Inns and Resorts Essays

Customer Satisfaction in the Practices in the Hotels/Inns and Resorts Essays Customer Satisfaction in the Practices in the Hotels/Inns and Resorts Paper Customer Satisfaction in the Practices in the Hotels/Inns and Resorts Paper CUSTOMER SATISFACTION ON THE PRACTICES OF THE HOTELS/INNS AND RESORTS IN THE FIRST DISTRICT OF ILOCOS SUR A Thesis Proposal Presented to The Faculty of Graduate School University of Northern Philippines Vigan City In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Business Administration By: VIVENCIO C. PERALTA JR. 2011-2012 CHAPTER 1 THE PROBLEM Introduction Throughout history, people have always travelled, whether it is to conquer worlds, discover new places, for business pleasure. This need of man has consequently led to the development of accommodation. Travelling is a significant part of the tourism industry worldwide and its employees play a key role in delivering the service product, its customers. All of the service businesses are trying their best to improve their service quality in order to make customers satisfied with their services, especially the hospitality industry. Inns are the outgrowth of man’s desire to travel for pleasure or for business. When man had to travel, he felt a great need for dining and lodging out of his own home and town (chauhan, 1981). Hotels/Inns and Resorts are provide room accommodation, food and beverages and recreational facilities. Hotels/Inns and Resorts have been established in the different parts of the country especially in cities and some major towns Today, in Ilocos Sur the potential growth and industrialization and its program to promote local and foreign tourism led to the growth of the hotels/inns and resorts that are serving the province. At present, they were continues the greater number of tourist due to the beautification of our natural resources that gives the real essence of life of the Ilocano’s and preserved the rich/cultural heritage like the ancestral house that depicts the historical landmark of the country, being a surviving colonial provinces during the Spanish regime. Locals and experts describe that the Ilocos Sur as a place like no other because of its uniqueness his in its historical townscape for which it is an architectural blend of Asian, European and Latin American influences. At present, Hotels/Inns and Resorts in Ilocos Sur have increased their competition and now instead of having only a nice room to draw customer in, they offer-high quality staff as an amenity as well. Guest satisfaction is the highest priority for the owners and managers competing with hundreds of others, and personal service is at the top of the travelers and list of the most important things when considering a hotels/inns and resorts to stay in (Wipoosattaya, 2001). In the hotels/inns and resorts, the personnel are ranging from the top management (i. e housekeeping, restaurant, front office and kitchen). The personnel are considered a supporting factor in determining customer satisfaction when deciding to return, to recommend the hotels/inns and resorts, or in demonstrating loyalty to a particular hotels/inn and resorts (Kandampully and Suhartanto, 2000). In addition, Watt (2007), stated that the important function of the hotels/inn and resorts is the front office because customer deals with it as a the center of the hotels/inns and resorts. They provide assistance to guest, fulfil their needs, and meet their wants. The study of Suwannakun and Siriteerajad (2002) emphasized that the aspects of practices regarding the level of customer satisfaction. As mention above, Service quality was determined as the subjective comparison that customer make between their expectation about the service and the perception of the way the service has been run. Parasuraman et. Al (1985) defined service quality as function of the differences between expectations and performance along ten major dimensions. In later research, Parasuraman et. Al (1988) revised and defined the service quality in terms of five dimension; Tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. For example, Min and Min (1997) presented the idea hat hotels/inns and resorts services have attributes that are considered most important particularly in forming the following impression of service quality such as; quality; tangibility; In the Mauritius Hotels (Juwaheer and Ross, 2003), assurance factors and such as security and safety of guest determined by the first , secondly; reliability factors and such as hotels perform task that have been promised to guest on reso lving problems encountered by the guests. Juwaheer and Ross found that by focusing on these factors, hotels in Mauritius would be able to achieve high levels of satisfaction. As Reisig and Chandek (2001) discussed the expectation is formed in order to identify the factors of service satisfaction, based on their knowledge of a product or service. This can be implied that a customer may estimate what the service performance will be or may think what the performance ought to be. If the service performance meets or exceeds customers’ expectation, the customers are more likely to be dissatisfied. On the other hand, customers are more likely if the service performance is less than what they have expected. As mentioned earlier, a greater number of satisfied customers will make the hotels/inns and resorts business more successful and more profitable. Statement of the Problem This study will aim to determine the level of customer satisfaction on the practices of the hotels/ inns and resorts of the first district of Ilocos Sur. Specifically, it will seek to answer for the following questions: 1. What is the profile of the hotels/inns and resorts with the aforementioned business related factors in terms of the following variables; a. Type of ownership b. Number of rooms . Number of Employees d. Capital e. Years of existence f. Service offered 2. What is the level of customers satisfaction with the aforementioned practices of the hotels/inns and resorts in terms of the following: a. Tangibility b. Reliability c. Responsiveness d. Assurance e. Empathy 3. Is there a significant relationship between the profiles of the hotels/inns and resorts with the aforementioned business related factors an d the level of customer satisfaction with the aforementioned marketing practices of the hotels/inns and resorts? . What are the problems issues encountered by the hotels/inns and resorts? Scope and Delimitation The study focused on the Level of Customer Satisfaction on the Practices applied and adopted by the Hotels/Inns and Resorts on the first district of Ilocos Sur as perceived by the owners/managers. This practice was limited to the level of customer satisfaction in the aforementioned marketing practices of hotels/ inns and resorts on the first district of Ilocos Sur in terms of the following: tangibility, responsiveness, reliability, assurance, empathy. Twenty-Six (26) hotels/inns and resorts constituted in the study which 41 owners/managers were taken as respondents. Purposive sampling for the customer respondents was taken which consists of 318 customers to evaluate the level of customer satisfaction on the practices of the hotels and resorts only the customers who checked-in in the hotels/inns and resorts during the data gathering period comprised the customers respondent. The data analysis was limited only to the use of the following statistical tools: frequency and percentages, mean and chi square. Theoretical Framework The researcher will be guided by the following concepts and studies that provided relevant ideas that will be in this study. On Customer Satisfaction In a business organization it is their primarily concerned in satisfying customers. The existence of one business establishment will also depend on how the costumers are satisfied with the products / services offered to them. To completely satisfy customers needs and wants the management should look the variety of their products, its quality, the ffordability and the benefits derived from the products / services offered. Most researcher agree that satisfaction is an attitude or evaluation that is formed by the customer comparing their pre-purchase expectation of what they would receive from the product to their subjective perceptions of the performance they actually did receive (Oliver, 1980). As Kotler (2,000, p. 36) defined that satisfaction is a person’s feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting fr om comparing a products perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her expectation. Additionally, Yi (1990) also stated that customer satisfaction is a collective outcome of perception, evaluation and psychological reactions to the consumption experience with a product / service. In conclusion, customer satisfaction is defined as a result of customer’s evaluation to the consumption experience with the services. However, the customers have different levels of satisfaction as they have different attitudes and perceived performance from the product / service. Customer satisfaction is an important topic for both researchers and managers, because a high level of customer satisfaction leads to an increase in repeat patronage among current customers and aids customer recruitment by enhancing an organization marker reputation. Being able to successfully judge customer’s satisfaction levels and to apply that knowledge are critical starting points to establishing and maintaining long term customer retention and long term competitiveness (Yuskel and Yuskel, 2002). Customer satisfaction brings many benefits. Satisfaction is an â€Å"overall customer attitude towards a service provider†, or an emotional reaction to the difference between what customers anticipate and what they receive ( Zineldrin, 2000), regarding the fulfilment of some need, goal or desire. Kano, Bentler and Li-tze (1984) developed a model to categorize the attributes of a product or service based on how well they are able to satisfy customer needs. Considering Kano’s Model, are sees how it may not be enough to merely satisfy customer by meeting only their basic and performance needs. Customer satisfaction refers to either a discrete, time-limited event or the entire time the service is experienced. Service-encounter satisfaction is how much a customer likes or dislikes an actual service encounter. Overall service satisfaction is the customers feeling of satisfaction/dissatisfaction based on all the customers experiences with the service organization. 1994) found the two satisfaction constructs differed from each other and from service quality. In a highly competitive marketplace, organizations needs to adopt strategies and to create product attributes targeted specifically at exciting customer’s and over – satisfying them ( Tan and Panitra, 2001). In real estate to excite or over satisfy customers, an agent would need to have a through and want knowledge of all listing in the local area. It is also the people in direct contact with customer who determine who the retained and satisfied customers are, and their experience determines how they treat the customers (Hansemark and Albinson, 2004), thus impacting on the service quality delivered. Lewis and Mitchell (1990) define service quality as they extent to which a service meets customer’s need and expectation. On Service Quality Service quality is the rivet of the comparison that customer’s make between their expectation about a service and their perception of the way the service has been performed (Germoso, 1984; Parasuraman et a1. 1980-1988. ) define it, as the difference between customer’s expectation of services and their perceived service. Benny, Parasuraman and Zeithaml (1985) write a service quality as perceived by consumers stems from a comparison of what they feel service firms should offer (i. e. from their expectations) with their perception of the performance of the firm providing the s ervice. If the expectation is greater than the service performance, perceived quality is less than satisfactory and hence, customer dissatisfaction occurs. Lewis and Mitchell (1990). Service quality refers to customers appraisals of the service core, the provider, or the entire service organization. According to and  (1985), perceived quality is a global judgment relating to the superiority of a product. However, defining service quality as a measure of excellence in terms of perceptions is not sufficient according to   (1988). He states that it is obvious that understanding customer expectations and meeting customer needs is the single most critical issue and determinant of service quality ( 1988). In addition,  (1989) and   (1983) defined both service quality and customer satisfaction as matching the expectation of the service with that which is actually experienced by the customer. Therefore, when customers experiences meet or exceed their expectations, the service is viewed as a quality service and the recipients are typically satisfied customers. On the other hand, when the service experienced by consumers is less than their expectations, the perception of service quality is diminished and customers are generally not satisfied. However, (1996b) in their book Services Marketing stated that the concept of service quality is different from the concept of customer satisfaction. According to, service quality is only one of the variables determining customer satisfaction. Besides service quality, there are other variables affecting the level of customer satisfaction, namely: price, situation, and personal factors. Dotchin and Oakland (1994), and Avubonteng et a1. (1996) define service quality and the extent to which a service meets customer’s need and expectation. On Customer Expectation In this part, the definition of Customer’s expectation and Discrimination theory are revealed. In addition, the significance of Customer’s expectation which has influenced customer’s satisfaction in discussed. Daviddon and Uttal (1989) proposed that customer’s expectation is formed by many uncontrollable factors which include previous experience with other companies, and their advertising, customer’s psychological condition at the same of service delivery, customer background and values and the images of the purchased product. In addition Zeithaml et al. (1990) stated that customer service expectation related to different levels of satisfaction. It may based on previous product experiences, learning from advertisement and Word-of-Mouth Communications. Moreover, these expectations are likely to be based, in total or in part, on past relevant experiences, including those gathered vicariously (1989). (1990) identify some specific factors which can influence the consumers expectations. These are: word of mouth communications (what consumers hear from other consumers); personal needs (determined by individual characteristics and circumstances); past experience of a service (or a related service); external communications from the service provider (for example, printed advertisements, television commercials, brochures, and oral promises from service provider employees); and price. Customer expectation is what the customer wish to receive from the diversity f expectation definition can be concluded that expectation is uncontrollable factors which including past experiences, advertising, customers perception at the time or purchase, background, attitude and product image. Furthermore, the influence of customer’s expectation is pre-purchase belief, word of mouth, communications, individual needs, customer experiences, and other personal attitudes. Different customers have different expectations based on the customer’s knowledge by a product service. The Ser vqual Approach The Servqual approach has been applied in service and retailing organizations (Parasuraman et al. 1988; Parasuraman et. al. , 1991). Service quality is a function of pre-purchase customer’s expectation, perceived process quality, and perceived output quality. Parasuraman et. al (1988) define service quality as the gap between customer’s expectation of service and their perception of the service experience. Based on Parasuraman et al. (1988) conceptualization of service quality, the original servqual instrument included 22 items. The data on the 22 attributes were grouped into five dimensions: tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. Numerous studies have attempt to apply the SERVQUAL. This is because it has generic service applications and is a practical approach to the area. This instrument has been made to measure service quality in a variety of services such as hospitals (Babalure and Glymn 1992), hotels(Salen and Rylan 1991), travel and tourism(Fick and Ritchies 1991), a telephone Company, two insurance companies and two researcher uses SERVQUAL approach as an instrument to explore customer’s expectations and perception levels of service quality towards the hotel and resorts. The Servqual Dimension Previously, Parasuraman et al. (1985) identify ten determinants for measuring service quality which are tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, communication, access, competence, courtesy, credibility, security and understanding knowledge of customers. Later these ten dimensions were further purified and developed into five dimensions i. e. Tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy to measure service quality, servqual (Parasuraman et al. 1988). These five dimension identified as follows: 1. Tangibility – the physical evidence of the Hotel/Inns and Resorts staff is including a personality and appearance of personnel, tools, and equipment used to provide the service. For example, some hotel chains (e. g Hilton, Mandarin, Sheraton, and Hyatt) consciously ensure that their properties are conformed to global standards of facilities wherever they are located (Nankervis, 1995). However, the researcher, in this study, is forming on how well-dresses the Hotel/Inns and Resorts personnel are. 2. Reliability – the ability involves to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. It includes â€Å"Doing it right the first time,† which is one of the most important service components for customers. Reliability also extends to provide services when promised and maintain error 1: The staffs perform tasks that have been promised to guest and resolve problems encountered by guests. Example 2: The Customers are sensitive to issue such as the telephone being packed-up within five rings and their reservation being correct. 