Thursday, December 26, 2019
A Midsummer Nights Dream Struggle of Young Lovers
A Midsummer Nights Dream A Midsummer Nights Dream is romantic comedy which take place in Athens. It is written by William Shakespeare in the 1590s. It is about inlove young people , their dreams and fairies that play extraordinary game with them. In this essay I claim that A Midsummer Nights Dream is comedy. One of the signs of Shakespearean comedy is a struggle of young lovers to overcome the difficulty that is presented by elders. When Hermia does not subserve an order. ââ¬Å¾Theseus: You must promise to live away from the world of men, in place of religion for the rest of your life. If cannot promise that, you will have to die. Think about it,Hermia. Is it right for a beautiful girl like you to spend all her life alone in cold, emptyâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦A Midsummer Nights Dream is very intertwining comedy. Because there are a lot of plots. For example when Puck put the juice in their eyes. Suddenly Lysander loves Helena and Demetrius too. ââ¬Å¾Lysander: Helena hear my excuse. My love, my life, my heart, my beautiful Helena! Helena: Oh, excellent acting! Hermia: Lysander, stop making fun of her like this. Demetrius: Yes, if you donnot stop this silly game, I will stop it for you!ââ¬Å" ( Act 3 Monsters and F airies Scene 2 ) After all these signs I think that I well proved that Shakespeare play A Midsummer Nights Dream is a comedy. ZuzanaShow MoreRelatedShakespeareââ¬â¢s Use of Love Quarrels to Reach a Comedic Climax in A Midsummer Nightââ¬â¢s Dream1668 Words à |à 7 PagesAlas, love can be a great source of confusion and sorrow, but it is nevertheless probably the most powerful feeling a human being can experience. In Shakespeareââ¬â¢s A Midsummer Nightââ¬â¢s Dream, Lysander says that ââ¬Å"the course of true love never did run smoothâ⬠(Shakespeare 1.1.134), which is seen in the quarrels between the couples throughout the play. Shakespeare makes use chiefly of the fairiesââ¬â¢ supernatural powers to settle the love conflicts and portrays the irrationality in love of the charactersRead More A Cubist Perspective of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream2475 Words à |à 10 PagesA Cubist Perspective of Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream à à à à à The great cycle of the ages is renewed. Now Justice returns, returns the Golden Age; a new generation now descends from on high. - Virgil, Eclogues 1.5 à As Virgil stated so many years ago, history is a cyclical phenomenon. The experiences of one age tend to be repeated in future generations. Knowing that, we should not be surprised to find the seeds of modern styles and philosophies sprouting in earlierRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s A Midsummer Night s Dream1548 Words à |à 7 Pagesspoken by Helena in Act 1 Scene 1 line 234, explains that it matters not what the eyes see but what the mind thinks it sees. In the play, A Midsummer Night s Dream, written by William Shakespeare, there are several instances where the act of seeing is being portrayed. The definition of vision is the ability to see, something you imagine or something you dream. This proves that even though one has the ability to see; the mind tends to interfere and sometimes presents a different picture. VariousRead MoreA Midsummer Night s Dream1094 Words à |à 5 PagesJeana Jago Theater History J. Robideau October,1st 2015 A Midsummer Nightââ¬â¢s Dream In a Midsummer Nightââ¬â¢s Dream, Shakespeare story about romantic desire. Theseus and Hippolyta, are about to be married; both of them are wonderful figures from classical mythology. (Greek Mythology) Theseus is a great warrior, a kinsman of Hercules; Hippolyta is an Amazon warrior-woman, defeated in battle by Theseus. (Theseus and Hippolyta) He was longing for the wedding day, and this is what opens the play and closingRead MoreCommon Features of a Shakespeare Comedy1745 Words à |à 7 Pageslanguage: Shakespeare communicated his comedy through language and his comedy plays are peppered with clever word play, metaphors and insults. 1. Love: The theme of love is prevalent in every Shakespeare comedy. Often, we are presented with sets of lovers who, through the course of the play, overcome the obstacles in their relationship and unite. Love in Shakespearean comedy is stronger than the inertia of custom, the power of evil, or the fortunes of chance and time. In all of these plays but oneRead MoreMidsummer Nightââ¬â¢s Dream: The Power of Love1260 Words à |à 6 Pageswhat the lover wants to see. Though beautiful and inspiring when requited, a love unreturned can be devastating and maddening. In his play, A Midsummer Nightââ¬â¢s Dream, William Shakespeare comically explores the flaws and suffering of lovers. Four young Athenians: Demetrius, Lysander, Hermia, and Helena, are confronted by loveââ¬â¢s challenge, one that becomes increasingly difficult with the interference of the fairy world. Through specific word choice and word order, a struggle between lovers is revealedRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of Au gust Strindberg s Play Miss Julie1706 Words à |à 7 Pagespromenade socialist, Karl Marx and another from author, actor, and theatrical theorist, Jeremy Rockwood. The first quote comes to us from Marx s Manifesto of the Communist Party, ââ¬Å"The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles,â⬠(Lermert 43). The second from Rockwoodââ¬â¢s book The Craftsmen of Dionysus: An Approach to Acting, ââ¬Å"An exact duplication of real life is not the purpose of the theatreââ¬ânor of any art. In order to present his special insight, the artist selects, heightensRead MoreMagic And Other Supernatural Occurrences1150 Words à |à 5 Pagesclassic works, magic and other supernatural occurrences are given negative connotations. Viewed as wicked and evil, magic has been the antagonist of righteous heroes for many years. Though it has always renounced, in Shakespeare s play, A Midsummer Nightââ¬â¢s Dream, the whimsical nature of magic makes it possibl e for the characterââ¬â¢s fatal flaws to be disregarded and becomes the characterââ¬â¢s salvation rather than their demise giving magic a positive connotation. Magic is used to help the characters. ThisRead MoreDifferent Aspects of Love Presented in William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream2299 Words à |à 10 PagesDifferent Aspects of Love Presented in William Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream Lysander + Hermia = True love? Sexual Attraction (Lust) ------------------------------------------------------- Titania + Oberon = Love or hate (Married) Helena + Demetrius = One sided (Unrequited) Hippolyta + Theseus = Stable Love (Mutual love and respect) Titania + Bottom = Unrequited and magical (fake) Egeus + Hermia = Family - Father and daughter TitaniaRead MoreContrast in A Midsummer Nightââ¬â¢s Dream by William Shakespeare1411 Words à |à 6 PagesThe concept of contrast plays an important role throughout Shakespeareââ¬â¢s A Midsummer Nightââ¬â¢s Dream. Shakespeare provides many examples of contrast signifying it as a motif. He groups the ideas of contrast together into those of some of the most important roles in the play. Helena is portrayed as tall and Hermia is short. Titania is a beautiful fairy who falls in love with Bottom, who is portrayed as graceless. Moreover, the main sets of characters even have differences. Fairies are graceful and magical
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Women and 19-Century Domesticity in The Yellow Wallpaper
American Literature II 2120 25 March 2013 Women and 19-Century Domesticity in ââ¬Å"The Yellow Wallpaperâ⬠ââ¬Å"The Yellow Wallpaperâ⬠by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a short story about a new mother attempting to overcome her diagnosis of depression by being cooped up in a room without normal human interaction as prescribed by a top-rated male psychologist. The gender role expected of the nineteeth century woman was not ideal to the main character. The story goes on to critique the treatment plan set forth by her husband and psychologist. This in turn critiques the entire belief system in the nineteeth century that women should not be working outside the home. Gilman reveals in ââ¬Å"Why I Wrote ââ¬ËThe Yellow Wallpaperââ¬â¢?â⬠that the story parallels one ofâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦The emotions inside of her need to get out and her so called psychologist is forcing her to keep them in. The men in this time did not understand why a woman would ever want to do anything but stay in the home and t he fact that she didnââ¬â¢t meant she was going or already insane. They forced her into domesticity until it eventually drove her mad. She begins to obsess over the wallpaper and the woman trapped inside. While no one is watching, for fear of getting into trouble for her foolish actions, she peels the wallpaper slowly to help the woman escape. She acts so normal when the husband is around just like a puppet. Pretending to be the prefect housewife and mother he has expected her to be all along. The wallpaper design is a metaphor for the men in society keeping women in their accepted role in life in the nineteenth century. Gilman especially wanted out of this role and wanted to show the way for the rest of women who were stranded in these roles, like she was. In the early nineteenth century, women were expected to be, ââ¬Å"ââ¬Ëangels in the house,ââ¬â¢ loving, self-sacrificing, and chaste wives, mothers and daughters or they areâ⬠¦ ultimately doomedâ⬠(King et al. 23). Women of this time were supposed to be domestic creatures and not tap so far into their intellectual abilities (King et al.). The role of women in the nineteenth century is described: From the 1840s on, architects, clergymen, and other promoters of the so-called cult of domesticity had idealized theShow MoreRelatedOppression of Women in 19th Century Literature1564 Words à |à 7 PagesOppression of Women in 19th Century Literature In the stories ââ¬Å"The Jewelryâ⬠by Guy de Maupassant, ââ¬Å"The Story of an Hourâ⬠by Kate Chopin, and ââ¬Å"The Yellow Wallpaperâ⬠by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the female characters are unequal and less important than the men in society. The duties of women during this time period did not consist of much more than seeing to her husbandââ¬â¢s needs and caring for the home and children. The authors show the lack of independence women were allowed in the 1800s, especiallyRead MoreWomen Oppression: Revolution through Revelation Essay2008 Words à |à 9 PagesCharlotte Perkins Gilman, ââ¬Å"The Yellow Wallpaperâ⬠Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote ââ¬Å"The Yellow Wallpaperâ⬠to evaluate and review the role that women played in the eternal bond of marriage and also to shed light upon the fact that women of that period made none of their own decisions. Something that must be pointed out without foregoing any further analysis is that the name of the narrator is never revealed in full which, one can imagine, is a glimpse into the oppression women faced during this time. Without
Monday, December 9, 2019
Descartes Proving God free essay sample
This paper is an analysis of the proofs that Descartes uses in his book Meditations on First Philosophy, to prove the existence of God. This paper is an examination of Descartes book, Meditations on First Philosophy. The author examines the steps that Descartes took in order to prove his hypothesis that God is a deceiver. He examines three different proofs and shows how Descartes comes to these realizations only after a careful and logical thought process in which he tears down and rebuilds everything that he believes in. Now he bases the rest of his proof off of these three observations. Because he has been convinced that something comes from something, the idea he has of God had to have been created by something, either himself or something else. He then states that he is finite and imperfect, and thus he cannot have an idea of the infinite and perfect on his own. We will write a custom essay sample on Descartes Proving God or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He, being finite and imperfect, is not as powerful as the thought he has of an infinite and perfect God. Therefore, because he is not powerful enough to create this idea, it must have come from some other source.
