Differente Types of Clusterings

An entire collection of clusters is commonly refered to as a clustering, and in this section, we distinguis various types of clusterings: hierarchical (nested) versus partitional (unnested), exclusive versus overlapping versus fuzzy, and complete versus partial.
hierarchical versus Partitional
The most commonly discussed distinction among different types of clustering is whether the set of clusters nested or unnested, or in more traditional terminology, hierarchical or partitional. A partitional clustering is simply a division of the set of data objects into non-overlapping subsets (clusters) such that each data objects is in exactly one subset. Taken individually, each collection of clusters is a partitional clustering.
If we permit clusters to have subclusters, then we obtain a hierarchical clustering, which is a set of nested cluesters that are organized as tree. 
Each node (cluster) in the tree (except for the lead nodes) is the union of its children (subclusters), and the root of the tree is the cluster containing all the objects. Often, but not always, the leaves of the tree are singleton clusters of individual data objects. If we allow clusters to be nested, then one interpretation, is that it has two subclusters, each of wich, in tun, has three subclusters. The clusters shown, when taken in that order, also form a hierarchical (nested) cluestering with, respectively.
Finally , note that a hierarchical clustering can be viewed as sequence of partitional clusterings anda partitional clustering can be obtained by taking any member of that sequence; by cutting the hierarchical tree at a particular level.

CRM 2012 in world


Customer relationship management  (CRM) has attracted the expanded 
attention of practitioners and scholars.  More and more companies are 
adopting customer-centric strategies,  programs, tools, and technology for 
efficient and effective customer relationship management.  They are 
realizing the need for in-depth and integrated customer knowledge in order 
to build close cooperative and partnering relationships with their customers.  
The emergence of new channels and technologies is significantly altering 
how companies interface with their customers, a development bringing about 
a greater degree of integration between marketing, sales, and customer 
service functions in organizations.  For practitioners, CRM represents an 
enterprise approach to developing full-knowledge about customer behavior
and preferences and to developing programs and strategies that encourage 
customers to continually enhance their business relationship with the 
company. 
Marketing scholars are studying the nature and scope of CRM and 
are developing conceptualizations  regarding the value and process of 
cooperative and collaborative relationships between buyers and sellers.  
Many scholars with interests in several sub-disciplines of marketing, such as 
channels, services marketing, business-to-business marketing, advertising, 
and so forth, are actively engaged in studying and exploring the conceptual 
foundations of managing relationships with customers.  They are interested 
in strategies and processes for customer classification and selectivity; one-toone
 relationships with individual customers; key account management and 
customer business development processes; frequency marketing, loyalty 
programs, cross-selling and up-selling  opportunities; and various forms of 
partnering with customers including co-branding, joint-marketing, codevelopment, 
and other forms of strategic alliances (Parvatiyar & Sheth, 
2000).   
Scholars from other academic disciplines, particularly those 
interested in the area of information systems and decision technologies, are 
also exploring new methodologies and techniques that create efficient frontline 
information systems (FIS) to effectively manage relationships with 
customers.  Several software tools  and technologies claiming solutions for 
various aspects of CRM have recently been introduced for commercial 
application.  The majority of these tools promise to individualize and 
personalize relationships with customers by providing vital information at 
every point in the interface with the customer.  Techniques such as 
collaborative filtering, rule-based expert systems, artificial intelligence, and 
relational databases are increasingly being applied to develop enterprise 
level solutions for managing information on customer interactions.  The 
purpose of this paper is not to evaluate these application tools and 
technologies.  Those aspects are considered elsewhere by the authors as well 
as by several commercial research organizations, such as Forrester Research 
and the Gartner Group.  Our objective is to provide a conceptual foundation 
for understanding the domain of customer relationship management.  To do 
so, we develop a framework for understanding the various aspects of CRM 
strategy and implementation.  A synthesis of the existing knowledge on 
CRM done by integrating diverse explorations forms the basis of our 
framework.  We draw upon the literature on relationship marketing, as CRM 
and relationship marketing are not distinguished from each other in the 
marketing literature (Parvatiyar & Sheth, 2000).  
In the sections that follow, we define what CRM is and what it 
promises to offer.  We also identify the forces impacting on the marketing 
environment in recent years that have led to the rapid development of CRM 
strategies, tools, and technologies.  A typology of CRM programs is 
presented to provide a parsimonious  view of the various terms and 
terminologies that are used to refer to different activities.  We then describe 
a process model of CRM to better delineate the challenges of customer 
relationship formation, its governance, its performance evaluation, and its 
evolution.  Finally, we examine the research issues related to CRM.

AppXchange for Government

Salesforce is working to entice governments at all levels by making it simple to deploy Government Cloud and the apps that add value. For example, Government Cloud also includes AppXchange for Government, a new app marketplace for the public sector where government agencies can find, try and deploy cloud apps that meet their needs.
The AppXchange is launching with more than 60 apps selected specifically for government and public sector agencies, such as BasicGov, DocuSign, and SchoolForce. Developers are already lining up to fill the virtual Relevant Products and Services app store shelves.
"AppXchange for Government provides a great opportunity to develop and deliver apps for government with the social, mobile and trusted capabilities of the Salesforce platform," said Michael Togyi, president and CEO of BasicGov Systems, a provider of licensing, permitting and enforcement apps.

Welcoming CRM Relevant Products and Services?

Salesforce is making a bold move with its Government Cloud. Certainly, government agencies are not known for strong customer service. But will governments invest in the technology Relevant Products and Services it takes to meet the demands of customers who are increasingly used to social and mobile customer service? That's what we asked Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.
"The difficulty with government is the lack of funding right now to make changes. Right now, a lot of the agencies are just treading water," Enderle said. "Having said that, probably the only way government agencies can do deployments right now is through some sort of Software as a Service capability. From that perspective, this solution is well timed."
As Enderle sees it, a social and mobile CRM solution in the government would drive higher citizen satisfaction rates and could streamline customer service. Still, he said, getting the government to implement CRM would be an amazing accomplishment.

Salesforce sales Government for Social CRM

Salesforcehopes to cozy up with the government with its latest solution Relevant Products and Services: Government Cloud. The customer Relevant Products and Services relations management cloud Relevant Products and Services computing company rolled out its latest product to help government hasten its move to the so called social era.
As its name suggests, Government Cloud is designed for the unique needs of government agencies. The customized Software as a Service product will offer dedicated, multi-tenant instances of Salesforce's cloud infrastructure. That approach paves the way for U.S. federal, state, and local agencies to deploy the latest social and mobile Relevant Products and Services technologies in compliance with Federal Information Security Management Act requirements.
"The bureaucracy of legacy government IT Relevant Products and Services is preventing agencies from embracing innovative technologies that deliver immediate value," said Vivek Kundra, executive vice president of emerging markets at Salesforce. "We must end the era where government spends millions of dollars and waits years for IT projects that never work."