Thanksgiving Essay Example For Students

Thanksgiving Essay Reality behind the convention is astonishing. Thanksgiving Essay and the Pilgrims appear to go together, however in all actuality, the Pilgrims never held a fall Thanksgiving feast. Anyway the Pilgrims had a blowout in 1621, after their first reap, and it is this gala, which individuals frequently allude to as The First Thanksgiving. This banquet was rarely rehashed, however, so it cannot be known as the start of a custom, nor was it named by the homesteaders or ;Pilgrims; a Thanksgiving Feast. Indeed, a day of thanksgiving was a day of supplication and fasting, and would have been held whenever that they felt an additional day of thanks was called for. It boiled down to a couple of battleground states. It was an intense challenge, and it turned out somewhere in the range of 527 associations got included, including Barnyard Animals for Truth, Bush stated, ridiculing the free-spending autonomous gatherings like Swiftboat Veterans for Truth known as 527s. The gathering brought up issues about Democrat John Kerrys administration in the Vietnam War. There was a profane film that came out, Fahrenheit 375 Degrees At 10 Minutes Per Pound,' he stated, panning Fahrenheit 9/11, the narrative film that assaulted him over the treatment of the Sept. 11 assaults and the war on fear based oppression. As Bush talked, the two feathered creatures pecked at supports in the Rose Garden. After his comments, Bush, watchful in the wake of being pecked in the waist three years prior, kept a strong grasp on one flying creatures neck. He said the feathered creatures would experience their lives at Frying Pan Park in Herndon, Va., which raises livestock. That drew a complaint from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which said the turkeys would live in progressively accommodating conditions at a creature asylum. The turkeys Bush absolved a year ago kicked the bucket inside a quarter of a year after their exonerations, a consequence of medications that cause them to develop unnecessarily, the gathering said. .

Advertising Essay

Consistently, in the case of staring at the television, tuning in to the radio, or driving in the vehicle, individuals experience a wide range of notices. For whatever length of time that most can recollect, publicizing has been everywhere, and after some time it has meshed its way into the everyday existences of society. The utilization of promoting is to catch one’s eye and to convince them of something, for the most part to purchase a help or an item. What's more, regardless of whether we understand it or not, contrarily or decidedly, commercials influence individuals mentally. Some of them utilize brilliant hues, others use insights, and some utilization amusingness to catch one’s eye. One such notices originates from the exercise center, Planet Fitness. Planet Fitness draws in individuals by utilization of cleverness and by speaking to the physical and money related necessities of the ‘average joe’ in their commercials. In this business, there are youthful, fit ladies strolling around the storage space discussing how hot they are and how hot they think each other are, at the same time an ordinary lady of a little more seasoned age sits in her towel and witnesses their discussion. You can tell that she’s obviously awkward with being in the circumstance. She at that point proceeds to tell the health specialist â€Å"†¦ Also, that’s why I don’t like gyms† and the educator reacts with â€Å"Well, we’re not a rec center. We’re Planet Fitness†. So they comprehend that not every person that goes to the rec center is a major ripped hunk, and that occasionally it very well may be somewhat awkward being around individuals that are that way. The way that Planet Fitness is manufactured and the manner by which they convey themselves, is that they cause the client to feel that they are what’s generally critical to the organization. They care about creation you feel good while having the option to practice in an open rec center. Planet Fitness likewise comprehends that not every person is comprised of additional cash. This is taken from the Planet Fitness site, â€Å"We don’t have any sales reps, and we don’t waste time with all the additional items like juice bars and childcare that drive up costs and can cause an exercise center participation to appear to be increasingly similar to a vehicle installment. Rather, we’ve came our business down to the things that you truly need in a fitness center †perfect, a la mode, bother free offices that are loaded up with huge amounts of brand-name cardio and quality gear, and a great deal of upbeat individuals. In the event that you’re searching for an agreeable, amicable spot to exercise, and like a lot, at that point you’ll love Planet Fitness. † (http://www. planetfitness. com/About-Planet-Fitness-Gym). They offer participations for only ten dollars every month, which is an astonishing deal contrasted with other large name exercise centers, for example, the YMCA or 24 Hour Fitness. By offering modest rates, it makes an extraordinary motivation for someone to practice at Planet Fitness. Ultimately, Planet Fitness appears to speak to ladies in this commercial. It’s socially adequate to state that ladies are taken a gander at as being more touchy than men with regards to their appearance and self-perception. So in this specific advertisement, they show that the â€Å"normal† lady is incredibly awkward in the storage space and it’s really a major issue for her with regards to heading off to the exercise center. So by demonstrating this notice, Planet Fitness can draw in progressively female clients just by telling them that they won’t be decided at the rec center and they can practice with a true serenity. With such an excess of being stated, it tends to be inferred that the ad via Planet Fitness is an effective one. By speaking to people’s wallets and through their comprehension of the â€Å"comfort zone†, and having amusing plugs, they’ve set up validity with the general population just like an inviting, cordial rec center all easily.