Monday, December 2, 2019
The Literary Function of Dreams in the Epic of Gilgamesh
In a society, dreams serve various purposes depending on the culture, community, or family. The significance of dreams is related to the way an individual feels about them. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, which was developed over a period of nearly a thousand years from about 2500 to 1500 B.C., several dreams are told involving the fifth king of Uruk, Gilgamesh, and his compatriot, Enkidu. Even though the original author of the book is not known, it is largely associated with Sinleqe-unninni, a scholar who lived in the ancient Mesopotamia.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Literary Function of Dreams in the Epic of Gilgamesh specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Gilgamesh, who is described as two-thirds god and one-third man, is the central character in the story. Because of the importance of dreams, at critical instances, Gilgamesh does elaborate rituals to evoke dreams to advise and guide him. In fact, he follows this i nternal guide over every other counsel. These dreams greatly influence the plot of the narrative since the characters perceived that the deities sent the dreams, they needed interpretation because they had a unique revelation, and were able to foretell the future. First, we see that as the story starts, King Gilgamesh of Uruk is depicted to be in mature manhood and superior to all other men in both beauty and strength. The unsatisfied craving of his two-thirds divinity makes him to find no suitable mate in love or war. More so, his daemonic energy makes his subjects to be unsatisfied with his rule. The men of Uruk murmured in their houses, ââ¬Å"Gilgamesh sounds the tocsin for his amusement; his arrogance has no bounds by day or night. No son is left with his father; for the king takes them allâ⬠¦ his lust leaves no virgin to her loverâ⬠(Lawall, 13). Since there were no challenges worthy of his nature, Gilgamesh turned to excess and indulgence, and he celebrated his victo ries with too much debauched partying, which annoyed the individuals in the city as well as the gods in the temples. Because of his oppressive rule, the people asked for help from the gods since they feared that someday Gilgamesh would ask for a greater part of his divine heritage, challenge the gods and even rock the pillars of heaven if he was not controlled. Therefore, to counter the threat, the gods devised a plan of creating Enkidu, who was the mirror image of Gilgamesh. They believed that the king would divert his dangerous energies toward that rival thereby stop challenging heaven. he sky god, Anu (An), and the mother goddess, Ninlil (Ninhursag), made Enkidu from clay and gave it life before dropping him in the wilderness to live and eat like an animal. In time, a trapper met him and asked a harlot from the city to seduce him so that the wild animals can reject him. The trapper said to the harlot, ââ¬Å"When he comes near uncover yourself and lie with him; teach him the sava ge artâ⬠¦for when he murmurs love to you, the wild beasts that shared his life in the hills will reject himâ⬠(Lawall, 14).Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thereafter, an irrevocable step was taken to domesticate the ââ¬Ënatural man.ââ¬â¢ This involved taking him through various stages such as learning to wear clothes and feeding him on food prepared by humans. He was tamed slowly by slowly until he was able to make it to the great-civilized city of Uruk. To foretell the coming of Enkidu, the gods sent two dreams to the king. He then narrated the dreams to his mother. Concerning the first dream, he said, ââ¬Å"There were stars in the heavenâ⬠¦one of them, a meteorite, fell down to me. I tried to lift it, but it was too heavy for me; I tried to move it away, but I could not remove itâ⬠¦. I bent it as over a woman, and put it at your feet, and you you rself did put it on a par with meâ⬠(Lawall, 15). His mother, Ninsun, who was a goddess, gave him the meaning of the dreams that he was experiencing. He told him that the star, which was too heavy for him to carry, was the man whom she had made to be his companion. This man, she said, would watch over him, as would a wife; he would never keep away from him and would always come to his aid. More so, the weight of his strength would be felt throughout the country. Ninsun stated, ââ¬Å"I myself put him on a par with youâ⬠¦He is a strong companion, one who helps a friend in need â⬠¦That you did bend over him, as over a woman means that he will never forsake you. This is the meaningâ⬠(Lawall, 15). The first dream in the story predicts the coming together of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. This sets up the theme of the story by demonstrating their eternal friendship. This dream introduces the important idea of the solidarity between the two men and helps to develop the plot of t he story since subsequent events in the story is based on this newly found friendship. Gilgamesh then tells his mother about the second dream. He said, ââ¬Å"I saw it (the axe) and was glad. I bent down, deeply drawn towards it; I loved it like a woman and wore it at my sideâ⬠(Lawall, 15). His mother explained that it was not an axe: ââ¬Å"That axe, which you sawâ⬠¦that is the comrade whom I give youâ⬠¦he is the brave companion who rescues his friendâ⬠(Lawall, 15). She explained that Gilgamesh would not succeed in overpowering Enkidu; however, ultimately they would associate with one another intimately and conquer their enemies with ease. This shows that dreams are mantic, that is, able to foretell the future. On the other hand, the interpretation given to Gilgamesh also anticipates a contemporary approach. The axe, phallic and violent, represents a man who will be hostile at first but turn into a friend, and to embrace an axe is to change hostility into love a nd friendship.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Literary Function of Dreams in the Epic of Gilgamesh specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thereafter, Gilgamesh and Enkidu upheld the spirit of comradeship. When Gilgamesh afterward had a dream concerning his fate, his compatriot told him its meaning. Gilgamesh dreamt that Enlil, the father of the gods, had concealed his destiny. In interpreting the dream, Enkidu told him that it represented his certain mortality, the rewards of unexampled preeminence over the people and success during combat. When the two heroes decide to steal trees from a far away cedar forest, which a terrifying demon called Humbaba protects and is prohibited to mortals, they had dreams that were very influential to their mission. The dreams were actually ignited by Gilgamesh. He achieved this by digging a well, going up to the mountain, and sprinkling some substances on the earth to plead with the gods to send him a dream concerning the journey to the forest. In his subsequent dreams, Gilgameshââ¬â¢s astounding courage and unwavering confidence, which he had when the story started, is disputed. Implying a sense of fear and uncertainty, he states, ââ¬Å"I seized hold of a wild bull in the wilderness. It bellowed and beat up the dust till the whole sky was dark, my arm was seizedâ⬠(Lawall, 21). This seems to imply an anticipation of a fight that they were about to encounter. In the same way, in his other dream, Gilgamesh recounts, ââ¬Å"I dreamed again. We stood in a deep gorge of the mountainâ⬠¦ and suddenly the mountain fell, it struck me and caught my feet from under meâ⬠(Lawall, 21). In giving the interpretation, Enkidu appears to verify that they would not match up the strength of the gigantic Humbaba when he says that the mountain that he saw is the terrifying demon. However, he is optimistic that ââ¬Å"they will seize and kill himâ⬠(Lawall , 21). In both the dreams, Gilgamesh is saved and each time refreshed with water; therefore, this seems to foretell the eventual triumph that they will have. Motivated by the explanations of the dreams, they embarked on a mission to the forest, where Humbaba lives, to cut down the trees. In the forest, they succeeded in killing Humbaba. Moreover, they butchered a semi-divine bull, the Bull of Heaven, which was sent by Anu, the god of the sky, to teach them a lesson for disobeying Ishtar, the goddess of love. After the success of their mission, Enkidu now dreamt that they had gone contrary to the wishes of the gods so much that one of them must be sacrificed. Thereafter, he quickly succumbed to a fatal disease. When he was sick, Enkidu dreamt of the afterlife in which he saw the earthly privileges of most people scrapped from them. After Enkiduââ¬â¢s death, Gilgamesh moaned the loss of his compatriot, and in spite of his relentless effort to penetrate the mysteries, he never had a ny significant dreams.Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the Epic of Gilgamesh, dreams are recurrent and since they foreshadow events in the future, they are useful in motivating the characters in their endeavors. For example, Gilgamesh dreams give him the self-confidence he needs to prevail over impediments such as a horrifying monster like Humbaba or the Bull of Heaven by making him to be focused and heroic in his ways. The dreams persistently were a major source of encouragement for Gilgamesh that is why he even asked the gods for a dream in certain occasions. The relationship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu was strengthened when they knew what was going to happen in the future since they clung together to fulfill their missions. In conclusion, it is evident that dreams serve a variety of literary roles all through the story. The main role seems to be in foretelling the future events and ideas thereby building the plot of the story. The story is a mixture of pure adventure, morality, and tragedy and dreams are interpretable as messages from deities intended to communicate to those few mortals of high status in the ancient Mesopotamia society. Works Cited Lawall, Sarah. ââ¬Å"Gilgamesh.â⬠The Norton Anthology of World Literarture, Vol. A: Beginnings toà A.D. 100, 2nd ed. New York: W W Norton Co Inc, 2003. 10-41. Print. This essay on The Literary Function of Dreams in the Epic of Gilgamesh was written and submitted by user Giana Z. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.
