to help them better understand and fulfill their role as citizens in a democracy. See also the Woodrow Wilson International Center initiative at Serious Games
"

Mapping the Neighbourhood

Buat catatan, memetakan lingkungan/kawasan tempat tinggal dari India.

Mapping the Neighbourhood: "Mapping the Neighbourhood is an initiative of Centre for Science Development and Media Studies (CSDMS) and funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. The project conceptualized as an alternative learning experience, has attempted to move from a ‘strategy-structure-systems’ approach to a ‘purpose-people-process’ approach through the use of ICT and community maps in the learning process.

The programme has aimed to install a new kind of imparting education on the aspects of neighbourhood level development that is based on participatory learning and collection of relevant information of the locality. The essential part of this system is that it works with school students as the ‘tenets of change’ and representatives of their community Hence, essentially it is participatory in its execution and scientific in its methods. The maps prepared through community-friendly-technology by the community, in this case the school children, forms the basis of decision-making for the community (community –based planning) and can be fed into the ongoing planning and development process "

Development Project Design and Planning using Logical Framework Approach (LFA)

Perlu buat catatan deh

Development Project Design and Planning using Logical Framework Approach (LFA): "The Logical Framework Approach consists of a number of modules or steps which lead to the final module called 'Project Planning Matrix' (PPM). The PPM, which should not normally be more than three or four pages shows exactly what the project proposes to do, how the project will determine whether the objectives were successfully achieved, and what risks are involved.

The sequence of steps is:

* Stakeholder Analysis
* Problem Analysis
* Alternatives Analysis
* Objectives Analysis
* Development of Project Planning Matrix (PPM)

The Project Planning Matrix (PPM) rolls out the hierarchy of objectives with Objectively Verifiable Indicators for each Objective, Means of Verification and Important Assumptions and External Factors.

In the PPM, the hierarchy of objectives appears from highest level to lowest level as follows:

* Goal
* Purpose
* Project Output"

Microsoft dan politik

Mungkin menarik bagi mahasiswa ilmu politik yang sedang mempelajari hubungan antara perusahaan (besar) dengan politik, atau secara lebih umum bertemunya ranah politik dan ranah bisnis.

Artikel terkutip, adalah kalrifikasi dari CEO Microsoft (MS) yang menjelaskan posisi MS dalam agenda legisltif atau bermacam RUU yang sedang berproses di parlemen. Memang bukan manifesto yang dibuat khusus tetapi lebih merupakan reaksi atas pemberitaan bahwa MS tidak mendukung RUU anti-diskriminasi (atas homo, lesbian, dan kelompok minoritas lain).

Dalam artikel yang ditulis oleh CEO MS sendiri dan disebarluaskan oleh blog 'resmi' (MS punya pegawai yang kerjanya adalah khusus untuk memblog), penjelasan yang diberikan secara sederhana adalah bahwa RUU anti-diskriminasi tidak merupakan prioritas bagi MS, dan MS tidak pernah menyatakan dukungan atau pun tentangannya terhadap RUU tersebut. Tetapi juga bahwa secara pribadi sang CEO menegaskan sikapnya bahwa selama dia menjabat tidak akan ada aturan atau keputusan yang diskriminatif dan anti pluralis.

Aspek lain yang sesunguhnya menarik adalah ini merupakan suatu pengakuan bahwa perusahaan besar secara terbuka akan mempengaruhi proses legislasi terutama yang menyangkut kepentingan mereka. Secara teoritis artinya bahwa dalam prakteknya tidak ada pemisahan negara dan pasar. Aktor2 pasar akan selalu berusaha dengan memanfaatkan segala sumberdaya yang dimilikinya untuk mendapatkan kebijakan publik yang menguntungkan posisi perusahaan. Dalam posisi ini tentu kepentingan publik tidak menjadi pertimbangan.

Sehingga menjadi pertanyaan adalah siapa yang mewakili kepentingan publik? "Publik" yang tidak terorganisasi dan harus menghadapi berbagai masalah pada saat yang sama dengan sumber daya yang terbatas, dan kerap dengan perbedaan agenda di antara mereka sendiri tentu tidak akan berdaya untuk mempertahankan kepentingannya, apa lagi untuk memajukan posisi tawarnya kala harus berhadapan dengan kepentingan kelompok usaha.