3. Responsiveness – the Hotels/Inns and Resorts are willing to help customers and provide prompt service to customers such as quick service, professionalism in handling and recovering from mistakes. It has been said that â€Å"Today luxury is time†. Consequently, service providers’ ability to provide services in timely manner is a critical component of service quality for many guests. The examples of responsiveness are as follows: Example 1: The staff is asking for customers, name, address, post code and Telephone number during the telephone booking. Example 2: The customers are asked to guarantee their booking, the different rates that they are offered and which ones they accept. Example 3: The customers are offered alternative accommodation at a sister hotel and how efficiently that is arranged and reservation cards being ready to sign upon arrival. 4. Assurance refers to the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence including competence, courtesy, credibility and security. A. Competence means possession of the required skills and knowledge to perform the services. It involves knowledge and skill of the contact personnel, knowledge and skill of operational support personnel, research capability of the organization. B. Courtesy involves politeness, respect, consideration, and friendliness of contact personnel. C. Credibility involves trust worthiness, believability, honesty; it involves having the customer’s best interest at heart. Contributing to credibility is company reputations, personal characteristics of the contact personnel. The degree of hard sell involved in interaction with the customer. D. Security refers to the freedom from danger, risk or doubt. It involves physical safety, financial security and confidentiality. Below are some examples: Example 1: The guests expect to feel safe during their stay at hotel from the staff. Example 2: The staff can handle effectively complaints and problems from the guests. 5. Empathy refers to the provision of caring and individualized attention to customers including access, communication and understanding the customers. A. Access involves approach, ability and ease of contact. It means the service is easily accessible by telephone, waiting time to receive service is not extensive, hours of operation are convenient and location of service facility is convenient. B. Communication means keeping customers informed in language they can understand. It means listening to customers, adjusting its language for different consumers and speaking simply and plainly with a novice. It also involves explaining the service itself, explaining how much the service will cost, and assuring the customer that a problem will be handled. C. Understanding the customers means making the effort to understand the customer’s need. It includes learning the customer’s specific requirements, providing individualized attention, recognizing the regular custom. For example: Example 1: The staff acknowledge the presence of customers at the reception and with a verbal greeting. Example 2: The staff are keeping eye contact, using customers, names and asking customers to return their key upon departure. It is clear from the above results that customers like to be given enough individualized attention and treated with care. It thus allows the customers to easily approach and spell out their needs regarding the service being provided. The importance of empathy may be the root of the statement, . If one looks at who is winning, it tends to be companies that see the guest as an individual1. Due to guests, desires that staff see things from their point of view, the hotel staff are piloting an empathy training program intended to help employees relate to their guests in a more empathic manner. In conclusion, SERVQUAL instrument is an invaluable tool for organizations to better understand what customers’ value and how well their current organizations are meeting the needs and expectations of customers. SERVQUAL provides a benchmark based on customer opinions of an excellent company, on your company, on the importance ranking of key attributes, and on a comparison to what your employees believe customers feel. The SERVQUAL instrument can also be applied to the front office staff of a hotel, and in this case, other major gaps could be closed in the service quality gaps model. Disconfirmation Theory In marketing literature (Churchill and Surprenant, 1982; Oliver,1980) as well as in recent information system studies (McKinney et al. , 2002), the disconfirmation theory emerges as the primary foundation for satisfaction models. According to this theory, satisfaction is determined by the discrepancy between perceived performance and cognitive standards such as expectation and desires (Khalifa and Liu, 2003). Customers expectation can be defined as customers’ partial beliefs about a product (McKinney, Yoon and Zahedi, 2002). Expectations are viewed as predictions made by consumers about what is likely to happen during impending transaction or exchange (Zeithmal and Berry,1988). Perceived performance is defined as customers’ perception of how product performance fulfills their needs, wants and desire (Cadotte et al. 1987). Perceived quality is the consumers’ judgment about an entities overall excellence or superiority (Zeithmal, 1988). Disconfirmation is defined as consumer subjective judgments resulting from comparing their expectations and their perceptions of performance received (McKinney et al. , 2002, Spreng et al. , 1996). Disconfirmation theory was declared that satisfaction is mai nly defined by the gap between perceived performance, expectations and desires which is a promising approach to explain satisfaction. This theory was proposed that satisfaction is affected by the intensity (or size) and direction (positive or negative) of the gap (disconfirmation) between expectations and perceived performance (Figure 2) Figure 2 Expectation disconfirmation theory Khalifa and Liu (2003) Expectation disconfirmation occurs in three forms: 1) Positive disconfirmation: occurs when perceived performance exceeds expectations. 2) Confirmation: occurs when perceived performance meets expectations. 3) Negative disconfirmation: occurs when perceived performance does not meet and is less than the expectations. It is more probable for customers to be satisfied if the service performance meets (confirmation) or exceeds (positive disconfirmation) their expectations. On the contrary, customers are more likely to be dissatisfied if the service performance is less than what they expected (negative disconfirmation). Khalifa Liu (2003) discussed that taking expectation disconfirmation as the only determinant of satisfaction; this theory does not cause the fact that if high expectations are confirmed, it would much more lead to satisfaction than confirmation of low expectations. To resolve this drawback perceived performance is included as an additional determinant of satisfaction. In other words the only way to ensure satisfaction is to empirically create disconfirmation by manipulating expectations and performance. Related Studies Many previous researchers have studied customer satisfaction towards service quality in service businesses such as spa, tourism, and hotel. Kitisuda (2006) studied a survey of customer satisfaction with spa services at Sivalai Spa. Both first-time and repeated customers were satisfied with the spa services on a high level. They were satisfied with the following service dimensions: responsiveness, empathy, reliability, assurance, and tangibility of the service quality at Sivalai Spa. Most customers agreed that the location of the spa was the most important factor for the spa. They suggested that the food and beverage facilities should be improved. Moreover, the study showed that there were four demographic factors that influenced the service quality at Sivalai Spa which were gender, age, nationality, and Income. Markovic (2004) studied service quality measurement in the Croatian Hotel Industry. She showed that a SERVQUAL instrument is a useful and reliable method to measure service quality of Croations hotels, for managers to identify differences in terms of expectations and perceptions. This method will lead to a better allocation of resources and a more effective design of marketing strategies, such as communications mix and pricing components, to ensure a proper level of service quality in hotels. Phenphun (2003) studied International tourist, satisfaction with the quality of service in accommodation in Thailand and the factors related to satisfaction, problems and the requirements of international tourists. The research revealed the satisfaction of international tourists towards quality of service was at a high level. However, the most common problems were lack of employees’ knowledge and English skill, therefore, tourists suggested language and convenient facility improvement. Therefore, Government Policy suggests that the TAT and related organizations should create and develop a curriculum and training. Accordingly, they also have to focus on language skills. In the 2001 study tour of Taiwan, Yu (2001) indicated that it might be possible to create service quality evaluations that are more accurate instruments for measuring the quality of service in the various service sectors, as Crompton et al. ,(1991) suggested. For the best indicators of service quality in the tourism sector, the tourist’s experience might be the key indicator for evaluating tourism quality because the tourism industry is essential people serving people. Therefore, Otto and Ritchie (1996) stated that future studies of tourism quality should evaluate the tourist’s experience, instead of the five dimensions used in previous evaluation tools. All of these previous studies used the SERVQUAL approach to measure service quality in hotel and other service industries. This study will explore customers, expectation and perception levels towards service quality which is focusing on the front office staff at the hotel. Conceptual Framework The paradigm presents the research problem in a more comprehensible manner. It is conceptualized that the dependent variables which is the level of customer satisfaction practices that can affected by independent variables which is the profiles of the hotels/inns and resorts of the first district of Ilocos Sur. This study therefore, is guided by the research paradigm shown in the figured 1. Independent VariablesDependent Variables Figure 1. Research Paradigm In the figure 1. It is hypothesizes that the level of customer satisfaction practices along tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy dependent on the type of ownership, capital, number of employees, years of existence, number of rooms. Meanwhile, the problem encountered by the hotels/inns and resorts Operational Definition of Terms Customer satisfaction. is the result of customers evaluation to the consumption experience with the services. Service quality. means the difference between the customer’s expectation of service and their perceived service. Tangibility. The physical evidence of the hotels/inns and resorts staff including a personality and appearance of personnel’s, tools and equipment use to provide the service. Reliability. The ability involves performing the promised service dependably and accurately. It includes â€Å"Doing it right the first time,† which is one of the most important services components for customers. Responsiveness. The Hotels/Inns and Resorts are willing to help customers and provide prompt service to customers such as quick service, professionalism in handling and recovering from mistakes. It has been said that â€Å"Today luxury is time†. Assurance. Refers to the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence including competence, courtesy, credibility and security Empathy. Refers to the provision of caring and individualized attention to customers including access, communication and understanding the customers. Business Related Factors. It is a term used to show the business related factors such as: type of ownership, capital, number of employees, number of rooms and year of existence. Type of ownership. His refers on the type of organizational set-up of the business such as single proprietorship, partnership, or corporation. Capital. This refers to the total amount of money invested before and after the operation process. Years of existence. This refers to the total number of years from the time of the establishment open for business up to present years. Number of employees. This refer to the total number of people working for an organizational establishment which include front desk agent, reservation officer, guest relation officer, chef, room attendant and bell boy. Number of rooms. The total number of rooms available in hotels/inns and resorts similar businesses to accommodate visitors to a particular place. Hotels/Inns. A business establishment that provides paid for accommodation food and beverage for the short term period of time. Resorts. A place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company. Assumptions It will be assumed in this study that: 1. The Hotels/Inns and Resorts owner/manager apply the customer satisfaction on the practices functions improving on their business operation. 2. The respondents will answer the questionnaires designed for this study sincerely and truthfully. 