Wednesday, November 27, 2019
Free Essays on Acceptance Essay
As a high school senior, applying for college is a very tedious activity. The same questions are asked over and over again, and the essays seem to be never ending. However, when asked the question, ââ¬Å"What school would you like to attend?â⬠, I immediately answer Delaware State University. Delaware State has all that I am looking for. Sophomore year, I was awarded with the presidential award for outstanding achievement and academic excellence. Last year, I was nominated for an award in Defense, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the National Youth Forum of Washington D.C., I would like to pursue a career in law. Delaware State can prepare me for my career in law, because it supplies an excellent learning program for my major Political Science. When searching for the right college, it is important that the location and environment is adequate to what the student is looking for. I have found that at Delaware State. Whenever I see myself at college, I envision being surrounded by lots of people. I see myself on my own, and learning how to adjust to my new surroundings. Most of all, I see myself enjoying my college life at Delaware State University.... Free Essays on Acceptance Essay Free Essays on Acceptance Essay High school is a strange time. After three years of trying to develop identity and friends in middle school, students are expected to mature immediately on the first day of ninth grade, but I never did this. I never fully realized in the earlier grades how important high school success, as measured by GPA, would be to my future life, and as a result I am applying to college with seemingly contradictory measures of my ability to perform college-level work. If I had worked and studied hard rather than hanging out with friends and viewing high school as an opportunity to socialize, I would not have to apply to school with a 1300 SAT and a 2.7 GPA. Had I taken my grades in my earlier years seriously, I could have been a college's dream candidate. This year I have made an earnest effort to improve my work ethic. My grade point average is rising and my study habits are improving. However, after performing poorly for three years, my GPA cannot reflect the transformation I underwent at the start of this year. Dedicated to making something of myself, I finally matured and am now trying to lessen the consequences of my past actions. Armed with my new attitude and my understanding of the extreme importance of earning good grades to signal my capacity to work responsibly, I assure you that I will never revert to the student I once was. In retrospect, I believe that it was my inability to choose my classes that resulted in my lack of enthusiasm on the ride to school each morning. I enjoy the freedom to pursue my own interests and anxiously anticipate the ability to choose my own class schedule in college. While I understand that college will be significantly more challenging than high school, I have always found it easier to study for a class that interests me. I am also willing to accept the fact that as long as I am in school, I will be forced to take required courses that I might be less than enthusiastic about. However, with my new goal... Free Essays on Acceptance Essay As a high school senior, applying for college is a very tedious activity. The same questions are asked over and over again, and the essays seem to be never ending. However, when asked the question, ââ¬Å"What school would you like to attend?â⬠, I immediately answer Delaware State University. Delaware State has all that I am looking for. Sophomore year, I was awarded with the presidential award for outstanding achievement and academic excellence. Last year, I was nominated for an award in Defense, Intelligence, and Diplomacy from the National Youth Forum of Washington D.C., I would like to pursue a career in law. Delaware State can prepare me for my career in law, because it supplies an excellent learning program for my major Political Science. When searching for the right college, it is important that the location and environment is adequate to what the student is looking for. I have found that at Delaware State. Whenever I see myself at college, I envision being surrounded by lots of people. I see myself on my own, and learning how to adjust to my new surroundings. Most of all, I see myself enjoying my college life at Delaware State University....
Saturday, November 23, 2019
James Gordon Bennett, Legendary New York Herald Editor
James Gordon Bennett, Legendary New York Herald Editor James Gordon Bennett was a Scottish immigrant who became the successful and controversial publisher of the New York Herald, a hugely popular newspaper of the 19th century. Bennettââ¬â¢s thoughts on how a newspaper should operate became highly influential, and some of his innovations became standard practices in American journalism. Fast Facts: James Gordon Bennett Born: September 1, 1795, in Scotland.Died: June 1, 1872, in New York City.Accomplishments: Founder and publisher of the New York Herald, often credited as being the inventor of the modern newspaper.Known for: An eccentric with obvious flaws whose devotion to putting out the best newspaper he could led to many innovations now common in journalism. A combative character, Bennett gleefullyà mocked rival publishers and editors includingà Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune and Henry J. Raymond of the New York Times.à Despite his many quirks, he was respected for the level of quality he brought to his journalistic endeavors. Before founding the New York Herald in 1835, Bennett spent years as an enterprising reporter, and he is credited as being the first Washington correspondent from a New York City newspaper. During his years operating the Herald he adapted to such innovations as the telegraph and high-speed printing presses. And he was constantly seeking better and faster ways to collect and distribute the news. Bennett became wealthy from publishing the Herald, but he possessed little interest in pursuing a social life. He lived quietly with his family, and was obsessed with his work. He could usually be found in the newsroom of the Herald, diligently working at a desk he had made with planks of wood placed atop two barrels. Early Life James Gordon Bennett was born September 1, 1795 in Scotland. He grew up in a Roman Catholic family in a predominantly Presbyterian society, which no doubt gave him a sense of being an outsider. Bennett received a classical education, and he studied at a Catholic seminary in Aberdeen, Scotland. Though he considered joining the priesthood, he chose to emigrate in 1817, at the age of 24. After landing in Nova Scotia, heà eventually made his way to Boston. Penniless, he found a job working as a clerk for a bookseller and printer. He was able to learn the fundamentals of the publishing business while also working as a proofreader. In the mid-1820s Bennett moved on to New York City, where he found work as a freelancer in the newspaper business. He then took a job in Charleston, South Carolina, where he absorbed important lessons about the newspapers from his employer, Aaron Smith Wellington of the Charleston Courier. Something of a perpetual outsider anyway, Bennettà definitely did not fit in with the social life of Charleston. And he returned to New York City after less than a year. Following a period of scrambling to survive, he found a job with the New York Enquirer in a pioneering role: he was sent to be the first Washington correspondent for a New York City newspaper. The idea of a newspaper having reporters stationed in distant places was innovative.à American newspapers up to that point generally just reprinted news from the papers published in other cities. Bennett recognized the value of reporters gathering facts and sending dispatches (at the time by handwritten letter) instead of relying on the work of people who were essentially competitors. Bennett Founded the New York Herald Following his foray into Washington reporting, Bennett returned to New York and tried twice, and failed twice, to launch his own newspaper. Finally, in 1835, Bennett raised about $500 and foundedà the New York Herald. In its earliest days, the Herald operated out of a dilapidated basement office and faced competition from about a dozen other news publications in New York. The chance of success was not great. Yet over the course of the next three decades Bennett turned the Herald into the newspaper with the largest circulation in America. What made the Herald different than all the other papers was its editors relentless drive for innovation. Many things we consider ordinary were first instituted by Bennett, such as the posting of the dayââ¬â¢s final stock prices on Wall Street. Bennett also invested in talent, hiring reporters and sending them out to gather news. He was also keenly interested in new technology, and when the telegraph came along in the 1840s he made sure the Herald was quickly receiving and printing news from other cities. Political Role of The Herald One of Bennettââ¬â¢s greatest innovations in journalism was to create a newspaper that was not attached to any political faction. That probably had to do with Bennettââ¬â¢s own streak of independence and his acceptance of being an outsider in American society. Bennett was known to write scathing editorials denouncing political figures, and at times he was attacked in the streets and even publicly beaten because of his strident opinions. He was never dissuaded from speaking out, and the public tended to regard him as an honest voice. Legacy of James Gordon Bennett Before Bennettââ¬â¢s publishing of the Herald, most newspapers consisted of political opinions and letters written by correspondents which often had obvious and pronounced partisan slant. Bennett, though often considered a sensationalist, actually instilled a sense of values in the news business which endured. The Herald was very profitable. And while Bennett became personally wealthy, he also put profits back into the newspaper, hiring reporters and investing in technological advances such as increasingly advanced printing presses. At the height of the Civil War, Bennett was employing more than 60 reporters. And he pushed his staff to make sure the Herald published dispatches from the battlefield before anyone else. He knew members of the public might purchase only one newspaper a day, and would naturally be drawn to the paperà that was the first with the news. And that desire to be the first to break news, of course, became the standard in journalism. After Bennettââ¬â¢s death, on June 1, 1872, in New York City, the Herald was operated by his son James Gordon Bennett, Jr. The newspaper continued to be very successful. Herald Square in New York City is named for the newspaper, which had been based there in the late 1800s. Controversy has followed Bennett many decades after his death. For many years the New York City Fire Department has awarded a medal for heroism named for James Gordon Bennett. The publisher, with his son, had set up a fund to award the medal to heroic firefighters in 1869. In 2017 one of the recipients of the medal issued a public call to rename the medal in light of the elder Bennetts history of racist comments.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Training and development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2
Training and development - Essay Example Specific skill development includes change management, facilitation and presentation skills, customer education, team building, leadership, product knowledge, creativity, and the cultural diversity aspect especially the French language, tradition, and custom. There are two mostly practiced approaches towards training and developing an individual in a business entity namely; Traditional and Modern approach. It is very important that the management should train employees on these approaches. Even though most organizations use techno-based, it is worth training on all aspects including traditional approaches, since it assist where possible especially culturally as described by John (2005 p.75). Traditional methods of training encompass mentoring and coaching- this involves experts and employees working together, the expert provides knowledge, support and encouragement; manuals and lectures. Modern methods include e learning, podcast, and teleconferencing. Acquisition of these methodolog ical skills is very important since it creates confidence in employees. As a summary, the following methods can be taken be used to effectively developed objective based outcomes: Ã ¡oaching- it is the process whereby a leader and specifically manager of group leader takes the initiative of providing guidance, opinion and suggestion, control and as well as critics. Coaching would be very much successful if the leader or coach is of competent and intellectual character as enumerated by Landale (1999 p.120).
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Outsourcing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Outsourcing - Essay Example The authors point out that there are five trends that are showing that outsourcing is happening for IT on a more regular basis. These trends include: 1. Large companies are outsourcing 2. A larger range of services are being outsourced and they are often more in-depth services. 3. There is more functional outsourcing 4. Service providers are accepting more risk and more responsibility to manage projects. 5. The relationships with service providers are changing. (p. 3) The article also stated that outsourcing success will depend on the degree that the company outsources two functions: systems operations and telecommunications. Also, success will depend on whether the vendor is trustworthy, cooperative and communicates well with the company that has hired them. My opinion of outsourcing is that it is an important thing to do in a company, especially when there is something that would be expensive to do in house. In the IT field, it seems that many people have a challenge with understan ding how to make telecommunications and systems operations work. There are many consulting firms that can help in these situations and help the business move forward. This makes sense that a consultant who specialized in a certain subject would find it easier to do the job.