Sehingga memang menjadi penting peran para aktifis, yakni orang-orang "gila" yang melawan kepentingan "korporasi" untuk membela dan memperjuangkan kepentingan publik. Alternatifnya adalah bahwa suatu kehidupan yang diatur semata oleh kepentingan pemilik modal dan kelas manajer yang sepenuhnya menhamba pada kepentingan material.

Steve Ballmer's email about anti-discrimination bill: "On February 1, two Microsoft employees testified before a House Committee in support of the bill. These employees were speaking as private citizens, not as representatives of the corporate position, but there was considerable confusion about whether they were speaking on behalf of Microsoft.

Following this hearing, a local religious leader named Rev. Ken Hutcherson, who has a number of Microsoft employees in his congregation, approached the company, seeking clarification of whether the two employees were representing Microsoft's official position. He also sought a variety of other things, such as firing of the two employees and a public statement by Microsoft that the bill was not necessary.

After careful review, Brad Smith informed Rev. Hutcherson that there was no basis for firing the two employees over the misunderstanding over their testimony, but did agree that we should clarify the ambiguity over the employee testimony. Brad also made it clear that while the company was not taking a position on HB 1515, the company remains strongly committed to its internal policies supporting anti-discrimination and industry-leading benefits for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender employees.

I understand that many employees may disagree with the company's decision to tighten the focus of our agenda for this year's legislative session in Olympia. But I want every employee to understand that the decision to take a neutral stance on this bill was taken before the Session began based on a desire to focus our legislative efforts, not in reaction to any outside pressure.

I have done a lot of thinking and soul-searching over the past 24 hours on this subject, and I want to share with you my thoughts on how a company like Microsoft should deal with these kinds of issues."

Left/Right Brain: bedah pikir

Kerap dibedakannya antara otak kanan dan otak kiri, ini pandangan yang berbeda kali yah.

The TrueTalk Blog: Left/Right; Think/Blink; Exploit/Explore; Calculate/Meditate: "I spent a lot of time in the 70s reading existential and phenomenological philosophy while studying psychology at Duquesne University (we were an odd bunch). A good many of those hours were spent reading the work Martin Heidegger. Very interesting thinking; very difficult going. One little book, Discourse on Thinking, was particularly interesting, and difficult.

In it, Heidegger makes a distinction between calculative and meditative thinking. The former is our typical 'right brain' oriented approach, in which we view the world as objects to be analyzed and manipulated.

Meditative thinking is a more difficult and cryptic enterprise. It requires patience (not 'waiting for' exactly, since that puts us into a mindset that is anticipatively anxious and very close to calculative), and a lingering persistence; the courage to 'dwell' in the presence of the world. Heidegger called this releasement towards things and openness to the mystery. It is 'focused' on the transcendent; a way of getting to the invisible side of the visible."

UU Kebebasan Menyatakan Pendapat hilang sudah?

Apakah ini artinya bahwa unjuk rasa kembali membutuhkan ijin dan bukan pemberitahuan?

Cetak Berita: "Aksi Demo di Bundaran HI Dihalau Polisi

Koalisi Gerakan, yang berniat berdemonstrasi di Bundaran Hotel Indonesia, Kamis (21/4), batal berdemo karena dihalau polisi. Alasannya mereka tak punya izin.

Sekitar 15 orang dari Masyarakat Sipil yang terdiri dari Federasi Serikat Petani Indonesia (FPSI), Koalisi Anti Utang (KAU), Front Perjuangan Pemuda Indonesia (FPPI), LS ADI, dan Serikat Buruh Jakarta, itu membawa poster, perangkat drum kecil, gitar dan tampah yang akan digunakan untuk melakukan 'happening art'.

Namun, sebelum aksi itu dimulai mereka dihalau polisi untuk membubarkan diri. Waktu ditanya surat izin unjuk rasa, para pendemo tak mampu menjawab karena koordinator aksi belum hadir.

