The Facts Are Good Enough

The Facts Are Good Enough The Facts Are Good Enough The Facts Are Good Enough By Mark Nichol A New Yorker staff writer and best-selling author recently joined the rogues’ gallery of prose practitioners who decided that because the facts aren’t good enough, embellishment is necessary and who, by doing, so, erode the already endangered social status of writing. Jonah Lehrer already in hot water at the New Yorker for incorporating some of his previously published material into articles for the magazine admitted last week that he fabricated quotations in his latest book, Imagine: How Creativity Works. Print and e-book copies of the book, which has already sold 200,000 copies and was a New York Times best-seller and top-ranked on Amazon.com, have been pulled from distribution. Lehrer, who ironically once wrote in the New Yorker about the science of failure (and whose name is German for â€Å"teacher†), resigned from the magazine. Like most individuals who have been part of an early twenty-first-century wave of high-profile literary fabricators and plagiarists, his promising career as a writer is over. I’ll leave the psychology of motivation for such invention to others to analyze. What I found pertinent to this website is the part of an article about Lehrer’s transgression that made reference to criticisms that book publishers do not double-check facts. One of the fundamentals of journalism is veracity in reporting, and most periodical publications consider assiduous research and fact-checking integral to professional reporting and writing. Some professionally produced publications including mostly magazines but some newspapers as well employ staff or freelancers responsible for conducting research and contacting sources to verify quotations and quantifiable information, even though it is the reporter or writers responsibility to submit accurate content. But lapses occur constantly: I’ve edited for several newspapers and magazines that, like many other periodicals, often have a space to acknowledge and correct significant factual errors. I’ve also read newspaper or magazine articles about incidents or events with which I was intimately familiar, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it is a given that even the most well-written article will get something wrong. Sometimes these mistakes are innocuous. At other times, they are devastatingly damaging. Book publishers are prone to allowing factual errors, as well as allowing inventions and plagiarism, to plague their industry, because, as one industry executive remarked, the onus is on the writer to provide copy free of such mistakes. Most writers strive to conduct impeccable research and transfer this dedication to the printed page, but even highly professional and very knowledgeable authors err at times. Occasionally, because of that truth, a publishing company will request that an editor thoroughly fact-check a book or at least spot-check for errors; I’ve edited dozens of books and have performed comprehensive vetting for a couple of book projects and spot-checked several others. I’ve found errors that only the most exacting expert would notice (or, perhaps, care about) and others that might have prompted a recall of the published book if they had not been discovered. Such saves happen all the time. But many other mistakes slip through and fabrication and theft of content (both more difficult to detect) are pervasive. It’s one thing to slightly alter a quotation for grammatical effect or because the original statement was elliptical and requires more context, or to rebuild one from incomplete notes. It’s one thing to restate another person’s opinions or conclusions (which might themselves not be original). These are acceptable, standard practices. It’s another thing to slide down the slippery slope of thinking that it’s too much trouble to contact sources to coax them into saying what you want them to say just reconstruct a conversation from random comments and punctuate it with a bon mot in your source’s voice that she would have said if she had thought of it. It’s another thing to agonize that your article or essay or book is lacking, and to rationalize that the only way to remedy the shortcoming is to invent or copy. Such well-intentioned deviousness seems harmless, but it’s akin, in a way, to bank robbery: The rewards are so gratifying, but the risk to oneself (and others) is hazardous, and the perpetrators almost always, eventually, get caught. The moral of the story: Whether it comes to contemplating bank robbery or writing, opt for earning your money the hard way honestly. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Math or Maths?30 Baseball IdiomsPreposition Mistakes #1: Accused and Excited

The Conifer Killer Tree Diseases

The Conifer Killer Tree Diseases There are virulent diseases that attack coniferous trees which ultimately cause death or devalue a tree in the urban landscape and rural forest to the point where they need to be cut. Five of the most malignant diseases have been suggested by foresters and landowners at Abouts Forestry Forum. I have ranked these diseases according to their ability to cause aesthetic and commercial damage. Here they are: #1 - Armillaria Root Disease: The disease attacks both hardwoods and softwoods and can kill shrubs, vines, and forbs in every state in the United States. It is pervasive in North America, commercially destructive and is my pick for the worst disease.The Armillaria sp. can kill trees that are already weakened by competition, other pests, or climatic factors. The fungi also infect healthy trees, either killing them outright or predisposing them to attacks by other fungi or insects.More on Armillaria Root Disease. #2 - Diplodia Blight of Pines: This disease attacks pines and is most damaging to plantings of both exotic and native pine species in 30 Eastern and Central States. The fungus is seldom found in natural pine stands.  Diplodia pinea kills current-year shoots, major branches, and ultimately entire trees. The effects of this disease are most severe in landscape, windbreak, and park plantings. Symptoms are brown, stunted new shoots with short, brown needles.More on Diplodia Blight of Pines .​​ #3 - White Pine Blister Rust:​ The disease attacks pines with 5 needles per fascicle. That includes Eastern and Western white pine, sugar pine and limber pine. Seedlings are in greatest danger.  Cronartium ribicolais a rust fungus and can only be infected by basidiospores produced on Ribes (current and gooseberry) plants. It is native to Asia but was introduced to North America. It has invaded most white pine areas and is still making progress into the Southwest and into southern California.More on White Pine Blister Rust. #4 - Annosus Root Rot: The disease is a rot of conifers in many temperate parts of the world. The decay, called annosus root rot, often kills conifers. It occurs over much of the Eastern U.S. and is very common in the South.The fungus,Fomes annosus, usually enters by infecting freshly cut stump surfaces. That makes annosus root rot a problem in thinned pine plantations. The fungus produces conks that form at the root collar on roots of living or dead trees and on stumps or on slash. More on Annosus Root Rot. #5 - Fusiform Rust of Southern Pines: This disease causes death within five years of a trees life if a stem infection occurs. Mortality is heaviest on trees less than 10 years old. Millions of dollars are lost annually to timber growers because of the disease. The fungus Cronartium fusiforme requires an alternate host to complete its life cycle. Part of the cycle is spent in the living tissue of pine stems and branches, and the remainder in the green leaves of several species of oak. More on Fusiform Rust of Southern Pines.