Sunday, November 17, 2019
The Sugar trade Essay Example for Free
The Sugar trade Essay Oh the wonderful sweetness of money and sugar. What drove this so called sugar trade, you ask? Consumer demand, return on investment, and slavery were all very important aspects to the making of the historic events in which were the sugar trade. Consumer demand is the product of the addicting compounds which make up sugar, adding it to about everything sugar gradually became a very important aspect in the 1500s normal lifestyle. Return on investment is when you put money into something and get a profit or get your money black plus some, thus making a business out of something. Slavery was a huge part of the sugar trade, they are what made the sugar trade possible, they worked and worked constantly to provide enough sugar for familys in the New World. Consumer demand is one of many parts of the sugar trade but crucial to the survival and thriving love of the product. Sugar consumption approached nearly 10% of overall food expenditures for familys in the 1700s. After 1660 sugar imports always exceeded over all colonial products, that means that they had and wanted more sugar than any other product that was being shipped in from foreign countries. The sugar was shipped in something called a Hogshead, it was a big barrel weighing between 700 and 1200lbs, children loved to lick the remaining sugar left in the barrel after it has been emptied. People love the way sugar tastes, we have for longer than the 1500s, as a matter of fact sugar was cultivated and grown in New Guinea some 9000 years ago. The more slaves there was the more sugar was produced. Slavery is what dramatically helped the sugar trade happen and proceed for so many years before slavery became illegal and machines replaced their jobs. Slaves could be traded for many goods like powder, bullets, brass pans, tobacco pipes, and many other things. At 14 pence a day a laborer in England in the early 1700s earned about 18 British pounds a year. For instance the Hibbert family owned 1,618 slaves in 1833, that year they made 31,120 pounds. In modern day english money thats about $48523, back then that was worth a lot more than it sounds. Familys who could afford to buy slaves to start a sugar industry always made a profit and thrived at what they did. Even if you werent in the sugar trade its self you could buy and sell trades to people who were in the business and still make huge profits. The cost of slaves went up through the years of 1748-1768. Return on Investment, money in slave trade in British Caribbean doubles their money in the sugar trade. Bought slaves for 14 pounds and sold for around 32 pounds, they typically made a good profit depending on where they bought the slave and where they sold the slave. Gives England a trad position. Owned trading system, bought for cheap sold expensively. This system was called a Mercantile system or Mercantilism. This is how the system worked, the English would buy raw items for cheap and refined or made them into finished goods, in this case they would buy sugar cane and refine it until it was white refined sugar, this series of laws began in about 1660 the Parliament in England approved a entire series of new laws taking care of colonial shipping. In conclusion that is what drove the sugar trade, the financial advantages of making money influenced many familys mainly consisting of the rich to enter into the sugar industry and most if not all did very well with their business. Slavery is another huge part of the sugar trade, without them it might not have happened, people might not have made as much money either. Consumer demand, however, is obviously the most important part of what drove the sugar trade. Peoples addicting affection for the sweetening substance got greater with the increase in population and slaves. Sugar is still a huge part of our daily lives, Its branched out to many different countries now, Weve enjoyed sugar even as far back as 9000 years ago and still continue to love it today.
Thursday, November 14, 2019
Cellular Radio, Isdn Networks And Satellite Communications :: essays research papers
Introduction In describing Cellular Radio, ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) and Satellite Communications we must first have a general understanding of the meaning of these forms of Telecommunications. After a brief explanation of the different forms, they will be described in more detail. Then the present and future roles in Irish Telecommunications will be looked at and some examples given. This will then lead to the conclusion. 1. What is Cellular Radio? Cellular Radio is the use of Technology using low powered radio transmission for transmission and receiving voice or data to a telephone network. Users can be stationary or mobile. It means users are no longer constrained to place to place as it is a ââ¬Å"wirelessâ⬠system. 2. What is ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network)? ISDN is a system which provides digital capacity i.e. voice, video and data transmission in digital form, to be sent and received by a customer. Unlike stand alone services such as telephone, telex, fax and data communications, ISDN is a network which can offer all these services as a package in which a user can talk, exchange data, faxes and other documents at the same time, instead of having to use different networks for these services. 3. What is Satellite Communications? This is the use of orbiting satellites to relay microwave transmissions from earth stations to the satellite an to re-transmit those signals back down to another earth station by means of microwave transmission. Cellular Radio At present there are two types of cellular radio systems in operation in Ireland. These are: 1. TACS This system is an analogue system in which the voice is transmitted by radio from the telephone to the nearest base station in analogue form. Analogue systems are at present throughout the world but each Country would have different standards. So a user can not use the phone in a different country, also as the signal it transmits is in analogue form the calls can be monitored quite easily with the help of a scanner. Americaââ¬â¢s version of analogue cellular radio is called AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System). 2. GSM (Global System for Mobiles) GSM is a more recent technical standard for cellular mobile phone systems, which was developed in Europe. It is a digital system, which voice and other sounds or data are converted to digital form before they are transmitted between the base station and the mobile phone and then converted back to analogue form. There are major advantages in using the GSM system as opposed to the TACS system:
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Case Critique: Black Fly Beverage Company Inc Essay
Black fly is enjoying a comfortable growth, their product has been well received by consumers and they have also benefited from positive feedback from the media. Now would then be a very good time to undertake an expansion as the company would take advantage of the momentum and exposure it currently has to introduce new products or features to the market. Letââ¬â¢s evaluate the different options available to Black fly. First Alternative: Launching a new Flavour: Launching a new flavour of an existing product has been the most common expansion initiative taken by companies in the food and beverage industry. It is a conservative approach as it usually does no require a significant investment mostly because it benefits from economies of scale and often does not require any new equipment for the production as it is the case with Black fly beverages. Furthermore the company currently has enough capacity from a production perspective to support the expansion. However the main risk, as it was assessed by the company, is that the new flavour may ââ¬Å"cannibalize the original recipeâ⬠and will not result in an increase of market share but rather split sales between the products. The flavour is less likely to attract consumers and could only be an additional option to existing customers allowing them to choose or switch between flavours which does not increase revenues but rather keeps them steady. Also, if we take in consideration the psychological buying process of consumers it has not been proven that consumers are more likely to purchase a product because it offers more than one flavour nor does it help a consumer revisit his choice if he did not like the product in the first place. Second Initiative: Creating a new product line ââ¬ËSpiked Iceâ⬠The spiked ice is an innovative idea, a first in its kind to be introduced to the wine and spirit marketplace and like any new idea it is important to establish that it is also an opportunity. The LCBO being the largest retailer of alcoholic beverages in the world, it is safe to assume that it has the best knowledge of trends in the industry as it is almost the only channel of distribution of alcoholic beverages in Ontario. The LCBO is then the best resource a company can use when it comes to product/industry feasibility as it carries out a stringent assessment of quality, price and market potential for each new product. Therefore there is an opportunity and a market potential for this new product since the LCBO is willing to provide shelf space for the Spiked Ice, furthermore it has a provided a firm commitment for a 4 months order. The ââ¬Å"Spiked Iceâ⬠also has the potential ââ¬Å"realâ⬠additional revenues since it is a different product and can also target consumers who are not typically fond of vodka coolers (i.e. consumers that prefer drinking beer but whom during the summer month would quench their thirst on a freezee with a vodka twist) Allowing the company to increase and diversify its customer base. This initiative however does require a significant capital investment to upgrade the production facilities and the company would be facing a significant loss should the product not generate enough sales however the company has commitment from LCBO for a large quantity which will also help them boost the roll out of the new product. Also from a managerial/organizational perspective the company has proven that it is capable of successfully undertaking similar projects. I would recommend the company to launch the ââ¬Å"Spiked Iceâ⬠as it is the only option that has the potential to generate additional revenues allowing the company to truly expand by penetrating a different segment of the market share. Introducing a new flavour has a low potential as it does not target a new segment or customer base and will most likely not generate additional revenues however it is a good initiative that could be launched for retention purposes to increase customer satisfaction.