3. The questionnaire to be used in conducting the study is valid and reliable Hypotheses Based on the problems of the study, it was hypothesized that: There is a significant relationship between the customer satisfaction on the practices of the hotels/inns and resorts of the First District of Ilocos Sur and the aforementioned business related factors. Methodology This portion presents a description of the method of research, population and sample, data gathering instrument, data gathering procedure, and statistical treatment of data. Research Design. This study was made to use of the descriptive method of research. This method was determined the profile of the hotels/inns and resorts business of the first district in Ilocos Sur together with the level of customer satisfaction with the aforementioned marketing practices. The correalational method, was to find out whether the profile of the hotels/inns and resorts with the aforementioned business related factors have to do something with the level of customer satisfaction with the aforementioned marketing practices and whether the problems, issues and comments regarding the operation of the hotels/inns and resorts is dependent on the level on the level of customer satisfaction with the aforementioned marketing practices. Population and Sample. The respondent of the study were the owners/managers and customers of the 26 hotels/inns and resorts located at the first district in Ilocos Sur is considered s a served on the study. Therefore, this selection of this service business was based on the service offered. Purposive sampling was utilized to gather data from the customers. There were 318 customers who check-in in the hotels/inns and resorts during the gathering period. Table 1 shows the respondents from the hotels/inns and resorts involve with the study. Table 1. Distribution of the Population Hotels/Inns and Resorts |Owners/Managers |  Customers |  Totals |  % | |Hotels/Inns | | | | | |  Cordillera Inn |1 |  15 |16   |4. 45 | |Cordillera Family Inn |1 |  10 |11   |  3. 06 | |Hotel Salcedo |16 |20   |36   |  10. 2 | |  Vigan Plaza Hotel |  1 |  15 |16   |4. 45 | |  Grandpas Inn |  1 |  15 |  16 |4. 45   | |Luzon Inn |1 |4 | 5 |1. 39 | |  Gordion Hotel |  1 |  20 |21   |5. 5    | |  Vigan Heritage Mansion |  1 |  15 |  16 |4. 45   | |  Rf Aniceto Mansion |  1 |  14 |15   |4. 18   | |  Villa Angela Pension House |  1 |  15 |  16 |4. 45   | |  Green R Hotel |  1 |  10 |  11 |3. 06   | |  Jaja Hotel |  1 1 |  14 |  15 |4. 8   | |  Mel Sol’s Tourist Inn |1   |  10 |  11 |  3. 06 | |  Mom’s Courtyard |  1 |  8 |   9 |  2. 51 | |Casa Teofila Lodge |  1 |  10 |  11 |3. 06   | |  El Juliana Hotel |  1 |12 |  13 |3. 2   | |Resorts | | | | | |Heritage Resort of Caoayan |1 |12 |13 |3. 62 | |Aplaya Mindoro Beach Resort |  1 |12 |  13 |  3. 62 | |Paraiso ni Don Juan Beach Resort |1 |12 |13 |3. 2 | |  Ponce Del Mar Beach Resorts |  1 |  10 |11   |3. 06   | |  Cabugao Beach Resort |  1 |  8 |  9 |  2. 51 | |Taj Resort |1 |12 |13 |3. 62 | |Ovemar Hotel and Resorts |1 |10 |11 |3. 6 | |  Teppeng Cove Beach Resort |  1 |  12 |13   |3. 62à ‚   | |Katib Beach Resort |1 |11 |12 |3. 34 | |Dayvee Hotel and Resorts |1 |12 |13 |3. 62 | |Totals |41 |318 |359 | | |Frequency (%) |11. 2 |88. 58 | |100 | Data Gathering Instruments The study will use a questionnaire to gather the necessary data. It consists of the following parts: Part I. This part will elicit information on the profile of the hotels/inns and resorts of the First District of Ilocos Sur. Part II. Provided the Level of Customer Satisfaction in the aforementioned marketing practices of the hotels/inns and resorts on the first district of Ilocos Sur. This items included in the questionnaires were adopted from the used by parasuraman et. Al (1998). However, to determined the customer satisfaction on the practices of the hotels/inns and resorts, a questionnaires was constructed and validated. In addition, the translation of level ranking was analyzed follow the criteria of customer’s satisfaction designed by Best (1977:174) The following norm for interpretation will be used to describe the following: On the Level of Customer Satisfaction on the practices of the hotels/inns and resorts Statistical RangeItem Descriptive Rating Overall Descriptive Rating 4. 2-5. 00Very much satisfiedVery High 3. 42-4. 21Much satisfiedHigh [H] 2. 62-3. 41SatisfiedFair [F] 1. 81-2. 61Moderately satisfiedLow (L) 1. 00-1. 80Not satisfiedVery Low [VL] Part III. Chi- Square will be test the significant relationship between the level of customer satisfaction with the aforementioned marketing practices and the profiles of the hotels/inns and resorts associated with the aforementioned business related factors. Part IV. It will include are the problems, issues comments regarding the operation of the hotels/inns and resorts. Data Gathering Procedure The following activities will be done for the conduct of the study: Prior to the survey, the questionnaire was piloted with the owners/managers, personnel and customers of the hotels/inns and resorts of the first district of ilocos sur to examined the first draft of the questionnaire and any misunderstanding over term and questions. The results of the piloted test showed that some sentences in the question were unclear and ambiguous. To realize the objectives of the study, the researcher will seek the assistance of the different experts for the validation of the questionnaire. After the validation, the researcher will ask permission from the different owners/ managers of the hotels/inns and resorts of first district of Ilocos Sur to conduct the study and for the endorsement of the study to the management. The management also suggested that the researcher should give an example in each questions in order to make the questions easy to understand. The results of the pilot study provided the correct information and the suitable design of questionnaire Upon approval of the management, the researcher will personally distribute and retrieved questionnaires to/from the respondents. The researcher will also look into documents for verification and acquisition of more data. Statistical Treatment of Data In the analysis and interpretation of the data, the following statistical tools will be utilized: 1. Frequency count, percentages will be used to determine the profile of the hotels/inns and resorts. 2. Mean will be applied to describe the level of customer satisfaction on the practices of the hotels/inns and resorts on the first district of Ilocos Sur. 3. Chi- Square will be utilized to determined the level of customer satisfaction on the practices of the hotels/inns and resorts associated with the aforementioned business related factors. Dummy Tables Table 2. Profiles of the Hotels/Inns and Resorts in terms of the some selected variables |Variables |f | % | |Type of Ownership | | | |Single proprietorship | | | | Partnership | | | | Corporation | | | |Totals | | | |Capital |f |% | |less than P2,000,000 | | |2,000,001 less than 5,000,000 | | | |5,000,001 less than 8,000,000 | | | |8,000,000 less than 10,000,000 | | | |10,000,001 and above | | | |Totals | | | |Number of Employees |f |% | | less than10 | | | |11 less than 14 | | | |15 less than 18 | | | |19 less than 21 | | | |Above 22 | | | |Totals | | | |Years of Existence |f |% | |1 4 Years | | | |5 8 Year | | | |9 12 Years | | | |13- 16 Years | | | |17 above | | | |Totals | | | |Number of Rooms | |% | |Less than 10 rooms | | |11-15 rooms | | | | 16- 20 rooms | | | |21-24 rooms | | | | 25- 29 rooms | | | | 30 and above | | | |Totals | | | |Services offered | |% | |Sleeping Accomodation | | | |Car rental/Service | | | |Food and Beverages | | | |Special offer for tour guidin g | | | |Recreational Facilities | | | |Cottage | | | |Firing Range | | | |Other forms of service offered | | | |Totals | | | Table 3. Level of Customer Satisfaction in the aforementioned Marketing Practices of the Hotels/Inns and Resorts on the First District of Ilocos Sur |Customer satisfaction |Mean |Dr | |Tangibility | | |The service personnel are suitably dressed and are professional in appearance. | | | |The make-up quality of hotel rooms is sufficiently clean. | | | |Visually appealing materials associated with the service. | | | |The hotels/inns and resorts provides sufficient dining facilities and services. | | | |Convenient hotels/inns and resorts business hours. | | | |The hotels/inns and resorts have a modern equipment. | | |Overall mean score | | | |Reliability | | | | The service personnel can correctly provide service | | | | The service personnel completed services in the time | | | | The service personnel is capable of resolving customer service | | | |The servi ce personnel can quickly provide required of the guest | | | |Overall mean score | | | |Responsiveness | | | |Fast treatment of customer complaint issues in the hotels/inns and resorts | | | |Stay operational speed in providing services | | | | You are not concerned about hotel payment methods | | | Hotel provides stated services | | | |Overall mean score | | | |Assurance | | | |You feel safe regarding the hardware and | | | |software of the hotel | | | |The staff have product knowledge of the hotels/inns and resorts e. g. describing all rooms type and | | | |the restaurants. | | | |Hotel service personnel are professional | | | |The service personnel provides individual services based on your needs. | | |The service personnel actively provide services and polite | | | |The behaviour of employees instill confidence in customers | | | |Customers feel safe in their transactions with the employees | | | |Employees are polite to customers | | | |Employees have knowledge to answer cu stomers’ questions. | | |Overall mean score | | | |Empathy | | | |The hotel/inns and resorts has sufficient leisure facilities | | | |The hotel/inns and resorts provides sufficient leisure activities (such as events in the evenings) | | | |Grocery stores give customers individual attention. | | | |Operating of the business in the hotels/inns and resorts are convenient to customers. | | | |Employees of hotel/inns and resorts give customers personal service. | | | |Employees in the hotels/inns and resorts have their customers’ interest at heart. | | |Employees of hotels/inns and resorts understand the specific needs of their customers. | | | |Overall mean score | | | |General Mean | | | Table 4. Chi Square test showing the significant relationship between the level of customer satisfaction and the profiles of the hotels/inns and resorts in the aforementioned business related factors. Business Related factors |Level of Customer Satisfaction | | |Tangibility |Reliabilit y |Responsiveness |Assurance |Empathy |   | |Type of ownership |  x2 |  x2crit | |The hotels/inns and resorts is difficult to get in on his room accommodation | | | |Complaints about the staff or not satisfied on their service performance | | | |Complaints about the food | | | |There are few guests | | | |Guests are bored | | | Theft | | | |Many things are broken such as: ambiance/facilities | | | |Customers | | | |No booking on arrival | | | |Unhelpful staff | | | |Next to a lift shaft | | | |Noisy room | | | |Overcharged | | | |Poor room service | | | |Cancellation costs | | | |Others | | | A. Bibliography Asubonteng, P. Mccleary, K. J. , Swan, J. E. (1996). SERVQUAL revisited: a critical review of service quality, The Journal of Services Marketing 10 (6), 62-81. Bardi, James A. (2003). Hotel Front Office Management. 3rd ed. Printed in the United States of America. Best, J. W. (1977). Research in Education. 3rded. Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. Binham, Phil ip. , Ritta Lampola. James Murray. (1982). Hotel English. Oxford: Pergamon Press. Blackwell, D. Roger, Miniard, W. Paul Engel, F. James. (2001). Consumer behavior. 9th ed. New York: Harcourt College Publishers. Braham, Bruce. (1985). Hotel Front Office. Great Britain : Hutchinson Co. (Publishers) Ltd. Brown, S. W. Bond, E. U. III (1995). The internal/external framework and service quality: Towardtheory in services marketing, Journal of Marketing Management, February, pp. 25-39. Cadotte, E. R. , Woodruff, R. B. Jenkins, R. L. (1987). Expectations and norms in models of consumer satisfaction. Journal of Marketing Research. 24 (3) 305-314. Charoenpong, P. (2003). 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Rooms at the Inn: Front Office Operations and Administration. Singapore : McGraw-Hill Book Co. Gilbert, D. , Wong, R. K. C. (2002). Passenger Expectations and Airline Services: A Hong Kong Based Study. Tourism Management, Article in Press. Gray, William S. , Salvatore C. Liguori. (1980). Hotel Motel Management and Operation. NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. Gronroos, C. (1982). Strategic Management and Marketing in the Service Sector. Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration, Helsingfors. Hanan, Mack Karp, Peter. (1989). Customer Satisfaction. New York: American Management Association. Hernon P. Whitwan, J. R. (2001). Understanding Customer Satisfaction Delivering satisfaction and service quality : A customer-based approach for libraries. American Library Association. Hoffman, K. D. Bateson, J. E. (2001). Essentials of Service Marketing: Concepts, Strategies, and Cases. (p. 324). (2nd Ed. ). Australia: South Western Thompson Learning. Hogan, J. (2006). A Bakers Dozen of strategies for hotel front office. Retrieved November 10, 2007, from www. hotel-online. com Kandampully, J. Suhartanto, D. (2000). Customer loyalty in the hotel industry: The role of customer satisfaction and image. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12(6),346-351. Kang, G. D. , James, J. Alexandris, K. (2002). Measurement of internal service quality: Application of the SERVQUAL battery to internal service quality. Managing Service Quality, Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 278-291. Kotler, P. (2003). Marketing Management. (11th ed. ) NJ: Prentice Hall, Inc. Laws, Eric. (2002). Tourism Marketing: Quality and Service Management Perspectives. 1st ed. New York: British Library. Lewis, R. C. , Booms, B. (1983). The Marketing Aspects of Service Quality. In : AMA Proceedings, American Marketing Association, Chicago, pp. 99-104. Liu, Chang-Yung. (2000). Customer satisfaction in the service sector. Tokyo : Asian Productivity Organization. MacKay, K. J. , Crompton, J. L. (1990). Measuring the quality of recreation services. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration. 8 (3):47-56. Markovic, Suzana (2004). Measuring Service Quality in the Croatian Hotel Industry :A Multivariate Statistical Analysis. Retrieved April 16, 2008, from www. ng-epf. si/Arhiv2004/NG2004_12-Markovic. pd McKinney,V. ,Yoon,K. , F. M. (2002). The Measurement of Web-Customer Satisfaction: An expectation and Disconfirmation Approach. Information System Research, Vol. 13, No. 3, September, pp. 296-315. Min, H. K. , Min, H. S. (1997). Benchmarking the quality of hotel services: Managerial perspectives. International Journal of Quality Reliability Management, 14(6), 582-597. Morrison, Alastair M. (1989). Hospitality and Travel Marketing. USA: Delmar Publishers Inc. : 210-213. Nigell, H. , Brierley, J. MacDougall R. (1999). How to measure customer satisfaction. (2nd ed. ) Gower Publishing Limited. Oliver, R. L. (1980). A Cognitive Model of the Antecedents and Consequences of Satisfaction Decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. XVII,November. Paige, Grace. Jane Paige. (1997). The Hotel receptionist. Southampton: The Camelot Press. Parasuraman. A. ,Zeithaml, V. A. Berry, L. L. (1985 1988). A conceptual model of service quality and its implication. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 49,Fall, pp. 41-50. Parnkul, Kitisuda. (2006). Customer’s Satisfaction with Spa Services at Sivalai Spa. Research Paper (English for Careers). Bangkok: Language Institute, Thammasat University. Pushpinder, Gill S. (1997). Tourism and Hotel Management. India: J. L. Kumar for Anmol Publications Pvt Ltd, New Delhi. : 97-112. Reisig Michael D. , Meghan Stroshine Chandek (2001). The effects of expectancy disconfirmation on outcome satisfaction in police-citizen encounters. An International Journal of Police Strategies Management 24(1): 88-99. Shahin, Arash Dr. (2004). 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Currency Exchange Rates, Management, and Speculation