The Music Therapy free essay sample

From the belly, you experience sound: your moms heartbeat, breathing and suppressed voice. Growing up you sing melodies and hear music being playhouse may even make your own music. From the grating, Irritating commotion of traffic in the road to the delicate, mitigating Mazurka played in the lift and at shopping centers, music encompasses you and, may affect you without your insight. The steady sounding of a vehicle horn will in general aggravate you; while, a string group of four playing traditional music tends to quiet you.As musics quieting powers are TTS most perceptible outcomes, it would demonstrate beneficial to investigate the advantages of tuning in to music as a methods for unwinding just as what potential applications music may have comparable to this marvel. Endless examinations have demonstrated that musses loosening up impacts can be seen on anybody, including infants. Music advisor Jane Canine investigated the impacts of music on preterm children and low-weight infants as a feature of her lords postulation at Florida State University. We will compose a custom paper test on The Music Therapy or on the other hand any comparative point explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page L Her examination included musics impacts on pressure practices, weight, caloric and equation admission and length of medical clinic stay.Fifty-two preterm and low-weight babies filled in as subjects, and were part Into control and exploratory gatherings. The benchmark group got typical sound-related incitement while the trial al bunch got melodic incitement from an hour long tape containing vocal music, including childrens music and cradlesongs, just as the ordinary sound-related incitement. The exploratory gathering had a lot shorter remains in both the infant emergency unit the medical clinic itself just as lower beginning weight reduction than the benchmark group. Coming about weight gain was additionally lower in the exploratory gathering. The exploratory gatherings recipe admission was a lot of lower than the benchmark group, anyway their caloric Intake wasnt essentially lower. The benchmark groups mean pressure practices were likewise a lot higher than those of their partners in the test gathering. Along these lines, it very well may be seen that the children who tuned in to music turned out to be progressively loose and accordingly, they left the medical clinic before and more advantageous than the infants who didnt tune in to music. Such unwinding from the utilization of music can likewise be shown to prompt a diminishing In experienced physical torment by offering a wonderful interruption which additionally fills in as a cover sedative.Cynthia Allison Davis, a music specialist at Gaston Memorial Hospital In Gaston, North Carolina finished a proposition while at Florida State University in which music was utilized in blend with unwinding strategies to help with torment and uneasiness in genealogical methodology. 2 Twenty-two subjects, ages 17 40th, experienced clinical treatment requiring instrumentation of the cervix by a similar gynecologist: oscilloscope (minute assessment); cryosurgery (tissue evacuation by freezing); or punch biopsy (tissue expulsion by punch activity Instrument).The subjects were part onto a benchmark group, who got the standard clinical strategy with no music, and the trial bunch who were given unwinding directions and their decision of music before the method. Tension and agony levels were estimated by perceptions of conduct (counting development of eyebrows, eyelids, mouth, lips , hands, feet, whole body, representation, comments, crying and sweat), respiratory rates and heartbeat rates at five explicit occasions during the technique: after patient arrangement and earlier during scratching or other instrumentation of the cervix and as the specialist exited.Subjects likewise gave contribution as their own accomplished degree of uneasiness before the methodology and the degree of torment experienced during and after the system. The Observed agony reactions were reliably higher for the benchmark group than they Nerve for the trial gathering, proposing that the music was bringing down the degrees of torment in the exploratory gathering. The best contrasts in torment between the gatherings were found during the cervical scratching, the most agonizing piece of the technique. Right now of punch biopsy, the benchmark group demonstrated more notew orthy discernible torment than their partners who tuned in to music during the continue ere.Overall, the benchmark group had higher heartbeat rates and respiratory rates, also. One may inquire as to whether it may be the case that the music serves just to divert the patient. Regardless of whether the tuning in to music basically fills in as an interruption or on the off chance that it really ventures to such an extreme as to trigger the cerebrum to discharge torment executing endorphins is unimportant. Music helps lower uneasiness levels, and thus, torment is by all accounts reduced. In much a similar Nay, noisy clamors, for example, occupied roads and live performances serve to raise nervousness levels.Music can be useful in offsetting the aggravating and boisterous sounds that we hear ACH day and the subsequent pressure brought about by such sounds. In an examination at the Childrens Hospital of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jenifer Winced, a clinical medical attendant pro in pediatric basic consideration, worked with eight youngsters (from ages two to fifteen) who experienced cerebral edema. 