Setelah hampir setengah jam bernegosiasi dengan polisi akhirnya mereka digiring membubarkan diri. Namun, setelah itu dari depan Plaza Indonesia, koordinator dan beberapa rekan mereka tiba dan melakukan orasi sekitar lima menit. Aksi itu juga langsung dihalau polisi sehingga mereka tak sempat mempertunjukkan 'happening art' yang dipersiapkan.

Beberapa poster yang dibawa berbunyi protes masalah impor pangan dan meminta pembatalan utang secara total tanpa syarat untuk Indonesia dan negara selatan lainnya. Demonstrasi ditujukan untuk merespons KTT Asia Afrika yang sedang berlangsung di Jakarta 22-24 April. (Ant/Prim)"

Perlu untuk di baca: Slashdot | The Early History of Nupedia and Wikipedia: A Memoir

Slashdot | The Early History of Nupedia and Wikipedia: A Memoir: "An impassioned debate has been raging, particularly since about the summer of 2004, about the merits of Wikipedia and the future of free online encyclopedias. This discussion has not benefitted by much detailed, accurate consideration of the origins of Wikipedia and of its parent project, Nupedia. But it seems to me that those origins are very important -- crucial, even -- to forming a proper judgment of the current state and best future direction of free encyclopedias.

Wikipedia as it stands is a fantastic project; it has produced enormous amounts of content, thousands of excellent articles, and now, after just four years, is getting high-profile, international recognition as a new way of obtaining at least a rough and ready idea about very many topics. Its surprising success may be attributed, briefly, to its free, open, and collaborative nature.

This has been my attitude toward Wikipedia practically since its founding. But a few months ago I wrote an article critical of certain aspects of the Wikipedia project, 'Why Wikipedia Must Jettison Its Anti-Elitism', which occasioned much debate. I have also been quoted, as co-founder of Wikipedia, in many recent news articles about the project, making various other critical remarks. I am afraid I am getting an undeserved reputation as someone who is opposed to everything Wikipedia stands for. This is completely incorrect. In fact, I am one of Wikipedia's strongest supporters. I am partly responsible for bringing it into the world (as I will explain), and I still love it and want only the best for it. But if a better job can be done, a better job should be done. Wikipedia has shown fantastic potential, and it is open content--and so if the project has problems (or features) which will keep it from being the maximally authoritative, broad, and deep reference that I believe could exist, I firmly believe that the world has the right to, "

The Blogger's Primer [Content]

Kalau mau serius memikirkan untuk punya blog yang tidak sekedar sebagai diary mungkin artikel ini prelu untuk di baca.

The Blogger's Primer [Content]: "For many, blogs are a part of life. You might keep your own blog or choose to visit several other blogs through your daily reading. You may even sit back and think, 'Gee, I'd like to blog but I just don't think I'd be any good at it.' This article aims to give you a good jumping-off point from which you can successfully launch yourself into the blogosphere.

A blog is not a technology, a technique, or a cool trick. A blog is form of content site; what's important is the information it presents, and the ways in which that content meets the readers' needs.

Burgeoning bloggers need to consider first the areas on which they'll blog, and which audience or reader the blog be suited to. The next consideration is to ensure that your blog can be easily found by readers, through search. The technology behind the blog, and the platform on which its based, is the final part of the equation.

Given such a content-centric order of priorities, this article will take a slightly unorthodox approach. First, we'll briefly explore the concept of the blogging: what it is, and why people do it. We'll then discuss readership, and how your blog content can be used to attract and retain a targeted readership. Once that's done, we'll look a little more closely at one of the key means of attracting readers: search. I'll explain a few of the techniques that can ensure your blog is crawled and indexed by the search engines. Lastly, we'll discuss the question of blogging platforms. There's a wide range of blog software on the market, but hopefully this discussion should help you choose a tool that suits your needs"

Ekuator | The Ultimate Indonesian Online Book Resource

Kerap melihat dengan kaca mata nalar, sadar sepenuhnya bahwa ada masalah dan dimensi lain yang perlu dikenali untuk dapat mengerti kehidupan. Mengerti mungkin bukan istilah yang tepat, karena mengerti menempatkan kita di luar kenyataan yang kita kenali. Aku tidak bisa menemukan kata untuk menggambarkan situasu atau suasana di mana aku menjadi bagian dari suatu kenyataan, menghilangkan batas antara obyektif dan subyektif.