Currency Exchange Rates, Management, and Speculation Read about the ways government and investors can manage and speculate on the value of their currencies. Currency exchange rates have become a global issue in the past year, particularly for developing economies which are generally performing better than the economies of the US, Europe, and Japan – the three sources of the â€Å"reference currencies† that essentially determine the value of the rest of the world’s money. This article is a short primer on the basics of currency exchange. It explains the ways in which governments and private investors can manage and speculate on the value of their currencies. Fixed vs. Floating Exchange Rates The value of the currency is always relative to something else, whether some commodity (gold has historically served as a reference) or other currencies. A fixed exchange rate also called a peg is a value that is determined by a government’s central bank, which must engage in the market trade of its currency for the reference currency in order to maintain the peg value. The main requirement for a fixed exchange rate scheme is that the central bank holds a large reserve of the reference currency. In a scheme in which the currency is pegged to a single reference currency, maintaining the peg is relatively straightforward. The value of the local currency is a simple function of the amount of the reference currency in the financial system, and changes in the currency value are reflected as price inflation or deflation; in order to exercise control over the local currency, the central bank sells the reference currency to move the value of the local currency higher, or purchases the reference currency to reduce the value of the local currency. Read more:  Money Makes the World Go Around A single currency peg is impractical  because the value of the reference currency always fluctuates. Let’s say that an example country – we’ll call it Examplestan – sets the value of its currency, the clam, at 5 clams to one US dollar. If a merchant in Examplestan imports $20 worth of goods from the US, he pays 100 clams. At the same time, he imports $20 worth of goods from Europe, whose euro is equal to $1.20; therefore, he only receives $16.67 worth of goods for his 100 clams. That means to earn back his 100 clams from selling the goods, he has to inflate the price by 16.65%, because the goods he bought from Europe are only worth 83.35 clams. The relative value of the clam is also affected by price inflation or deflation in the US; the actual amount of goods received for the equivalent of $20 will differ as inflation increases or decreases, which causes inflation or deflation of the clam as a follow-on effect. The opposite end of the spectrum from a fixed exchange rate is a floating exchange rate, in which market forces determine the value of the currency. The currency in a floating exchange rate system is treated as a commodity, and its value is determined by supply and demand.   There is no country that uses a fully floating exchange rate scheme, but some of the effects of what it can do to a local currency can be seen in emerging markets where large inflows of foreign investment money have driven the value of the local currency higher. The Philippines, which currently has the best-performing stocks in the world, is a good example. The high inflow of foreign money into the local stock market represents high demand for the Philippine peso – the investors are trading their dollars, euros, yen, and other currencies for equity, valued in pesos, in Philippine companies. Thus the value of the peso is growing, meaning that fewer pesos can be exchanged for one unit of a foreign currency. This is good for the economy in one respect because it makes imports cheaper, but it increases the cost of exports and tends to dampen demand for local labor and goods. Dirty Floats and Currency Hedges In order to find a â€Å"happy medium† between imposing strict control over the currency value and allowing it to seek an efficient value through market effects, most governments practice what is called a managed float, sometimes also referred to as a â€Å"dirty float†. Instead of setting a fixed exchange rate for its currency, the central bank will set a target range. Rather than fix the currency at 5 clams = $1, the central bank of Examplestan might instead choose to let the value of the clam fluctuate, so long as it does not fall outside a range of 4.50 to 5.50 clams per dollar. There is a number of advantages to maintaining a dirty float. Allowing the currency to fluctuate within a controllable range reduces the number of foreign reserves the central bank must hold, which frees up financial resources and permits the central bank to speculate on the future value of the currency to a degree by issuing bonds denominated in either the local or foreign currencies. This is a form of hedging, because the bonds lock in a future value, in the sense that the amount of a bond issue represents a known release of either the local or foreign currency in the future when the bonds reach their maturity. This is similar to the forms of hedging and speculation that private investors can engage in by treating currency as a commodity, including options contracts, forward contracts, currency swaps, and futures contracts. In the private sector, currency hedging and speculation are particularly useful for companies whose trade involves a large amount of foreign currency. For example, the trader in Examplestan may wish to purchase an option to swap a certain number of clams for US dollars at a fixed rate lower than the present exchange rate, say 5.10 clams to the dollar, if he suspects that when he completes a future purchase of US imports, the rate will be even lower than that. If when the time comes, the actual exchange rate is 5.12 clams to the dollar, he exercises the option and lowers his purchase cost by 0.1% not a lot, but for companies whose transactions are in the millions of dollars (or clams), the difference can be very significant. Naturally, foreign currency exchange rates is far more complex theme than what is described in this brief article, but to help understand its intricacies, just remember the basic point that the value of a currency is determined by its amount in a financial system compared to other currencies in the system, and that managing the values of those is really only a matter of managing quantities.