3 She focused on the sound range from 78 to 96-choose ells in the pediatric emergency unit), (as a commotion level of 70 decibels begins a pressure reaction started by th e pituitary-adrenal axis.This stress reaction is showed by an ascent in pulse, circulatory strain, cerebral blood stream and fringe choking. Such pressure would raise the interracial weight (ICP) of the youngsters experiencing cerebral edema, so she explored different avenues regarding techniques for stifling the clamor in the PICO. The primary strategy tried included putting headphones over the childs ears. In the subsequent test, she played Bachs alleviating Concerto in D through the earphones. For 15 minutes prior and 15 minutes during headphone use, Winced observed fingertip temperature, pulse, circulatory strain and ICP. twentieth intercessions, she found, altogether brought down pulse, circulatory strain and ICP (running from a 16 to 29 percent drop) while likewise raising fingertip temperature. Inheres the two techniques worked, the music caused an impermanent introductory ascent in he craftsmanship rate, yet was followed with an a lot more prominent net decay contrasted with the utilization of headphones without anyone else. Once more, one can see musics impacts of lessening pressure and nervousness levels in any event, when the pressure is brought about by sound-related improvement. A few different investigations have demonstrated music to be a viable method of unwinding to the point of sedation: OAt the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, Canada, old style music has Nortek so well as a painkiller that numerous in critical condition disease patients have been ingested off pain relieving medications. Olin an examination including patients in Poland who had extreme migraines or agonizing neurological issue 408 were split into two gatherings. Ere trial bunch was presented to musical music alongside their day by day routine of painkillers, while the benchmark group proceeded with their typical painkiller dosage.After a half year, the exploratory gathering was expending far less painkillers and tranquilizers. 5 Olin an exploration venture for an experts degree at Delphic hearing simple listening music . The patients included were all females, extending from age 37 to 57, who had as of late experienced hysterectomies. The twenty-eight subjects were haphazardly doled out to either the trial gathering, (which was given 10-minute tape of simple listening instrumental music for the initial two days after medical procedure), or the benchmark group, which was given nothing. All subjects were approached to rate their torment during the timespan in which any calming or painkiller would have Nor off. Following a ten-minute time frame (in which the exploratory gathering tuned in to music and the benchmark group just loose) the review was given once more. In the exploratory gathering, normal uneasiness scores had dropped altogether, though in the introduction gathering, score s remained commonly the equivalent. The equivalent was valid with the rating of torment: the individuals who tuned in to the music noticed a relative decline in pain.Olin University of Utah study, 1 5 out-patients experiencing malignant growth related agony were relegated three days of twice day by day, brief music meetings at home. 7 The trial bunch tuned in to loosening up music, while the benchmark group tuned in to a 50-cycle murmur, intended to be a fake treatment. Following three days, the gatherings exchanged. Surveys managing agony and state of mind were rounded out by the patients when every meeting. While music was not found to modify disposition much, 11 patients revealed some decrease in torment. Seven of these patients had a moderate or extraordinary response.Overall, the mean level of progress in torment scores by utilization of music was close to twofold that of agony scores utilizing the tone. These discoveries propose that there is something explicit with musics impact upon unwinding. On the off chance that a unimportant interruption was required, the scores for both music and the tone would have been the equivalent. In any case, since the individuals who tuned in to music announced less torment, one can conjecture that music fills in as in excess of a minor interruption. The previous rundown of studies shows how USIA can help in the decrease of serious pain.However, music can likewise be useful for alleviation of agony which isnt extreme or emergency clinic relating one case, it was demonstrated to be advantageous for headache cerebral pains. Clinician Janet Lap, of California State University in Fresno, led an examination managing decreasing the agony associated with headache cerebral pains. 8 In her investigation, she partitioned a gathering of headache victims into two gatherings who experienced unwinding preparing in mix with either biofeedback or music. In the biofeedback gathering, specific gear educated the guineas pigs of when they were relaxed.In the music gathering, the guineas pigs Imagined serene scenes while t hello tuned in to a mixture of well known melodies. The preparation went on for five weeks , comprising of two brief meetings a