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Criminal Justice System Structures Human Behaviour
ââ¬Å"Law structures and guides human behaviour in a variety of ways: through the content of the rules it makes, the way its officials behave, and/or the severity of the penalties it imposed on those who do not conform to its requirements. â⬠(Hay, 2004) In this essay, I will examine to what extent does the Canadian Criminal Justice System structures human behaviour, and whether or not this behaviour portrays itself to reflect the values of the official version of law.I will examine how the differences in behaviour, practices and priorities of each player in the criminal justice system conflicts with one another, and whether it contradicts or reflects the values of the official version of law. The official version of law is very significant to all aspects of the criminal justice system because the degree to which the system reflects these values tells us whether the system is just. The first case I observed was at Old City Hall, mental health court, room 102. The accused in this case was a homeless middle aged woman who had attempted to push a woman and her baby onto the subway train tracks.The judge, who was wearing a red sash, was sitting at an elevated position in the court, and the accused was sitting in the witness stand. The counsels were asking her questions, in order to come to a decision on whether she is eligible to be released back into society. The availability of a surety was discussed; the defence explained that the accused has no due to the fact that she has no relatives. The defence also argued how the accused does not have any previous encounters with the Criminal Justice System, which should be taken into account when considering her release.The defenceââ¬â¢s language was very professional, and she spoke to the judge with the highest respect, referring to her as your Honour or your Majesty. The Crowns language was very professional as well, however I found her attitude was somewhat rude, and her tone was very impolite. However, the Cro wn was very stern with her arguments and effectively attacked every claim the defence. When it came to making a decision, the judge stated how she did not have any primary or tertiary grounds in concern to her release.The most concern was under secondary ground concerns considering the serious allegations. The judge decided that the Crown had met the onus considering that there was insufficient release plans, and her psychiatric analysis claims that the accused is a danger to society. Another case I observed was a bail hearing, which was lead by a Justice of the Peace, which I noticed because she was wearing a green sash. When I walked in, the accused (black male) was sitting in the accused box, and there was a witness being questioned on the witness stand, who was a potential surety.The Crown was asking the witness why he feels he is an eligible surety, and how does he plan on assuring that the accused does not further engage in criminal behaviour. The witness said how if the accus ed did not abide by the conditions given he would go to jail for the accused. The Crown explained the witness that that was not legally feasible. The Crown and the witness discussed that if he was granted surety of the accused, and if the accused did not follow his bail conditions the witness would have to sell his car in order to pay the $10, 000 sureties.While this was going on I noticed that the defence attorney would constantly go over and speak to the accused and whisper in his ear. At one moment the Crown walked out to answer a phone call. I found this to be very informal and disrespectful to the courts. However, the call was concerning the case. What I found interesting about this case was how the witness advocated for the accused, and the remarks he was making. The witness expressed that the accused is aware of what he has done, and would like to be a law abiding citizen and have a good place in society once given the chance too.He also stated how the accused feels like a ta rget in regards to police practices and how they have racially profiled the accused, and that it reflects how the system is unjust. The crown felt that the witness was making excuses for the accused, and asked the witness about his knowledge of the police and the courts, and how they play different roles in the system. The crown also asked if the witnessesââ¬â¢ cousin who happens to be the accused pregnant girlfriend is actually a blood cousin, or a term used to define a close friend.The court setting is presented as an adversarial system, which relies on the dispute between each advocate representing his/her partyââ¬â¢s positions and involves an impartial person trying to determine the truth of the case (September 22nd 2009). The ability for this adversarial system to function effectively in court, while embracing the fundamental aspects of the law is very important to how the law presents itself. I was able to observe an adversarial system of dispute taking place in the firs t case, when the adversary parties were disputing whether or not the accused was psychologically fit for release.The Crown attorney stressed how she was not mentally stable to be released back into society. The Crownââ¬â¢s behaviour in her strong arguments and stern attitude reflected the aspect that the role of the prosecutor is to protect the best interest of the public. The defence attorney argued in defence for her client stating that the accused has not had any previous encounters with the criminal justice system in all her years, and that it was a mitigating circumstance that may not happen again. The defence was using any means that she could to succeed on the accused getting released.This portrays how the behaviours and priorities of each officer of the court conflict with one another because they have their own objectives to fulfill in order to portray that they are administrating justice equally and legitimately, as a reflection to the values of the official version of law. Throughout my observations I looked for, but was unable to come across a non-adversarial system in the courtroom. Within an adversarial system, a ââ¬Ëmorality playââ¬â¢ takes place, where each player in the courtroom plays a significant role.Their interactions present what story the laws says about itself to the public, and teaches the public an ideological lesson between right and wrong, where right most commonly prevails (September 22nd 2009). The players in the court include: a judge, a crown attorney and a defence attorney. As I have observed the judge sits at an elevated position in the courtroom, and the adversary officials are positioned on each side of the courtroom. A regular player in the court is the Crown attorney, who represents the power of the state, the Queen.Their objective is not focused on winning the case; they remain impartial and focus on finding the truth, and protecting the best interest of the public. Another player in the court is the defence att orney, who is not impartial; they represent those who are accused of crimes, and they are not impartial because their objective is to win the case. I was able to observe how a morality play was taken place because the prosecutor advocated that what person in their right mind would attempt to push a woman and her infant onto the subway tracks and would be released back into society without any rehabilitative treatment.The prosecutor requested that if she were to be released that she must be appointed to a new psychiatrist that she must refer to frequently. This was an example of a morality play considering that the prosecutor formed an ideology of this woman and that she was mentally unstable. Considering that the accused was a homeless woman, whom I have personally seen in the subway cars begging for money, this would lead the public to believe that any homeless person who begs for money must be someone who is mentally unstable, when in actuality this may not be entirely true.The co nflict that arises in the outcome of morality plays is that certain ideologies would be imposed in the publicââ¬â¢s perspective against certain groups, which reinforce the targeting of these groups. This portrays how practices, behaviours and priorities produce systemic discrimination against certain groups which contradicts the official version of law in its claim to be blinded by difference, in order to balance and weigh justice evenly amongst all citizens.This makes one question that despite the incentive of the criminal justice system is to administrate justice evenly, does it work in specific ways that may disregard the official version of law, but it is disguised by laws and practices which seem to justify these unjust distributions of law to occur. Another important aspect of this question is how well does the court portray balance within the system, and how does this balance effect the publicââ¬â¢s confidence in the system. Balance is a very important aspect of the off icial version of law, which is represented by the blindfolded maiden who balances and weighs justice.The players in the court must portray this balance by obtaining good relations within the court, in order to avoid incivility in the courtroom, to keep it from imploding (Manarin). Incivility in the courtroom may undermine the right to a fair trial, which causes the public to lose confidence in the administration of justice.. I was also able to observe civility in the courtroom because despite how I found the Crown attorneyââ¬â¢s tone and behaviour to be somewhat rude, she was still able to address her opponent as ââ¬Ëmy fellow partnerââ¬â¢ even though they do not necessarily work as a team considering they are adversary officials.She addressed her opponent in this manner in order to maintain civility in the courtroom in order to reach a verdict to her satisfaction. Considering that the Crowns attorney behaviour in the courtroom was very stern and aggressive, and she fought very effectively to reach a verdict which would cause the accused to remain in custody it does not suggest that she is an impartial player who is not focused on winning the case. However, it is important to recognize that in his circumstance the prosecutors approach did reflect her interest in protecting the best interest for society, considering that her psychological analysis stated that she was a danger. With this being said, if civility and morality plays protray a certain story that is supposed to be presented to the public, this makes one question to whether laws are essentially reflective of a shared morality, independently decided among a group, or whether officials have formulated this morality through their practices.The conflict that arises when questioning this is that as Hay argued, no matter what the law says, it may have little to do with what the law does(2004). This means that despite what the law says, officials in our criminal justice system have many differences which affect whether the law is distributed proportionately among individuals. These differences include: authority, discretionary power and the primary goals that their job requires. The outcome of how the law is distributed among individuals form specific ideologies and creates an overrepresentation in the system of certain groups to which these individuals belong too.Police practices have an effect to how the law is distributed because of how their practices have a major effect on what is defined as a crime, who is caught up and the net and brought into the system (October 20th 2009). Police practices are influenced by a police subculture which consists of informal factors that affect their behaviour, reflective of shared norms, beliefs and values that differ from the larger culture around them (MacAlister, 2004). This police subculture causes their discretionary power to target those belonging to minority groups, due to perpetuated ideologies against certain groups.The outcome o f this causes these groups to become overrepresented in the system (October 20th 2009). I was able to observe that police practices governed by ideologies is a notion that is believed by citizens who feel they have become victims of police practices such as, racial profiling. I observed this in the last case when the witness was expressing how the accused has felt targeted by the police due to their victimization of minority groups. This is supported by Brannigans argument, ââ¬Å"Just as the fisherman does not cast his net randomly, neither do the police (1984).It is important to recognize that these minorities experience these negative ideologies against them throughout all aspects of their lives, which usually causes them to belong to a lower economic status group. This puts them at a greater disadvantage in the court process, to those minorities who are most commonly one-shot players that receive legal aid workers, who have little time for investigative preparation. Their succes s in court reflects this as these lawyers receive a dismissal of charges in 8% of cases compared to 39% of cases in privately retained counsels (Brannigan, 1984).It is most commonly those belonging to minority groups who receive legal aid workers because they also belong to the lower economic status of society. Considering legal aid workers do not have many successful cases, and most of their clients belong to minority groups, it is reasonable to say that this is another cause to their overrepresentation in the system. Therefore, police discretion comes into conflict with the overrepresentation of certain groups due to how policing behaviour and practices are regulated by the priorities they serve to the community.The police are the most visible aspects of the criminal justice system, therefore they must be perceived as the most effective, which they achieve by being tough on crime (MacAlister, 2004). As a consequence, due to perpetuated ideologies against certain groups that are em bedded in police subculture define their behaviour and practices cause certain groups become overrepresented in the system. This portrays how police behaviour, practices and priorities contradict the official version of law in the aspect that it is supposed to be impartial and blind to difference.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
The Congress of Vienna Essay