Marketing plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Marketing plan - Assignment Example board has captured the special consideration to provide special care and service to the younger age group by assisting them to acquire the necessary material within the library (Jefferson County Public Library). The free services being offered have been tied down to the vast material access in terms of books and reading materials while assigning professional library attendants to assist with the accessibility of this materials by the customer in the library. The marketing strategy is very consistent with the library’s mission because it encompasses the ideology of providing free services to all. ‘All’ means all age groups across the, while giving special emphasis to the young generation, a strategy that will attract the grown-ups that accompany the children to the institution. Customers want cost cutting initiatives to ease pressure off their budgets hence the fact that the library is offering free services is an inviting factor to attract this customers that want to enjoy the services while implementing the cost cutting measure. The current marketing strategy and performance are interlinked because strategy leads to performance. The Jefferson County Public Library has involved the public to employ technology in marketing and provide services within the library to enhance turnaround time and service delivery efficiency while cutting the cost operation. The public library institution has had a bullish market share meaning that the customer base has been on a steady increase with the implementation of the institutions mission on its goals. Free services means imposing minimal charges to the customer in terms of pricing hence attracting the large clientele (Jefferson County Public Library). The minimal pricing strategy is working well with the customers. The performance is ever improving because of the ever increase of population every year. Jefferson County Public Library has had an edge with managing organization resources because of the current