One problem in our comunity ( miami) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

One problem in our comunity ( miami) - Essay Example Most of the work remains for improvement of conditions that teens pass through providing them with education and information regarding relationships and sexuality and improve reproductive and sexual health services (David, 2012) In Miami, local live births to mothers of age eighteen and under explained for eight percent of the entire births. Miami birth rates compared to teen girls dropped from 85 per one thousand to 51 in 2011. Both statewide and nationally, the sharpest decreases in the rates of teen births were noted for black teenagers. The rate of state births for black teenagers is dropped to 26% from the previous years. In spite of declines, Miami rates of birth in 2011 to mothers of age 18 years and below continue to increase in percentage of teenager births to black mothers 12% than the ratio to white mothers 6%. The Hispanic teen birth rates have not reflected the decline in the general birth rates. Miami birth rates for this group of teenagers have increased by 9% from 1991 (www.floridachart.com) The members of Miami should show awareness of the growing rate of teen pregnancy in high schools. The other goal is expressing need for a plan towards the reduction of teen pregnancy prevalence. Thirdly, is the development and implementation of the plan to reduce these pregnancies? Fourthly is the evaluation of success in meeting the planned goals and objectives. Lastly, is reporting teen pregnancy reduction rate. Determine: evaluate the following: teen pregnancy in Miami for the last two years; community demographics; attitudes towards teenager mothers and their young ones; programs in schools that work towards the welfare of the teen mothers; knowledge on sexuality and sex; attitude of the community on sex and effects of religious education of sex. Evaluation information should be used in the establishment of appropriate intervention. Performance: collect

Does the responsibility to protect satisfactorily address the moral Essay

Does the responsibility to protect satisfactorily address the moral and political dilemmas posed by humanitarian intervention consider with reference to various perspectives - Essay Example The responsibility to react dimension stipulates that different situations compelling human need should be answered with appropriate measures such as military intervention. Further, the responsibility to rebuild dimension requires the provision of full assistance in situations of crisis. In most cases, the undertaking of these dimensions necessitates the need for humanitarian intervention. Many human rights activists see humanitarian intervention as a good thing since it appears to enact a commitment to the emancipatory ideals of freedom from oppression, respect for human dignity and valuing of human life (Orford 2003, p.34) However, humanitarian intervention brings in some moral and political dilemmas such as the possibility of infringement of sovereign rights of a given state and its national interest or the justification for the need for such intervention (Chesterman, 2001). In general, humanitarian intervention does not meet all of the requirements of a just war doctrine, lending credence to the argument that the legitimacy of this intervention in its totality questionable. However, the observance of discrimination and proportionality principles, the prohibition of use of armed force against another sovereign state except for self defense and enforcement measures endorsed by the Security Council in Chapter VII of the Charter; and the goal of stopping grave violations of human rights satisfactorily address the ethical and political dilemmas posed by humanitarian

Customer Satisfaction By Measuring Service Quality Tourism Essay

Customer Satisfaction By Measuring Service Quality Tourism Essay Rationale of the study: The measurement and management of service quality are fundamental to the survival and success of service companies (Legcevic, 2008). The hotel sector is a large segment of the service industry which provides services and accommodations to a wide range of customers. To make sure that a hotel is satisfying its customers needs, it is necessary to measure service quality periodically to identify areas in need of improvement. There are several methodologies used for measuring service quality, but this research study shall employ one of the more popular models called the SERVQUAL model. This theory was developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry. They were early researchers studies about the concept of quality (Jain and Gupta, 2004). The SERVQUAL model was created to measure service quality as perceived by the customer (Parasuraman et al., 1985). According to Shangri-La Hotels Annual Report of year 2008 and 2009, the occupancy rate of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok has declined continuously (Shangri-La Asia Limited, 2008, Shangri-La Asia Limited, 2009). The most likely cause of this problem is the political instability that hit Thailand recently. On the other hand, it is possible that this decline in the number of customers was a result of a decline in service quality. Even though the Shangri-La Hotel continued to emphasize customer needs and provide excellent service to their customers, it is still crucial to measure service quality to ensure that the customers are satisfied with the hotels services and responsiveness to customer needs. The result of measuring service quality also helps management to understand exactly what their customers expect from the hotel and the level to which they are satisfied with their experience at the hotel. This measurement model functions as a tool to promote communication between the hotel man agement and their customers. This research was conducted to observe customer perceptions about hotel services by measuring service quality using the SERVQUAL model at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. The benefits of this research are not just to understand the level of customer satisfaction; but moreover, it can use as a guideline to enhance service quality and promote customer loyalty. Title of project: A Study of Customer Satisfaction by Measuring Service Quality; A Case Study of Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok Statement of research problem: A continual decline in the number of hotel customers over the past few months has had a direct effect on the hotels income. The main factor which is believed to have caused this decline was internal political instability in Thailand. In an effort to transform a crisis into opportunity, this is an appropriate time to observe customer perceptions of service quality in order to help hotel management improve quality and prepare their business for when the situation returns to normal. Project objectives: The objectives of this research are as follows: To measure service quality of Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok by using SERVQUAL model, To understand the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality, and To gain a clearer understanding of customer perceptions of service quality from Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok in order to improve hotel service quality in the future. Conceptual framework: Figure 1: Conceptual framework Reliability SERVQUAL Dimensions Responsiveness Customer Satisfaction Assurance Empathy Tangibles Scope of the study: The scope of this research focuses on measurement of service quality at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok by using the SERVQUAL model which considers service quality from the following five dimensions: a) reliability, b) responsiveness, c) assurance, d) empathy and e) tangibility. The sample population would be a random sample of 100 hotel customers during the period from July to August, 2010. The survey technique would employ the use of questionnaires. This study focuses on the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality. Definitions of terms used in the study: SERVQUAL model: An instrument for measuring service quality comprised of five dimensions such as: a) reliability, b) responsiveness, c) assurance, d) empathy and e) tangibility. Parasuraman summed up that customers perceive service quality by comparing their expectations with the actual organizational performance, and they evaluate service quality in different dimensions (Parasuraman et al., 1988). Service Quality: A product or outcome of all the staff managers of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok working together to satisfy their customers. In other words, high-quality service is a service that meets or exceeds customer needs and expectations (Wisniewski, 2001). Customer Expectation: is prediction service of customer that hotel should be provides to them. Predict service directly influence customer satisfaction evaluation (Zeithaml et al., 1993) Customer Perception: A feeling or sense possessed by the customer which is derived from their experiences at the hotel. Customer Satisfaction: The level to which a customer perceives that their expectations were met in the transaction with the hotel (Hallowell, 1996). Assumptions: A customer who receives a high level of service quality from the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok is more likely to be satisfied with the overall level of service at the hotel. Limitations: Size of sample: The political uncertainty in Thailand during the past several months resulted in a decrease in the number of tourists all over Bangkok. Furthermore, the occupancy level at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok has been suppressed due to a reduction in room availability for internal renovations. The limited number of hotel customers may limit the sample size, leading to sample error. Time frame of data collection: The time frame is a major problem for this research because the research time table is quite short, especially considering that this season is the low season for tourism in Thailand. Since the tourist numbers are much lower than during high season, it could be difficult or impossible to reach the appropriate sample size. Human ethics considerations: This research is being conducted for educational purposes to learn about customer satisfaction at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. For this reason, the hotels management is allowing researchers to collect data from their customers. Therefore, the researchers should not force the customers to complete the questionnaire if they are hesitant. The questionnaire is being designed so that it does not contain sensitive items which would make customers feel uncomfortable. Practical significance: Measuring service quality is more difficult than measuring the quality of manufactured goods because the nature of services is intangible (Bergman and Klefsjo, 1994). The SERVQUAL model is an efficient tool to help measure service quality and clarify customer satisfaction. The result of this research would be useful for the Shangri-La Hotels management and staff members so that they can better understand their customers level of satisfaction with perceptions about the hotels services. It will help hotel management in their efforts to maintain and improve hotel service quality. In addition, other hoteliers and organizations within the service industries sector could adapt this research to use as basis for studies into their own organizations. Background information: Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is a well-established Asian hotel chain in major cities throughout Asia, Oceania and The Middle East. The headquarters is located in Hong Kong. Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok is one property of many properties of Shangri-La Company, located in the Silom district, has a total of 799 rooms including serviced apartments and other facilities such as restaurants, conference rooms, spa, swimming pool and tennis courts (Shangri-La Hotel, 2010). Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok is located in a convenient place next to the Chao Phraya River which is the main river of Thailand, and is only half an hour from Suvarnabhumi Airport and 10 minutes away from central business by BTS Skytrain. For these reasons, this hotel has the ability to attract numerous tourists. Furthermore, Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok is connected to Sathorn Pier, so tourists can take public boats or long tail boats to travel to and visit several kinds of tourist attractions easily such as the Temple of Dawn, the Grand Palace, the Flower Market and Khaosan Road. There is a high diversity of tourism industries which promote the economy in this district and along this river. However, in recent years, the Thai economy has experienced difficulty for a variety of reasons. Figures 1 and 2 compare the performance of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts in the period from 2007 to 2008 with the period from 2008 to 2009. Table 1: The Shangri-La Hotel Weighted Average Room Yield 2007-2008 Source: Shangri-La Asia Limited (2008) Table 2: The Shangri-La Hotel Weighted Average Room Yields 2008-2009 Source: Shangri-La Asia Limited (2009) The figures above show that there was a significant decline in the performance of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Thailand in 2008 compared with 2007, and this decline in performance continued into 2009 with a drop on average room occupancy. According to the 2008 Shangri-La Asia Limited Annual Report, occupancy and RevPAR for Shangri-La Hotels decreased in 2008 by 15 and 10 percentage points respectively (Shangri-La Asia Limited, 2008). Moreover, the overall weighted average RevPAR for Shangri-La Hotel