The Congress of Vienna Essay The Congress of Vienna Essay The Peace Settlement of the Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna, which consisted of the five great European powers Britain, France, Austria, Russia, and Prussia, met from September of 1814 until June of 1815. The major people, led primarily by Klemens von Metternich, who took part in the Congress were Castlereagh, Maurice de Talleyrand, Fredrick William III, and Alexander I. The strategy of this anti-nationalistic congress was to restore social and political order in Europe through establishing a balance of power by keeping France from pursuing further aggression and to settle growing disputes. The Congress wanted to restore harmony to Europe and give power to conservatism, opposed to the growing liberal ideas. The extreme conservatism of the Congress, especially Metternichââ¬â¢s program, would lead the Congress of Vienna to certain problems. When the Congress of Vienna met, they met to achieve three goals: to create a balance of power, to contain France by surrounding it with stronger countries, and to establish legiti macy. They agreed to redraw the map of Europe to establish an equilibrium of powers, preventing a country from creating an uprising. They established buffer states between the great powers to prevent France from expansion. To create harmony within Europe, Metternich created the Principle of Legitimacy that stated that the old dynasties who had been driven from the throne should be restored to power. These old dynasties were the Bourbons to France, the House of Orange to Holland, and the Habsburgs to Northern Italy. The Quadruple Alliance agreed to defend the Principle of Legitimacy as the status quo of the Congress against any threat to the balance of power. The socials views of the Congress of Vienna were centered around conservatism and stopping the ideas of nationalism and liberalism from spreading, especially to the Americas. The Congress set up a stong aristocracy to accompany the restoration of the old dynasties. Within the Congress, a key alliance was set up between Francis I of Austria, King Fredrick William III, and the Czar Alexander I called the Holy Alliance. In this, the three pledged to base their relations with other nations on Christian principle to combat the forces of revolution. The Concert of Europe was a
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
U.S. Birth Rate Hits All-Time Low in 2016
U.S. Birth Rate Hits All-Time Low in 2016 In a trend that has some demographers worried, the birth rate in the United States dropped to its lowest level ever in 2016. Dropping by another full 1% from 2015, there were only 62 births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44. Overall, there were a total of 3,945,875 babies born in the United States during 2016. ââ¬Å"This is the second year that the number of births has declined following an increase in 2014. Prior to that year, the number of births declined steadily from 2007 through 2013,â⬠noted the CDC. According to an analysis issued by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), birth rates in all age groups under age 30 fell to all-time record lows. Among women ages 20 to 24, the decline was 4%. Among women ages 25 to 29, the rate fell 2 percent.à Drop in Teenage Pregnancy Drives Trend In an analysis issued by the National Center for Health Statistics, researchers report that birth rates declined to record lows in all groups under age 30. Among women ages 20 to 24, the decline was 4 percent. For women 25 to 29, the rate fell 2 percent. Driving the trend, the fertility and birthà rate among teenagers and 20-somethings fell by 9% from 2015 to 2016, continuing a long-term decline of 67% since 1991. While they are often used interchangeably, the term ââ¬Å"fertility rateâ⬠refers to the number of births per 1,000 women between the ages of 15 and 44 occurring in a particular year, while ââ¬Å"birthà rateâ⬠refers to the fertility rates within particular age groups or specific demographic groups. Does This Mean the Total Population is Falling? The fact that the all-time low fertility and birthà rate puts the United States population below the ââ¬Å"replacement levelâ⬠- the balance point between births and deaths at which the population exactly replaces itself from one generation to the next - does not mean that the total U.S. population is falling. The annual U.S. immigration rate of 13.5% in 2017 still more than compensates for the lower fertility rates. Indeed, while the birthà rate continued to fall consistently throughout the period from 1990 to 2017, the nationââ¬â¢s total population increased by over 74 million people, from 248,709,873 in 1990 to an estimated 323,148,586 in 2017. Potential Dangers of a Falling Birthrateà à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à à Despite a growing total population, some demographers and social scientists worry that if the birthà rate continues to slide, the U.S. could face a ââ¬Å"baby crisisâ⬠resulting in cultural and economic pathos. Far more than an indicator of societal trends, a nationââ¬â¢s birthà rate is one of the most significant gauges of its overall demographic health. If the fertility rate falls too far below the replacement level, there is a danger that the nation will lose the ability to replace its aging workforce, leaving it unable to generate the amount of tax revenue needed to keep the economy stable, maintain or grow the infrastructure, and become unable to provide essential government services. On the other side, if birthà rates get too high, overpopulation can strain the nationââ¬â¢s available resources such as housing, social services, and safe food and water.à Over the decades, countries like France and Japan, experiencing the negative effects of a low birthà rate have applied pro-family policies in attempts to encourage couples to have babies. However, in nations such as India, where fertility rates have fallen slightly over the last few decades, residual overpopulation still results in wide-spread starvation and abject poverty. US Birthrates Up Among Older Women The US birthà rate is not falling among all age groups. According to the CDCââ¬â¢s findings, the fertility rate for women ages 30 to 34 rose by 1% over the 2015 rate, and the rate for women ages 35 to 39 went up by 2%, the highest rate in that age group since 1962. The birthà rate among older women ages 40 to 44 also increased, up 4% over 2015. In addition, the fertility rate for women ages 45 to 49 increased to 0.9 births per thousand from 0.8 in 2015. Other Details of US Birthrates in 2016 Unmarried Women: Among unmarried women, the birth rate fell to 42.1 births per 1,000 women, down from 43.5 per 1,000 in 2015. Falling for the eighth consecutive year, the birthrate for unmarried women has now dropped by over 3% since reaching its peak in 2007 and 2008. By race, 28.4% of white babies, 52.5% of Hispanics, and 69.7% of black babies were born to unmarried parents in 2016. Preterm Birthrate: Describing babies born before 37 weeks of gestation, the preterm birth rate increased for the second consecutive year to 9.84% per 1,000 women from 9.63% per 1,000 women in 2015.à This slight increase in preterm births came after a decline of 8% from 2007 to 2014. The highest rate of preterm birth was among non-Hispanic blacks, at 13.75% per 1,000 women, while the lowest was among Asians, at 8.63% per 1,000 women. Use of Tobacco by Mother: For the first time, the CDC reported data on mothersââ¬â¢ use of tobacco during pregnancy. Of the women who gave birth in 2016, 7.2% reported smoking tobacco at some point while pregnant. Tobacco use was the most common earlier in pregnancy - 7.0% of women smoked in their first trimester, 6.0% in their second, and 5.7% in their third. Of the 9.4% of women who reported smoking in the 3 months prior to becoming pregnant, 25.0% quit smoking before pregnancy.
Sunday, November 3, 2019
Pearl Harbor and the Coming of the Pacific War Research Paper
Pearl Harbor and the Coming of the Pacific War - Research Paper Example The book has been divided into two parts. In the first part, Akira has included some important documents associated with the Pacific war, whereas, the second part of the book contains different essays written by prominent scholars and political experts. These essays present the perspective of different countries regarding the situation prevailed during that era. The book opens with an introductory essay. In this essay, the author have presented an analytical summary of the events took place before and during the Pacific war and attempted to uncover the leading factors that functioned to wreck the relations between Asian and European countries and ultimately became the base for the attack on Pearl Harbour. The introductory essay explains the convoluted issues behind the incident of Pearl Harbour in international context. The author elucidates the importance of the incident and its impacts upon the world history. He also identify the countries that played major role during that time an d explains that the war engaged US, Europe, Japan and China fighting with each others for many years. The essay provides sufficient information as well as analysis regarding the issue that is well summarized and well presented by Akira in the beginning essay. It become clear that how two different conflicts enduring in Europe and Pacific were merged together and took the shape of a solitary global conflict. The introductory essay is followed by the first major part of the book that contains some relevant and important documents.
Friday, November 1, 2019
Bio Poem and Character development Dona Sabine Assignment
Bio Poem and Character development Dona Sabine - Assignment Example Her position in society dictated that she hold herself in a certain high manner and treat her workers in a certain way. That was easy for her to do because as a dancer, she had traveled the world and was used to living the high life. However, the fact that she could mask who she truly was by birth could not erase who she truly was. That is what I believe to be the main reason that she tried to protect the Haitians in her care as best as she could. She could never turn her back on her roots and her heritage. To not help the Haitians would have been to do exactly that. Since she only became a member of the Dominican Republic due to the land exchange between the two nations that share the same border, she became a hybrid of the two cultures. Which made her a unique person with a wider sense of understanding about what was happening around her. It is these intricacies in her character and its development that helped me to understand that the massacre was not just about the crimes the Haitians supposedly committed upon the Dominicans. It was all about social cleansing. Which led me to understand the story even more because there is not a person alive who does not know that World War II was all about Hitler committing legalized genocide in Germany. Which is what happened in the Dominican Republic at the time that was set in the book as
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Effects of Media Globalization on Arab Culture Essay
Effects of Media Globalization on Arab Culture - Essay Example If the information technology and media dimensions are prohibited from entering into their closed territories, the countries lag behind and no country can afford to do that. Also all countries are anxious to take advantage of the benefits of globalisation, open their culture and attractions to tourism industry, so that they could be financially benefited. Environment is another matter that belongs to all the countries of the world and no country could afford to stay out of this issue. Arab countries are also keen on opening up the economy to venture into highly profitable imports and exports without which they will remain backward, while others are moving relentlessly forward. At the same time, most countries with closed cultures do not like their people to watch, learn and get influenced by other cultures. Some countries and cultures have an unfortunate view that only their culture is the best and all other cultures are unholy. Even for them it is important to take advantage of the technological improvements and discoveries from the 'unholy' cultures. Hence, the dilemma continues and even such countries cannot choose to lag behind by closing their doors to globalisation and information technology and rightly so. It is important to know all the diverse views about globalisation, media explosion and communication on the rather cosseted world of Arab culture. There are many views and most of them are against the globalisation. This does not mean that they do not want the benefits of globalisation. They only need the culture to be maintained as it had been done all these centuries. It is significant to find out how they could do it, and how effective they are in their goal. Also it is important to know how the global consumerism is catching up in the Islamic world of Arab countries. It is pertinent to peep into the women mentality and their freedom and if there had been any effect in that field at all. Finally it is necessary to know how Lebanon is fairing under globalisation and media explosion because Lebanon is in a unique position as it is caught in the political upheaval for a long time, a struggle for supremacy with Israel, a difficult problem of maintaining and working with Hezbollah, an d at the same time, trying to contain the terrorist and militant fractions of the society. LITERATURE REVIEW There is definitely broad diversity of opinions about the profit and loss of the effect of the internationalisation of non-tradition media under globalisation. In a way, Arab countries including Lebanon are trying to find political and economic solutions while trying to keep the social dimensions unchanged and this might become quite a challenging task eventually. Like any other country in the world, Arab countries too are living in a rapidly changing world and absolutely emotional attachment to the origins might become difficult and to some extent, a hindrance. There are opinions that globalisation in a way helped the Arab world to unite further. "I refer, above all, to the advanced communications technology which has functioned, on the one hand, to transfer the forces of globalization to the rest of the world and, on the other, to strengthen the bonds of language, culture, customs and tradition between Arab Americans and their original homelands" says Nasser in http://www.alhewar.c om/HGANasser.htm In the same speech Dr. Nasser goes on
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Introduction Of KFC In Mauritius
