Investigate the following hypothesises Essay Example for Free

Investigate the following hypothesises Essay Drop (d) in cm Frequency Cumulative Frequency 5 will now put the results from the cumulative frequency table into a cumulative frequency curve for males and females. From both cumulative frequency curves I can take an approximate median and inter-quartile range for both females and males. It tells me that the females have a smaller and lower inter-quartile range, of 4 (16 12=4) than the males whom have a wider and higher one of 7 (19 12= 7). This suggests that the male results in general were more varied than those of the females. It also suggests that the approximate median average for females was 14. Whereas the approximate median for males is 15. 5, which implies that the females have a lower reaction time on median average than males. However, there is only a slight difference. To show the inter-quartile ranges and the median more clearly I have put the information from the cumulative frequency graph into a box plot for each of males and females. These box plots define the varied results of the males and the closeness between the females results. I will now use histograms to show the continuous grouped data. . Drop (d) in cm Frequency width Frequency Frequency Density 5The standard deviation measures the spread of the data about the mean value. It can allow me to compare males and females, which may have the same mean but a different range. Gender Mean average Step 1From the results of the standard deviation I can distinguish that the distribution round the mean average of the female and male frequency was very low. The standard deviation suggests that the females results are generally more spread out round the mean rather than the males whom are not so spread out. This means that males generally have similar reaction times rather than females whom the results imply to have more varied results. Conclusion: From the data I collected I have found that males appear to have better reaction times than females, which seems to be linked closely to them having lower pulse rates. This suggests both my hypotheses to be correct and closely linked to one another. Although, on median average females have been implied to have a lower reaction time. However, the male and female median average are extremely similar so due to the males having a increasingly better mean average seem to generally have better pulse rates and reaction times. This proves that everyone has different reaction times, which can be altered by many different variables such as that as pulse rate. Evaluation: I could have tested reaction times in a many more ways and did not have to use just light as a stimuli for the reaction time. I could have used sound like the reaction time for someone to hear the sound of a gun at a beginning of a race and to react to that and start running. Also the subjects results could have been affected by anything from light and sound distractions to whether they had consumed a substance containing caffeine before they had taken part in the activity set for them. Some of these will not have been able to improve on but others such as where and when I had collected my data may have made possible for bias results to come up in my investigation. Whether the subjects were tired, focussed, motivated will have made a difference to their performance as well so external influences can play a big part in the alteration of results. Also if the participant had carried out this particular type of investigation before or if they trained specially to improve a reaction like those whom train for sprinting would have had a clear advantage than those whom had not carried out the experiment before. In my experiment I also found that an exact recording of how far the ruler actually dropped before it was caught hard and can be seen to have been rounded to the nearest centimetre, which will not have not given me very accurate results. Kirstie Anne Jackson Mathematics 2 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Patterns of Behaviour section.

Efforts to address the development of rural areas

Efforts to address the development of rural areas DEVELOPING RURAL AREAS Contents Introduction. Literature review Current efforts to address this problem locally Plan References Introduction. Rural social work is poised to face many challenges that make it difficult for a social worker to provide services to a needy person in the community. Oppression by the society and also other social classes in the society has caused the poor to be looked down upon in the society and thus becoming hard to get the best social services. In most of the cases that have been happening the women has seen a vast range of problems socially in the rural areas. Women and children have hence become the part of the population facing a lot of social problems. (Teasley, Archuleta Miller, 2014). The issue of a bad economy state has also been an obstacle to the providence of proper social services to the community. When inflation hits a country, it makes it hard and difficult for the rural community to survive with the raising prices of commodities. Lack of support from the authorities has also caused a lot of poor service development for the needy in the rural areas. Therefore it has been seen in many cases that the policies put into place do not really favor the rural communities. Taking for instance the policies to do with medical services, high medical services hit the poor in the society and hence lives get lost every now and then. For a good providence of social services to the rural community, resources have to be there. Lack of these resources render the social workers unable to access the areas with specific needs.an example of services that can be required is transport facilities for the social worker. If transport channels become a challenge for the social worker, it becomes hard for him/her to reach a good number of the rural population. (Witkin, 2014). Literature review Social working practice dates back to the ancient times where the church used to provide charity services to the community even before organizations dealing with social workers were formed. Social work was linked with the idea of charity work and by 580AD the church had already started charity work in the world and it was circulating food stuffs to the needy in the society.in the middle ages, the church become influential to the most parts of Europe and with time the practice of charity work become charity work in the 17th century. (Vanagas ÄŒiÃ…Â ¾ikienÄ-, 2015). Social work become a profession as well as people could now train to become social workers and serve the community.in the 19th century it became a profession in the united states as a movement began in the states and England. In this case a system was established in which the poor were sorted into different categories as idle poor, bodied poor and impotent poor.in this particular century, revolution especia lly in the industrial sector took place. (McPherson Cheatham, (2015). Therefore, technology and other scientific innovations came in to place and therefore a rural urban migration took place in those days in the western world. With this happening, social problems took course in the urban areas and therefore a missionary came into place to publicize and spread the Pentecost denominations ad therefore missioners attempted to come up with solutions for these problems in the urban areas because the cities were affected by prostitution, poverty and diseases. Therefore the church started activities like prayers and evangelism as it was releasing relief food to the poor in these areas. One of the people of steered up social work in the United States was Jane Adams who founded the US settlement