Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Rhetorical Analysis Of Langston Hughes s The American...

‘America’ is a complex, layered idea; one that becomes all the more complex when the deeply embedded construct of race comes into play. As a black man born into a time of overt racial prejudice, Langston Hughes was all too familiar with the double consciousness that came with life as an American minority. This roller coaster is the subject of the vast majority of his literary work and has continued to be a major presence and inspiration for literary work everywhere today. Hughes shows a deep loyalty to the ideals that brought the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights into fruition and, through repeated motifs of the American Dream, seeks to bring about calm in a time of social and political unrest. The poem â€Å"Let America Be America Again,† â€Å"Afro-American Fragment,† and â€Å"As I Grow Older,† are a few of the most vivid examples of his ideals through poetry. Analyzing these poems through cluster criticism supports Donald B. Gi bson’s conclusion that â€Å"Hughes’ commitment to the American ideal was deep†¦and abiding. He held on to it despite his acute awareness of the inequities of democracy, and he seemed to feel that in time justice would prevail, that the promises of the dream would be fulfilled† (45). Hughes felt that the oppression of him and his people by a white supremacy was coming to an end and was ready to receive the justice that had been constantly denied to his people. Cluster analysis, created by Kenneth Burke, finds the writer’s worldview within a text.Show MoreRelatedRhetorical Analysis Of Langston Hughes s The American Dream 3454 Words   |  14 Pagesovert racial prejudice, Langston Hughes was all too familiar with the double consciousness that came with life as an American minority. This roller coaster is the subject of the vast majority of his literary work and has continued to be a major presence and inspiration for literary work everywhere today. Hughes shows a deep loyalty to the ideals that brought the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights into fruition and, through repeated motifs of the American Dream, seeks to bring about

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Slavery During The Civil War Essay - 1140 Words

Slavery has dependably been the most stunning wonders of our reality. Slavery, independent from anyone else appears to be exceptionally unnatural and incites blended sentiments from the heart of every individual. A few people are relatives of those who used to be slaves years prior. Some confronted slavery even in the contemporary times. What s more, a few people do not comprehend the likelihood of one individual considering another person its slave. Slavery, by definition, is the primary authentic type of misuse, under which a slave alongside various actualizes of generation turns into the private property of the slave proprietor. At the end of the day slavery changes an individual person into a thing or even some sort of customer item. These spectacles have done a ton of mischief to millions of individuals, taking without end lives and pulverizing the destiny of the general population who could have been upbeat. It is basic learning that slavery was disposed of with the end of the Civil War. The South was discharged from the load that made the slavery to stop and that began crushing the partialities concerning the color of skin. These days, it is as of now history. Throughout the paper, the topics that will be discussed is a life of a slave on how they were mistreated, the Emancipation Proclamation, and lastly Lincoln most famous speech; The Gettysburg Address†. Working extend periods of time, whipped to death, starved, and broken spirits all portray a slave. SlaveryShow MoreRelatedSlavery During The Civil War1159 Words   |  5 PagesThe Civil War, occurring between the years 1861 and 1865, was a devastating effect of sectionalism caused by the division of the country on the topic of slavery. Slavery impacted every aspect of the country, whether in the North or the South, though primarily in the South; major impacts were in the politics and economy of the early country ways which inevitably caused the Civil War. Slavery was the focal point of the economy in the South, this inthrallment was the fuel for the agricultural SouthRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War989 Words   |  4 Pagesthe foul seeds of slavery in American soil. Quickly, slavery would spread like weeds throughout the colonies, and became significantly important to the South. According to the Constitutional Rights Foundation, â€Å"Before the Civil War, nearly 4 million black slaves toiled in the American South.† However, during the late 1800s, many American citizens began to contemplate the mortality of slavery, thereby causing the states to divide. Although the North was for the abolition of slavery, the South defendedRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War Essay1728 Words   |  7 Pages Eighteen century was a time period when slavery took deep roots in the New World. Slavery institution deeply affected and shaped the United States in the way we know it now. It affected all aspects of an American society: politically, economically and socially. Slaves were the ones who worked on large plantations, harvesting the crops, taking care of houses, fighting for an American independence, and gave the white people a leisure time to improve their knowledge and exercise political powerRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War1571 Words   |  7 PagesSlavery, defined in Webster’s dictionary as the â€Å"condition in which one human being is owned by another†, was a heinous crime against humanity that was legal and considered a normality in America from 1619 to 1865. In 1865, the Union won the Civil War against the Confederates and declared that African American slaves be emancipated. Before their emancipation, African American families were split up, never to see each other again. Their rights of political and social freedoms were also stripped awayRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War Essay1761 Words   |  8 PagesThe idea of slavery in early America began when African slaves were brought to the newly settled North American settlement called Jamestown in Virginia in 1619, to help in the cultivation of cash crops as tobacco. Slavery was practiced all throughout the colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, with the abundance of practically free labor provided from the enslaved African-Americans helped pave the road of economic foundations in the newly founded nation. With the invention of the cotton gin in 1793Read MoreSlavery During The Civil War1751 Words   |  8 PagesFreedom. Independence. Liberty. Slavery in America began as early as the 1600’s when the colonists began settling in Jamestown. Originally, slavery was merely a small system of labor, meant to aid the production of crops and help build the economic foundations of the New World. The concept of slavery differed from place to place and from person to person. Some believed that owning another person as a source of free labor was just, wanting to extend the idea of slavery. Others thought the labor systemRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War1900 Words   |  8 Pageslifestyles, abolitionists from north were against slavery and advocated emancipation to slaves in the south. Slavery may not have been the only factor that sparked a disagreement between the north and south but it certainly had an influence on states decisions to remain or leave the Union. The conflict of slavery has been an issue as early as the American Revolution but it became a serious problem around the 1850’s and during the Civil War. The impact slavery had on the Union can be seen in events suchRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War Essay1754 Words   |  8 Pages‘Modern’ slavery in America began in 1619 when the first wave of slaves, were brought from Africa to a North American colony in Jamestown, Virginia. From 1619 to 1807 (when The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was made) according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Database 12.5 million african were shipped to America. Prior to this slavery had existed as early as 1400 in europe. In America their sole purpose was to facilitate the production of lucrative crops such as Tobacco and cotton. By the 18thRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War1636 Words   |  7 PagesThe Reasons that led to the Continue of Slavery in Virginia When Englishmen arrived at Jamestown they found a great land for farming. A few years later when the Englishmen decided to settle down at the new land, they grew a high-grade tobacco at the Chesapeake . It did not take long time for settlers to understand that they could pay their fines, debts, and taxes with tobacco, so they started to grow tobacco everywhere. In order to support economic growth and luxury living, EnglishmenRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War1908 Words   |  8 PagesThroughout the 1800s in America, slavery was a controversy between the north and the south. A Slave was one who was the property of another human being under law and was forced to obey them. The North felt that slavery was unfair and inhumane, whereas in the South, they felt as though slavery was crucial to their success. African American slaves were not allowed many rights: they were not allowed to testify in court against a white person, could not receive an education, or even sign c ontracts

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Australian Law Relating To Refugees And Asylum Seekers