A Case In Copenhagen - Free Essay Example

It was normal day in Copenhagen the capital of Denmark in 1926. As any other day people will be seeing shopping in the local market and other people working as usual. Einar Wegener and Gerda Gottlieb were a regular couple like any other. Happy married for 6 years with a bright future and what is more fascinated both were painters. They meet in art school and since they were together. The art and culture made them feel a connection, so the art make them a happy couple. Einar Wegener was very known in Copenhagen for his work and people usually murmur that his work was on top of the rest. Unfortunately, Gerda was struggling with her art which make the relationship a little complicate time to time. One day everything changes, one simple action will set in motion a series of events that no one could foresee. After Gerdas work was refuses by the local gallery she gets frustrate, and in order to rush an order she ask his husband Einar to fill in as portrait model. But not just any model he was asked to wear a womans cloth. Einar felt a strange sensation by seeing the cloths touching his body the finest of the leather caught his attention something inside him awaken. The idea to dress like a girl for Einar was something that he could not predict, but he felt comfortable. After that event occur Einars mind change, and he started to use his wife cloths. For his wife this kind of behavior was only a game since she was the one who asked him to wear a dress for her portrait. One day a party was being held in a gallery and as usually the Wegener were invited but Einar was not to excited about the event, so Gerda told Einar to go with her but not like him but as Lili Elbe. Lili Elbe was a creation of Einar and Gerda which was dressing Einar as girl, but in Gerda mind this was a game, but in Einar head this was not a game anymore. Einar was not Einar anymore his mind was being replace for Lili Elbe. All this time he is being thinking about the sensation of dressing like a girl, being excited about how men look at him dress as a woman. Many days had pass and Gerda Gottlieb does not recognize his husband anymore. He spends most of his days as Lili. In one attempt to liberate her frustration Gerda stars painting about Lili which results in something new to the era and she was offered a job in France where her painting will be sold and held in the most famous gallery of France. After they move to France Einar is losing his mind he does not know who he is anymore. Lili has taken over his mind, and Einar is no longer attracted to his wife his double personality is creating a complex problem. After fighting about who he really is Einar decides to seek help, but nobody can help him. From theories of chemical imbalance, to treatment with radiation, unethical procedures, and being call an aberration, perversion, and immoral. He loses all kind of hope with doctors. After trying everything Lili stars taking over Einar body without conscience. Gerda tired of the situation tries to seek help for Einar and finally she finds a person who may cure Einar or at least help with the situation. By this time Einar Weneger is gone and Lili Elbe is present in everything and seeing the help that Gerda was able to find only makes that Lili wanted to be a real woman by having a sex reassignment surgery which never was done before. Having realized her true self and with Gerdas unconditional support and love, Lili embarks on a journey as a transgender pioneer. The operation was set in two parts one of them was remove the penis and the second one was the creation of a vagina which in the time was extremely dangerous because it was never done. After the fist part of the operation Einar Weneger was gone and Lili Elbe was born and the days after the first part of the operation was the happiest days for Lili Elbe she was feeling like never felt before those were the b est days of her life. When the time arrive for the second operation Gerda was still missing her husband, but she was feeling guilty that because of her his husband now was a woman. They went to hospital where the second operation was programmed. There was not going back for neither of them. The operation was never done, and anything could go wrong. The operation was a success but unfortunately the operation had complications and Lili Elbe was fighting for her life. After the operation Einar really felt as Lili. She was a complete woman and had dreams about her future. A couple of days after Lili Elbe die for complications on her operation.