house movement. Many schools to train people about social work came in to place at around 1915. This took place at the national conference of charities and corrections. After this, social work becam e a profession. (Parrish Oxhandler, 2015). Current efforts to address this problem locally Organizations have come up now days with different strategies to deal with the problem of social work degradation. Rural development is the first step that the authorities are working on to ensure that the rural community is reached through good roads and electrification. Infrastructure development is a key thing that the government and the authorities need to develop in the rural areas. Some of the rural areas have already seen some of these development. (Mazza, 2015). Another measure that is taken to address such problem is formation of organization to handle charity work and deal with the social work that is available in the rural areas. The organizations are governmental and some non-governmental organization. The non-governmental organizations dealing with social work are many in number and this has enabled the government to step up also and start other programs on the same. (Richards-Schuster, Ruffolo Nicoll, 2015). Social work organizations have been organizing visits to the rural areas where the elderly and those with special needs have seen help in many areas. Some of these areas include their health, financial assistance. This program has been carried mainly by the non-governmental organizations. Due to this, the government has also borrowed this idea and emerged with a strategy to start up a development fund for the elderly and the needy in the society as part of the social work development. With such efforts in place, the work of the so cial worker is boosted and he/she can gain the morale to do such work. The recognition that there are people in the society with special needs is what has been steering up charity work by companies and institutions through different sponsorships. (Suk bong, Ullah Won Jun, 2015). Plan Networking with other agencies is a consideration to take in order to be able to get sponsors for resources. This is because resources are an important factor to consider in order to be able to reach people from different parts of the society. Resources like enough money is a key factor to consider in order to be able to meet the people’s needs in the society.as social workers strive to meet the needs of the rural society, it’s better for necessary resources to be provided in order to have a good strategy for the development of the rural areas. The population census of a particular place can be taken and the number of people known. The population status should be taken and this knowledge should be made aware to the social workers because it will be at the end helpful to them. If the population of the rural society is known, the allocation of resources by the agencies will be easy and hence the needs of the people will be met. (Pitt-Catsouphes Cosner Berzin, 2015). Infrastructure development will always depend on the features of the place in which the target project is set to take place. The less the place is accessible the more it becomes difficult to channel transport pass ways and also electrification. The resources must be in line with the peoples preferences so that much money is not spend on trying to fund a project that is not feasible. The feasibility of the projects that help social work to gain an improvement is dependent on the adaptability of the place to welcome new ideas in the society which are helpful. Sometimes political issues can really hinder development of projects in the society and hence make potential investors and other helpful agencies to shun away from helping the society. When the needs of the people in the society have been accessed, a plan to meet these people periodically is put into place. For instance allocation of funds can be implemented in a way that every year at a particular period amount of money is allocated to these particular people maybe the elderly with particular needs. (Clarke Wydall, 2015). Apart from the providence of money, the agencies and the organizations can plan to give out other tangible commodities which can be helpful to the needy. Stuff like food and clothing can be an alternative to meet these people’s needs. At times we find some parts of the world affected and to be precise the rural society being struck by natural calamities. Places that are affected by calamities like earthquakes and flood get dented by misfortunes follow the people afterword. In this situation, social working can become very hard to conduct when there’s no proper channel to conduct them. Resources such as choppers to aid in the rescue of the survivors of such a calamity can be a challenge to acquire especially when the social workers are not registered with a particular organization to work as a team. Apart from all these, social workers can take their job with a passion and with this strive and get trainings which will be helpful to them as they provide services to the rural community. (Sullivan, Ryser Halseth, 2014). Training can be facilitated by the governing authority where the curriculum can be incorporated in the education system to make the present scholars equipped with these knowledge. Such training will be helpful for any social worker in the case of outbreaks of disasters like diseases and other calamities.in general terms the necessary thing to do in order to encourage the social work in the rural areas is to provide the social workers with the maximum corporation and support they need in order for them to gain that morale to serve the people. (Force-Emery Mackie, 2013). References Force-Emery Mackie, P. (2013). Hiring Social Work Faculty: An Analysis of Employment Announcements With Special Focus on Rural and Urban Differences and 2008 EPAS Implications. Journal Of Social Work Education, 49(4), 733-747. doi:10.1080/10437797.2013.812906 Sullivan, L., Ryser, L., Halseth, G. (2014). Recognizing Change, Recognizing Rural: The New Rural Economy and Towards a New Model of Rural Service. Journal Of Rural Community Development, 9(4), 219-245. Clarke, A., Wydall, S. (2015). From Rights to Action: practitioners perceptions of the needs of children experiencing domestic violence. Child Family Social Work, 20(2), 181-190. doi:10.1111/cfs.12066 Pitt-Catsouphes, M., Cosner Berzin, S. (2015). Teaching Note—Incorporating Social Innovation Content Into Macro Social Work Education. Journal Of Social Work Education, 51(2), 407-416. doi:10.1080/10437797.2015.1012947 Suk bong, C., Ullah, S. E., Won Jun, K. (2015). Ethical leadership and followers attitudes toward corporate social responsibility: the role of perceived ethical work climate. Social Behavior Personality: An International Journal, 43(3), 353-365. doi:10.2224/sbp.2015.43.3.353 Richards-Schuster, K., Ruffolo, M. C., Nicoll, K. L. (2015). Integrating Social Work Into Undergraduate Education Through a Community Action and Social Change Multidisciplinary Minor. Journal Of Social Work Education, 51(2), 329-342. doi:10.1080/10437797.2015.101293 Mazza, E. (2015). Experiences of Social Work Educators Working With Students With Psychiatric Disabilities or Emotional Problems. Journal Of Social Work Education, 51(2), 359-378. doi:10.1080/10437797.2015.1012935 Parrish, D. E., Oxhandler, H. K. (2015). Social Work Field Instructors’ Views and Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice. Journal Of Social Work Education, 51(2), 270-286. doi:10.1080/10437797.2015.1012943 Vanagas, R., ÄŒiÃ…Â ¾ikienÄ-, J. (2015). THE PECULIARITIES OF SOCIAL SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS DEVELOPMENT. International Journal Of Academic Research, 7(1), 24-30. doi:10.7813/2075-4124.2015/7-1/B.4 McPherson, J., Cheatham, L. P. (2015). One Million Bones: Measuring the Effect of Human Rights Participation in the Social Work Classroom. Journal Of Social Work Education, 51(1), 47-57. doi:10.1080/10437797.2015.977130 Teasley, M. L., Archuleta, A., Miller, C. (2014). Perceived Levels of Cultural Competence for School Social Workers: A Follow-Up Study. Journal Of Social Work Education, 50(4), 694-711. doi:10.1080/10437797.2014.947903 Witkin, S. L. (2014). Change and Deeper Change: Transforming Social Work Education. Journal Of Social Work Education, 50(4), 587-598. doi:10.1080/10437797.2014.947897