Peter roberts watches expanding in HONG KONG Essay

Peter roberts watches expanding in HONG KONG - Essay Example PESTEL analysis (Porter, 1980) focuses on the external forces that play a key in role in a firm’s ability to produce and sell. The political analysis relates to the political context of a country and governments often use them to influence the business operations. According to (Porter, 1980), these factors include trading policy; international relations and taxation policy just to mention a few. Hong Kong is relative a stable and thus offers an excellent environment for international investors to conduct business. However, the imposition of 30% tax on international companies while letting local companies free could pose challenges to Peter Roberts watches in terms of competition (HKTDC Research, 2015). Porter (1985) posits that economic factors have a significant effect on business and, in particular, the national economy where the business is located. The economic factors influence business largely in terms of income, interest rates, and general demand. Kotler et al. (2013) argues that high-interest rates discourage investment whereas high inflation affects employee wages. Hong Kong is a rising, stable economy with low inflation rates; consequently, this will be more appealing to Peter Roberts Watches to conduct business. Porter (1985) describes social factors as encompassing factors such as population growth rates, social attitudes, and social demographics among others. The significance of these factors is in their ability to affect the demand for a firm’s goods. Hong Kong’s population has a significantly large proportion of its population composed of the Y-generation (Lenway & Murtha, 1994). This generation is fashion conscious and has a high affinity for trendy products. Peter Roberts Watches firm’s ability to produce a variety of watches including fashion will ultimately appeal to this population hence market (Peter Roberts, 2015). Technological factors

Development of Curleys wife throughout the novel Essay Example for Free

Development of Curleys wife throughout the novel Essay In the novel Steinbeck’s uses social class, to separate the characters from one another especially Curley’s wife from crooks â€Å"you keep your place then nigger†, indicates to us that the social structure was different in America around 1937, a white women was above a black man. The writer showed this and showed peoples attitude of time. In addition it also gives us an insight on how it will feel like to be black.  Furthermore Steinbeck’s also describes Curley’s wife in a desperate and worried way â€Å"married two weeks†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦?† this is shown by the writer creating a tone to the quote, ending the quote with a question mark could mean that the other characters are confused to whether it would last or not, in addition it could also signify that they are doubting their relationship. Steinbeck’s use of language starts to develop more, when he goes on to describe Curley’s wife on page 53. The writer describes her in a sexual dangerous way; we know this by the writer repeating the word â€Å"red†. This indicates to us that danger awaits her; additionally it could also mean that she is seen as a â€Å"sex image†, by the other men on the ranch. This is shown by the writer using the term â€Å"fascinated†, which describes how the other men felt when they saw her. Furthermore, her body languages links to how she’s speaks, â€Å"her voice had a nasal, brittle quality† this indicates to us that she had a fragile slow voice that hypnotized men which made her sound innocent â€Å"Lennie watched her†. This quote enhances that men couldn’t keep their eyes off her, the writer makes Curley’s wife out to be a advert, says things slowly in a tempting way, portraying her as an object. In addition the writer describes Curley’s wife as a desperate insecure women that feels the need to seek attention from other men, â€Å"her body was thrown forward†, specifies to us that she is pushing herself to the situation. In the novel, Steinbeck makes the role of women in the book all to do with sex, some providing sex for the men, portraying them as sexual objects. However, some female characters are seen as either mother figures. This is in contrast to Curley’s wife which is seen as a women who keeps degrading herself â€Å"Curley’s married a tart† this enhances to us that the men on the ranch have no respect for her, this is shown by referring to her as a â€Å"tart† which could also include how the way she dresses in a sexual seductive way to cover up her insecurities. However Curley’s wife may want to dress up because it makes her feel good about herself and she does have the time since her husband is quite wealthy. Moreover, in the novel Of Mice and Men, the writer John Steinbeck makes it out to be women are inferior to men, this is shown by making Curley’s wife the only women on the ranch. Furthermore, the writer also describes Curley’s wife in a detailed sympathy way and this makes the writer feel sorry for her â€Å"you better go home now†, indicates to us that Curley’s wife is in a place that she is not meant to be, it also shows how isolated she is, this is shown by using the term â€Å"quietly† which shows to us that she is being sneaky about the situation, furthermore it also shows us that she isn’t allowed to communicate with other men which gives us an insight about her, that she doesn’t have any friends on the ranch, she has to do it discretely, this shows that Curley doesn’t trust her and she feels protected in the hands of the other men on the ranch, this creates a sense of security. Furthermore, the writer John Steinbeck’s in a way describes Curley’s wife as a dog, metaphorically speaking â€Å"bitch please†, which shows to us that she is described as female dog, rather than a human being which implies to us that she is not an important person, which links with Candy’s dog, which both have something in common, they both died. In addition when they are described or mentioned in the book John Steinbecks makes it sound like they are the subject or object in the sentence. It also shows the insignificant in both characters.

Free Essays On Shakespeares Sonnet 153 :: Sonnet essays

Analysis of Sonnet 153 Cupid laid by his brand and fell asleep. A maid of Dian's this advantage found, And his love-kindling fire did quickly steep In a cold valley-fountain of that ground; Which borrow'd from this holy fire of Love A dateless lively heat, still to endure, And grew a seething bath which men yet prove Against strange maladies a sovereign cure. But at my mistress' eye Love's brand new fir'd, The boy for trial needs would touch my breast. I, sick withal, the help of bath desir'd, And thither hied, a sad distemper'd guest; But found no cure: the bath for my help lies Where Cupid got new fire-my mistress' eyes. This and the next sonnet both share the theme of love through Cupid. The conceit is not new, for it has been found in many poems. One example is from an epigram of Marianus Scholasticus from Henri Estienne's edition to which the theme is shared: "Under these plane trees Eros was resting, held in gentle sleep, having given his torch to the nymphs to take care of. 'What are we waiting for?' said the nymphs to one another. 'If only we could quench together with this same fire in human hearts!' But as the torch set the water also on fire, since then the love-nymphs pur hot water into the bath." Speculation remains as to whether Shakespeare is the author of these two sonnets, but it has never been proven successfully. The source for these sonnets, whoever the autheor, still remains unknown, but I suppose the scholars who diespel Shakespeare's authorship do so on the grounds of it being fairly simple in context, that is, there is not too much ambiguity. Due to the simplicity, I will do a brief paraphrase of the three quatrains and the couplet. 1st: 'Cupid falls asleep and one of Diane's maids (known for her chastity) tried to extinquish Cupid's fire in a pool of water'; 2nd: 'The maid borrowed an endless, lusty fire, which still goes on to this day, and provided [to her dismay] a bath of healing properties'; 3rd: '(Cupid) would curiously touch my heart (leading me to stray towards lust), unless I am in the sight of my lover, because of the "Love's brand" being newly fired [started].