Quality Assurance Systems In The Upscale Hotel Sector - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 2969 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Argumentative essay Level High school Did you like this example? Quality assurance systems are an important element of any business strategy. As Porter (1985 and 2004) suggests, quality is now seen as a major force for gaining competitive advantage, particularly with the consumer. There is no commercial activity where this is more important than in the hotel sector. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Quality Assurance Systems In The Upscale Hotel Sector" essay for you Create order As Yavas et al (1995) state, the question is no longer whether to have quality assurance programmes, but rather how to make these programmes work, within this sector of hospitality. It can be argued that in terms of quality assurance systems delivery the hotel sector is in a distinctive position, particularly when it is related to service satisfaction (Parasuraman 1997, Schiffman and Kanuk 2000). Unlike most other industries, where customer contact and engagement during a visit might be fleeting, as happens in retail shop environment, a hotels interaction with customers can last from a few hours to several days. Furthermore, as Kandampully et al (2001, p.28) the quality of the hotel product also has to take into account the customer-to-customer interactions. Following a brief literature review, the intention of this essay is to examine quality assurance systems and evaluate the effect that these systems have upon service quality and customer satisfaction within the upscal e Hotel market. Quality assurance and management within the hotel environment is focused upon satisfying the customer. Therefore, this review concentrates on the existing literature relating to customer satisfaction and the various methods and frameworks of service quality related to this focus. Academic literature relating to customer satisfaction falls within two main categories, these being the psychological perceptions of the customer and the practical ways in which customer satisfaction can be implemented to help a business achieve its objectives. In the hotel sector, this objective is to try and engender a high level of customer satisfaction in order to positively influence our customers repurchasing and communicative behaviour (Hennig-Thurau and Hassen (2000, p.62). However, to achieve this aim the business has to understand what drives customer satisfaction. Christopher (1984), Holbrook (1999), Schiffmand and Kanuk 2000 and Brennen (2003) all agree that satisfac tion is related to the consumers perception or judgement of a product experience and value when set against their expectations and the payment made. Zeithamls (1998, p.14) describes it as follows, being that Perceived value is the consumers overall assessment of the utility of a product based on perceptions of what is received and what is given à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ value represents a trade-off of the salient give and get components , in other words the cost paid is measured against the value expected . Therefore, it can be suggested that the greater the service quality the higher the satisfaction (Kandampully et al. 2001, p.8) and, conversely, the higher the price the greater the perception of value. Bostepe (2007) further identifies that, within a service environment such as a hotel, consumer satisfaction does not simply rely upon the quality of service satisfaction received from business employees, although this is an essential element. The physical environment, for examp le the dÃÆ' ©cor, bedrooms and other facilities offered, are also elements of the consumers perceived value and service satisfaction. If any of these are deemed as sub-standard, particularly when related to the price paid, this will reduce the customers enjoyment and levels of satisfaction. It follows therefore that only by concentration upon providing quality within all of these areas of the product will the business be able to assure satisfaction and encourage customer loyalty (Holbrook 1999, p.121), which Porter (1998), Parasuraman (1997) Agrawal (2000) and Harrison (2003) all agree is essential to competitive advantage. There are numerous quality assurance measurement systems and standards available for use within the business environment. Customer feedback is one such measurement. Client feedback can be achieved by two methods. The first way is to provide questionnaires that hotel guests are asked to complete before the end of their stay. The second is to rely up on externally conducted questionnaires, interviews and polls, which can be conducted on a continuous basis. However, whilst comments and responses provided by customers may act as a good testimonial for the business (Porter 1998, p.1478), these systems have their drawbacks. In addition to the fact that not all customers might respond, the design of the process itself is often flawed (Kandampully et al 2001) and can therefore be misinterpreted. For example, a simple complaints procedure would not necessarily identify areas of quality success. Secondly, these feedback processes tend to lack definition. Their use may therefore be inhibited by the fact that they do not provide management with sufficient detail to be able to locate and resolve the specific areas of the business where deficiency of service quality is