Service Quality In Restaurants

Service Quality In Restaurants By conducting a literature review, the reader gets a better understanding of the question in hand. According to LeCompte et al(2003,p.124), conducting a literature review is a means of demonstrating an authors knowledge about a particular field of study, including vocabulary, theories, key variables and phenomena, and its methods and history. The research question which is addressed is service quality in restaurants, to which the literature review would focus to wherever necessary, with wide areas of service quality in general being looked into. Service Quality is not only an object of wide interest among organizations, but also is a topic that is widely discussed by researchers. Since it doesnt possess characteristics such as products do, service quality has never been easy to define. Researches have proposed different characteristics in terms of its dimensions, but few have been used. One of the most widely used model is based on the comparison between the expectations and perceptions of the customer about an organizations service. Parasuraman et al.(1985) created a model to measure service quality called the Gap Model. This was later used as a basis for creating the SERVQUAL model which is a 22-item scale used to measure service quality. It had a great impact on later works and evolved as one of the predominant tools t o be used across organizations. Restaurant is a field where SERVQUAL is used extensively for measuring their service quality. In the following section, the service quality literature is explained in detailed and later on, its linkage to the restaurant industry is looked into. 1. SERVICE QUALITY The service management literature argues that customer satisfaction is the result of a customers perception of the value received, where value equals perceived service quality relative to price (Hallowell, 1996, p. 29). 1.1 DEFINITION OF SERVICE In order to understand what Service Quality is, it is essential that the term Service is defined. Grà ¶nroos(2001) claims that services are processes and not physical entities or goods, and that service firms have processes that interact rather than products. According to Stromgren(2007, p.12) , a service is an activity or series of activities of a more or less intangible nature than normal, but not necessarily , take place in the interaction between the customer and service employees and/or physical resources or goods and/or systems of the service provider, which are provided as solutions to the customer problems. 1.2 DEFINITION OF QUALITY There are plenty of definitions of quality that are prescribed by different authors. According to Juran(1988), quality can be defined as the fitting to the intended use of the entity and thereby meeting the expected standards. In the case of an entity not fitting its intended use and expectations, the customers can bill it as of poor quality. Crosby(1979) prescribed quality as `conformance to requirements`; Garvin(1988) found internal and external failures of the entity and measured quality by the count of the failures. However, Parasuraman et al(1985) claims that quality cannot be defined using a product-based approach when dealing with service sectors and hence came forward with the term Service Quality. Considering that my research topic and questions is based on service quality, the explanation provided by Parasuraman et al(1985) is used. 1.3 DEFINITION OF SERVICE QUALITY The concept of service quality and its theories and practicality has been considered very important by the academics and practitioners over the past few decades because it acts as a chief contributor to customer satisfaction and profitability (Parasuraman et al,1985). Thus service quality has become as important factor for all organizations that need to survive in a competitive market. The definition of service quality as conceptualized in various literatures on service, centres on the quality perceived, and is defined as the judgement made by the customer about an entitys overall excellence or superiority (Parasuraman et al., 1988). In accordance with the finding of Ghobadian et al(1994),service generally has four characteristics which are different from manufacturing goods. The four characteristics are described below: Inseparability of production and consumption: This characteristic of services refers to the fact that production and consumption of service is inseparable as they are in contact with each other (Parasuraman et al.,1985). The service provider in turn becomes an important component of the service and is assessed by the consumers (Zeithaml et al., 2003). In the process, the consumers become co-producers of the service (Edvardsson,2005). In the service industry, the producers create the services which simultaneously involve its consumption. There is no room for complacency and quality shortfalls cannot be covered at this point. To illustrate, the service is being constructed at the same time that the customer is receiving it. Intangibility: Services are fundamentally intangible which means that it is impossible for the customers to physically see, smell or touch the product before the purchase is made. Services can easily be copied as a result of intangibility, because most of the services are not patented (Zeithaml et al.,2003). Intangibility results not only in difficulty to manage services, but it becomes hard for the consumers to evaluate(Lovelock et al.,2004). Hence, the customer turns to other alternatives such as obvious signs of quality such as reputation, physical tangibles, and word of mouth from previous users. In services, word of mouth and reputation have the most importance, and thus drives the service provider to deliver services right and flawless, the first time. Perishability : Service cannot be inventoried for later use which means that it impossible to have a final check like manufactured goods. According to Zeithaml et al.(2003), careful planning has to be made to manage services, as they cannot be resold or re-inventoried. Hill(1977,p.318), in his article, mentions that services can be seen as a change in the condition of a person, or of a good belonging to some economic unit, which is brought about as the result of the activity of some other economic. Another dimension to this was added by Lovelock et al.