and Resorts Thai properties decreased a further 11 percent in 2009 (Shangri-La Asia Limited, 2009). The global financial crisis, the extensive renovations at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok and political uncertainty are cited as the main reasons for this decline. Literature review: There are several pieces of literature regarding studies of service quality which say that if a customer had a pleasant service experience, they would probably use that service again and would be likely to invite their friends or tell someone else to utilize those same services. In the same way, if customer had a poor service experience, they generally never forget about it, and many customers will complain and go elsewhere (Assael, 1987, Farrington et al., 2009, Peter and Olson, 1987). Word of mouth is a powerful communications tool. Customers may tell others whenever they experience poor service quality, and this would have a direct effect on the organizations image resulting in an eventual decrease in revenue. The power of this communications tool has always been evident from the past until the present. Consequently, organizations must always ensure that their service quality is the most pleasant and best to generate customers satisfaction. This is because the backbone of service organization growth is not just a high quality product or pricing strategy, but it is also the combination with good customer service. Nowadays, companies increasingly emphasize service quality and customer satisfaction throughout, so that they can increase customer loyalty, because it has determined that high customer loyalty is key to success in their market segment(Cronin et al., 2000). Service quality is widely studied and useful in service industries(Carman, 1990, Collier and Bienstock, 2006, Cronin and Taylor, 1992, Cronin et al., 2000, Gronroos, 1984, Parasuraman et al., 1985, Parasuraman et al., 1988). Many scholars have taken an interest in service quality issues because of their intangibility, which makes them very difficult to measure (Bergman and Klefsjo, 1994). For these reasons, several researchers created a model to help clarify the measurement of service quality. The most popular and extensively used models are Gronroos Service Quality Model and Parasuramans Gap Model (Legcevic, 2008). It could be describes of each model as following; Gronroos Service Quality Model splits customer perceived service into two dimensions: 1) technical quality, and 2) functional quality (Gronroos, 1984). 1) Technical quality or outcome quality is what customer receives as outcome of the process in the resources. Functional quality is how customer receives from technical outcome (Legcevic, 2008). Parasuramans Gap Model indicates that five gaps exist between management and customers during the service delivery process (Parasuraman et al., 1985). For my research, I will employ the SERVQUAL scale by using gap scores to help measure service quality. Service Quality: Today quality become recognized as a strategic tool to enhance and improved business actual performance both of goods sector and service sector. The key factor to success in service industry is service quality. The purpose of service quality is to satisfy the customer. Hence, service quality and customer satisfaction influence each other. As mentioned in the beginning, service quality is defined as a product or outcome resulting from all members in the organization trying to satisfy their customers (Wisniewski, 2001). Service quality also could be defined as crucial decision-making criteria for service consumers (Cronin et al., 2000). Customers evaluate service quality by comparing organizational performance with their expectations (Zeithaml et al., 1993). However, Parasuraman proved and indicated that there is a problem with customer perception of service, because five gaps exist between the customer and the service provider during service delivery. The figure below illustrates the Service Quality Gap Model by Parasuraman. Figure 2: The Service Quality Gap Model Source: Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Berry (1985) According to figure as above, it could be describes each gap as following; Gap1: Service provider not knowing what the customers expect Gap2: Service provider not selecting the right service design Gap3: Service provider not delivering to service standard Gap4: Service provider not matching performance to promises Gap5: The difference between customer expectations and customer perceived service (Legcevic, 2008) A gap which may occur between customer expectation and customer perception is not the only measurement of service quality. However, it is a determinant of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction. If the service providers response to customer needs is below their expectations, the customer would estimate that the quality is low. SERVQUAL Scale: The main benefit of the SERVQUAL instrument is that it helps management to measure the quality of service by comparing customers expectation of service and customer perceived service which categorizing each problem facet into five dimensions. It lets them classify the problems into dimensions, helping management to focus on the problems and improve service quality in the right way when some elements of service are found to be lacking. The SERVQUAL model was created by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry in 1985. The 1985 version consisted of ten dimensions. The model was further developed, and in 1988 it was refined into five dimensions. The SERVQUAL model has been widely used as an efficient instrument for measuring service quality in many service industries (Asubonteng et al., 1996). The five dimensions are: 1) reliability, 2) responsiveness, 3) assurance, 4) empathy and 5) tangible. According to Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1985), they defined each dimensions as follows: Table 3: SERVQUAL 5 Dimensions Reliability: Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately Responsiveness: Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service Assurance: Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence Empathy: Caring, individualized attention the firm provides its customers Tangible: Physical facilities, equipment, and appearance of personnel (Parasuraman et al, 1985) The most important dimension that the customer used to evaluate service quality is the reliability dimension (Legcevic, 2008). Parasuraman developed a set of questionnaires using 22 parallel questions to measure customers expectation of service and customer perception of service in the five dimensions. The measurement uses a Likert Scale with seven levels ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The service quality measurement of each pair of questions uses performance minus expectation. A positive score represents positive service quality (Parasuraman et