occurring. Furthermore, a system of continuous surveys adds to the business administration costs and, in addition, raises the inherent issue of sampling (Visit Britai n 2008 b). Evidence of these limitations can be seen in a recent survey conducted by Visit Britain (2008 a) (see figure 1). Figure 1 Customer hotel choice determinants Source: Visit Britain (2008 a, p.11) Whilst it is clearly apparent from these results that customer satisfaction in related to encouraging loyalty and retention, as well as being inherently useful in turning existing customers into promotional tools for the hotel, this does not provide management with a detailed analysis of the areas where satisfaction has been achieved or denote what areas were not satisfying. To provide detailed quality service observations therefore, a more robust quality assurance system is required and most of these are based upon variations of the Total Quality Management (TQM) system (Dotchin and Oakland 1994 and Ziethaml et al 2000). These methods are designed to assess and monitor the level of quality being maintained throughout all areas of the business process and its suppl y chain, from an internal as well as external viewpoint. One such variation, particularly applicable to the hotel industry, is the SERVQUAL method, which originated from the works of Parasuraman et al (1991). Kandampully et al (2001, p.68) observe that many academics and practical studies have used SERVQUAL as a true measure of customer service and that it has been extensively applied (Shahin 2005, p.4) in service based organisations. Amongst these service industries will be included the hospitality and hotel sector of the tourism industry. Despite the fact that recent researches have sought to extend the elements of quality measurement with the SERVQUAL model, fundamentally it is still based upon the level of quality assurance to be measured and gained within five key sectors of the business processes, which are: Tangibles Physical facilities, equipment and appearance of personnel. Reliability Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Responsiveness Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. Assurance (including competence, courtesy, credibility and security). Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence. Empathy (including access, communication, understanding the customer). Caring and individualized attention that the firm provides to its customers. Source: Sahney et al 2004 The SERVQUAL measurement can be used internally, through measurement against preset quality assurance standards such as the ISO 9001 Quality certification process (BSI 2008) and the Star Rating system operated by Visit Britain (2008) in conjunction with the Automobile Association. In this case the hotel services and processes are measured against pre-determined sets of quality criterion and monitored at least annually by those who regulate these standards. The internal quality assurance programme is also complemented by external consumer questionnaires and interview surveys. The SERVQUAL quality assurance method has been in existence for some years and is tried and tested (Shahin 2005, p.5), making it a firm favourite within the hotel service industry, where managers are comfortable and confident with the outcomes of these measurements. An element of SERVQUAL that is considered particularly important in this respect is the fact that the system a nd its measurements are monitored and updated on a regular basis (Holbrook (1999), Sahney et al (2004) and Boztepe (2007)), for example annually (Shahin 2005, p.6). Both ISO 9001 and the Star Rating systems conform to these determinants. As will be seen from the following analysis, the quality assurance systems applied to the hotel in terms of both the internal industry Star Rating and external SERVQUAL systems are virtually synonymous in terms of the standards and factors they rely upon for measurement. To maintain their perception as upscale or 5 star hotels, in each of these cases the hotel will have to achieve much higher levels of standards. 4.1 Star Rating system Although the Star Rating system is formatted in a slightly different way to SERVQUAL, the quality elements of this process are still graded in a similar manner. The main difference is the fact that there are minimum quality requirements before the hotel will even be considered for a rating. However, eve n these equate to the tangible element of the SERVQUAL system (figure 2). Figure 2 Minimum entry requirements Source (Visit Britain 2005, p.8) Once the minimum entry requirements have been met, to assess which star level is applicable to the establishment independent inspectors will monitor five quality bands and award a quality percentage to each. These percentages determine what rating the establishment has achieved (figure 3). Figure 3 Quality bands for star rating Star rating Bands One star 30-46% Two stars 47-54% Three stars 55-69% Four Stars 70-84% Five Stars 85-100% Source: Visit Britain (2005, p.6) Furthermore, this standard of quality has to be achieved across a range of five product elements, which include cleanliness, service, food quality, bedrooms and bathrooms. Simply complying in one of the areas is not sufficient to earn the highest star. Therefore, if the hotel fails to achieve the required 85-100% standards during an annual monitoring it risks its rating being downgraded to four stars or a lower standard. For instance, in the example