(2004) that stated that goods could be more complex to manage as the costs are incurred for its storage. So, service operations must get the right service first time. Heterogeneity: It involves service consistency and accuracy. Due to the fact that delivery of service usually involves a contact between provider and consumer, thus the behaviour of service provider can influence the perception of the customer. Moreover the accuracy of the information and the ability to interpret customers expectation correctly has a great influence on customers perception of service quality. However, expectations may change during delivery process. For this reason, service providers have to rely heavily on the ability of their staff to understand customers demand and respond in a suitable way. Service can be divided into two dimensions, the functional quality and the technical quality (Gronroos,1984). The technical quality essentially deals with what or what service is provided and functional quality deals with how or how the service is delivered. Another conceptual model which was brought forward by Lehtinen et al. (1991) comprises of physical, interactive and corporate qualities of an organization. Interactive quality deals with the overall interaction of the customers with the elements of the firm. Corporate quality deals with the image customers have about the firm. Physical quality deals with the physical good which is consumed during a service process, food at a restaurant for example and also the physical elements which make up the facilities of the restaurant. Going further deep into the service quality literature, Parasuraman et al. (1985) used 10 dimensions to explain service quality which were tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, courtesy, credibility, compet ence, access, communication, security and understanding. This model was later reduced to a scale of 5 dimensions after a process of reliability and validity testing (Parasuraman et al. , 1988). 2. CUSTOMER LOYALTY The satisfaction of the customers is one of the main aims in any business, the restaurant business in this case. Businesses recognize that maintaining current customers is much easier than winning over new ones to replace the loss (McColl-Kennedy Schneider, 2000). It is mandatory for restaurants to strategize their services to suit the ever-changing dining needs and lifestyles of customers, if they have to increase loyalty from customers. (Min et al,2002). Individuals dining expectations have evolved over the years due to changing social environment, better education, the development of culinary culture, healthy dieting awareness and cultural influences(Markovic, S .et al ,2010 p.182). According to Wishna (2000), customers, in future, would expand their dining horizons to a new level. They would need new experiences to satisfy their ever-changing requirements. Probably the most extensively debated topic about service quality field is the constructs of service quality and the related customer satisfaction (Johnston,1995). Many researches have come to a conclusion that they are two different entities but the relation between the two entities is still questioned(Cronin et al.1992). Parasuraman et al(1988,p16), suggested that perceived service quality is a global judgement, or attitude, relating to the superiority of the service, whereas satisfaction is related to a specific transaction. Parasuraman et al(1995) identified from their research that satisfaction is clearly linked to each specific transaction. They also mention that customers may be satisfied with the particular transaction but might not identify the firm as a high quality one. On one hand, there are other researches which support the argument that customer satisfaction is an antecedent of service quality(Bitner,1990). Bolton et al.(1991) suggest that satisfaction is derived from disconfirmation and becomes an important factor which influences customers opinion of the service quality. However, recent researches claim that service quality is the antecedent of satisfaction, in opposition to the arguments from the earlier works. According to Zeithaml et al(2003) states that while customer satisfaction is a broader concept, service quality is a component that comprises of customer satisfaction along with other components which includes price, product quality, personal factors and situational factors. 3. SERVICE QUALITY MODELS The use of technology can provide an organization with the needed thrust to enhance its service quality. There are several conceptual models of service quality available, which helps the management in identifying quality issues. By making sure these issues do not re-surface, it increases the possibility of improving the organizations profitability, efficiency and overall performance ( Parasuraman et al,1988). 3.1 THE GAP MODEL Service quality, unlike goods quality, cannot be measured in terms of the number of defects. It is an elusive component which is difficult to measure ( Parasuraman et al,1988). In their earlier research in 1985, Parasuraman et al. identified that service quality rises from the comparison of the expected quality and the perceived quality of service performed. They explored the concept of service quality by taking focus group interviews. The conceptual model which was identified as a result of the research consisted of five gaps in the desired service.The first four gaps is part of the perceptions and tasks in providing services, by the management. The last gap is the overall expectations from the customers. They formed a new service quality model which was based on the gaps between the expected and perceived quality. This is known as the GAP Model. Fig 1. Illustrates the model. The five Gaps that were identified are ( Parasuraman et al., 1985) : Knowledge GAP, Standards GAP, Delivery GAP, Communications GAP. GAP 1 : The Knowledge GAP is the difference in the level of expectation of the customer and the organizations perceptions of the customers expectations. In some cases, the management fails in understanding what the customers want. The dimensions identified by the management as important and which constitutes good service might not be the things that the customers look for. GAP 2 : The Standards GAP is the difference in organizations perceptions of the customers expectations and the service quality standards. The management find it difficult to deliver services according to the customers expectations due to lack of resources or other conditions which are not favourable. But they understand what the customers want. GAP 3 : The Delivery GAP is the difference between the organizations service delivery and its related communication with the customer. Staff performance towards delivery of the service plays a huge part in the customers perception of the service quality. But it can be inconsistent, even though the standards are specified. The quality of service delivery can be affected due to variability among providers. GAP 4 : The Communications GAP is the difference between the organizations service delivery and the communicated information about the service to the customers. This gap occurs when a firm fails to deliver the promised services. The consequences of overpromising in that the expectations of the customers are high and when the actual service is received, their perceptions of service quality sink. GAP 5: Overall experience of the service is the main point of focus here. The first four gaps form the perception of service that the customers receive whereas the fifth gap stands for the customers expectations compared to their perceptions, ie their view on the service quality. The diagram is illustrated in Fig 1. Fig.1 The GAP Model The GAP model is the most widely used and is one of the most important contributions to service quality literature (Brown et al. 1995). Gaps 1 to 4 shows how the service is delivered, while Gap 5 depicts the overall difference between the expected and perceived service with respect to the customer. Gap 5 is the most influential in the SERVQUAL model (Parasuraman et al, 1985). 