Introduction Of KFC In Mauritius The necessity for all human being is eating which is observably a daily action. For eating at restaurants, it depend on an individuals reason and is intentionally or instinctively assess by a multifarious set of attributes ahead before choosing a restaurant. Thus, this study is to investigate how much service quality has an impact on customer satisfaction and retention especially in our Mauritian context at KFC. As there is a casual inter-relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality, this study aims to find out the effectiveness of the service dimensions of service quality which leads to customer satisfaction and finally to retention at KFC. An individual feeling of pleasure and disappointment is known as satisfaction and the customer satisfaction is very important for any organization. All the main aspects will be analyzed and recommendations will be drawn out for better improvement. Company Background History Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952 and its primary focus is fried chicken. KFC also offers grilled and roasted chicken products, wraps, salads, sandwiches and desserts as well beef based products outside the USA. Although the death of Sanders in 1980, he remains a vital part of the firms branding and advertisements, and Colonel Sanders or The Colonel is a metonym for the company itself. In 1991, the abbreviated form of its name KFC was adopted by the company. The Present KFC operates more than 5,200 restaurants in the United States and more than 15,000 units around the world. In 109 countries and territories around the world, KFC daily serves more than 12 million customers. KFC is world famous for its Original Recipe fried chicken, made up of 11 herbs and spices secretly blended together. Colonel Harland Sanders perfected more than a half century ago. Based on the Fortune 500 List, KFC is ranked on 239 positions with revenues in excess of $11 billion in 2008. Introduction of KFC in Mauritius With time, consumers were more demanding for large variety of food and then, the first KFC outlet was launched in Mauritius-1983. Pick N Eat is the company which operates the KFC franchise in Mauritius. KFC has carved a solid reputation as a quick service restaurant which provides quality products and service. Across our island, 18 outlets are spread out and 10,000 customers daily are enjoying their finger-linking favorites in the consumer-friendly environment. Background of the program In the fierce competition, the market trend has changed noticeably from agricultural to service market. The service sector especially fast food industry is in a rapid growth and gain a sustainable position in the market due to lack of time to prepare food and dual income families. All of the fast food businesses are trying their best to improve their service quality in order to make customer satisfied and return back to them again. They are concentrating more on service quality in order to meet the needs and expectations of the customer. The more satisfied the customers are, the more likely they are to return to the restaurant. The fast food industry has undoubtedly not been free from either augmented competition or from increasing customer expectations regarding quality. In the fast food industry, the perceived quality holds a great importance to create a retention effect for customers. So the fact is that when the service providers are able to satisfy its customers with good manage rial arrangement, the foods quality provided, have efficient staff, then a positive outcome is seen in customers retention in a particular restaurant. Problem Statement Service quality is a vital strategy for any restaurants, success and repeat business and it has long been defined by adopting a rather more customer-oriented view and not by the restaurateur-oriented (Saleh and Ryan, 1991). Customer is the key role in any business, without any customer it is difficult to do business. It is necessary to work closely with your customer. As customers can also create your business, thus, customer is the major part of business and also in the market. Business runs through customer, without the customer there is no business. Due to the increasing competition with other restaurants and quality-conscious customers, it is vital to carry out this research. There is a need for further improvement in order to face the competitors and meet the increasing customers expectation concerning quality. Based on the actual service quality performance of KFC, it is important to identify if customers are satisfied with the current situation and are likely to retain at KFC or switch to other competitors. Also, to find out the factors of service quality that leads to customer satisfaction and retention. From the above reasons, it is important that the service performance meets or exceeds customers and their expectation, the customer will be satisfied. Service quality is an antecedent of customer satisfaction. Therefore, this warrants a study to assess the customers expectation and perception, examine its discrepancy gaps and the service quality dimensions that influence customer satisfaction and retention. Research Objectives -To determine customers expectation and perception level towards service quality. -To identify the discrepancy gap between customers expectation and perception level towards service quality. -To identify the SERVQUAL dimensions which have an influence on customer satisfaction and retention? Research Questions -What is customers expectation and perception towards service quality? -What is the discrepancy gap exist between customers expectation and perception towards service quality? -What are the SERVQUAL dimensions which have an influence on customer satisfaction and retention? Aims of the study This study is to find out whether the service dimensions have an impact on customer satisfaction and retention at KFC by using the SERVQUAL Model by Parasuraman, Zenithaml, and Berry (1988). It will also explore the service aspects that affect and influence customer satisfaction and retention. Significance of the study This study will act as a practical guideline for KFC, especially for the management and the front line employees which may increased a higher level of customer satisfaction in the near future. The results of this quantitative assessment of service quality may provide some insights into how customers rate the service and assessed customer satisfaction at KFC. The outcomes will utilize as a basis to improve their existing service quality or to develop a new one in order to meet with the customers needs and satisfy them. Furthermore it will help KFC managers to know if they are providing services according to the norms established by customers. The management will be able to come up with a strategy for upgrading their service quality which will definitely lead to customer satisfaction and retention. All these views of customers will help KFC to remedy problems if there are and maintain their service quality. Phases of the discussion Introduction In the first chapter, the problem area is discussed with a deeper understanding regarding the research. The problem discussion ends with a research objectives and questions. In the end of this chapter, the contributions of this research are also presented. Literature Review In the literature review, the service qualitys impact on customer satisfaction and retention is discussed with the following purposes of assessing customers expectation, customers and employees perception, identifying their gaps and the influencing service quality aspects. Research Methodology ************************************* Analysis ************************************************* Conclusion and Recommendation ******************************************************** Conclusion The first chapter provided us a background to the outline of the dissertation. It contained the research context, which is, identify the problems, and establish its aims and its objectives, set out the research questions and finally present the outline of the study. Chapter 2- LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction This chapter will give an overview of literature and models that presented by writers and journalists. It will support the research objective presented in the previous chapter. The chapter will elaborate the concepts of service, service quality, customer satisfaction, customer retention, service quality dimensions, the gaps and others. 2.2 Fast Food Industry The fast food industry is also known as Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) and has been serving delicious food for as long as people lived on. The fast food generally refers to the food served to customers in form of packaged for takeout or on the spot with minimum preparation time. The Mauritian fast food industry was primarily started with the famous dholl-puri and is still in great demand. But, due to globalization, the fast food industry has gradually breakthrough the Mauritian lifestyle. The consumer demand has evolved as they demand for a variety of food in a comfortable, stylish place and for busy people a quick bite at all times of the day. Today, these products form part of the Mauritian lifestyle and culture. People look for the convenience in order to improve their lives and productivity. Recent studies have shown that one out of every two-and-a-half-meal today is eaten away from home (Kara et al 1997). The fast food industry is not without its challenges. There is an increased focus on the quality of food served in the fast food restaurants. But, in this fierce competition of today, the right marketing approach and application of service quality is vital to compete with competitors as well as retain customers. The fast food industry is large and diverse in itself with lots of opportunities that challenge is being answered with new offerings and strategies to lure consumer back in. In the new emerging fast food industry, KFC is expanding in accordance with the customers demand despite the environmental problems and provide its potential to give a meal in a pleasant atmosphere. Jang Namkung (2009) proposed three factors: service and product quality as well as the atmospherics element are considered as the main restaurant attributes affecting the perceived quality of customers experiences at a restaurant. The total dining experience in a restaurant is comprised of not only food itself, but also the atmosphere (physical aspects) and the service provided. Thus, the fast food industry is based on the principles of quality food served fast and requires fast-reaction solutions to customers needs if they want to satisfy and retain customers. 2.3 Service There are many definitions concerning the concept of service by researchers. The term service was describe by the author Gronroos (1983) as: An activity or series of activities of more or less intangibles nature that normally, but not necessarily, take place in interactions between the customer and service employees and/or physical resources or goods and / or systems of service provider, which are provided as solutions to customer problems. Another definition was given by the author (Payne, 1993) said that service is Any primary or complementary activity that does not directly. Produce a physical product that is, the non-goods part of the transaction between customer and provider. Whereas Kotler et. al. (1999) is of opinion the service is regarded as any activity or benefit that one party offers to another which is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything, and it may or may not be tied to a physical product. Normally, lots of people are involved in a s ervice process and it is tough to do an analysis of service or to duplicate the same service exactly. In today market, products heavily rely on its service to acquire competitive advantage and to satisfy customers needs. Each authors mentions service as an exchange between the service provider and customers as well as its intangibility nature. The most vital point is simply the participation of the customer in the service process. KFC provides quality product and service with full customers interaction. 2.4 Service Quality In the service industry, service quality has become a crucial tool. Practitioners are more interested in the concept of service quality which has an advantageous effect on the outcome performance for the company. Service quality is a critical element of customer perceptions as well as in determining customer satisfaction. Various experts have defined service quality differently. Parasuraman et al. (1985) proposed a formal definition of service quality as the degree and direction of discrepancy between customers service perception and expectation. Satisfaction occurs when the expectations meet or exceed the performance level whereas customer dissatisfaction occurs when the expectation is below the perceived quality. Asubonteng et al. (1996) defines service quality as the extent to which a service meets customers need and expectation. Hooley, Saunders and Piercy (2004) A prime factor in differentiating the product or service from that of competitors is quality. Quality concerns the fit ness for purpose of a product or service. For manufactured products that can include the durability, appearance or grade of the product while in services it often comes down to the tangible elements of the services, the reliability and responsiveness of the service provider, the assurance provided of the value of service and empathy, or caring attention, received. According to these authors, the service quality is normally the customer perceptions and the organizations activities together with delivering quality service that matched to customer expectations on a consistent basis. Service quality is a key survival of all restaurants as it is the most powerful competitive weapon that can be used against competitors and to attract as well as to retain customers. These authors highlights that two main factors affect the quality of a services, that is, expected service and perceived service. 