shown below (figure 4), despite the fact that the hotel being monitored has achieved the five star requirements in three of the five bands, its failures in the other two would demote it to a four star hotel. Figure 4 Quality bank achievement LevelStandard 1 2 3 4 5 Cleanliness X Service X Food quality X Bedrooms X Bathrooms X Source: adapted from Visit Britain (2005, p.7) 4.2 SERVQUAL system When using the SERVQUAL system, which is largely based largely upon the results of customer satisfaction surveys, although all hotels would be looking to achieve the maximum service quality satisfaction level of 100% in terms of the overall scoring, there is a significant difference in the way this would be achieved when related to the different standard of establishments. To provide an example of how this equates in practice, the following is a comparison between the SERVQUAL requirements of a 5 star hotel against lower rated hotel, such as the budget Travelodge hotel chain (figure 5). Figure 5 SERVQUAL comparisons SERVQUAL criterion 5-star hotel Travelodge Tangibility 20% 20% Reliability 20% 30% Responsiveness 20% 15% Assurance 20% 25% Empathy 20% 10% Total 100% 100% It is apparent from the above comparison that the 5-star establishment requires their quality of service to be more balanced, in other words no one area of their product should be delivering a lower quality of service than any other. However, with the budget chain, which operates on a low cost strategy that eliminates much of the human resources and food elements, these specific areas are shown to have less importance to the business, but need to be compensated by increased levels of satisfaction in other areas of quality if the business is to remain successful. What is immediately apparent from the analysis of the two quality assurance systems identified above as being used within the hotel sector is their compatibility. This not only applies to the systems per se, but also to the measurement of the results. In both cases an upscale hotel would need to achieve a balanced score with high ratings in all of the quality determinants if it is to maintain its market position and be perceived by the potential customer as a quality (5 star) hotel. Conversely, the lower quality hotels pay less attention to those areas of the standards that are more directly related to the quality of service provided by their human resources, relying instead upon other elements to satisfy customer quality perception, such as low cost (Porter 2004). Whilst it could therefore be stated in simple terms that quality assurance is related to the price being paid for the product, what research such as that conducted by Shahin (2006), Ziethaml et al (1990) and Holbrook (1999), and the fact that all hotels, irrespective of their standards, operate quality assurance systems, shows is that price is simply one element required to fulfil customer satisfaction needs. Whatever price is being charged for the hotel product the customer will still weigh the experience received against the value they expect from the product enjoyed at that price (Zeithaml 1988 and Parasuraman et at 1 994). A customer who decides to spend a greater amount of his or her disposable income on arranging to stay in a 5-star hotel will have a much greater value expectation than one who chooses a budget hotel stay. The former will expect the service quality to exist in all aspects of the hotel product. This includes the dÃÆ' ©cor and the ambiance of the environment, the facilities that are being offered, including meals and room service, and the performance of the hotels human resources. If these quality expectations are not met that customer will perceive that they have not received value for money and therefore will view the experience as less than satisfactory. Therefore, they will be unlikely to promote the hotel in a positive manner to others or re-use it. It is apparent that in the case of an upscale or5-star hotel the combination of the industry Star Rating and SERVQUAL quality assurance systems will have a significant impact upon their service quality and the level o f customer satisfaction achieved from using the product. In terms of the Star Rating system, the higher the star rating the greater the expectation of the customer in terms of their perception of the quality that will be found in this establishment. Therefore, the five star establishments are likely to attract customers who wish to avail themselves of the higher quality experience. With regard to the external SERVQUAL system of measurement, because these are results from customer experiences, the greater the levels of quality achieved in the areas measured, the more likely it is that customers will be retained and act as recommenders to other potential customers. In both cases therefore, it can be concluded that the quality assurance system is designed to achieve competitive advantage by attracting additional market share, thus improving the hotels revenue and profitability levels. Agrawal (2000). Managing service industries in the new millennium: Evidence is everyth ing. Paper presented at the AIMS Convention on Service Management Berry L L and Parasuraman, A (1991). Marketing Services: Competing Through Quality, Free Press. New York, US Boztepe, Suzan (2007). User Value: Competing theories and models. International Journal of Design, Vol. 1, Issue. 