Question: Describe about the Australian Law Relating To Refugees And Asylum Seekers. Answer: Introduction This report is related to analysis of current law relating to asylum seekers in Australia and what reformation it require in relation to international standards. A refugee is defined by the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees 1951("Refugee Convention")[1]. It further identifies the status and protection given to immigrants who are facing adversities in their country. Finally, the report gives an idea related to the concept of asylum to render protection to those who are in need. A person who has left his country for the purpose to seek protection is called as an asylum seeker. As per United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, as amended by its 1967 Protocol, a person who is living outside his own country and is incapable to return due to a threat of being badly treated because of his pursuit, belief, nationality, political opinion etc[2]. An Asylum seeker is forced to leave his own country and returns until the situation in his own country is improves. Australia is providing home to Asylum seeker reaching through sea and air. Australian law relating to asylum seeker is stringent against irregular migration. They are detained for an indefinite time period. The current law requires amendment as it is against the UN convention 1967. The core principle behind this protocol is to assert that a refugee doesnt face a threat to their freedom in foreign country. Australia although provides a safe stay for the asylum seeker but the current law related to detention is posing difficulty. The law related to detention is vague that is posing difficulty on UNHCR 1951 convention 1967 protocol safeguard the interest of refugees[3]. According to the mentioned protocol it is the duty of every country to protect the interest of every refugee[4] seeking shelter. The current law relating to refugee and asylum seeking is moderate which is causing irregular migration inside Australia raising security concern. Moreover detention for an indef inite period with a lesser legal support is raising a need for improvement in the country. Under such a situation there is a necessity to reform the current law related to asylum seeker providing more relaxation to the asylum seeker[5]. Universal reality in context of Refugee concern The bureau of the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) approximations shows that there are 42.5 million compulsorily banished individuals worldwide. They include refugees, asylum seekers and emigrant individuals. The number and the magnitudes of each classification have shifted slightly. The total number of migration is shifted in the recent years which have affected the global concern (Source: UNHCR Global Trends 2011).[6] Refugees are facing high tribulation and are facing problems related to the basic necessity which is grabbing the concern of each individual. Pakistan, Iran and Kenya provide four-fifths of the worlds refugees. 80 percent of people who leave their country reach the adjacent country to take shelter .In 2011 Pakistan provided an asylum to 1.7 million listed out of which about 1 million unregistered immigrants. The Islamic republic of Iran provides asylum to approximately 900,000 listed refugees. These authenticities extremely overstress local possessions and arrangement in these nations and many others, and subsidize to forward activities[7]. This problem is escalating in serious parts of the Middle East and south Asia. Governance and safety measures in home country for migrant movements, and in countries of asylum, decline. According to UNHCR, in 2009 practically half of the worlds immigrants lived in cities and towns equaled to about one-third who survived in campsites. Urban expatriates face a variety of lawful, monetary, social and language barriers. They may have liberties and chances to assimilate locally into the public but they also look a range of fortification dangers, comprising the risk of detention and custody, refoulement, nuisance, mistreatment and judgment. Development can also make it extra tough for UNHCR to find residents in requirement and to afford crucial facilities. A large number of refugees and asylum seekers are facing prolonged dangerous conditions around the world, together in camps and town sites. There is a lot of critical issue related to the smuggling which can take place in Australia. The number of movement taking place in Asia Pacific is a part of irregular migration which needs a special attention. The number of unbalanced refugees is suggestively subtle in systematic investigation. It is assessed that 30-40per cent of all movement currently in Asia which take place through asymmetrical frequencies, abundant of intra-regional[8]. Asia pacific area presently has more than 3.6 million immigrants which are around 24 per cent of the total world immigrant populace. Those states which are party to asylum are immature in making any decision. There is an absolute difference in between the level of intake of refugees. It is the duty of United Nation to look after the rights of the refugees in case of proper national system. Refugee concentration in the Asia pacific is problematical by varied movement of immigrants. There are differences between compulsory movement and unequal labor relocation to and within. These issues are currently increasing which is posing a difficulty on different countries. Progressively, the two interconnect to generate diverse relocation flows: financial emigrants, refugees and asylum seekers go in the same course, by the identical ways and manners of carriage and fronting the same dangers en route[9]. Analysis of law relating to Asylum Seeker The whole world is facing various, difficulty and multifaceted disputes in relation to the irregular movement of people across the borders. These challenges in Australia are facing a particular set of strategies and situations that are the creation of international realities. There are rising numbers of people looking for protection in Australia through unsafe and irregular journey. It is expected that in coming years, the number of people in search of asylum internationally, is possible to increase significantly. A harmony in the Australian parliament is looking to formulate policies in response to the present situation, locally and internationally. Additionally, while there is a huge necessity to speak regarding the range of encounters in the Asia pacific section which is both obligatory and anticipated. Global stress has led to enforcement of policies in Australia for national interests across a comprehensive range. They are engaged in implementing a major autonomous concern in, a nd duty for the integrity of Australias borders. The government is formulating policies keeping in mind the current and future situation of the country. They involve an emphasis on global environment in which unbalanced migration and asylum causing a huge harm to the nations security. Government is formulating policies to restrict accessible travel of networked people trafficking processes and mediators of conspiracy in various countries[10]. The present realities have engaged Australia to respond to the subsequent benevolent needs in the background of global obligations. It is upholding the purpose for many decades in response to the global urgency. The existing condition engrosses national capabilities in relationships of building local and wider world-wide sustenance for operative security preparations over the short and longer time period[11]. The right of Asylum seeker is protected by Australia through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a number of international Conventions as amended by its 1967 Protocol (the Refug ee Convention). Australia is been accused by international human rights organization for violating international policies. The country is recognized by Amnesty International as country violating international law by forcefully sending people to the country where they might face risk. Many cases related to rape and sexual assault was reported from the offshore processing center. Moreover the current law lack child protection framework which need special attention. Special attention need to be given on protecting children against exploitation. Under the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) asylum seekers arriving in Australia without a valid visa are held in detention until they receive a valid visa from the government. Moreover there is no limitation under the law related to the length of time for keeping an immigrant in detention. Sometimes they have to spend long time in immigration detention waiting for refugee claim. There is no time limit on detention with very limited review by the courts. Long-term, undefined and effectively unreviewable obligatory detention of children is the key concern in law relating to asylum seeker. There is a necessity to address changes in law related to detention in Australian law. There is a necessity to reconsider the law related to detention of refugees arriving in Australia. Asylum seekers in Australia do not have information about their rights and it is difficult for them to access legal advice as detention centre are located at remote areas. The total number of IMAs who have reached Australia are 30,500 people who arrived illegally by boatbefore1 January 2014. There is an increase in immigrants numbers per boat entrance in Australia[12] in recent years. Australia assesses the entitlement rights of the individuals who have applied for the asylum. The government has a right to accept or reject the application .It Depends on the Human Rights law Migration Act 1958 which provides protection to those who needs it[13]. Australia put forward its additional capacity to emigrant protection through its ancient generous concern over the humanitarian concern. The humanitarian program guarantees protection to the refugees across the border. The government provides them with the protection visa. It involves both the off shore and onshore displacement. The current law has restricted the number of asylum seeker entry into the country for meeting security requirements[14]. 2011-12 humanitarian programs have caused preparation for the onshore security system. The country sees a growth in onshore contribution and savings in SHP grants as only 714. It is demonstrating to be a burden on the current Special Humanitarian Program claims. A large section of the former of the submissions for immediate family members have been projected by former IMAs are staying in Australia[15]. Requirement of reformation The Australian government is significantly increasing the resource allocation to boost up the regional protection and motivation for further development of local assistance agenda on safety and asylum systems. There is a lot of illegal movement of refugees from Indonesia which is causing a threat on the safety of the country. People are using irregular means to enter in Australia that is posing a threat on the regional security. In recent past the country has witnesses a lot of irregular migration from Indonesia which has affected the life of innocent people. There is a need to form a mutual cooperation agreement in order to safeguard the interest of each individual. There is a need to form strict law to restrict the entry through illegal voyages. Both the countries should form a mutual agreement to safeguard the interest. There is a necessity to look into the matter of continuous illegal movements from Malaysia which has substantially increased the number of refugees. The panel commends an added operative government strategy is necessary to be developed for engaging with home countries for asylum searchers to Australia. This will help in emphasizing on a substantial growth in migration places provided by Australia to the Middle East and Asia regions[16]. The current law depicts severe policies for detention of refugees if they arrive through boats or without any proper Visa. Undefined detention period without proper legal knowledge causes threat in the mind of the asylum seekers. There is a need to introduce reformation measures in detention policies as per the requirements. Another major problem is the detention of children which need a special consideration. Recommendations (What Should be The Law) The current law supports indefinite detention of unauthorized migrant that is supported by the Australian High Court in the case law of Al-Kateb v Godwin that a stateless person can be detained for an indefinite period is wrong on the basis of fundamental human rights. The panel endorses that legislature should control the movement of the refugees in order to eliminate the problems faced while transferring from one place to the other. It is recommended to present the matter in the parliament as a subject of resolution. Future movement of refugees in a country should be regularized through a proper mechanism[17]. The right lies with the Australian government to regularize the movement of the refugees and to enact the law accordingly. Family reunion There are further recommendations regarding the current accumulation in the migration due to family reunion which is causing chaos through unbalanced and hazardous maritime journey to Australia. It can only be eliminated through sponsoring easy and simple family reunion law. Government wants to bridge the gap to reunite the families instead of a wrongful mean through streaming migration program. It is recommended that those people who arrive through the irregular maritime means should not be qualified to be the benefactor for their family under the SHP. This will guarantee the smooth functioning of the refugees movement in Australia. The family reunion program need to be framed while guaranteeing the nation safety. Sometimes the migratory take a wrongful medium to reach which not only harm the individual life but is affecting the current security condition. Other recommendations Australia encourages more vigorously matched approaches between customary and emerging relocation nations to generate more chances for resettlement as a series of its new local and global provisions. The Migration Act 1958 [18]views the arrival in Australia by unbalanced maritime means which will not bring personages with an assorted legitimate position than those who attain in an excised offshore place. Further the act endorses that a thorough review of refugee status determination (RSD) is mandatory to be implemented[19]. It is recommended to amend The Migration Act to make sure that asylum seekers who enter Australia by boat are prohibited from the country for life. The amendment will stop irregular arrival to Australia. There is a necessity to apply for a systematic procedure to attain visa. This will give a clear message to the smugglers to stop illegal immigration. There is a need to amend the law relating to detention of the irregular refugees. It is recommended to provide them safety rather than keeping them under grave conditions. There is a necessity to amend the provisons mentioned in the law related to detention of irregular migration. An Effective government strategy needs to be established to transfer the better consequences on confiscations and proceeds on failed asylum seekers and refugees from other countries. Interference strategies need to be persistent as a part of any wide-ranging method to encounters people trafficking. Government need to delegate special Australian agencies to look into the matter. This will reduce the chances of threats caused through the wrongful entrance. Law enforcement agencies in Australia are playing a significant role in opposing the connection of Australian occupants who are involved in the wrongful activities of smuggling the refugees from a foreign country[20]. The present condition reflects the unethical vessels carrying asylum seekers to be met efficiently. Australian government is facing a problem to implement the policies to change the current as well as the future condition. Bilateral agreements need to be given special preference while balancing the current situation related to the asylum seeker[21]. Australian government is currently working with the countries of other government to simplify the system to seek asylum. This can only be achieved by adopting a uniform procedure tor by incorporating national systematization preparation in the system jurisdiction[22]. There is a necessity to review the offshore and the onshore programs within a period of two years to increase the efficacy. The components of the humanitarian program should be reviewed from time to time. A well-mannered research program needs to be established in order to fulfill the current situation. Government should include the private agencies to address the problems caused by the asylum seekers. A well-funded research program is essentially to be address in the present scenario[23]. Necessity for reformation There is a necessity to reform the current law related to asylum seeker in order to safeguard the interest of people who are arriving in Australia in order to seek asylum. Firstly the time period related to detention need to be defined. Asylum seekers have a little knowledge regarding the legal system. It is recommended to provide them with proper reformation measure in order to attain basic rights during their stay. There is a necessity to ensure that they are given all the basic rights as the other citizen. Migration Act 1958 allows the regional shift of person from other country to Australia for seeking asylum claims. The act supports the claim of individual on the basis of the rules and guidelines given in the act. The act also suggests that if any person enters Australia by a wrongful manner is not allowed to be given shelter or benefits mentioned in the act. Migration Regulations 1994 amendments ask to stop prospective IMAs to proposer in future. The act allows the asylum seeke rs to move inside Australia on a temporary visa. They have a right to enjoy the claim like a normal citizen under certain restriction till the designated time period. All the legal guidelines are ensuring that the theory of no benefit to be applied in relation to IMAS which is being processed under the local arrangement. The main reason behind implementation of the policies under the act is to safeguard the interest of the nation[24]. However there is still opposition on the matter of seeking asylum claim in case for refugees who are arriving through irregular means. They are detained by the government for an undefined period. There is a need to introduce changes in the current policies related to detention. Mandatory detention is a part of Australian migration law that need reformation. Although it is putting restrictions on illegal migration across border but this is actually undermining the purpose of safe stay. The parliament has to make an arrangement about capability under the Migration Act 1958 to forbid the device allocating a country as a local dispensation setting[25]. Other Challenges Reformation measures The case of international migration has increased in current decades. It is due to the political, economic, social and humanitarian considerations taking place in the different countries. The growth of worldwide relocation is creating uneven flow of people across the border which is creating a burden over the host country. The current fundamental occurrence of irregular migration is causing a loss of many lives at the sea. A report states that there was a loss of 964 asylum seekers who came through the sea route through voyages from late 2001 to June 2012. 604 people lost their lives since October 2009. The condition of survivors has been very critical. Many of the voyagers suffered from a long term physical injury[26]. The current situation needs to be dealt efficiently to reduce the chances of life threat. The recent data has shown that people are causing harm to seek asylum in Australia. Government need to emphasize on policy decisions offered, and in its measured judgment. Australia is facing serious challenges which include effectually protection of borders, safeguarding uniformity between Australian policymakers and responsibilities. This is only possible by managing under local and international law, preserving long-lasting Australian public support for the relocation and humanitarian programs, consolidation of the basics needs of the refugee and humanitarian program, persistent Australias extremely effective immigration program by encouraging and simplifying more operative and better harmonized regional assistance provisions which will improve the convenience of protection for asylum seekers. Their entitlements are being administered and deliver robust results, including better access to tim ely and fair handing out of asylum seekers rights for refugee position. Safety and support includes the claim which are being resolute and consequently, comprising assurances against refoulement and arbitrary confinement, access to education, employment and health care and other basic necessities. They are extended all the basic facilities which are essential in their benefit. Government has expanded prospects according to which an unpaid repatriation, native incorporation or immigration confirming that those who pick uneven and treacherous voyages to Australia to seek asylum should not be given an advantage over those who seek asylum through systematic migration paths and conventional transnational schedules. The government is applying more dynamic government strategies in relation with those who want to seek asylum while following applicable policies at nationwide and local stages to fight people smuggling and causing a dreadful loss of life amongst individuals making unbalanced journey to Australia. It is essential to Identify, and prevents, the development of individuals smuggling operations which are adaptive, tactical, networked and merciless in misusing market positions and rule gaps. There is a necessity to develop a greater collaboration amongst government, Ngos and civil society in meeting the encounters and realizing replies to them. This is related to intensive refugee communities and groups in Australia which have exact acquaintances with source countries. It is the duty of the government to uphold the obligations under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, and the United Nations Convention on th e Law of the Sea to provide asylum. It will help Australia in meeting the prospective threats while implementing the policies in an efficient manner considering all the relevant goals mentioned[27]. Conclusion Under the current global scenario there will be a rise in the current situation related with the asylum seeker. The report is related to the impact of refugees on the security of the nation. There is a need to implement a stringent and lenient policy to safeguard the interest of the asylum seekers. The report explains the program focused by The current situation needs to be dealt efficiently to reduce the chances of life threat. The recent data has shown that people are causing harm to seek asylum in Australia. They are taking wrongful medium to enter inside the country. It is causing a threat to the security and posing a threat on the life of the asylum seekers. Reports have suggested that there was a rise in the death due to wrongful entrance inside the Australian territory. Government need to build a stringent policy mechanism to keep a check over the irregular migration which is taking place in Australia as it is causing a great harm to the refugees. The smugglers are taking undu e advantage of the refugees through entering by irregular means endangering life of innocent people. Australian government has a complete focus over the measures which were discussed in the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees 1951("Refugee Convention"). The rising growth of asylum seeker in the world is posing a threat on the Asia-pacific. Mandatory detention is a n unlawful concern that need to be dealt with utmost concern. Specifically in case of children who are kept in detention for an unlimited time period. There is a rise in the unlawful migration to Australia which is a matter of great concern. It is highly recommended to make advancement in a positive direction towards the benefit of both the asylum seeker and the nation. Safety and security is the basic right of an individual. UN is making efforts to secure the right of each individual who are seeking protection in a lawful manner. Bibliography: Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Federal Republic Of Germany, Luxembourg, Etc. Http://Www.Refworld.Org/Docid/3be01b964.Html Asylum Seekers And Refugees Guide,,2016.Who Are Asylum Seekers And Refugees?Https://Www.Humanrights.Gov.Au/Our-Work/Asylum-Seekers-And-Refugees/Asylum-Seekers-And-Refugees-Guide The Politics Of Protection And The Right To Food In Protracted Refugee Situations Http://Rightsinexile.Tumblr.Com/ The Un Refugee Agency, 2016.The 1951 Refugee Convention.Http://Www.Unhcr.Org/1951-Refugee-Convention.Html Australias Detention Policies Http://Www.Refugeecouncil.Org.Au/Getfacts/Seekingsafety/Asylum/Detention/Key-Facts/ The Problem With The 1951 Refugee Convention Http://Www.Aph.Gov.Au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Pubs/Rp/Rp0001/01rp05 Pakistanhttps://Www.Unhcr.Org/Pakistan.Html Australias Refugee And Humanitarian ProgramHttp://Www.Refugeecouncil.Org.Au/Getfacts/Overview/ The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Networks Vision For Regional Protection Http://Aprrn.Info/The-Asia-Pacific-Refugee-Rights-Network-S-Vision-For-Regional-Protection-3/