3.2 SERVQUAL Measuring the quality of services in a restaurant is a daunting task as both the service outcome and service delivery is to be assessed. According to Wu et al. (2009), service encounters in restaurants comprise of three components: environmental elements (e.g. design, music,lighting), employees (e.g. professional skills, reliability) and customers (e.g. interaction with other customers). Environmental elements consist of the design of the restaurant interiors, the music being played and the lighting which is used. Employees form the core part of the service which helps to perform the service. To understand all characteristics of the restaurant service quality an appropriate measurement instrument should be developed. SERVQUAL is an instrument that is used to assess the customers perception of the service quality of a service. It is a multi-scale instrument, which took its shape from the GAP model originally, and later was developed further in the 1980s. The instrument contains two sections. One section consists of 22 items that measure consumers expectations. The other section includes 22 corresponding items that measure consumers perceptions of the service they received. The 22 statements represent the five service dimensions that consumers use to evaluate service quality: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy (Markovic, S., 2010, p.183). According to Parasuraman et al. (1988), Tangibles: Comprises of physical settings, the equipment used and the appearance of the employees Reliability: the ability of the employees to deliver the promised level of service Responsiveness: the ability of the employees to be willing to help out the customers and serve customers without any delay Assurance: is the level of knowledge the employees possess and their courtesy towards the customers, together with their ability to build trust and express their confidence Empathy: is the providing of individualized attention to the customers and be caring towards them. In SERVQUAL, the service quality measurement is based on the comparison of customers expectations and their perceptions of delivered service. The difference between expectations and perceptions scores is called the SERVQUAL gap. A negative gap indicates that received service did not met customers expectations. On the contrary, a positive gap indicates that customers perceived that service delivery exceeded their expectations. SERVQUAL is used as an instrument to diagnose an organizations weaknesses and strength in terms of service quality and uncover them. It creates a systematic, multi-stage process that is based on the dimensions identified and entities which correspond to that organization (Zeithaml et al., 1988). It can be used in businesses of any kind and provides a basis structure owing to its expectations-perceptions model, comprising statements for all the five different dimensions. 3.3 LIMITATIONS OF SERVQUAL Many organizations have used SERVQUAL for measuring their service quality with considerable amount of success, although there have been certain problems which have been identified. These problems are : Dimensions of the model Parasuraman et al.(1991) claimed that the five dimensions is SERVQUAL used to assess service quality can be used in all service contexts. However there were differences in opinion among other researchers. Buttle(1996) argued that the dimensions change with respect to numbers and the factors as SERVQUAL is used in different service contexts. According a research conducted in a retail setting by Finn et al.(1991), SERVQUAL dimensions are not generic. Babakus et al.(1992) noted that the dimensions can be simple or complex depending on the type of industries it is used in. A major argument to Parasuraman et al. was by Carman(1990), where he did not agree with the combining of the 10 original dimensions to five as he thinks the collapsed dimensions could have been important in certain areas and hence should be looked into as a separate dimension. Expectation of the service Expectation in a service context essentially means the desired level of service that a customer would like to receive ( Parasuraman et al., 1988). It is the minimum level of service quality that the provider should provide. But due to the ambiguous nature, it can be interpreted in different ways. While some may rate expectations according to their expected ideal or optimal performance, others may rate it as a minimum tolerable performance (Teas,1993). Issues with GAP scores The high rating of expectations by customers in the SERVQUAL setup leads to negative scores which immediately start questioning the analytical utility and interpretation of the concept (Smith, 1995). Process Focus According to Buttle(1996), SERVQUAL deals with only the process or the method by which services are delivered but not the quality of the final output that is provided. When service quality is assessed, both process and output should be used in SERVQUAL as both together can give the prediction of the choice that the customer would make rather than one without the other(Richard et al.,1993). Pricing Price plays an important role in determining the customers expectations and perceived quality(Smith,1995). He states that according to some customers, excellent food service comes with high price while lower prices are associated with restaurants which are targeting a lesser market. Hence, according to Smith(1995), price should be considered when measuring service quality. SERVQUAL is only one of those instruments which is used in measuring service quality. And going by the words of Asubonteng et al.(1996), until a model which is capable of better measurement evolves, SERVQUAL will be dominant. I am using SERVQUAL as the tool to measure service quality in the restaurants I am focussing on. 4. SERVICE QUALITY IN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY Expectations are defined as what the customer beliefs of the service that would be provided and is the main standard against which the actual performance is measured (Zeithaml, V. and Bitner, M., J. 2003). There are five types of expectations of the customers- (i) minimum tolerable expectations (ii) acceptable expectations (iii) experience-based norms (iv) normative should expectations (v) ideal expectations(Zeithaml, V. and Bitner, M., J. 2003) According to Garvin(1987), the common attributes of service quality are Performance, features, conformance, aesthetics, reliability, durability, serviceability and perceived quality. Parasuraman et al. (1990) developed a five-dimensional framework of service quality which consisted of tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy to analyse service quality. However, GroÈnroos (1990) came up with a framework of his own which consisted of six elements in measuring the perceived value of services. These are explained in Table 1. There are many factors that may influence customers assessments of restaurant quality. Previous researches suggested that food quality, physical environment and service are the major components of overall restaurant service quality (Dulen 1999; Susskind Chan 2000). Among these attributes, food quality is the most important dimension of the restaurant experience (Sulek Hensley 2004). What is more, it is an essential requirement to satisfy the needs and expectations of restaurant customers (Peri 2006). Although there is no consensus on the individual attributes that constitute food quality, the researchers focus on presentation, healthy options, taste, freshness and temperature (Namkung Jang 2008). Several studies have cited the importance of service quality for customer satisfaction with a service encounter (Stevens et al. 1995; Qu 1997). Additionally, in restaurants settings, service quality is an important determinant of customer satisfaction (Kim et al.2009) and return intention (Kivela et al. 2000). Stevens et al. (1995) developed an instrument called DINESERV which was based on the SERVQUAL. It was created to measure the perceptions of the customers about the restaurants service quality. It was used by many as a very reliable and simple tool for finding out the customers view on service quality. It consisted of 29 items, which fell into the five service quality dimensions. It is used in assessing different types of restaurants. Through the findings, it is known that the customers give the highest priority to reliability. Further researchers like Heung et al.