Software Development Life Cycle

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE SUMMARY SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE is basically a framework which describes the activities performed at each stage of a software development Project. These activities involve stages like the requirements, design, implementation, testing, installation and maintenance. In the information technology industry, SDLC plays a big role. No software development process will ever be completed efficiently and also meeting the budget client requirements without SDLC. This is because SDLC involves a structural framework which describes the phases involved in information system development. SDLC in management is an important factor which needs to be taken into consideration if you want a software development project to be resounding success. The phases of SDLC can vary somewhat but generally include the following: Conceptualization Requirements and cost/benefits analysis Detailed specification of the software requirements Software design Programming Testing User and technical training; and Maintenance The following are some basic popular models that are adopted by many software development firms System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Model Prototyping Model Rapid Application Development Model Component Assembly Model As part of my research project I would be studying the core principles of SDLC. I would also perform research on available SDLC models in the information technology industry. System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Model This is also known as Classic Life Cycle Model (or) Linear Sequential Model (or) Waterfall Method. This model has the following. Most software teams still use a waterfall process for development projects. Taking an extreme waterfall approach means that you complete a number of phases in a strictly ordered sequence: requirements analysis, design, implementation/integration, and then testingg activities. 1. System/Information Engineering and Modeling As software is always of a large system (or business), work begins by establishing the requirements for all system elements and then allocating some subset of these requirements to software. This system view is essential when the software must interface with other elements such as hardware, people and other resources. System is the basic and very critical requirement for the existence of software in any entity. So if the system is not in place, the system should be engineered and put in place. In some cases, to extract the maximum output, the system should be re-engineered and spruced up. Once the ideal system is engineered or tuned, the development team studies the software requirement for the system. 2. Software Requirement Analysis This process is also known as feasibility study. In this phase, the development team visits the customer and studies their system. They investigate the need for possible software automation in the given system. By the end of the feasibility study, the team furnishes a document that holds the different specific recommendations for the candidate system. It also includes the personnel assignments, costs, project schedule, target dates etc†¦. The requirement gathering process is intensified and focussed specially on software. To understand the nature of the program(s) to be built, the system engineer or â€Å"Analyst† must understand the information domain for the software, as well as required function, behavior, performance and interfacing. The essential purpose of this phase is to find the need and to define the problem that needs to be solved . 3. System Analysis and Design In this phase, the software development process, the software's overall structure and its nuances are defined. In terms of the client/server technology, the number of tiers needed for the package architecture, the database design, the data structure design etc†¦ are all defined in this phase. A software development model is thus created. Analysis and Design are very crucial in the whole development cycle. Any glitch in the design phase could be very expensive to solve in the later stage of the software development. Much care is taken during this phase. The logical system of the product is developed in this phase. 4. Code Generation The design must be translated into a machine-readable form. The code generation step performs this task. If the design is performed in a detailed manner, code generation can be accomplished without much complication. Programming tools like compilers, interpreters, debuggers etc†¦ are used to generate the code. Different high level programming languages like C, C++, Pascal, Java are used for coding. With respect to the type of application, the right programming language is chosen. 5. Testing Agile software development refers to a group of software development methodologies based on iterative development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing cross-functional teams. Agile methods generally promote a disciplined project management process that encourages frequent inspection and adaptation, a leadership philosophy that encourages teamwork, self-organization and accountability, a set of engineering best practices intended to allow for rapid delivery of high-quality software, and a business approach that aligns development with customer needs and company goals. Agile methods have much in common with the â€Å"Rapid Application Development† techniqu

Greek Contributions Essay

Contributions of Ancient Greece Many of the roots of Western society can be traced back to ancient Greece. The longest areas of contribution are architecture, medicine, and philosophy. The philosophical area of ancient Greece is one of the most important; it foundededucational laws and many other things. Also architecture was a major part of what ancient Greece left behind considering they constructed huge buildings that still stand today. Greece was known as one of the founders of modern medicine since they learned how to fix dislocated joints and broken arms. Those are the major contributions left behind from the Greek’s. One of the advancement’s that affects western civilization is architecture. Greece created huge buildings such as the Parthenon and Pantheon. Columns that are used in the Parthenonare found all over the world today such as the White House and other Government buildings such as the Capital Building and The Jefferson Memorial. Also the limestone and ma rble in the buildings and column’s are still used today because of their beauty and durability. The amazing architecture of Greece gave us the idea of creating massive buildings and columns. One of the greatest contributions of ancient Greece is philosophy. Aristotle, the great philosopher believed that reason is the one thing that guides lives. The three philosophers Aristotle, Plato, and Socrates founded the main idea of philosophy today. Socrates thought that you should ask questions that caused you to think deeply about a subject and find the truth in everything. Plato founded the idea that there should be laws on education. These three philosophers together created the idea that we should take what life gives us but find the truth in everything. These famous Greek philosophers set morals and ideas that we use in everyday life. One of the greatest achievements in the ancient world was medicine. There were many doctors who practiced things that will make patients feel better or be cured without hurting patients. Before a doctor called Hippocrates the ancient world believed that gods and demons cause illnesses but then he came around and taught that diseases had natural causes. The doctors of Greece showed us how to find many cures, put dislocated joints back in place, and how to reset bones. Finally they gave us the idea that doctors should do everything in their power to do what is best for the patient. Ultimately, the many contributions of ancient Greece affected our world in many different ways. Medicine helped us to cure many people and have people feel better when they  broke something, dislocated something, or even had a disease. Philosophy of Greece founded the way we learn and question things in today’s world. Finally the architecture of Greece has survived the test of time and impacts many important buildings in the United States of America and many other countries in the world. All in all those are the many contributions of ancient Greece.

Leadership in and Organization

Leadership in and Organization Free Online Research Papers How do your organization’s leaders influence your organization’s culture? How does the leadership of your organization achieve organizational goals? Leadership is the practice of influence that stimulates subordinates or followers to do their best towards the achievement of desired goals. Where there is an organized group of people working towards a common goal, some type of leadership becomes essential. The leader stimulates what is best in us; he unites and concentrates what we feel only groupingly and scatteringly. An organization’s leader influences organization’s culture by building up confidence and zeal among people to move towards the common objectives. A leader influences the behavior, attitude and beliefs of his subordinates. 1.The leader should communicate effectively and follow the principle of motivation. 2.He should listen to his subordinates properly and should consult the group in framing the policies and lines of action. 3.He should implement authority whenever necessary to implement the policies. Good leadership improves motivation and morale of employees. It acts as a motive power to group efforts as it rectifies the imperfectness of the formal organizational relationships. By helping in cooperation and coordination of different departments working in an organization, good and effective leadership helps achieve organizational goals. Can someone who is a leader not be a manager? Why or why not? Can someone who is a manager not be a leader? Why or why not? A leader cannot essentially be a good manager. Because what a manager needs to have, a leader might not possess all the qualities of a good manager. A good manager has the knowledge of the organization, has technical knowledge and administrative ability to instruct and inspire. A leader can inspire people, communicate well and can even secure cooperation but without knowledge of the organization and technical knowledge, he cannot manage the complete organization effectively and efficiently. It is must for a person who is controlling an organization to have the subjective and theoretical knowledge of the work and operations that his organization performs. Moreover, leadership is only a part of management as it includes planning, organizing, leading and controlling. A manager can always be a leader because the definition of a good manager includes a good leader as well. A manager who cannot be a leader is not a good manager then. As we all know, apart from the qualities mentioned above, a manager should have the ability to instruct, inspire and finally lead. A good manager always possesses the qualities of a good leader. Since only good leadership secures effective management, a manager should be able to boost up morale of his subordinates and lead his team of workers. So, a manager can definitely be a good and effective leader. What are some skills that leaders need to possess? How can managers develop leadership skills? A successful leader secures desired behavior from his followers. It depends upon the quality of leadership he is able to provide. A leader to be effective must possess certain basic skills and qualities. Some of them are as follows: 1. Good personality 2. Emotional Stability 3. Sound education and professional competence 4. Initiatives and creative thinking 5. Good understanding and sound judgement 6. Communicating Skills 7. Ability to guide and teach. 8. Courage to accept responsibility 9. Self confidence, diligence and industry. By regular introspection of himself, his work and relations with the employees, by being in constant touch up with the colleagues, by learning from his mistakes and by experience, a manager will learn and develop his leadership skills. By listening to his employees and their innovative ideas and by appreciating their feelings, a manager can learn to be an effective leader. One another essential requirement that a good leader should always possess is honesty and integrity of character. 1.Dont use the power of your position to get things done 2.Dont think of employees as things that need to be controlled or managed 3.Judge your success by the success of your team 4.Include humour in your diet while managing people How has management changed due to the increased role of globalization? Would a good leader in one country automatically be a good leader in another country? What characteristics should a leader have to make them successful globally? The changing economic world is throwing new challenges to the managers. The management concepts and practices are shaping ‘tomorrow’s history’. A number of challenges are taking place which are influencing the work of managers. One of them is Globalization. GLOBALIZATION: Most of the countries have opened up their borders to foreign products as well as foreign producers. The companies of developed countries are foreign countries by opening manufacturing facilities there. It involves an active international involvement by the company and most importantly, the managers. Now, the change has led the management to license or franchise to another firm the right to use its brand name, technology or product specifications which ultimately has led to create great burden on the managers. Managements of global companies are adjusting their organizational structures as per the requirements of the situation. The managers are being taught to be global in approach. A good leader in one country is not automatically a good leader in another country. Even though due to universality of principles of management, a leader might not have any problems in managing people (employees). But due to changed economic, political, social and cultural environment, a manager is bound to have some problems in managing work, customers and operations. The different regulations of the political system, different taste of consumers and different standard of living is for sure are big problems for a manager to deal with. That is why companies going global prefer to hire the manager of the country that are entering their operations into since that manager will be familiar to his home markets and consumers’ tastes. Characteristic of a successful global leader are: 1.Possessing A Global Mind Growth 2.Having the Necessary Competencies, Abilities and Emphasizing Meritocracy 3.Having the Character or Ballast 4.Having Creative, Innovative and Refreshing Approaches to Solve Problems 5.Being Positive 6.Co-operating and Collaborating 7.Being Culturally Sensitive and Empathetic CONCLUSION: Leaders just have to grow their teams as companies. Organizations and nations have to look for various ways to harness knowledge and respond faster to overcome difficult times. The overall challenge here is not only to design fresh and innovative approaches, maintaining high output/ sales and high touch with both employees and customers alike, but also creating or having successful work teams/ units, resilient Companies, and successful societies. Research Papers on Leadership in and OrganizationMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesBringing Democracy to AfricaThe Project Managment Office SystemOpen Architechture a white paperMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementWhere Wild and West MeetResearch Process Part One