Sunday, December 1, 2019

ThePUPStudentHandbook free essay sample

Foster high quality campus environment; Strategies and institutionalize income Strengthen research, publications and creative works; Model quality management and fiscal responsibility; Improves sense of community involvement and linkages; Institutionalize prince peel of academic freedom and responsibility; 7. Promote academic excellence dent/faculty performance nationally and internationally; 8. Nurture and enrich cultural heritage; 9. Integrated Information and Communication Technology (CIT) with instruction, research, service and production; and 10. Evolve wholesome living and working environment for faculty, employees and students. . 2. 3 Mission The mission of PUP in the 21 SST century is to provide the highest quality of comprehensive and global education and community services accessible to all students, Filipinos and foreigners alike. It shall offer high quality undergraduate and graduate programs that are responsive to the hanging needs of the students to enable them to lead productive and meaningful lives. PUP shall maintain its traditional mission based on its founding philosophy and at the same time propose additional changes that will greatly enhance the realization of this mission in the context of global society. We will write a custom essay sample on ThePUPStudentHandbook or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Therefore, on the strength of the PUP Philosophy, the University commits itself to: 1. Democratic access to educational opportunities; 2. Promote science and technology consciousness and develop relevant expertise and competence among all members of the academic stressing their importance in building a truly independent and sovereign Philippines; 3. Emphasize the unrestrained and unremitting search for truth and its defense, as well as the advancement of moral and spiritual values; 4. Promote awareness of our beneficial and relevant cultural heritage; 5.Develop in the students and the faculty the values of selfishness, love of country and social consciousness and the need to defend human rights; 6. Provide its students and faculty with a liberal-arts based education essential to a broader understanding and appreciation of life and to the total development of the individual; 7. Make the students and the faculty aware of technological, social as well as political and economic problems and encourage them to contribute to the realization of nationalist industrialization and economic development of the country; 8. SE and propagate the National Language and other Philippine languages, and develop proficiency in English and other foreign languages required by the students field of specialization; 9. Promote intellectual leadership and sustain a humane and technologically advanced academic community where people of diverse ideologies work and learn together to attain academic research excellence in a continually changing world; and 10. Build learning community in touch with the main currents of political, economic and cultural life throughout the world; a community enriched by the presence of a significant number of international students; and a community supported by new technologies and facilities for active participation in the creation and use of information and knowledge on global scale. 1. 2. 4 Strategies To fulfill the foregoing commitments, the University shall: 1 Broaden opportunities for the intellectually qualified or scientifically inclined through school fees within the reach of even the socio-economically disadvantage students; 2.Strive to promote the welfare of its members through improvement of salary levels, security of tenure and through scholarships, training and development programs, better working conditions, as well as the rational use of time and resources; 3. Undertake vigorous efforts toward institutional linkages, particularly in the areas of common concern like training and retaining , eq uipment and audio- visual use, etc. ; 4. Formulate and implement new and relevant curricular activities with ruefully planned co-curricular ones; 5.Place emphasis on the need to improve indigenous Philippine science, technology and research; and 6. Stress, above all, continued and regular improvement of the content and quality of pup education, together with orienting course offering toward Filipino manpower requirements and entrepreneurial needs. 1. 2. 5 Core Values 1 . 2. 6 p Prosperity Unity Pro-people Loyalty to God and Country Empowerment Accountability Dignity and Dedication integrity Nobility Generosity Excellence Discipline Good Governance Effectiveness and Efficiency QualityUnderstanding and Goodwill Action-oriented Leadership Innovativeness and Ingenuity Truthfulness Youthfulness PUP Logo: Its Meaning The star in the logo stands for the perfection of the human person, as well as the search for truth, while the five concentric circles depict infinite wisdom. Both the five-pointed star and the five concentric circles stand for quintessence, the highest form of quality or the most perfect example Of creation. The star is golden yellow not only because this is a stars natural color but also because, together with the dark maroon as the background, they institute the natural colors of our school.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Belarus essays