(2000) have identified that the customers expectations vary depending on the restaurants. They used DINESERV to compare and contrast certain restaurants at an airport and found out that the expectations vary with different restaurants. However none of the tools have included food quality as a possible dimension. According to Andaleeb et al.(2006), SERVQUAL should include food quality as a service quality dimension as food quality covers the entire section of food service attributes. This was supported by Namkung et al.(2007) who valued the importance of food quality in measuring service quality as they identified in their research that it was the main factor which influenced customer satisfaction. They claim food quality constitute of presentation, variety, healthy options, taste, freshness and temperature(Namkung et al., 2007). Against this backdrop, the main aim of the research, the use of technology in improving service quality in restaurants is looked into. 5. USE OF EXISTING TECHNOLOGY IN RESTAURANTS TO AID SERVICE QUALITY The use of technology is increasing in all aspects of the restaurant industrys operations and management. Technology is traditionally viewed as the key component in industries. In recent years, technological developments have acted as the key catalyst in improving service operations and providing the customers with enhanced experiences at restaurants. According to Berry(1995), technology should be used as a servant rather than acting as the master. It should be used to add value to the service offered to the customers, not to completely replace the role of service. Technology offers a better method of performing the service, which eventually benefits the firm, the customers and the employees. It provides a better image to the firm, better dining experiences to the customers and varied and easy way of performing service, to the employees. To cite an example, McDonalds, the chain of restaurants maintain their business by deploying simple technologies to aid services. Devices like food timers and vegetable cutting machines are used to maintain the consistency of various products. When the management considers the type of technology to be adopted, they should also take into account, the reaction of the customers to it, apart from the expenses and benefits that the restaurant might face. It is worthwhile to note that, a new technology will not be of significance if it does not satisfy the customer. By using technology, it benefits both the customers and the restaurant management. 5.1 Benefits to customers Improved convenience The term service convenience deals with the desired time and effort the customers are ready to invest in dining out. An increase in service convenience is directly related to an increase in customer satisfaction (Holdern et al., 2008). Technology can be used to improve access convenience which deals with the relative ease with which an order can be placed, transaction convenience which deals with speeding up the payments and benefit convenience which deals with controlling the pace of their time at the restaurant (Dixon et al.,2009). Increased control Control is defined as the need to demonstrate ones competence, superiority, and mastery over the environment( Hui et al., 2002). From past researches, it has been proved that customers feel more satisfied when they feel they have substantial control over their service encounter( Ariely et al., 2000). Hence, when implementing new technologies, it is important to choose such that the majority of the control the service encounters remains with the customer. 5.2 Benefits to the restaurant management Service speed Increased speed of service can lead to more satisfaction and higher revenues, as more customers can be served. This is where use of technology steps up. The time taken for taking orders, communicating the orders to the kitchen, managing the tables, transaction times can all be reduced by the use of technology. Hand-held electronic devices like ipad and HP touchpad are widely used in restaurants. Orders taken through these devices can be directly sent to the electronic display board in the kitchen, so that there is no delay between taking the order and food preparation, which speeds up the service, and eventually better customer satisfaction. The tables in the restaurant can be managed by using advanced table managing softwares that are prevalent these days. This can help in effectively controlling queuing. Transactions and payments can be made faster by using handheld credit card machines at the table to ensure there are no delays. While faster service always leads to better satisfaction, it should be managed properly so that the customers must not feel the notion that they are being rushed through the service. Reduction in labour cost- Usage of technology helps in reducing cost incurred due to large number of staff. Usage of self-service kiosk and online and off-line reservations help reduce labor charges. Also, kitchen equipments like automatic dishwasher, plate warmer helps reduce costs incurred for staffs. A steady increase in volume and revenue A new trend in the modern restaurant industry is to create attractive websites and create their own accounts in various social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. Customers can access information from these pages and can also subscribe to updates from these restaurants about the latest offerings, menu and special events if any. Online reservations provide the restaurants with a separate channel which makes the restaurant feel more accessible and also through which customers can be attracted. Previous researchers have found out 59% of the restaurants which uses online reservations encounter a steady increase in sales(Lang,2006). Other research identified that customers even make online reservations even during hours outside the working hours of the restaurant, which means the restaurants are capturing business during periods which they normally did not expect to( Layton, 2006; Ross, 2006). Improved service and product Technology if used appropriately, can aid restaurants to provide improved and consistent service to customers. Past researches have shown that an increase in the perceived product quality and service quality have led to an increase in the restaurants profit and better customer satisfaction ( Rust et al.,1995). The areas in a restaurant where technology are used can be divided into five section, namely(Dixon et al.(2009)): Queue management Menu Internet-based content Kiosk Transactions The usage is depicted in a tabular form in the next page. Category Technology used Relevance Queue Management 1.Table management software 2.Pagers given to the customers 3.Hand-held order-taking devices while waiting in the queue Pagers alert the customers seated in the waiting area when their table is ready Hand-held devices help to take the orders from the waiting customers and transfer it directly to the kitchen so as to minimize the delay of food preparation Menu Virtual menus available online which contains details of the nutritional values Virtual menus available at the table Customers can decide on the menu when ordering online based on the nutritional value Customers seated at a table gets to know the content of the food and its nutritional values before ordering Internet-based content Online table and food reservation system Websites to connect to the customers about new offers, special discounts and new items on the menu Accounts on social networks to create a sense of belonging to the customers Online ordering helps in reducing the waiting time for food at the restaurant Customers get to know the latest happenings at the restaurant and understand the new things on offer Urges customers to become part of the restaurants online family Kiosk Ordering food through kiosk Making payments through kiosk Ordering through kiosk helps the customers to order through a touch screen device, without other staff contact Making payments using kiosks add the personal touch to each customer Transcations Payment using hand-held credit card machines,SMS and NFC(Near-field communication) Makes payment much faster than the traditional cash or taking-card-to-counter method Table 1 : Usage of existing technology(Dixon et al.200