Biography of Atlanta Mass Murderer Mark Orrin Barton

Biography of Atlanta Mass Murderer Mark Orrin Barton Known as being one the largest mass murderers in Atlantas history, day-trader Mark Barton, 44, went on a killing spree on July 29, 1999, at two Atlanta-based trading firms: All-Tech Investment Group and Momentum Securities. Upset over seven weeks of big losses in day trading, which had brought him to financial ruin, Bartons killing spree resulted in 12 people killed and 13 injured at the two companies. After a daylong manhunt and surrounded by police, Barton committed suicide by shooting himself at an Acworth, Georgia, gas station when his capture became imminent. The Killing Spree At around 2:30 p.m. on July 29, 1999, Barton entered Momentum Securities. He was a familiar face around there and just like any other day, he began chatting with the other day traders about the stock market. Dow Jones was showing a dramatic drop of about 200 points adding to a week of disappointing numbers. Smiling, Barton turned to the group and said, Its a bad trading day, and its about to get worse. He then took out two handguns, a 9mm Glock and a .45 caliber Colt, and began firing. He fatally shot four people and injured several others. He then went across the street to All-Tec and began shooting, leaving five dead. According to reports, Barton had lost an estimated $105,000 in about seven weeks. More Murders After the shooting, investigators went to Bartons home and discovered the bodies of his second wife, Leigh Ann Vandiver Barton, and Bartons two children, Matthew David Barton, 12, and Mychelle Elizabeth Barton, 10. According to one of the four letters left by Barton, Leigh Ann was murdered the night of July 27, and the children were murdered on July 28, the night before the shooting spree at the trading firms. In one of the letters, he wrote that he did not want his children to suffer without having a mother or father and that his son was already showing signs of the fears that he had suffered with throughout his life. Barton also wrote that he killed Leigh Ann because she was partly to blame for his demise. He then went on to describe the method he used to kill his family. There was little pain. All of them were dead in less than five minutes. I hit them with the hammer in their sleep and then put them face-down in the bathtub to make sure they did not wake up in pain, to make sure they were dead. The body of his wife was found under a blanket in a closet and the childrens bodies were found in their bed. Prime Suspect in Another Murder As the investigation into Barton continued, it was revealed that he had been the prime suspect in the 1993 murders of his first wife and her mother. Debra Spivey Barton, 36, and her mother, Eloise, 59, both of Lithia Springs, Georgia, went camping on Labor Day weekend. Their bodies were found inside their camper van. They had been bludgeoned to death with a sharp object. There was no sign of forced entry and although some jewelry was missing, other valuables and money had been left behind, leading investigators to put Barton on top of the list of suspects. A Lifetime of Trouble Mark Barton seemed to make bad decisions most of his life. In high school, he showed great academic potential in math and science, but started using drugs and ended up in hospitals and rehabilitation centers after overdosing several times. Despite his drug background, he got into Clemson University and, in his first year, he was arrested and charged with burglary. He was placed on probation, but that did not deter his drug use and he ended up leaving Clemson after suffering a breakdown. Barton then managed to get into the University of South Carolina, where he earned a degree in chemistry in 1979. His life seemed to level out some after college, although his drug use continued. He married Debra Spivey and in 1998 their first child, Matthew, was born. Bartons next brush with the law happened in Arkansas, where the family had relocated to due to his employment. There he began to show signs of severe paranoia and often accused Debra of infidelity. As time went on, he became increasingly controlling over Debras activities and exhibited strange behavior at work. In 1990 he was fired. Furious by the firing, Barton retaliated by breaking into the company and downloading sensitive files and secret chemical formulas. He was arrested and charged with felony burglary but got out of it after agreeing to a settlement with the company. The family moved back to Georgia where Barton got a new job in sales at a chemical company. His relationship with Debra continued to deteriorate and he began having an affair with Leigh Ann (later to become his second wife), who he had met through his work. In 1991, Mychelle was born. Despite the birth of a new child, Barton continued seeing Leigh Ann. The affair was no secret to Debra, who, for unknown reasons, decided not to confront Barton. Eighteen months later, Debra and her mother were found dead. Murder Investigation From the start, Barton was the prime suspect in the murders of his wife and mother-in-law. The police learned of his affair with Leigh Ann and that he had taken out a $600,000 life insurance policy on Debra. However, Leigh Ann told the police that Barton was with her over Labor Day weekend, which left investigators without evidence and a lot of speculation. Unable to charge Barton with the murders, the case was left unsolved, but the investigation was never closed. Due to the murders being unsolved, the insurance company refused to pay Barton, but later lost a lawsuit Barton filed and he ended up getting the $600,000. New Beginnings, Old Habits It was not long after the murders that Leigh Ann and Barton moved in together and in 1995 the couple married. However, just like what happened with Debra, Barton soon began showing signs of paranoia and distrust towards Leigh Ann. He also began losing money as a day-trader, big money. The financial pressures and Bartons paranoia took a toll on the marriage and Leigh Ann, along with the two children, left and moved into an apartment. Later the two reconciled and Barton rejoined the family. Within months of the reconciliation, Leigh Ann and the children would be dead. Warning Signs From interviews with those who knew Barton, there were no obvious signs that he was going to flip out, murder his family, and go on a shooting spree. However, he had earned the nickname Rocket at work because of his explosive behavior while day trading. This type of behavior was not all that unusual among this group of traders. It is a fast, high-risk game, where gains and losses can happen quickly. Barton did not talk much about his personal life with his fellow day traders, but many of them were aware of his financial loses. All-Tech had stopped allowing him to trade until he put money in his account to cover his losses. Unable to come up with the money, he turned to other day-traders for loans. But still, none of them had any idea that Barton was harboring resentment and about to explode. Witnesses later told police that Barton seemed to purposely seek out and shoot some of the people who had loaned him money. In one of the four letters he left in his home, he wrote about hating this life and having no hope and being terrified each time he woke up. He said that he did not expect to live much longer, just long enough to kill as many of the people that greedily sought my destruction. He also denied killing his first wife and her mother, although he admitted that there were similarities between how they were killed and how he killed his current wife and children. He ended the letter with, You should kill me if you can. As it turned out, he took care of that himself, but not before ending the lives of many others.

Summarize the article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summarize the article - Essay Example The results were then analyzed to determine the factors that affect the development of false belief understanding in children. Overall, the results suggest that false belief understanding develops as age increases. Also, it has a strong relation with general language ability. These relationships can be explained in several ways. One possible explanation is that the children need to have linguistic ability to understand and respond to the tasks given to them. Complexity of the language in which the task is presented may make the child unable to respond to it, however simple the task is for him. The level of understanding of a child can also affect his ability to perform equally difficult tasks. He may fully understand and interpret one aspect of the task, but may prove incompetent to carry out another equally difficult task. The findings suggest that there is no role of children’s memory in solving false belief tasks. However, family size is positively related to false belief u nderstanding. The presence of one or more siblings increases interactions like tricking and teasing etc. that fosters false belief understanding. Children may observe their siblings and develop an understanding of false belief even when their linguistic ability is poor suggesting that competence is not entirely dependent on language. Hence, family size and linguistic ability both play a role in false belief understanding.