al., 1988). Quality = Performance Expectation Nevertheless, there are numerous of academic studies which do not support these five dimensions. These studies determined that problems occur with this measurement method. Chen (2008) argued that SERVQUAL should add more dimensions to give the result more validity and credibility (Chen, 2008). Carman (1990) argued that each dimension should not be general because each service industry is different. Therefore, this model could not be used in the same format across industries (Carman, 1990). Although, there are weak points existing in SERVQUAL model, the concept of dimensions is still useful and when anyone interested in service quality issue, one choice which remind is SERVQUAL scale because its great to demonstrative power (Jain and Gupta, 2004). Then, it is used frequently today. SERVPERF Scale When discuss about SERVQUAL scale, it can not forgot to talks about SERVPERF scale as well. SERVPERF is one of service quality measurement scale. The results of both scale (SERVQUAL and SERVPERF), when compare these method to each other, the result which occurs are quite similar. However, there are differences in measuring process. Moreover, it is difference in reliability. To classify divergence between SERVQUAL scale and SERVPERF could be concise explain as following; SERVQUAL use customers expectation of service and customer perceived service to find service quality while SERVPERF use only customers perception for consideration. Cronin and Taylor (1992) compare between these two scales a found that SERVPERF is enough for measure service quality. However, the SERVQUAL scale is effective than SERVPERF scale because it provide more pragmatic diagnosis of service quality (Jain and Gupta, 2004). Customer Satisfaction: There are plentiful researchers studies on customer satisfaction. The definition of customer satisfaction is also diverse. Pizam and Ellis(1999) states that customer satisfaction is a psychological concept relating to a feeling of pleasure and well-being which is a result between needs in mind and an appealing product or service (Pizam and Ellis, 1999). The sense of satisfaction brings about positive attitudes which leads a customer seek that satisfying experience again (Assael, 1987). Customer satisfaction also has an influence on corporate survival. Naumann (1995) states that in order to attract a new customer, an organization has to pay costs in the form of time and resources equal to approximately five times that which is necessary to retain an existing customer (Naumann, 1995). Therefore, it leads the organization to determine quality as the ability to retain existing customers. However, not every customer will perceive the same level of satisfaction with the same level of service, because their sense of satisfaction is related to word of mouth communication and their past experiences (Pizam and Ellis, 1999). All people have had different experiences, thus they also have different objectives, needs and expectations. To ensure that the organization provides a high level of service quality, customer satisfaction surveys are necessary. Parasuraman, Zeithaml, and Bery (1994) suggested that product quality, service quality, and price are each factors that encourage satisfaction (Parasuraman et al., 1994). Customer loyalty develops when customers become satisfied with these different factors provided by the organization (Farrington et al., 2009). The following is a conceptual framework showing the connection of each element which involves customer satisfaction. Figure 3: A Conceptual Framework for the Effects of Perceived Product Quality, Service Quality, and Pricing Fairness on Consumer Satisfaction and Consumer Loyalty Customer Satisfaction Product Quality Perceived Product Quality Perceived Service Quality Service Quality Customer Loyalty Perceived Price Fairness Price Source: (Bei and Chiao, 2001) Understanding the critical elements described above, how they are related, and how they help the organization is a foundation to success in the service industry. Data required: The data required for this study would be based in information collected from Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok customers. This research also requires the use of SERVQUAL as the main model to help measure service quality. Furthermore, may utilize some other theories from journal articles and textbooks which are related to this research. Other sources of information may include Shangri-La Hotel and Resorts information, particularly with regards to general information and occupancy data as required supporting in this research. Data sources: This research will utilize the following two types of data: Primary data: The primary data for this research will be collected from 100 hotel customers who stay at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok for least one night. The guests will be selected by simple random sampling technique, and they will fill out questionnaires regarding hotel service quality. Each questionnaire shall contain three parts: the first part will be general information of respondent, the second part will be about the expectations and perception service quality, and third part is level of satisfaction of the customer. Secondary data: The secondary data will be gathered from literature such as journal articles, textbooks, Shangri-la Hotel, Bangkok data and hotel website sources. The process of data collection shall be conducted from July to August, 2010. Data collection techniques: This research would be collects the data from 100 of customers of Shangri-La hotel, Bangkok who stay at the hotel at least one night. The researcher would be select population sample by employ random sampling method and using questionnaire as the tools. The measuring service quality instrument in this research is SERVQUAL. The questionnaire composes of three parts as following; First part is about demographic data of customers; 1) gender, 2) age, 3) country of resident, 4) reason for stay, and 5) why they selected Shangri-La hotel, Bangkok as a place to stay. Second part, it would be focusing on customers expectation of service quality (customers expectations) and received service quality (customers perceptions), in this area customer would answer both of these two aspects into SERVQUAL dimensions. This research would use Likerts scale to measure into five point scales. Likerts scale is a instrument to help measure attitude and opinion (Laerhoven et al., 2004). On the customers expectation question side and customers perception question side would be ask customer to give rate ranging from Strongly Disagree 1,2,3,4,5 Strongly Agree. Third part would be ask customer one question about their satisfaction of overall hotel service quality. In addition, researcher would leave the area for customer to add any recommendation. Data analysis: As for this research would be use R software (R Development Core Team, 2009) to help analyze questionnaire survey. Then would be using descriptive analysis and present it as table form, pie chart, and percentage calculated would be show. The standard deviation (SD) and mean are also would include. Timeline: Researcher has 13 weeks to process this report. This research process began on May 22, 2010. Due date of research proposal is on June 20, 2009. As for research final report is require to be submit on August 22, 2010 Table 4: Timeline Research Methodology: The precise measurement of hotel service quality is vital in order to be success in the hotel business. Because it helps hotel management to understand the hotel service quality level which hotel staff provide to customer. Without an appropriate measurement, it would be difficult to understand the expectation and satisfaction of customer and moreover, it would be difficult to create the strategies to upgrade hotel service quality. This research survey adopted the questionnaire 25 parallel items from (Mey et al., 2006) which is proper use to measure in hotel service quality industry, instead of using the original SERVQUAL questionnaire of 22 parallel items which establish by (Parasuraman et al., 1988). This research uses the quantitative as the main methods. Refer to the questionnaire, this research intends to identify and analyze the gaps between customer expectations and customer perceives service quality. The objective of this paper is to measure customer satisfaction and hotel service quality of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok. The questionnaire survey was divided into three categories. The first category was demographic data and travelling characteristics of respondents. The second category was to investigate the customer expectation and customer perception regarding hotel service quality by using SERVQUAL dimensions. In this part of questionnaire were on 5-point Likert scale ranging from Strongly Disagree 1,2,3,4,5 Strongly Agree. The last category was asked one question about the overall satisfaction regarding the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok service quality. Generally, the five stars hotel even in Bangkok had a strong policy which concern with guest privacy issues and not allowed the external people to do survey in the hotel. However, the researcher had been trainee and employee at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok for two years; with this reason, the hotel was confidence and permits the researcher to do survey eventually, because the hotel saw that this research survey would gain more benefits to the hotel than disadvantage. The Sampling The researcher faced the problems during doing the survey; the questionnaire survey prepared for customer at the hotel check-in/ out counter. In the beginning front office attendant was given the questionnaire survey to customers when they are check-in and aim to get it back after they are check-out. Most of customers got the questionnaire survey from front officer, but indeed they are not completed it questionnaire. To reduce uncompleted questionnaire, the front office attendant was change to given questionnaire survey to customer during they were checking-out instead, and return it from customer promptly. However, the front office attendant was not enforced customer to fill out the questionnaire, if they were reluctant. The samples were 100 hotel customers who stay at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok at least one night. However, the researcher collected data from 100 hotel respondents as aims. Results and Analysis: The questionnaire composes of three sections as following; First Section It is about demographic data of customers; 1) gender, 2) age, 3) country of resident, 4) reason for stay, and 5) why they selected Shangri-La hotel, Bangkok as a place to stay. Demographic Data Gender of respondent According to result, it indicated that the majority of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok customer were female than male. Female were 63% and male 37%. There were female customers almost 2 times of male customers. See table 5. Table 5: Frequency and Percentage of Gender Gender Frequency Percentage Male 37 37 Female 63 63 Total 100 100 The result of elaborating on male and female were showed in figured below; Figure 4: Gender of hotel customer 2. Age of respondents This research survey classifies the age of hotel customer into 4 categories; 1) below 30 years, 2) 31 40 years, 3) 41 50 years, and 3) above 50 years. The result indicated that the majority of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok customer were between 31 40 years (60%), were below 30 years (28%), 41 50 years (9%), and above 50 (3%) respectively. See table 6. Table 6: Frequency and Percentage of Age Age Frequency Percentage Below 30 year 28 28 31 40 year 60 60 41 50 year 9 9 Above 50 3 3 Total 100 100 The result of elaborating on age of hotel customer was showed in figured below; Figure 5: Age of hotel customer Resident country of respondent According to result, it indicated that the majority of the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok customer was had resident country in China (13%). Also were USA (12%); Japan (10%); Australia, Thailand and Singapore (7%); UAE (6%); England, German, Hong Kong, Italy and Korea (5%); India (4%); Canada (3%); Span and France (2%); Belgium and New Zealand (1%) respectively. See table 7. Table 7: Frequency and Percentage of Resident Country Resident Country Frequency Percentage Australia 7 7 Belgium 1 1 Canada 3 3 China 13 13 England 5 5 France 2 2 German 5 5 Hong Kong 5 5 India 4 4 Italy 5 5 Japan 10 10 Korea 5 5 New Zealand 1 1 Singapore 7 7 Span 2 2 Thailand 7 7 UAE 6 6 USA 12 12 Total 100 100 The result of elaborating on resident country of hotel customer was showed in figured below; Figure 6: Resident country of hotel customer The main objective of respondents for staying at Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok The result showed that the most of the hotel customer come to stay at the Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok significantly for leisure as main objective (84%). And also for business (16%). See table 8. Table 8: Frequency and Percentage of Objective for Stay Objective for Stay Frequency Percentage For Leisure 84 84 For Business 16 16 Total 100 100 The result of elaborating on objective for Stay of hotel customer was showed in figured below; Figure 7: Objective for Stay of hotel customer Reason of Select Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok for stay This research survey c

Why I Want to Be a Nurse