Cadbury’s :: Business and Management Studies

Cadbury’s Departments Inside a business there are many different functional departments all created to help the company in its organizational methods. There are many different departments involved with Cadbury’s, as there are in any business all used for different functions. These are:  · Marketing and Sales  · Finance  · Administration and IT support  · Operations  · Research and Development  · Production  · Customer Services  · Human Resources Many of these all blend in together on the area of their focus but still all play an important part in the running of the business. The three departments that I will be focusing on are Marketing and Sales, Operations and Administration and IT support. Marketing and Sales The main things that are dealt with in the marketing and sales departments are:  · Market Research, both primary and secondary research  · Promotion  · Advertising  · Sales There are the four P’s of Marketing and Sales, Promotion, Price, Product, Place. Market Research Primary Research Market Research is identified as one of two, either primary research which is studies that have not taken place before or secondary research which is using research that has been carried out before. Primary Research involves things such as asking people questionnaires on their views and opinions of a particular product or sector. Many of these have taken place before for Cadburys and I have been asked in stores and around the Bournville site to fill out a quick questionnaire. I browsed the Cadburys website and found an online questionnaire referring to the site. See appendix . Secondary Research Secondary Research, otherwise known as desk research, is looking through information that all ready exists. This takes place often for Cadbury’s also as they always look through old information to discover what the customers want and how preferences have changed throughout the years. If information is collected from a book you must create a bibliography and write down the name of the book and the author so that you do not take credit for their work. See appendix . Promotion Promotion is making customers aware of their businesses products. There are many ways of doing this including; showing customers how it will meet there needs, persuading customers to buy the product, making sure customers know where they can purchase the product and the cost of it and of course giving information about the product. Promotion can also occur as testing a product out before you think of purchasing it or even lowering the prices as low as they can go to raise interest in them. In some cases promotion can even be the one on one explanation of the product and the support needed if problems arouse. See appendix . Promotion is seen everywhere like billboards, bus

Promoting Morality in the Aeneid and Metamorphoses Essay -- Comparison

Promoting Morality in the Aeneid and Metamorphoses    Just as the authors of the Bible use an evocative, almost mythological vehicle to convey covenants and laws that set the moral tone for Hebrew and Christian societies, Latin poets Virgil and Ovid employ a similarly supernatural method to foster their own societal and moral goals in Roman society. Where Virgil's Aeneid depicts Aeneas as the ideal, duty-bound Roman patriarch absent from the conflicted Rome of Virgil's youth, Ovid's Metamorphoses lacks the patriotic undertones of Virgil's epic. Instead, Ovid's lighthearted Metamorphoses depicts several mythical stories - some not unlike the etiological justifications found in the early Hebrew scriptures - which chronicle the transitory nature of life and its effect on society. When Augustus defeated Marc Antony at Actium and began the first acts in his rule of what would be one of history's most powerful empires, he sought to restore the morality and patriotism characteristic of pre-civil-war Rome. The stolid Roman patriarch, thought lost in the melee of civil strife, became the center of Augustus' propaganda and legislative campaign to once again bring honor and morality to his empire. It is from Virgil's unfinished epic The Aeneid that this exemplary citizen arises, one who is not only a fierce warrior but foregoes personal happiness for the welfare of his country as well. Virgil's unfinished epic - almost discarded by its author until Augustus intervened - not only serves to smooth over the violence and slaughter of the past civil wars by attributing them to the course of fate but also uses this strife as a tool to carve Aeneas as an ideal patriarchal figure. All these images on Vulcan's shield His mother's gif... ...y. 6 Oct. 1999 Gillis, Daniel. Eros and Death in the Aeneid. L'ERMA, di BRETDCHNEIDER, ROMA, 1983. Henry, Elisabeth.   The Vigour of Prophecy, A Study of Virgil's Aeneid. Bristol Classical Press, Great Britain, 1989. Lyne, R.O.A.M. Further Voices in Vergil's Aeneid. Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1987. Mandelbaum, Allen, trans. The Metamorphoses of Ovid. By Ovid. San Diego: Harcourt Brace & company, 1993. Poschl, Viktor. The Art of Vergil, Image and Symbol in the Aeneid. Trans. Gerda Seligson, Greenwood Press, Connecticut 1986. Silvestris, Bernardus. Commentary on the First Six Books of Virgil's Aeneid. Translated by Schreiber and Maresca. University of Nebraska Press. London, 1979. Quinn, Kenneth. Vergil's Aeneid, A Critical Description. Routledge & Kegan Paul, London. 1968.

Tourism in the Algarve

Albufeira, located in the heart of Algarve, is one of the main tourist spots (if not the most tourist-intensive spot) in the whole of Portugal. Albufeira is famed for its pristine beaches, which are situated at the center of the Algarve coastline, and its unusual cliff and rock formations. Flights to the airport in Faro—about 30 km from Albufeira—are cheap, making it accessible for a wide range of budgets.Albufeira actually consists of two sections: The â€Å"old† Albufeira, which is a fishing port with old Algarvian narrow streets and whitewashed structures; and the â€Å"new† Albufeira, which is made up of more recent developments growing around the old section.For accommodations, there are plenty to choose from ranging from hotels to apartelles to campsites. One can rent mobile homes in Albufeira Camping—a value-for-money alternative to hotels.Albufeira offers a lot of choices for the beach-goer. Within a span of 5 km, you can find the Praia de B aleerira in the new marina, the Praia do Peneco and Praia dos Pescadores (which are two beaches near the fishing town), and other equally charming beaches such as Praia dos Alamà £es, Praia do Inatel, Praia das Areias de Sao Joà £o, Praia dos Aveiros, and Praia da Oura. Other beaches are also easily accessible from the town.Albufeira is also famous for its nightlife. Bars, discos, and nightclubs abound â€Å"The Strip† in Albufeira’s Montechoro section. Local restaurants serve seafood specialties such as cataplana (steamed shellfish) and caldeirada (fish stew).Restaurants specializing in various chicken dishes are also popular. Other sights of interest include: Churches in various stages