Belarus essays On August 25, 1991 the Republic of Belarus gained its independence from the Soviet Union.The Republic of Belarus had recognized the city of Minsk as its capital. Landlocked in Eastern Europe, Belarus has a total area of 207,600 sq km, including no appreciable water areas. Belarus has 3,098 km of borderline adjacent to 5 different countries. Belarus is mainly comprised generally of flat land with a good deal of marshland. This land can be dived into 5 land uses: arable land 29%, permanent crops 1%, permanent pastures 15%, forests and woodland 34%, other 21% (1993 est.). Belarus generally has cool and moist summers with cold and sometimes harsh winters. Belarus main natural resources consist of peat deposits, forests, and small quantities of natural gas and oil. Since Minsks liberation in 1944 its population has steadily increased from 50,000 to 1,672,000 people as (1995 est.), qualifying it as the largest city in Belarus. Excluding Minsk, Belarus top 5 cities by population in order are: Homjel', Mahiljow, Vicebsk, Hrodna, and Brst (2001 est.). 99.9 % of all electricity in Belarus is produced by fossil fuels while 0.01 % is hydroelectric. Per year, Belarus produces 24.911 billion kWh while the consumption of kWh is at 27.647 billion kWh, forcing Belarus to import 7.1 billion kWh, although Belarus does export 2.62 billion kWh. The only environmental issues plaguing Belarus are soil pollution from excessive pesticide use and nuclear fallout in the south from the 1986 Chernobyl accident. Belarus has a population of 10,350,194, growing at a rate of -.15% per year. Belarus has a population density of 50.10 people/sq km, currently ranked 147th in the world. Belarus has a mortality rate of 13.97 deaths/1,000 population and a infant mortality rate of 14.38 deaths/1,000 live births. Belarus ratios are: under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Aphrodite - Goddess of Love and Beauty

Aphrodite - Goddess of Love and Beauty The Greek goddess Aphrodite may have been an import from the Near East where Sumerian and Babylonian goddesses played a part in love, fertility, and war. For the Greeks, Aphrodite was goddess of love and beauty. Although Aphrodite bore children to the messenger and war gods, is considered married to the blacksmith god, and was otherwise engaged in activities suitable to the immortals, she also played an active role in the lives of man. She could be helpful or hurtful with gifts of love and lust, depending. Who Is Aphrodite?: Aphrodite Profile gives you the basics of Aphrodite goddess of love and beauty, including her family and major myths associated with her. Aphrodite Meddles: Aphrodite Meddles in Mortal Affairs identifies the metamorphoses, deaths and marriages caused by Aphrodites interference in mortal affairs. Cupid and Psyche Here is my re-telling of the love story of Cupid and Psyche, the charming romantic story in which the goddess Venus (Aphrodite) plays a villainous role to try to keep her son from the mortal women he loves.   Also see the Bulfinch version of Cupid and Psyche. Bulfinch retells Venus Profile: To the Romans, Aphrodite was Venus, but there were other aspects of the Roman goddess of love. Read about the fertility aspect and rituals associated with Venus. Venus Basics Venus is the Roman goddess of spring whose worship overlapped the Greek goddess Aphrodite. Read the basics on Venus. The Modest Venus There was more to Venus than love and beauty. She was also one of the goddesses in charge of modesty. Love Goddesses: In Love Goddesses, read about the top ancient love goddesses. Beauty (or attraction), promiscuity, fecundity, magic, and an association with death are some of the attributes associated with love goddesses. Surprisingly, warfare was also an attribute of some love goddesses. Adonis: Read the love story of Adonis and Aphrodite, which ends with the death of Adonis, as told in The Metamorphoses of Ovid. Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite: The generally short hymns (called Homeric Hymns, although they were not written by the epic poet Homer) to the ancient gods and goddesses reveal much of what the ancient Greeks thought about them. Read an English translation of one of them, Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite V that reveals which gods were impervious to her charms. Online Resources on Aphrodite Goddess: AphroditeCarlos Parada lists the many mates of Aphrodite and her interventions in human affairs, as well as three versions of her birth, and her offspring. AphroditeAphrodites birth, parents, spouse, and an image.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings - Essay Example "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’’ is the reflection of relations between real and divine worlds. Firstly, it should be noted that there is no need to focus on reality of the events. It is better to open the minds of readers to new opportunities and creative triggers. It is even impossible to claim whether this angel is real or not, or from which world he has come from. Common people are unable to meet with the miracle and when they have this magic opportunity they even do not know what to do. Angel tries to teach people in patience, which is almost a supernatural feature and it is hardly conceivable by the people. There is no cruelty or anger about this angel. Maybe, it is his main intention to teach people to be more tolerant and friendly. This is the main question, I am interested in. A didactic nature of this story should be found in the Angel’s distant guidance of people and not in imposing doctrines of goodness or patience on them. The Angel is capable of making miracles, but people do not seem to be ready for them. Thus, for example, when he is asked to return vision to a blind man, the latter obtains three teeth. What is even more scaring is that people’s greediness prevents them from close relations with the h Angel and good natured emotions shown towards him. They are so much focused on their own troubles and even their achievements do not make them happier. Pelayo and Elisenda do not care much about the Angel, they just clean him from time to time, but they do not want to think deeply and obtain magical lessons from the Angel.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Technological Advancements and Its Impact on Human Intellectual Research Paper

Technological Advancements and Its Impact on Human Intellectual Development - Research Paper Example The intention is to prove that modern advances in technology affect the development of the human brain, especially children, whose brain development still ongoing. With this acknowledged, the next thing is to ascertain the impact of these changes. The question is to what extent does technology affect development, and does this effect make the person a better human being or more intellectual one than those whose intellectual development is not influenced by technology? On one part, technology is good, but on the other, not being so cultured does not necessarily mean that intellectual development is impaired. The best way to prove this argument is to contrast the development of children who are exposed to technological changes such as in urban areas, against children of the same age not as much exposed to technology, most likely in the rural areas (Society for Research in Child Development 2009). It has been indicated in various studies that the reason some people from certain regions and cultures do well or poorly in intellectual quotient tests is not because they are very capable or intellectually challenged, but because the tests do not reflect how their minds have been developed and hence, the subjects cannot identify with the challenges posed there in. The only predisposition towards the topic is concurrence with Michael Baylor (quoted in Patoine, 2008), the world knows too little about the effects of technology on human intellectual development than is necessary, hence the need for the study. On one part, changes in intellectual development caused by technological advancements work to better the affected and make them adjust faster to their environment, enabling them to survive in the new environment. On the other part, such changes do not make the affected better individual as compared to non affected persons. The paper will follow four basic planning steps namely: choosing of the topic which is

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Meaning of supervision and my professional life Essay Example for Free