2, pp.55-63. Brennan, Ross (2003). Value in Marketing: Confusion or Illumination? Available from: https://mubs.mdx.ac.uk/Research/Discussion_Papers/ Marketing/dpap%20marketing%20no25.pdf (Accessed 22 December 2008) BSI (2008). ISO 9001Quality. Available from: https://www.bsi-global.com/en/Assessment-and-certification-services /management-systems/Standards-and-Schemes/ISO-9001/ (Accessed 22 December 2008) Chetwynd, Catherine and Knight, Jenny (2007). Time to capitalise on falling hotel occupancy. The Times. London, UK. Christopher, M. (1996). From brand values to customer value. Journal of Marketing Practice: Applied Marketing Science, Vol. 2, Issue.2, pp.55-66. Dotchin, J. A and Oakland, J.S (1994). Total Quality Management in Services: Part 3: Distinguishing perceptions of Service Quality. International Journal of Quality reliability Management, Vol. 11, Issue. 4, pp.6-28 Gale, B. T. (1994). Managing customer value. Free Press. New York, US. Harrison, Jeffrey S (2003). Strategic Management: Of Resources and Relationship. John Wiley Sons Inc. New York, US. Hennig-Thurau, Thorsten and Hansen, Ursula (eds) (2000). Relationship Marketing: Gaining Competitive Advantage Through Customer Satisfaction and Customer Retention. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidleberg. New York, US. Holbrook, M. B. (Ed.). (1999). Consumer value: A framework for analysis and research. Routledge. New York, US. Kandampully, Jay., Mox, Connie and Sparks, Beverley (2001). Service Quality Management in Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure. Haworth Press. New York, US. Kotler P (1999). Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and Control (Millennium ed.) En glewood Cliffs, N J; Prentice-Hall, 279-317. Parasuraman, A. (1997). Reflections on gaining competitive advantage through customer value. Academy of Marketing Science, 25(2), 154-161. Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. and Berry, L.L. 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E Commerce Exchanges Conducted Through Marketplaces

There are many internet based business-to-business (B2B) and e-commerce exchanges conducted through marketplaces. One of these marketplaces is a Maintenance, Repair and Operation Hub that serves many industries in the services of non-production products. This company, known as BizBuyer.com is a public internet based-product and service applicator who focuses on company’s needs and marketing objectives, such as designing logo’s, business cards and other global company formation. This site helps with the systematic sourcing of operating inputs within the companies that purchase from this site. This type of marketplace gives buyers a wide variety of MRO catalogs from all types of suppliers. In MRO hubs, the operating inputs are shown to be†¦show more content†¦The BizBuyer team also has services in many areas covering the complete business cycle including the business registration services, accounting, media design, hosting, printing, warehousing, shipping and m any more. The BizBuyer website is set-up to be a very user-friendly site with an easy access side bar with a directory that lists all of the global services in a column. This list contains every aspect of the services they provide and if a link is chosen is takes them a little deeper into the service that the customer is inquiring about. Each one of these takes you to a generic page for the services and has links where you can look and read on exactly what the service package comes with by selecting a button that states â€Å"What You Get†. This shows the customer all of the attributes and extras that may come with that particular service they are researching. For example, a Bank Account services page on BizBuyer states that its additional services along with opening bank accounts online are ATM and Debit/Credit card services and also Internet banking solutions for businesses. Also, the MRO hub website has a page for designing business cards/logo as previously stated. 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Gorbachev free essay sample

An examination of U.S. Soviet relations under Mikael Gorbachev, and the ending of the Cold War, including the reduction of nuclear weapons. The paper shows how Mikhail Gorbachev attempted to broker peace with the U.S. and it discusses his desire to see if not the complete destruction of nuclear weapons then at least a reduction in them, and a closer relationship with the U.S. that enabled a closer working partnership. Of importance, according to the author, are Gorbachevs summits held with Reagan in Reykjavik, Iceland, Moscow and in Washington D.C. The author discusses Gorbachevs incredible popularity in the west. The paper also briefly touches on the theory that a hard line U.S. policy toward the Soviet Union was the factor in bringing about a change in the Soviets attitude. This theory that the U.S. forced the Soviets into reforms is a plausible, and convincing argument. We will write a custom essay sample on Gorbachev or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page However, it does not answer why that this policy had never worked before. Certainly after WW11 the Soviet Union was in a much weaker position to the U.S. both economically and militarily. The Truman administration took a hard line against the Soviets, yet they had not wavered, even though the U.S. at that time was the only nation with nuclear weapons. This theory also fails to take into account the role played by Gorbachev, nor give him the credit he deserves.