of disrepair and the Archaeological Museum that contains relics from Albufeira’s colorful past.AlmancilAlmancil, a small market town located northwest of Faro, is famous as a center for two luxury beach resorts and residential developments along the Algarve, namely:Vale do Lob o, which lies 2 miles south of Almancil, and Quinta do Lago, about 6 miles southeast of the village. The town is a mere 20-minute drive from the Faro airport, which is a transportation hub for Almancil and its surrounding resorts.Almancil is important in providing goods and services to satisfy the needs of the two up-market developments. Also located here are many real estate offices and interior and furnishing shops. The town is also notable for the distinct pottery produced by locals.Areas of interest include the Church of Sao Lourenco east of Almancil, which showcases stunning azuleqo glazed tiles by the artist Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes. These 18th century ceramic tiles exemplify the best of Algarvian architecture.Close by is the Sao Lourenà §o Cultural Centre, an establishment regularly holding events such as art exhibits and music shows. Also located in Almancil is the Està ¡dio Algarve (Algarve Stadium). Home ground of Louletano DC and SC Farense, the stadium is host t o the 2004 European Football Championship.Notable Almancil Beaches include, Praia do Ancà £o, Praia do Garrà £o, Praia da Quinta do Lago, Praia do Trafal, and Praia do Vale de Lobo.The Quinta do Lago complex near town is considered one of the most exclusive luxury developments in Southern Europe. It is popular with the English and is a retreat for many celebrities.The resort boasts a five-star hotel, first-class fine dining restaurants, and various luxury facilities. Rumor has it that Alan Shearer, George Michael, Luis Figo, Madonna, and Elton John own property in these areas.The tennis center is among the best in Europe and restaurants offering a myriad of cuisines catering to different palates are many. Also located in Almancil is the Almancil Karting, a leisure and competition complex. A replica of the former F1 Brazilian racetrack, it is a must-see for many for motor racing aficionados.AlvorAlvor is a relatively small coastal town located between Lagos and Portimao in the Alga rve. The town can be reached by taking a taxi from Portimao. Its main attraction as an international tourist center is the Alvor beach with its long, sandy beach that stretches till the Ria de Aivor estuary.

Joseph Gobbels and Propaganda

Propaganda presents information primarily to influence people. It generally does not provide information impartially or completely. Propaganda often presents facts selectively. â€Å"Lying by Omission† or sometimes including some untrue stories, thoughts is a general practice in propaganda, to justify an idea or to seek the support the people. Propaganda uses special messages to generate an emotional response to the information presented rather than a logical one. Since propaganda is generally used to win the support of the people for the government policies, the German government propaganda also aimed to gain the support of the German people, people in the occupied countries and also it aimed to psychologically affect the people in the enemy territories. The German propagandas included the use of radio broadcasts, motion pictures, poster distributions and cartoons. The propaganda ministry worked in such a way that people would learn German culture and beliefs and also mainly the Germany’s right to rule the world. Even when the war started turning against the Axis powers, Germans said that they were trying to save the world from the evils of Communism. In Italy, Mussolini motivated the Italians with the dreams of re-establishing the ancient Rome. Italian propaganda also tried to ridicule the fighting ability of the Allied soldiers. Japanese government promised to the people of the occupied lands a share of the Greater East Asia, wealth to be shared in all eastern Asia under the rule of Japan, with the slogan â€Å"Asia For Asians†. The Japanese claimed that they were freeing Asia from European Rulers. In England, The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) claimed that they were open so that people would learn the truth. But in Germany, it was forbidden to watch BBC. In the United States (US), the government established the â€Å"Office of War Information† (OWI) to broadcast the US propaganda during the war. OWI broadcasted the US cause for the war â€Å"the fight for a better world† and seek the support of the people for it. He was born on 29 October 1897, in Rheydt, Germany into a working class family. He originally did not fit the Nazi stereotype figure. He was barely 5 feet (150cm) tall with dark eyes instead of blue and olive skin. His left foot was crippled and therefore noticeable limping. Against all the odds, he rose to the top and was appointed as the propaganda minister of the Nazi Germany. Goebbels earned a Ph.D. from Heidelberg University in 1921, writing his doctoral thesis on 18th-century romantic drama. He then worked as a journalist. He also wrote unsuccessful novels and plays. Goebbels came into contact with the Nazi Party in 1923 during the French occupation of the Ruhr and became a member in 1924. He was appointed as the regional party leader of Berlin. In this position, he started to exhibit his propaganda skills, and combatted the local socialists and communist parties with the help of Nazi papers and the paramilitary troops. By 1928, he had risen in the National Socialist German Workers’ Party ranks to become one of its most prominent members. In this position, he helped Hitler to bring Nazis to the power in 1933. One of his very famous acts was the â€Å"burning of books† in Berlin in 1933, the books that are rejected by the Nazis. He aimed to pass the message to persuade both the Germans and the rest of the world for them to believe in the cause of the Nazi Germany. During WW2, Goebbels exerted totalitarian power and controlled all the media, publications, radio programs, motion pictures and the messages conveyed in all the arts performed in Germany and German dominated Europe. He perfected the â€Å"Big Lie† technique of propaganda, which is based on the principle that a lie, if loud enough and repeated enough times, will be believed by the masses. Goebbels used modern propaganda techniques to psychologically prepare the German people for aggressive war and the extermination of civilian populations. By late 1943, even when the tide of the war was turning against the Axis powers, Goebbels intensified his propaganda by urging the Germans to accept the idea of total war and mobilization. When it became evident that Germany lost the war, Goebbels killed himself and his own family with his firearm on 1 May 1945 in Berlin. There are lots of other stories and confusion about how he killed himself. It is believed that he first poisoned his six young children then he either shot his wife Magda and then himself or ordered an SS soldier to shoot both of them. He also might have taken poison in addition to being shot. Their bodies were burned with gasoline and before buried. But since there was not enough gasoline to completely burn him, the Soviets Army was able to identify his corps. We should never accept any delivered speech or idea without any supporting facts and try our best to make rational rather than emotional decisions. We should always keep in mind that delivered speeches could be a simple â€Å"Propaganda† to effect our decisions. Further, we should never forget that the decisions we make and the actions we take based on those decisions always come along with us and affect our future. Reference https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Goebbels