Meaning of supervision and my professional life Essay Instructional Supervision Instructional supervision is a very important concept which must be understood by all educators for the sake of achieving their teaching objectives. For this case, the process of instructional supervision must be applied for the sake of delivering effective instructions to the students. Supervision of instruction for example in England began as an external inspection where some people were appointed to go around the school to observe what the students were learning and what the teachers were teaching the students. The main aim of these supervisors was to ensure that the set curriculum was being followed and the students were actually being taught. On the other hand, in United States, supervision began in 1830’s after the formation of common schools. Initially, supervision in schools was undertaken by superintendents after the formation of city school system due to increased population in major cities. Later on, the role of supervision by superintendents became impossible as the number of schools increased. The role of supervision had to be delegated to the principal to oversee that the teachers we following the curriculum in their teaching. In order to promote growth of teachers and recognizing practice of supervisors time restrain, Sergiovanni and Starratt (1998), suggested that a supervisory system be created that would contain a number of processes of supervision even summative evaluation. The system was not to involve direct formal supervision every year for every teacher. This system was to evaluate the teachers within a period of three to five years. In this kind of evaluation, the teachers were to receive a variety of evaluation during the three or five years and finally be evaluated formally only once. Professional growth evidence is required during once-a-cycle formal evaluation. The work of supervision was also attempted to be opened at international involvement by Sergiovanni and Starratt. In a school setting, the principal has the overall responsibility of supervision of the whole school. For this case, he supervises, teachers, students and all the other staff working in the school that include: librarian, gardeners, drivers, cleaners etc. The supervision role is not an easy task especially of teachers and for this case, the principal has to carry out the exercise with intelligent and diplomacy. The teachers of course knows their role and they would feel not motivate if they see they are being supervised like factory workers. This would in turn kill their morale at work and finally they would not deliver the required knowledge to the students and the end result would mean that the teaching objectives will not be achieved. The principal on the other hand has a responsibility of supervising the work of the students and together with their behaviors. Students tend to acquire deviant behaviors from other students like smoking and unless this behavior is corrected at an early stage, the student will not concentrate in his learning. In some situation, the supervision of students gets out of hand as they tend to have acquired more serious behaviors such as carrying of weapons and may be killing of their fellow students. For this case, this becomes criminal offence and is not likely to be handled the principal. Principal should be very strict when it comes to discipline for the sake of ensuring that education objectives are achieved. Since the students are in a crucial stage of adolescent stage where influence of behavior is at high level hence their behaviors should supervised keenly. According to Glickman (1990), there are a number of supervisory approaches within clinical supervision structure. He developed a supervision model that provides theoretical framework that with four supervision approaches that would be found in supervision concept. These approaches are similar in the intended end goal but they differ differs slightly in the power and control that is accorded to the teacher. The four approaches are a follow: The first supervision approach is the nondirective supervision whereby the teacher has the freedom of formulating his own plan on the future development. In such a situation, the supervisor is there to give advice to the teacher when he comes up with his own ideas on the way forward. This kind of approach indeed motivates the teaching staff members as they feel they are in control with their undertakings. For this case it should be encourage at situations where the teachers are experienced in their work and they can work with little or no supervision. (Glickman, 1990) The other supervision approach is collaborative supervision. In this approach, the teacher and the supervisor do share idea before the supervisor makes decision on whatever decision he wants to make. This approach too is a good one also as the teachers feels motivated as they are consulted before any decision can be arrived at. For this case, the teachers contribute their ideas and the supervisor weighs various options before settling on the best idea that has been contributed by the teachers. By merely brainstorming of ideas, the approach is of much help for the sake of choosing the best approach to be used. For this case, this kind of approach should be encouraged at situation where teachers involved are experienced in their work. The third supervision approach is the directive informational approach. In this situation, the supervisor formulates the supervisor plan and it is the responsibility of the teacher to decide if he is going to follow the plan. In this kind of an approach, the teachers are not motivated with it as they feel they are not consulted before a decision is being made in their work. Although some of the approach since it consumes less time before it is formulated, majority of them especially the experienced ones feels that some ideas which are better are overlooked. In this kind of approach, the teachers are given an opportunity to follow or not to follow the approach directives. However, the approach is appropriate mostly to teacher who are not experienced or the novice teachers. Lastly is the directive control approach in which the teacher formulates the supervisory plan and expects are the teacher to follow it. For this case, the teachers have no alternative on whether to have another idea. They have to follow the supervisory plan that has been formulated by their supervisor. This approach however does not motivate the teachers as they are not given an opportunity to contribute their ideas toward formulation of a supervisory plan. For this case, they have to follow the directives as formulated by their supervisor. This approach is popular where the teachers being supervised are less experiences of novice. It is also very appropriate in situations whereby there is not time to gather in a meeting and brainstorm on the way forward as far as supervisory plan is concerned. Before the supervisor can know on which approach he should use, he should consider knowledge and experience of the teachers concerned before settling on the supervisory approach plan to use. The issue of responsibility and accountability should also be looked into in order to decide on the approach to use for the sake of at least motivate the teacher in their work. Motivation is the inner drive to do something, and unless the teachers have that inner drive to deliver knowledge to their students, teaching objectives might never be achieved Glickman (1990) asserts that collaborative approach is very popular among the teachers and they really enjoy their work if used. For this case, school principal should at least ensure they use this kind of an approach when they are formulating their supervisory plan to be applied in their school. There are three supervisor responsibilities that should be considered in the supervision process. They include: ? The Supervisor to carry our observations to both the teachers and students. ? The supervisor to give guidance and support to teachers and students. ? Lastly is for the supervisor to give feedback to the teachers. According to Knoll (1987), the information that a supervisor gather after carrying out a classroom observation is very important. He is able to have an access to a wide range of skills necessary for teaching which he can in turn share it with other teachers. The main aim of carrying out a classroom observation is to collect data that is necessary for carrying out an evaluative rating which is accurate. As far as supervision is concerned, guidance and support should be the main idea of supervision in the first place. Supervision is not done just to see whether teachers are following the curriculum or not and then note that one down, no. One should continuously offer guidance and support as he supervises. For this case, the supervisors are urged to make correction on the spot while carrying out their supervision roles in order for them to achieve their objectives. In order for teachers to improve on their areas of teaching, the supervisor must ensure that he gives feedback to them on the areas he has observed that would like to be improved. There would be no need of supervision if the teachers are not given the feedback as it is this feedback that they will know what areas they need to improve in while carrying out their duties. There is very big difference between evaluation and supervision though the two terms interrelates. Evaluation is the art of making judgment about the performance of a teacher. On the other hand, supervision is mere the art of ensuring that the teachers are following the laid down rules and regulation in their work. Evaluation comes after one has carried out an observation on the teachers. Appendix Literature Review Instructional supervision improves teaching performance if it is carried out in the manner that is desired by teacher. If the collaborative supervision approach is used according to Knoll (1987) is used, the teachers will be motivated in their work and the overall performance of the school will be felt. In his book Supervision for better instruction: Practical techniques for improving staff performance, Knoll (1987) asserts that teachers are motivated in their work of teaching when collaborative supervisory plan approach is applied in their supervision. Pfeiffer and Dunlap (1982) in their book Supervision of teachers: A guide to improving instruction asserts that teachers need to be motivated in their work for the sake of achieving their teaching objectives. Motivation can only be achieved if the supervisors uses collaborative supervisory plan in their work. On the other hand, Rettig (2000) in his journal Leslie’s lament: How can I make teachers’ supervision meaningful? asserts that unless guidance and support is given to teacher, there is no need of supervision in the first place. He further states that teachers should be given a feedback after they have been successfully evaluated by their supervisor in order for them to improve in their teaching. He concludes that teachers’ supervision will be meaningful after the guidance, support and feedback is given to teachers by their supervisors. References Bourisaw, D. M. (1988): Anticipatory set bias: Effects on teacher observation in Evaluation: Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Iowa State University, Ames Glickman, C. D. (1990): Supervision of instruction: A developmental approach, 2nd Edn: Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon. Knoll, M. K. (1987): Supervision for better instruction: Practical techniques for Improving staff performance: Englewood Clif, NJ: Prentice Hall. Odell, S. J. (1986): Induction support of new teachers: A functional approach. Journal of Teacher Education, 37(1), 26-29 Pfeiffer, I. L. , Dunlap, J. B. (1982): Supervision of teachers: A guide to improving instruction: Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press. Rettig, P. R. (2000): Leslie’s lament: How can I make teachers’ supervision meaningful? Educational Horizons, 79(1), 33-37. Sergiovanni, T. J. (1982): Toward a Theory of Supervisory Practice: Integrating the Scientific, Clinical, and Artistic Views. In Supervision of Teaching, ed. Thomas J. Sergiovanni. Alexandria, VA: Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development Sergiovanni, T. J. and Starratt, R. J. (1998): Supervision: A Redefinition, 6th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Shantz, D. , Ward, T. (2000): Feedback, conservation and power in the field experience of preservice teachers. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 27 (4), 288-294.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Crime Problems Essay -- essays research papers

Crime is a serious issue that affects everyone in society. It affects the victims, perpetrators and their families. Crime has increased drastically within the last decade. More prisons are being built around the world because there is not enough room to hold inmates. The government has made an attempt to reduce crime by funding programs such as prevention and intervention for youth at risk , as well as rehabilitation for prisoners that will be released. Some argue that criminal behavior is due to environment, others believe that it is genetic, and yet others think that it has to do with personality. If there were certain personality traits that could be identified with potential criminal behavior, steps could be taken to try to reduce or diminish the â€Å"criminal personality†. Although personality is not the only factor in criminal behavior, there does seem to be a strong association between the both. Alfred Adler believed that children who failed to solve the vital problem of social interest-who lack cooperation and a desire for contributing to the well-being of others-will always meet significant problems later, during their adult years (Adler, 1998). This could include personality problems or criminal behavior. Personality develops early in life. That is why early childhood aggression and antisocial behavior should be taken seriously. Being able to identify potential criminal behavior is vital for prevention and intervention. Childhood factors shown to relate to the development of antisocial behaviors include a difficult early temperament, low IQ, academic deficiencies and learning problems, lack of empathy, underdeveloped social skills, and negative peer relations. (Sutton,Cowen, Crean, & Wyman, 1999). Environmental factors such as family structure and poverty are also associated with potential criminal behavior. The Federal Bureau of Investigation Report (1993) noted that one violent crime (e.g. aggravated assault, murder) was committed every 22 seconds in 1992, and 15% of those arrested for such crimes were under the age of 18 (Sutton, ete.al. 1999). Juvenile delinquency is becoming more common. The age at which these young kids are committing crimes is getting younger. The crimes they a re committing are getting more serious. They are not only involved in vandalism and shop lifting like many people might assume, but they are involved in life threat... .... Each child is unique and learns in different ways. Therefore, parents, teachers, and mentors must learn to reach children and youth. As members of society we must be aware of negative behavior and/or personality that could possibly lead to criminal behavior in the future. If we take responsibility for the youth of society as a whole, we will not only improve the life of that child, but we will improve the world we live in. The lack of connectedness that is portrayed by the delinquent youth can also be seen by the members of society. The attitude of, â€Å" That is not my kid, therefore that is not my problem† contributes to the criminal society that we live in. I believe that the prevention, intervention and rehabilitation programs are helpful, but I also think that parents have the power to prevent their child from engaging in such acts of crime. After all, a parent should know their child more than any other person in this world. Although, having an antisocial/aggressi ve personality does not necessarily guarantee that a child will become a criminal, I believe that taking the proper steps to insure the positive future for children is the best prevention method that a parent can use.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Tattoos in Todays Society