Pemahaman di tambah empathi tetapi lebih jauh lagi menyatu dengan alam semesta, yang kita ketahui dan tidak, yang kita rasakan dan tidak. Menhilangkan batas antara iya dan tidak, menghuilangkan batas antara ada dan tiada, menghilangkan semuanya, berada di luar dan di dalam segalanya. Menyatu dengan semua dan segala.

Ekuator | The Ultimate Indonesian Online Book Resource: "Buku ini memotret kisah pertobatan para nabi, orang-orang saleh, dan orang-orang yang tersadarkan dari lembah dosa. Inilah buku yang ditulis karena rasa rindu yang mendalam kepada kisah-kisah mereka. Juga karena sukacita terhadap kondisi-kondisi mereka serta sebagai suri teladan di dalam tobat; kembalinya mereka ke pangkuan Allah SWT dengan segala ketulusan. Buku ini dibingkiskan untuk orang yang bertekad kuat untuk bertobat, bagi siapa pun yang berpikir untuk bertobat, dan siapa pun juga yang berusaha berpaling dari tobat."

Allen's Blog: Commandment #9: Be Like Goldilocks

Allen's Blog: Commandment #9: Be Like Goldilocks: "In summary, as you develop your business ideas, and begin to think through your investment pitch to the VC’s, remember the following; it’ll help:

* Having too many competitors is always bad. If you have too many, consider another startup idea, painful as that is.

* Having too few competitors is usually bad. If you have too few, consider whether the market’s that interesting.

* Having some competitors is good. It validates the market opportunity. BUT, know who the competiors are and understand their weaknesses AS WELL AS their strengths. VC’s are most impressed by entrepreneurs who know who their competitors are and know a lot about them -- and have a healthy respect for them."

Kompetisi dan Venture capital adalah judul tulisan ini, pelajaran yang menarik adalah tentang kapan kita masuk ke dalam suatu usaha. Adalah terlambat kalau kita masuk dalam suatu usaha saat sudah banyak orang melakukan hal serupa, tetapi adalah juga tidak baik untuk melakukan sesuatu saat belum ada yang melakukannya sehingga tidak ada kompetisi, yang terbaik adalah pada saat ada beberapa orang yang sudah melakukannya tapi belum terlalu banyak.

Bagaimana menerapkan pemikiran ini juga dalam program non komersial merupakan tantangan tersendiri.

Membuat keputusan ada ilmunya - bukan ngelmu

Nemu di internet aja. Tapi ini penting juga sih bagaimana kita bisa membuat keputusan dengan baik, dan tidak dilakukan hanya secara intuitif tetapi dengan cara yang ilmiah. Terlepas dari berbagai keterbatasan dan kritik atasnya, hal ini lebih baik dari pada mengandalkan ramalan bintang.

Overcoming Serious Indecisiveness: " In the decision-making modeling process we must investigate the effects of presenting different decision alternatives retrospectively; that is, 'as if' you have implemented your strategy. The decision has already been made under a different course of actions. The key to a good decision is reflection before action, therefore, the sequence of steps in the above decision-making modeling process must be considered in reverse order. For example, the output (which is the result of our action) must be considered first. The following are the decision-making sequential steps with some possible loops:

1. Value and the Objective: Consider the full range of objectives to be fulfilled and the values implicated by your action.

2. Set of Actions: Thoroughly consider a wide range of possible alternative courses of action. The above decision-making process includes the study of identifying and choosing alternatives based on the values and preferences of the decision-maker. Therefore making a decision implies that there are alternative choices to be considered, and in such a case we want not only to identify as many of these alternatives as possible but to choose the one that best fits with our goals, desires, lifestyle, values, and so on.

3. Evaluate the Consequences: Carefully weigh whatever you know about the costs and risks of negative as well as positive consequences that could flow from each alternative.