2.5 SERVQUAL Approach The SERVQUAL framework has come up for the purpose to improve service quality in services and retailing organizations as it has suggest that customer satisfaction is based on multiple factors rather than one. The SERVQUAL method was developed by Parasuraman et al. in 1988 as a technique used to perform a gap analysis of an organizations service quality performance against customer service quality needs. Parasuraman et al. (1988) came up with five dimensions (grouped with 22 attributes) to measure service quality which is responsiveness, assurance, tangibility, empathy and reliability. The SERVQUAL instrument is regarded as a reliable method of measuring service quality (explore customers expectation and perceptions), which in turn leads to a measurement of customer satisfaction. Internationally, KFC already have a service quality assurance team for regular surveys with a theory known as CHAMPS (consist of cleanliness, hospitality, accuracy, maintenance, the standard of product quality plus service speed). This is to evaluate the customers experience whether they are satisfied or not with the products and services. In Mauritius, KFC has already executed the theory of service quality and conduct survey concerning the services. Thus, in the study, the SERVQUAL method will be used for further research work. 2.5.1 SERVQUAL Dimensions In 1985, Parasuraman et al. has identified ten determinants for measuring service quality which are as follows: responsiveness, reliability, access, competence, courtesy, credibility, communication, security, tangibility and understanding or knowing the customer. Later, in 1998, Parasuraman et al. refined the model to the useful acronym RATER:- Reliability It is defined as the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately or delivering on its promises (Zeithaml et al., 2006, p. 117). It is one of the most important service components for customers as it implies doing it right the first time. The service organizations need to keep its promise and maintain an error free record. The reliability factors are efficiency in the billing system, consistency in serving customers, and the staff performs tasks that have been promised to guests and well trained staff. For the food beverage industry, reliability can be interpreted to mean fresh food delivered at the correct temperature and accurately the first time (Andaleeb Conway, 2006). In the Mauritian context, KFC has its own training center recognized by the franchisor for their staff. The chicken is prepared on the spot and they make sure that the service delivery is consistent and timely. The most significant policy of KFC is evaluating the customers experience with its service, whether they are satisfied or not. They can also put their comments and suggestions for further improvements of the products and services of KFC. Assurance Assurance is defined as the employees knowledge and courtesy and the service providers ability to inspire trust and confidence (Zeithaml et al., 2006, p. 119). The assurance factors are staffs knowledge about the menu, safety, security, trustworthy and friendly staff. Customers are more likely to use tangible evidence to assess the assurance dimension such as awards or special certificates which give a new customer confidence. KFC has achieved National Quality Awards and have a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) program is implemented in order to identify, evaluate and control any physical and environmental hazards in the work place. And the logo of HACCP is visible in every restaurant as an assurance dimension. Tangibility Tangible is defined as the physical facilities, equipment, staff appearance and others. In accordance with the author, Zeithamal et al. (2006) this dimension is comprised to the current appearance and shape of the cutlery, the restaurants interiors decor, silverwares and the uniform of the staff, the layout and appearance of the menu list, restaurant signage and advertising campaign. Tangibles are used by firms to convey image and signal quality (Zeithaml et al., 2006). Customers use this dimension to evaluate the quality. KFC has its own evidence of its service in terms of products, packaging, printed and visual marketing materials, websites, and staff appearance, virtual evidence of handling queries and feedback through Facebook and other online services. Empathy Empathy is the extent to which caring individualized service is given to a customer. The customer is treated as a king. Many small companies use this ability to provide customized services as a competitive advantage over the larger firms (Zeithaml et al., 2006). The empathy components are willingness to handle requests, give individualized attention to customers, and show enthusiasm to serve and to answer to all queries accurately. Empathy may be important to ensure customer loyalty as the server knows how the customer likes his or her food prepared. In return, the customer is easily approach and spell out their needs to the service provider. If a company looks its customer as an individual, as result, the company will come out as a winner. KFC take care of each individual customer by providing the meal according to the customer requirement. Such as, a meal can be upgraded by adding cheese, pineapple, tomato, plain or spicy chicken as per the customers taste. Before launching a new product, KFC take care of its customers opinion into consideration through Facebook and keep continuous communication with the customer through regular survey. Responsiveness Responsiveness is defined as the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service (Zeithaml et al., 2006, p. 117). The responsiveness factors are short waiting period for the service delivery, attend complaints quickly, availability of staff when needed and restaurants action upon customer suggestions. In order to be responsive, a service provider has to determine how long it would take to get answer or to solve a problem. To be successful, companies need to look at responsiveness from the view point of the customer rather than the companys perspective (Zeithaml et al., 2006). This dimension captures the notion of flexibility and ability to customize the service according to the customer needs. KFC handle complaints quickly especially through Facebook and the staff are willing to help customer as well as keeping in mind for short waiting period in service delivery. 2.5.2 Service Quality Gaps Model In 1990, Zeithaml, Parasuraman and Berry have developed a survey instrument to measure the gap between customers expectation for excellence and their perception of actual service delivered. The SERVQUAL model uses the terms that describe one or more determinants of a quality service encounter. Gronroos (1982), Lewis and Booms (1983); Parasuraman et al. (1985) have the same opinion that the most frequently used approach to measure service quality is SERVQUAL to compare the customers expectation prior to the service encounter and their perception after the actual service delivery. Basically, there are seven principal gaps in the service qualitys concept, out of which Gap 1, Gap 5 and Gap 6 are more associated with the external customers as they have a direct relationship with customers. Figure 2.1: SERVQUAL or Gaps Model (Zeithaml Parasuaman Berry 1988 Gap 1: Management perceptions of consumer expectations and Customers expectations and It is the knowledge gap which portrays the difference between the management beliefs about customers, expectations and what customers actually need and expect. This gap happens when there is insufficient flow of communication upwards, lack of marketing research orientation and too many level of management. Gap 2: Management perceptions of consumer expectations v/s service specifications It is a policy gap where a difference occurs between management perceptions regarding customers expectations and service specifications are set for service delivery. The reasons for this gap are unfeasibility, inadequate commitment to service quality and task standardization as well as an absence of goal setting. Gap 3: Service quality specifications opposite service delivery It is the difference between the service specifications and the service delivery teams actual performance on these specifications. The gap is a result of poor employee-job fit, lack of perceived control and lack of teamwork. Gap 4: Service delivery v/s external communication to customers The communication gap is the difference between what the company communicates and what is actually delivers to the customer. It is due to inadequate horizontal communications and propensity to over- promise. Gap 5: The discrepancy gap between customers expectations and customers perceptions of the service delivered It is the difference between what has actually delivered and what customers feel they have received. Customer expectations are influenced by the extent of personal needs, past service experiences and word of mouth recommendation. The difference occurs when customers are influenced and service provider has shortfalls. Gap 6: The discrepancy gap between customer expectations from the service provider and employees perceptions of consumers expectations The service quality gap is what the customers expect to receive and their perception of the service that is actually delivered. There is a difference in the understanding of customer expectations by front-line service provider. Gap 7: The discrepancy gap between employees perceptions and management perceptions of consumers expectations This gap is mainly an internal difference in the organization such as differences in understanding of customer expectations between management and employees. 2.6 Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is the heart of marketing. Customer satisfaction is the customers evaluation of the service or product against if their needs and expectations are meant. For any restaurant, customer satisfaction is more important as it forms a part of marketing. In past years, customer satisfaction was not that important but today it is the most important issue in term of the most reliable feedback for a restaurants excellency. Richard L. Oliver (1997, P.13) define customer satisfaction as Satisfaction is the consumers fulfillment response. It is a judgment that a product or service feature, or the product or service itself, provides a pleasurable level of consumption-related fulfillment. Customers satisfaction is highly influenced by their characteristics, their emotional responses and their perceptions of equity. As Kotler (2000, p.36) defined that satisfaction is a persons feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a products perceived performance (or ou tcome) in relation to his or her expectation. If the performance didnt meet the expectation of the customer, then dissatisfaction will occur. If the performance exceeds the customers expectation, then satisfaction will occur. If the performance exceeds more than expected, then the customer will delighted. In the context of customer satisfaction, Johnston and Clark (2005) have describe it as Service as the combination of outcomes and experience delivered to and receives by a customer. Customers therefore judge the quality of the service on the experience as well as the outcome. Due to current competitive edge, customers are abreast with the fact of product quality and every service provider is interested to satisfy customers needs and wants. All of three authors explain customer satisfaction as a bunch of desired expectations of a customer that has been fulfilled by the service provider. But, Richard L. Olivers definition is more applicable in this research work which emphasis that satisfaction is based upon service itself. KFC take care for its customer satisfaction by providing an online questionnaire on its website regarding customer satisfaction. 2.7 Customer Retention Lovelock (2004) illustrates importance of customer retention The hardest part of a business is customer retention. If a company does not retain its customers, inevitably it will fail. Marketing essentially means keeping customer loyalty. In order to have a good lifetime value of customers, an organization needs to have good strategies to retain them and arouse loyalty within them for lifetime. Laura Lake (2010) defined Customer retention is not only a cost effective and profitable strategy, but in todays business world its necessary. This is especially true when you remember that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customer and clients In the starting point of a business, customer retention is very important as the cost involved in attracting new customers are five times higher than retaining an existing one. Hill and Alexander (2006) defined It is becoming accepted that there is a strong link between customer satisfaction, customer retention and profitability. By fulfilling cust omer expectation, an organization provides all service according to the customers preferences and in return, the customer is loyal to the organization. It makes profit for the organization and organization has to retain by providing continuous good services, better customer satisfaction and that will be profitability for the organization. So, organization has to make strong relation with customers as high rates of customer retention are a competitive weapon against its competitors. By having a questionnaire always on the website, KFC is trying to take care of that small segment of customers who are satisfied or dissatisfied with its service quality. In this way, KFC tries to retain those happy customers than losing them. 2.8 Customers expectations and perceptions 2.8.1 Customers expectations Customer expectations are increasing day by day and demanding for quality products and services; therefore expectations play an important role in the formation of customer satisfaction. The term expectations really matters to companies because they want to know what customers expectations are. According to Oliver (1981) à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ expectations are consumer-defined probabilities of the occurrence of positive and negative events if the consumer engages in some behavior. Customers form their expectations from their past experience, friends advice, and marketers and competitors information and promises. Organizations in order to keep expectations from rising, they have to perform services properly from the first time (Parasuraman et al. 1988). There is tendency that if a service is not delivered as promised, thus the customers expectations are likely to rise in the next encounter. Expectations serve as reference points in customers assessment of performance (Cronin Taylor, 1992). Th e purpose of trying to understand customers expectations is trying to ensure that service can be designed and delivered in order to meet those expectations. If the operation meets the expectations, or indeed exceeds them, then customers are satisfied with the service. If they are satisfied they are more likely to become valuable customers who not only use the service again, but are positively disposed towards it and may even recommend it to other Johnston and Clark (2005). Therefore, the perceived service quality is viewed as the difference between consumers perceptions and expectations for the service provided. 2.8.2 Customers perceptions Mc Kenna (2000) is of opinion that perception is a vital process in a persons life where he or she has to manage and interpret a situation or an event to define a particular respond. Service firms must understand the concept of service quality from the point of view of the customer, not from the view point of the service firm or service provider. Besides, customer perceives services in the response to quality pertaining to the service and the extent to which they are satisfied with the overall service with their experiences (Zeithaml and Bitner 2003). The customer satisfaction is determined by the customers perceptions and expectations of the service quality. Customer perceives services in terms of the quality of the service and how satisfied they are overall with their experience. The customers perception varies from customer to customer and each one has different beliefs towards the services that play a crucial role in determining customer satisfaction. Therefore, customer percepti on and customer satisfaction are very closely linked together, because if the perceived service is close to customers expectations it leads to satisfaction. Satisfied customers provide recommendations; maintain loyalty towards the company and customers in turn are more likely to pay price premiums (Reichheld, 1996). As such, perceived service quality is a key component of customer satisfaction. 2.9 Relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction A great emphasis need to be heightened on service quality and customer satisfaction. In old times, customers were not concerned about quality and their satisfaction does not have such importance. But, today,
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