Tattoos In Today’s Society Preparation Outline: Informative Speech on Tattoos in today’s society. Specific Purpose: The purpose of my speech is to inform my college speech class about the stigmas, obsessions, and acceptance of tattoos in today’s society. Thesis: After listening to my speech, each person in my audience should be informed about how tattoos have taken on a different meaning from previous generations and are becoming more accepted in today’s society. Introduction I. People with tattoos come from many different culture backgrounds.I personally have tattoos and find it to be an art. In addition to having tattoos, I researched this topic extensively by consulting sources such as The Journal of American Culture, StatisticBrain. com, and The Journal of Popular Culture. II. Tattoos are no longer the purview of bikers, punks, and thugs, tattooing is increasingly practiced and appreciated by mainstream, middle class individuals. III. Tattoos are a for m of art that allows individuals to express themselves in ways other than using words.The media has played a big part in why tattoos are more accepted today then 10-15 years ago. Transition: Let’s start with the stigma associated with tattoos. Body I. Even though not nearly as bad as previous generations, having a tattoo does come with stigmas. A. Religious groups, cults, and gangs have tattoos as a symbol of their dedication to one’s specific group or belief. B. It’s believed if you have tattoos you are rebellious and are more likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol at a younger age. C.Individuals with tattoos are associated with having mental issues and damaged egos, who engage in deviant behavior. Transition: Now that I have told you about the stigmas that go along with having a tattoo, lets discuss the obsessions with tattoos. II. Despite the fact that millions of individuals have tattoos, not all bodies are equal in American culture. There is indeed, a difference between people who have tattoos and the tattooed people. (Bell 55-56) It’s a collection of art on ones body. A. A person’s first tattoo is the start of their collection.It can be compared to a drug, an instant addition. B. Tattooed people say by getting tattoos it allows them to express themselves though body art. C. Tattoos have meaning, some spiritual, some sentimental and some just express their personality in the form of art. It can be explained as a montage of one’s life. Transition: Now that I’ve told you about stigmas and obsessions associated with tattoos, now lets discuss the acceptance of tattoos in today’s society. III. America has become a tattooed nation. A. 45 million Americans have tattoos. B.The annual amount of US spending on tattoos is $1. 65 billion a year. C. Everywhere you turn you are hearing or seeing tattoos in television, magazines, movies, actors, models, musicians, and idolized athletes. In conclusion, today we have discussed the stigmas, the obsessions, and the acceptance of tattoos in today’s society. Conclusion Although there are still stigmas associated with tattoos, with the help of media and Hollywood, there are still individuals who find comfort in being able to express themselves through body art. References . Tattoo Statistics.Pew Research Center, Tattoo Finder, Vanishing Tattoo, 23 Jul 2012. Web. 24 Feb 2013. . John Roberts, Derek. â€Å"Secret Ink: Tattoo's Place In Contemporary American Culture. † Journal Of American Culture 35. 2 (2012): 153-165. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Koust, Mary. â€Å"An Ironic Fad: The Commodification And Consumption Of Tattoos. † Journal Of Popular Culture 39. 6 (2006): 1035-1048. Academic Search Complete. Web. 25 Feb. 2013. Bell, Shannon. â€Å"Tattooed: A Participant Observer’s Exploration of Meaning. † Journal of American Culture 22. 2 (1999): 53–58. Print.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

How Spongebob Effects The Brain

Pants, the wildly popular Nickelodeon has been under buzz as the cheerful, buzzing sponge can threaten a child's normal development. After much research, studies have shows that the television program has many characteristics that would make a child perform half as well as a child watching a public access cartoon. The every 1 1 second scene change during the T. V show doesn't defend the case anymore, as that causes mass confusion amongst the kids.Aiding to the case Is the total anta education message portrayed, thus making this show blindsided. The plebeian conundrum of the program has created a mass boom amongst a child who enjoys watching this show and also the countless medical professionals who are trying to dissuade parents. Research and countless studies have shown that 4 year olds who have watched nine minutes of Sponge, preformed only half as well as the children who spent the same amount of watching Callous which is a PBS show or drawing.This conundrum Is stated when head re searcher Brown stated â€Å"Technology is great, but we also want to explore how does that impact our 38) When the children are asked to perform four tasks such as playing games that involve rules, the non Sponge watching kids did significantly worse than the children that did not partake in the watching of the show. Eleven seconds doesn't seem Like a long time but It Is plenty of time to ruin a child's thinking capability.According to Christians, a professor of psychology at the university of Washington ; Sponge Squarest' constant rate of the program has a negative and a permanent detrimental effect on the wellbeing of the children. During a single nine minute episode, has over 30 changes with a very fast speed that leave the kids confused causing them to zone out or spun up. This is making the researchers think that the slower(but less amusing shows) that have about 2 changes per episode to be much better for the health of the children.Unlike Dora and Sesame Street which teach th e viewers how to read and write, Sponge entertains the children using utter stupidity and unrealistic motions. This shows children the negative behavior that they should not be portraying in the real life atmosphere. Many child psychologists state that there should be a educational factor that would aid In the learning of the children and also have a factor that can aka the children learn positive behavior.This show Is a negative role model for children as they are like clay, the way they are molded, is the way they will be. The negative harm that this show can cause on children is undetermined. There are many that state that this could be a permanent reaction while many state that this is a short lived reaction but all say that there Is a negative prospect of watching reactions that this would have, but there are some that are positive such as the lack of performance, confusion and of course bad habits. This would be a problem that can have countless problems yet to come.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Peter and Susan are members of an animal rights Essays