4. Gathering Information: Intensively search for new information relevant to further evaluation of the alternatives. Information can be classified as explicit and tacit forms. The explicit information can be explained in structured form, while tacit information is inconsistent and fuzzy to explain. Decision-making process must include the reduction of uncertainty and doubt about the uncontrollable inputs. This can be achieved by gathering reliable information. Although the uncertainty cannot be eliminated in most c"

Slashdot | Mapping the Mind --- Know Thyself --- kenalilah dirimu

Wah ini mustinya menarik yah ... mengenali prosesor yang ada dalam diri manusia, dengan mencoba juga menguraikan operating system berikut berbagai aplikasi yang berkerja di sana.


Slashdot | Mapping the Mind: "''Gnothi seauton' was the precept inscribed in gold letter upon the temple of the Oracle of Delphi. The authorship of this famous maxim was ascribed to every great Greek philosopher, from Pythagoras to Socrates. According to Juvenal, this precept descended from heaven. It is immensely strange, then, that most people, including you, my dear reader, never really make the effort to 'know thyself.' The number of misconceptions, superstitions and myths that we spread about ourselves is indeed astonishing. Fortunately for you, someone else has already taken the time to understand you and present the results in entertaining, easily digestible, but at the same time scientifically rigorous format. Let me introduce Mapping the Mind by Rita Carter, an illustrated user manual to the software that runs inside our skulls -- the human mind.'"

Bumi+Manusia+(1980)

Bumi+Manusia+(1980)
Originally uploaded by Rio Menajang.

Buku ini telah merubah cara aku memandang dunia dan kehidupan. Baik ceritanya maupun cerita tentang kehidupan penulisnya, Pramudya Ananta Toer. Merupakan bagian pertama dari tetralogi (4 buku serangkaian), buku ini bercerita tentang tokoh pergerakan kemerdekaan Indonesia.

Membaca buku ini saat aku sedang belajar ilmu politik di FISIP UI, memang memberi banyak pemahaman tentang bagaimana dunia ini. Keterkaitan antara hal-hal subyektif dan obyektif, yang mikro dan yang makro, jagad cilik dan jagad raya kata orang jawa. Segala keterbatasan dan keleluasaan manusia untuk mengerti perjalanan sejarah dan memilih bagaimana dia akan bersikap atas semua hal yang terjadi disekitarnya.

Dulu aku membeli beberap eksemplar buku ini, yang beredar resmi tidak terlalu lama dan segera dilarang orang penguasa pada saat itu. Alam yang represif dan ketakutan akan komunisme sebagai cara untuk terus mempertahankan kehadiran tentara dalam setiap aspek kehidupan Indonesia telah merebut kesempatan orang membaca buku ini dengan meluas. Banyak buku yang aku beli ini aku berikan pada teman-teman dekatku, mungkin dengan harapan mereka bisa mengerti apa yang aku pikirkan dan mengapa aku bersikap seperti apa yang menjadi sikapku.

editorsweblog.org: Bloggers vs. Journalists: enough already!

editorsweblog.org: Bloggers vs. Journalists: enough already!

Mainan sedehana di rumah mengajar sains

Science Toys: "Make toys at home with common household materials, often in only a few minutes, that demonstrate fascinating scientific principles."

Situs ini memang dalam bahasa Inggris tetapi baik untuk membuat proyek bersama, bapak/ibu dengan anak-anak agar mereka lebih akrab dengan beberapa prinsip ilmu pengetahuan.

Seminar "bullets" to ballots"

Seminar "bullets" to ballots"
Posted by: riomenajang.

Untuk memasukan Foto ini dari Buzznet ke Blog(ger), kita tinggal mengklik "BLOGTHIS" (pas di atas 'comment'). Setelah itu pada saat pertama kita perlu mengisi informasi tentang 'blog kita' di atas 'Body' setelah kita sampai di layar baru (informasi tentang URL dan password). Untuk selanjutnya sih tinggal klik "POST NOW" setelah selesai membuat tulisan yang kita inginkan muncul dalam blog kita.

Jadi memang tidak susah ya. Layout dan beberapa hal lain bisa juga di 'customize'.

Computer System Security: A Primer

Computer System Security: A Primer: "Computer system security attacks are one of the most urgent problems facing IT professionals today. Security threats challenge administrators to protect their systems without hindering client access. This article provides an overview of current security threats, including the motivations and methods of attackers, the vulnerabilities they exploit, and the defenses administrators employ."