Why I decided to become a nurse. Growing up I always thought I would someday be a nurse. It was a dream that I always had. Knowing that it would be hard for mom and dad to afford, I considered enlisting into the army to get school and training paid for. As high school graduation got closer, I decided to â€Å"take a break† from school. So, I didn't go to college or enlist. When I started running low on funds, I decided to go to training to become a certified nurse's aide (cna). It didn't take long and cna jobs were plentiful in nursing homes. My first job was as a cna in a nursing home. I loved it, but it was hard work. Next, I got a job as a cna at Cabell Huntington Hospital on the med-surg floor. This reaffirmed the notion that I do love that kind of work. Pay was not bad either. At this time I was single so I made plenty enough money for me. I still wasn't ready to commit myself to school. The years passed by and my life began to take shape. I got pregnant with my first daughter, Jasmine in 1999. My son A. J came along in 2000. I decided to marry their daddy in 2001. Our last daughter Kiana was born in October of 2004. I stayed home with my kids for about 7 years but decided I needed to go back to the adult world. My sister talked me into going to massage school and becoming a certified massage therapist. So, I did and got the job that I currently work at with a chiropractor. I love this job also, but I don't think I can do it much longer because it is very hard on my hands and wrists. My sister failed to mention how hard it was to do this kind of work. Being in the chiropractors office also allows me help people. Nursing jobs will probably always be in demand. I don't think there will ever be a day that the world has too many nurses. Today disease is abundant and the need for good nurses is on the rise. The pay is also a plus. I'm not sure if I want to specialize in a particular area of nursing or not. I like all areas. The hustle and bustle of the emergency room is appealing but I also think working the floors in the different units of a hospital would be exciting. Working in a nursing home is also something that I ouldn't mind. I've done it before, so I know how rewarding it can be. I love working with the older population. I go to a local nursing home and give a couple of my patients massages since they can't get out and come to my office any more. I am very thankful for the opportunity I have been given to finally fulfill my dream of becoming a registered nurse. I can't wait to get this new chapter in my life started. I am anxious to get started helping as many people as I can and help pr ovide a better living for my family. Why I Want to Be a Nurse It was on a Monday morning, the 1st day of December, 2010. I had spent two years preparing and saving money for this memorable day. I was going to be my best moment after my wedding day. The whole village where I was born â€Å"Makupa†led by our local chief Mr. Ndoto, my brothers, sisters members of the Clergy both young and old men and women, no wanted to miss that memorable opportunity of escorting me to Jomo Kenyatta international Airport. One would have thought that there was a very important dignitary visiting the country. Dressed in green and red, women danced and sang patriotic songs, children were not left behind, they recited poems, old men who could hardly stand due to their advance age spoke words of blessing, members of the Clergy invoked long prayers, as though they would never pray again. The whole Airport garden came to a stand-still. A gentleman by the name of John Brown join our group and sort to know about our huge crowd and what it was upto. He introduced himself as the Chief Security Manager. Our Chief, Mr Ndoto took over, he was charge as a bull. When he started talking, her was dead silence, a pin would fall and be notice. He gave along chronology of how our village started and how no one had ever excelled in studies, to a point of winning scholarship abroad. To him that was enough reason to bring the whole Village to the Airport Mr. Brown did not have any choice but allow us celebrate our victory. Clock ticked and my departure time drew neigh, I tried to imagine how Lagos international Airport looked like but I could not fathom. How Nigerians have heavy but good accent, I could not wait! An hour before departure time, the Captain announced â€Å"Passengers KQ 374† please board. There was mix reaction, some of us wept tears of joy, others felt I should have stayed bit longer while still others felt like I was going to heaven and I would never come back again. But in all these, Mr. Ndoto comforted them that I would only be away for two years and my studies would benefit the whole community. After hugging and kissing the much awaited moment came and I boarded the plane. It was a real adventure I had not boarded a plane before, therefore I did not know what to expect, but thank God I was ready to lean. My laugage was put in the cock pit only the carry on was allowed inside the cabin. The whole flight was going to take seven hours. It was meal time and there came a beautiful smiling attendant, ready to serve me. Since no body had told me that the meal was paid for, I thought it was very expensive and I could not afford. I declined the offer! She went ahead and offered a drink, which I neither accepted. Not because I was full but fearful. Six and half hour later, the Captain announced that we about to land, every passage to fasten their belt. I did that with grate excitement because I knew finally we were in Lagos Nigeria. The flight was exiting though fierce being the first time to fly. We disembarked I took my laugage and headed to the Immigration office. I knew the the college which I was joining had sent representative and they were waiting for me at the visitors lounge. No sooner had I entered the office than the officer gave me a card to fill in, Question number one was my religion, I happily wrote Christian, The officer thundered to me , and exclaimed. ‘Stop! ’ Don’t go any further†. His accent scared me to death! He went ahead and told me that I was under arrest. I sort an explanation and he said that I was a spy. I could not connect spying and my education. One of the soldiers told me that the northern state of Lagos was a Muslim state and no Christian was allowed in, peradventure one was found, he would be treated as a spy whose penalty was life imprisonment or death penalty. His words made me feel like I wish the ground would open up and swallow me alive. I explained to them how I got a scholarship to their country but all that fell on deaf ears. They gave me two options, either life imprisonment or death sentence. I found myself between a rock and a hard place. None of the options was better than the other. But I chose life imprisonment. They locked me in jail, fortunately the staff from the college arrived. Better late than never. They engage those officers but they held that I was a spy. They realize they were hard nuts to crack and resolved to contact Kenya ambassador . In the prison, I made all kind of prayers repented all known and unknown sins purified my heart in readiness for any eventuality. Two hours