Peter and Susan are members of an animal rights Essays Peter and Susan are members of an animal rights Essay Peter and Susan are members of an animal rights Essay Title: Peter and Susan are members of an carnal rights group named CFA ( Compassion for Animals ) . They are incensed at the policy of the EU of exporting unrecorded animate beings within the EU and from member provinces to other states throughout the universe. During a meeting of the CFA they propose to organize a March in two hebdomads clip with the intent of pulling attending to this pattern and showing against it. The March will continue through Wetcliffe, a big port and culminate at the central office of Cargo Ltd, the largest exporter in the U.K. The demonstrators assemble at Wetcliffe. There are about 500. Whilst assembled, and prior to the March commencing, Peter and Susan urge the demonstrators to stay peaceable in order to aerate their grudges more efficaciously. The demonstrators set off with Peter taking. As the March enters the town, the traffic is held up for 15 proceedingss and many of the local occupants are angry at the break the March is doing. Within proceedingss a little figure of the local occupants and a subdivision within the marchers are shouting maltreatment at each other and the temper of the March begins to acquire rather angry. Sergeant Burrows asks Peter and Susan to scatter half the group but they refuse and when the Sergeant asks them to deviate the March to climax some one half a stat mi from the central office of the Cargo Ltd. they once more refuse. Sergeant Burrows apprehensions Peter and Susan. The demonstrators arrive at Cargo Ltd. Jane and Robert reference, through loud hailers, their protagonists. A vocal group who are opposed to these positions are besides present, a group which includes several employees of Cargo Ltd. The latter threaten Jane and Robert with force if they do non scatter. Anxious at the possible eruption of force the constabulary apprehension Jane and Robert. The crowd is, by now, counter and the employees of Cargo Ltd cry and do opprobrious marks which antagonises the demonstrators. Some of the demonstrators retaliate by throwing missiles. Eight of the demonstrators light a fire under one of the lorries. The constabulary arrive and consequence several apprehensions including the eight demonstrators who had torched the lorry. Meanwhile Sergeant Burrows returns to the local Police Station with Peter and Susan. He has learnt that they live together and that their level is en path to the Police Station. He decides to come in and seek their premises on the evidences that he might happen inside informations of future riotous assemblages, believing Peter and Susan to be trouble makers. He finds nil but seizes a DVD redact, which is still in the box and Tells Peter and Susan that he believes this to be stolen. On reaching at the Police Station Peter and Susan are put in the cells, where they are left for 9 hours before being released with no charge. Explain the legality of the above incidents with mention to the powers of them constabularies to collar, the duties of the demonstrators and the human rights context. Let us get down with a treatment associating to the legality of the apprehension of Peter [ P ] and Susan [ S ] by Sergeant Burrows [ B ] : Apprehensions are of two sorts: a ) With a warrant and B ) without a warrant. There is no information provided in the facts of this instance which suggest that B did in fact obtain a warrant for the apprehension of P and S, and as such we will continue on the premise that the relevant jurisprudence in inquiry falls within the latter of the above two classs. The relevant jurisprudence refering the powers of apprehension without a warrant, by constabulary constables, are contained within subdivision 24 of PACE, as amended by subdivision 110 ( 1 ) of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005: Section 1 of the 2005 Act states that a constable may collar without a warrant ( a ) anyone who is about to perpetrate an offense ; ( B ) anyone who is in the act of perpetrating an offense ; ( degree Celsius ) anyone whom he has sensible evidences for surmising to be about to perpetrate an offense, and ; ( vitamin D ) anyone whom he has sensible evidences for surmising to be perpetrating an offense. Section 110, ss4 of the Act states that a constable may merely do such an apprehension where he has ‘reasonable grounds’ for believing that such an apprehension is ‘necessary’ . Section 110, ss5 of the 2005 Act stipulates the valid grounds which may take to such a ‘reasonable belief’ in the necessity of the app rehension. Let us now consider whether there is any information within the facts of our instance which might propose that B was justified in doing his apprehension of P and S: We are non told the grounds behind the apprehension: we are told nevertheless that P and S refused both ‘to disperse half the group’ and ‘to divert the March to climax some one and a half miles’ off from its proposed finish, at the central office of Cargo Ltd. We are besides told that the March, in which P. and S. are members, was barricading up portion of the town, with ‘traffic [ being ] held up for 15 minutes’ . Let us now ascertain whether any of the above facts might fulfill s110, US Secret Service ( 1 ) , US Secret Service ( 4 ) and US Secret Service ( 5 ) of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005: P. and S’s refusal to deviate the March to a different finish clearly does non represent an offense in itself, and as such, B was non empowered under s110 ( 1 ) of the Act to collar them on this land. In respect to P and S’s refusal to scatter half the crowd ; B might hold deemed this refusal as representing an offense under the Highway Obstruction Act, in visible radiation of the fact that P and S both orchestrated the March and were hence, at least to some extent, in control of the crowd [ we are told that the March was ‘being led by P’ ] and hence non merely responsible for the obstructor, but in a place to scatter it. In this manner, B might hold perceived that he was legitimately entitled to collar them under s110 ( 1 ) of the 2005 Act. However, it would be hard to reason that the apprehension of P and S would hold served to take this obstructor, and as such, whilst fulfilling the ground specifications of s110 ( 5 ) ( V ) of the 2005 Act [ ‘causing an improper obstructor of the highway’ ] , an apprehension on this land would about surely be deemed improper due to s110 ( 4 ) which required B to hold an apprehension necessary in order to foresta ll the obstructor in inquiry, when clearly the apprehension would non, and did non [ the March go oning regardless of the absence of P and S ] , have this consequence. In respect to their personal presence [ i.e. being portion of the obstructor themselves ] , B may hold believed that P and S were themselves in breach of the Highway Obstruction Act, and as such had evidences under s110 ( 1 ) of the 2005 Act to do an apprehension. For the apprehension to be lawful nevertheless, B must hold once more deemed the apprehensionnecessary[ s110 ( 4 ) ] upon one of the evidences specified in s110 ( 5 ) , and it is my contention that this statement would neglect: the facts presented to us make non bespeak that B of all time really asked P and S to travel themselves, simply to scatter some of the other dissenters, and as such an apprehension was non yetnecessaryin order to take the obstructor ; had they been asked to travel themselves and so refused, there is no uncertainty that all the legal commissariats would hold been satisfied to guarantee that the apprehension made by B was lawful, but this is non apparent from the facts provided, and this statement must therefore fail. With respects to B’s common jurisprudence power to do apprehension under the Public Order Act 1936 ; there is no grounds to propose that P and S were doing an altercation, or that their refusals were, or were likely to do any breach of the peace, and as such, in visible radiation of the determination in Wershof V Metropolitan Police Commissioner [ 1978 ] , we can disregard an probe into this possible claim. In decision, the apprehension of P and S had no lawful footing and must been seen as a cardinal breach of their cardinal human right to single autonomy, as protected by Article 5 of the ECHR and enacted into English jurisprudence by the Human Rights Act 1998. P and S would hence be absolutely within their rights to establish an action against the constabulary force on the land of improper apprehension. Likewise, it appears that B did non inform them of the grounds for the apprehension ( as required by PACE, s28 ) , and this would be sufficient evidences, in itself, for a successful action against the constabulary for improper apprehension ( e.g. Christie V Leachinski 1947 ) . As for the apprehension of Jane [ J ] and Robert [ R ] ; whilst s110 ( 5 ) ( two ) of the 2005 Act stipulates that an apprehension may be deemed necessary ( ss4 ) in order to forestall them from being harmed ( the employees of Cargo Ltd were endangering them with force ) , J and R were non themselves perpetrating any offense and as such no lawful apprehension could be justified under ss1 of this Act. Prima facie, their references made via loud-speakers might be seen as representing incitation to breach of the peace under the Public Order Act 1936, but there is no grounds provided which suggests that J. and R. were motivating the crowd to do any breach of the peace, and as such, in visible radiation of the determination in Wershof V Metropolitan Police Commissioner [ 1978 ] , must neglect. In decision, the apprehension of J and R had no lawful footing and must been seen as a cardinal breach of their cardinal human right to single autonomy, as protected by article 5 of the ECHR, as ena cted into English jurisprudence by the Human Rights Act 1998. J and R would hence be absolutely within their rights to establish an action against the constabulary force on this land. Likewise, it appears that B did non inform them of the grounds for the apprehension ( as required by PACE, s28 ) , and this would be sufficient evidences, in itself, for a successful action against the constabulary for improper apprehension ( e.g. Christie V Leachinski 1947 ) . This Section is designed ‘to protect the person against the extra or maltreatment of the power of apprehension, ’ ( Hill v Chief Constable of South Yorkshire 1990 ) in the same manner that Article 5 of the ECHR efforts to protect such violations of personal autonomy. As for the apprehensions of the eight demonstrators who lit a fire under the lorry ; clearly s110 ( 1 ) is satisfied by their blazing offense of incendiarism, and ss4 would be satisfied as an apprehension was necessary to forestall these attackers from doing farther harm ( s110 ( 5 ) ( degree Celsius ) ( three ) ) and to let the prompt and effectual probe of this offense and their behavior ( s110 ( 5 ) ( vitamin E ) ) . It should be noted that we are told the constabulary effected ‘several apprehensions including the eight demonstrators who had torched the lorry’ , connoting that more than these eight people were arrested. There is nil from the facts to bespeak which other parties were arrested, whether demonstrators or employees of Cargo Ltd, and as such any treatment of the legality of these extra apprehensions would be strictly bad. In respects to the duties of the demonstrators in this inquiry ; the jurisprudence must endeavor to strike the right balance between freedom of look, in leting protestors to voice their sentiments, and doing certain that the demonstrators do non motivate racial hate or alienation, promote blasphemy or promote violent behavior [ or take portion in such behaviour ] . In our instance the apprehensions of J, R, P and S were, leading facie, illegal ; none of these parties being in breach of their duties as demonstrators to maintain the peace ( we are even told that Peter and Susan urged the demonstrators to stay peaceable! ) . Clearly nevertheless the demonstrators responsible for the incendiarism onslaught on the lorry were in breach of their duties and the jurisprudence as such provided sufficient evidences for their lawful apprehension. With respect to B’s entrance of P and S’s premises: there is no indicant that they gave consent to such entry ( as per Code of Practice B, para 4 ) , and about surely B had non obtained a hunt warrant in conformity with subdivision 8 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. In Thomas V Sawkins [ 1935 ] , a common jurisprudence right to come in without such a warrant in order to ‘deal with or forestall a breach of the peace’ was entertained. In visible radiation of the fact that B entered on evidences that ‘he might happen inside informations of future riotous gatherings’ and as such, was for the specific intent of ‘preventing a [ hereafter ] breach of the peace’ , a tribunal might keep that such entry was lawful, although the instance of McLoed v UK ( 1998 ) seemed to set such a contention to rest as being a breach of Article 8 of the ECHR [ regard for place and private life ] . Assuming that a lawful right to entry could be e stablished, which I do non strongly believe to be the instance in visible radiation of the human rights context and the determination in the aforesaid ECHR instance, allow us now analyse the legality of the hunt conducted on P and S’s premises by Bacillus: Again, we can presume that B did non obtain a warrant to seek the premises. We besides know that P and S were non present in their house at the clip of, or instantly anterior to their apprehension. As such, the relevant jurisprudence is contained within s18 PACE, which permits a hunt of an arrested person’s house if ‘reasonable evidences exist to surmise that there is, on the premises, grounds associating to the offense for which the individual was arrested, or other arrest-able offences’ . B believed P and S to be trouble makers in visible radiation of their earlier refusals to collaborate, and as such there is no uncertainty that he believed such sensible evidences to be. As for B’s ictus of the cd-writer ; the instance of Ghani V Jones [ 1970 ] outlined status by which a constable may legitimately prehend points which have nil to make with his original grounds for entry. None of these conditions would be satisfied in this instance. S19 ( 2 ) PACE states that such points may be seized if there are sensible evidences to propose that the points in inquiry have been obtained through offense, and remotion of the points is necessary to forestall them being later concealed, lost, damaged or destroyed ; the presence of a bran-new boxed Cadmium author nevertheless does non look sufficient to warrant sensible evidences, and as such, I must reason that this ictus was improper. The last issue to discourse is the length of clip that P and S were detained at the constabulary station without charge ; in visible radiation of the fact that the apprehension was doubtless illegal, P and S would hold clear rights to take action for false imprisonment. If the apprehension had been lawful nevertheless, there would hold been no job with the length of clip [ 9 hours ] for which they were detained [ 96 hours maximum- PACE ] , every bit long as they were allowed to confer with a canvasser ( s58 PACE ) and have a friend or household informed of their apprehension and detainment ( s56 PACE ) , should they so wish. Mentions: Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 Public Order Act 1936 Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1987 [ PACE ] Police Act 1997 Wershof V Metropolitan Police Commissioner [ 1978 ] 3 All ER 540 Hill V Chief Constable of South Yorkshire ( 1990 ) 1 All ER 1046 Thomas V Sawkins [ 1935 ] 2 KB 249 McLoed V UK ( 1998 ) 28 EHRR 493 Ghani V Jones [ 1970 ] 1 QB 693