Artikel yang bagus kali yah untuk mengenal keamanan sistem, buat catatan yang akan di baca lagi kemudian.

Sarah was sick

Sarah was sick
Posted by: riomenajang.

Menggali foto lama, dapet yang pas Sarah sakit ada di Buzznet - salah satu tempat menyimpan foto gratis di internet. Nah ini percobaan untuk memposting dari buzznet ke blogspot.

Mencoba dari HP ..trus ke PC dengan Picasa dan Helo kirim ke Blogger.
Posted by Hello

Dari Hp ......
Posted by Hello

Buttercouple.com - kecocokan pasangan dari pilihan orang banyak

Sepertinya situs ini menarik, aku nanti mau mencobanya sih. Kira-kira kalau gak salah tangkap kita menguplload foto kita & pasangan kita. Berdasarkan itu member lain akan mem'vote' apakah kita pasangan yang serasi. Untuk mendukung jalannya komunitas ini tentu kita juga musti melihat foto pasangan-pasangan lain dan memvote juga ya.

Buttercouple.com - Who's in your league?

People or systems? - diskusi pakar marketing

Seth's Blog: People or systems?: "People or systems?

Chris Garrett says I'm wrong about the Westin. That they should fix their systems, not their people.

I can't think of one world class service organization (whether it's someone selling million dollar computers to corporations or Starbucks) that has figured out how to replace great people with great systems.

The best organizations have principles and guidelines and even, yes, scripts. But time and again, they fall back to, 'Use your best judgment' or 'Do what's right for the customer' or 'Make something magical happen' or 'Ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.'

When a hotel chain empowers a maid to spend up to $500 to make it right (using her own discretion), that's not a system, that's trusting great people to do the right thing.

The problems with systems?
1. if you rely on them too much, your people stop trying, and your hiring people realize they don't have to get such great people.
2. sooner or later, it's going to get copied by the competition. It's a lot easier to copy a system than it is to get great people.

JetBlue is first and foremost about the people Amy Curtis hired and trained. The systems allow the great people to do great work.

Yes, if you can automate it in a way that increases satisfaction, do it right away. Use an ATM system instead of the front desk at the hotel. Use an automated wake up call system. But then put the money you save into wonderful people at the concierge desk."


+++++++

"Sticking to the script

Seth points out where scripts fall down in his recent blog.

He says it would be better to have staff that think for themselves. I actually see it as a problem with the script, not the staff.

See, what would you prefer? A hotel where all the staff "wing it", improvising everything from what they say at the front desk to the selection of breakfast foods?

In service industries quality and consistency are paramount. I would rather have great procedures and top quality training and ok staff than brilliantly creative staff and ok procedures.

A hotel is a system, the only way you can manage and tune that system is if every part of it works as it should. That means sticking to the script.

Fix the system not the staff."
http://www.chrisg.org/Blog/PermaLink,guid,5fe93295-6ba4-4dbd-840c-36c49c62403b.aspx
Chris Garrett's Internet Marketing Blog

+++++

Seth's Blog: Adventures in travel
"Adventures in travel

Staying at The Westin Hotel in Florida to give a speech today. The staff here is very scripted, doing things because they were told to, not because it comes naturally. My favorite example: When you ask for a wake up call in the morning, they automatically respond, "Would you like a follow up call fifteen minutes later?" I said no. They asked me the same question when I called an hour later to change the time. Same no answer from me.

So this morning, as is usual when I travel, I woke up an hour earlier than I wanted to. Before going to work out, I called to cancel my wake up so the ringing phone wouldn't bother the neighbors. The receptionist then asked, "Would you like me to cancel the follow up call as well?"

Obviously, there's no reason on earth that someone who is already awake and is cancelling their wakeup call would still want to be reminded of the call fifteen minutes later. Especially if they didn't ask for the reminder call in the first place. But there it is in the script, so it's an error that's repeated over and over.

I know it's more difficult, but hiring people who can think for themselves is usually a better long run strategy than scripting every conversation. If that's the plan, it's probably better to get an automated system. And not just at a hotel in Florida..."
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2005/03/adventures_in_t.html