later, there was a knock at the door, I was always hoping and expecting a miracle, but I was prepared for the worse. This time the two officers were accompanied by a third person. He introduced himself as the Ambassador of Kenya in Nigeria. I could not wait for a second word, I defied all the decorum and protocol jumped upon his shoulders and wept uncontrollably. He apologized for what had happened and assured me that my scholarship would de transferred to the southern state which was a Christian state. All this time, the immigration officers were speechless. I was ushered out of the cell by our ambassador to a his waiting limousine fly Kenya flag. I thought I was dreaming! He hosted me in his residence until he transferred my scholarship to another college. My morning was turned into dancing. Why I Want to Be a Nurse When I was in high school I was voted most likely to become a Dr.. This wasn’t a big deal except that I went to a Vocational and Technical High School. So I went on to pursue my parents dream to become a Dr. , note it was my parents dream. I just wanted to play baseball and become a nurse. At last there dream fell apart when I got hurt lost my scholarship in my freshman year of college. Funny thing is I could have stayed in school and really concentrate on my sports ops I mean school. My father told me to join the service so I could have the Military pay for school GI bill. After some thought I would no longer be under my father’s thumb and agreed to join the Navy. After taking the ASVAB test the recruiter smiled and asked if I had ever thought of nuclear subs I said no but said I like this 5 year hospital Corpsman thing it sounds good. The next 5 years was awesome I got to play baseball for a Puerto Rican professional team and play competitive softball for the Navy until I hurt my leg again. Now what to do didn’t take long to decide after my father passed away from a massive heart attack a week before my oldest daughter was born. I knew my calling to be a paramedic. This lasted several years but I realized that I could make more money and make my own hours. Now some years later I after some bad health have come back to my High School dream to become a nurse and this time I won’t be called a sissy for wanting to be one! My original reason to be a nurse was I wanted to work in an Emergency Room. From an early age I wanted to be a nurse not a Dr.. I think it was that while in the hospital I found that the nurses were the ones that left the lasting impressions on you. That was the seed. The ability to go to one job and stay there for a long time is a very good thing. In with what the other options in todays economy are. Most places that employ nurses offer good medical coverage. The last but not the least would be the pay. In today’s economy this has to be the number one reason to have brought me back full circle, to my high school days. So today at all most 50 I know that I can start here and then train to be an ER nurse for many years. Maybe even specializing in a pediatric ER unit. Why I Want to Be a Nurse Although my motives for becoming a nurse haven’t always been as set in place as they are now I have always, ever since I can remember, had the idea that this was the profession for me. I am an outgoing person who enjoys working with and helping people. It wasn’t until my father was diagnosed with cancer that I knew that being a nurse is what I wanted to do, to be an advocate to my father and to all the other patients that I would eventually care for.During my first year of study I was kept very busy trying to juggle all of my courses and at the same time taking care of a 4 yr old and a new baby, I was very determine to accomplish my dream to give my family a better life. Once I became a nurse, I was very proud of my accomplishment, even though my father had passed away from cancer, I was doing this for him. The nurses in the hospital taught me so much about care and compassion.They showed me first hand the characteristics of a good nurse and what being a nurse is all ab out. I believe that nursing is a profession that somebody must feel in their heart and truly love. After my experience in the hospital I can honestly say that I am proud to be a nurse and I definitely do feel it in my heart. I am currently working fulltime at Sentara home care as a nursing supervisor. My experience in nursing involved working at Chesapeake General Hospital as an Orthopedic nurse right from nursing school.I realized once I graduated and starting working with the patients that nursing isn’t just doing the task at hand, it involves compassion, sitting at the bedside of a patient that hasn’t had anyone visit them and spending time or just holding their hand. I love nursing and the longer that I am a nurse the more rewarding it is. I chose VCU to further my education because it enables me to continue working as Home care infusion nurse fulltime and taking care of my family. VCU is a reputable school for nursing and I feel that I would get the best education and experience going through your nursing program.

Politics, Economics, And Culture - 1089 Words

The fundamental social question of our age is what will be the ways in which societies reconcile the disproportionate distribution of wealth in nations. Especially with regard to its effects on politics, economics, and culture. Already, this inequality produces an aristocratic class who influences public policy. This influence leads to economic conditions impoverishing the citizenry while enriching the elite. The elite uses this accumulated power for their own interest instead that of society. As a result, contemporary democratic states devolve into aristocratic states managed by oligarchs. Through the latter part of the twentieth century and onward, economic elites have established policies that benefit the wealthy. Whether by lobbying or contributing to political campaigns, the upper class can have sway over a nation-state. Empirically, it is shown that the majority of Americans has little influence, in contrast to the wealthy elite that predominate policymaking (Gilens and Page 577). As such, policies of deregulation, privatization and free trade can proliferate under the reign of one group. Furthermore, there are reasons why the wealthy attained their power. The reasoning behind is the rapid accumulation of capital by the rich, In Capital in the Twenty- first Century, Thomas Piketty asserts that â€Å"the rates of return on capital exceeds the rate of growth of output and income, as it did in the nineteenth century and seems quite likely to do again in the twenty-first,Show MoreRelatedSamsung Electronics And Its Impact On Economic Development, Politics And Culture1326 Words   |  6 PagesABSTRAT Nowadays Samsung Electronics is a South Korean multinational company that produces a wide range of electronical equipment. 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