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

You Shouldnt Even Think About Buying a Research Paper

You Shouldn't Even Think About Buying a Research Paper Its the night before your paper is due, and you havent even started. Are you tempted to go online to buy a ready-made project? Dont do it! This could ruin your academic career. Here are a few things to know about buying a paper. 1. It is plagiarism, which is an academic crime. Plagiarism comes in many forms, but the basic definition is claiming credit for work that is not your own. The punishment for plagiarism is different from place to place, but every college or high school should have an honor code to deal with academic crime.2. Chances are, youll get caught. Teachers are pretty smart. If you turn in a paper that you didnt write, there will be lots of things about that paper to tip off your teacher. The tone and the research will not match your past work. As for college professors- please! These people research for a living. Dont try to outsmart someone who went to college for eight or ten years! Theyll catch on.3. The work is not reliable. Of course, the web site that offers great papers will claim the work is original and reliable. That is advertising. Dont believe it! The sources could be fake, the research could be sloppy, and the format wont match the assignment.4. Papers are sold and re-sold. Just imagine turning in a paper that the teacher has seen before!5. A fake paper wont match the assignment. If you buy a paper, it probably wont match the teachers assignment exactly. Teachers often word their assignments in a way to make them less generic, so students cant cheat.6. There is software for catching plagiarism. Many university faculty have access to software that scans papers and compares them to thousands of papers available on the web.7. Sometimes, parts of papers are used in several papers. People who write papers to sell often use the same phrases or sentences in many different papers. You could buy a paper that is guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind, but that paper could still contain phrases from other papers. Plagiarism software will pick up on this!8. It costs a lot of money! Do you really want to spend a hundred dollars or so, just to get out of an assignment? Is it worth the risk?9. Its not worth the risk. Students are kicked out of school for plagiarism or honor code violations all the time. Once that happens, its on record for good. There goes your future.10. You wont learn anything! Seriously. When you cheat at school or college, youre really only cheating yourself. Sound cheesy? Just think about it. Youre going to have lots more assignments in the future, and you cant buy your way out of all of them. It will catch up with you, one way or another. Â   Take a Cheating Quiz!

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Portfolio - Essay Example Global interaction has increased, and the need has arose to enable people to develop the capability of adapting to different environments comprising of a multitudes of people with varying personalities, where an individual can encounter contradictory, imperfect and inconsistent opinions and views (Tambe, 1997), thus individuals should be willing and capable enough to take charge of situations by initiating in ones self the spirit of leadership and adaptability. This semester has proved worthwhile since it has equipped us with the insight to recognize our own skills as well as our flaws, and has developed in us an urge to polish our strengths and take advantage of the opportunities available to us in order to hone our personalities and unleash our potential to improve, which is innate in every individual. Furthermore, it has enabled us to identify the weaknesses which lead to setbacks in various moments in life and the resulting damage to the self confidence and morale due to these failures, and has given us the timely opportunity to work on this weakness and therefore establish ourselves into dynamic individuals who have the courage to withstand different challenges in life, thus we can apply the marketing management approach of SWOT analysis on our team to identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats we face and work upon them specifically to reap maximum advantage (Piercy and Giles, 1989). Throughout this semester we fac ed teamwork challenges in the form of three mediums: four reading review tests wherein individuals had to ponder over a given set of questions and then collaborate with the team members to agree on an answer which is accepted by all members, essay writing in group was another way to initiate team spirit in all members, and lastly the challenge which was most significant was the presentation in which the entire group had to work as a team in the development of the presentation

Thursday, October 31, 2019

NURSING ASSIGNMENT Continuing care - Incontinence Essay

NURSING ASSIGNMENT Continuing care - Incontinence - Essay Example It shall analyse how care was planned and delivered in order to meet the identified continuing needs in relation to evidence gathered from literature. It shall then reflect on the outcomes of care delivery for the continuing care needs identified. The patient, for this paper, shall be referred to with the pseudonym John Wilson. He is 82 years and was admitted into the Accidents and Emergency Unit after suffering a fall. He was later transferred to the medical ward to help him recover from his fall. He had a previous history of prostatectomy and was having problems with incontinence. He showed early signs of dementia, which however did not interfere with the nurse’s communication with the patient. The patient’s wife Barbara also assisted in answering questions about the patient. He lives with his wife and is often visited by his daughter and son-in-law. He needs continuing care because his mobility is compromised and cannot easily make it to and from the bathroom to relieve himself during urinary urgencies. He needs continuing care in order to help manage his urination, in order to prevent him from withdrawing from society, and eventually to keep him from being depressed. The continuing needs of the patient were assessed by the nurse and the other members of the multidisciplinary team (MDT). The nurse and the members of the multidisciplinary team (physiotherapist, occupational therapist, and the attending physician) assessed his risk for experiencing another fall. His previous fall broke his right hip; and he underwent hip replacement surgery soon after. He is now undergoing physical and rehabilitative therapy in order to gradually regain his mobility. He could get himself independently out of bed, but he has to use a walker in order to move about. He also needs assistance with his activities of daily living, but he is slowly gaining independence in carrying out these activities. With therapy and rehabilitation, he is slowly

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Nervous Innervations of the Lower Teeth Case Study

Nervous Innervations of the Lower Teeth - Case Study Example As the paper highlights, the mandibular nerve (MN) is a division of the TGG that further branches into the alveolar nerve. The alveolar nerve branches into the mylohoid nerve, alveolar artery, and finally the incisive nerve that provides sensory innervations to the premolar teeth. The loss of feeling in the tongue, dry mouth and change in taste is caused by alveolar nerve block due to the anesthetic effect. This may also be due to chemical damage to the lingual nerve because of direct injection of a neurotoxic local anesthetic such as articaine, procaine, lidocaine, tetracaine and bupivacaine. The loss of taste is caused by the anesthetic effect caused by injuries to the lingual nerve during the dental work. The lingual nerve is anesthetized during an alveolar nerve block. The lingual nerve transfers gustatory fibers responsible for taste sensation to the anterior part of the tongue. Saliva has also been linked by research to taste response where a low flow affects taste sensation. T he motor function of the tongue is not interfered with because the mandibular nerve has an additional motor component that runs separate to the facial component. This provides sensory communication between the myoholid nerve and the lingual nerve that controls motor functions of the tongue.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Strategies for Service Quality

Strategies for Service Quality Literature Review Chapter One: An overview of Service Quality 1.0 Introduction Nowadays, service quality strategy is an important weapon used to gain a competitive advantage over competitors. This chapter starts by defining quality, services and service quality. Some essential elements such as the expectations of service, importance of service quality and its benefits are also being highlighted. It further stresses the need for handling customer complaints and underlines the role of service failure and recovery. 1.2 Meanings of Quality Quality is constantly evolving depending on its application techniques used. Quality is a term that is heard almost everywhere nowadays, from top management business to the small corner shop on the local street to the stall selling fruits in the market. Quality is perceived as a subjective term which means different things to different people in different situations. According to Joseph M. Juran (1988), quality is defined as â€Å"fitness for purpose†. Deming W. Edwards (1982), another quality guru, described quality as being â€Å"a predictable degree of uniformity and dependability at low cost and suited to the market†. However, â€Å"Delighting the customer by fully meeting their needs and expectations† is a more common definition of quality. Other definitions of quality are listed below: â€Å"Quality is a conformance to requirement† (Philip Crosby, 1979) â€Å"Quality is the customers opinion† (Armand V Feigenbaum, 2004) â€Å"Quality is the extent to which the customer or users believe the product or service surpasses their needs and expectations† (Gitlow et al. , 1989) The different definitions of â€Å"quality† given above are not stating the same thing. Thus, it is possible that one business concentrates on quality to meet a specified requirement, but this may not satisfy the customers expectations. Also, it is possible for a product to be of a degree of excellence but may not fit for purpose, that is, the definition underlined by Joseph Juran. Simply expressed, all gurus of quality dance around the definition of quality but none of these definitions stated above is a complete statement of what is meant by quality. 1.3 Importance of Quality The concept of quality is currently so widely used by organisations that it is no longer just an advantage to adopt it but a must for survival. Increased globalisation leads to increased competitive pressures. Therefore, businesses are forced to do their best to be more efficient, more up-to-date with the changing technologies and at the same time to be responsive to the markets. Dale (2003) stresses the importance of quality in that it increases productivity, followed by enhanced performance in the marketplace and improves overall business performance. According to Armand Feigenbaum (2004), quality is considered to be the single most important force resulting in organisational success and growth in both national and international markets. Competition nowadays is fiercer as existing competitors need to improve their offerings while new and low cost competitors emerge in the marketplace (Dale, 2003). Consequently, businesses are required to understand the great significance of quality and try to indulge in continuous and sustainable quality improvements in order to survive. Quality is a key aspect that plays a great role for both goods and services providing enterprises. More specifically, quality and its management have turned out to be progressively significant in pursuing business excellence, superior performance and market supremacy. But why quality in service? This is because organisations face challenges such as meeting customer requirements while remaining economically competitive. Services are labour intensive even today. There is not any substitute for high quality personal interaction between service employees and customers. Thus, quality practices need to be implemented by the service enterprises to identify problems quickly and systematically, establish valid and reliable service performance measures and measure customer satisfaction. 1.4 Services The new catch-all word â€Å"services† is making its rounds in the industry in the last decade. Indeed, the role of services in the world economy has increased considerably within the last ten years, particularly in developed nations. According to Jiang and Rosenbloom (2005), the shifting of the economy in industrialised countries from goods to services is considered to be one of the most essential long-term trends in the business world today. In fact, the service sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in the USA nowadays, accounting for over 75% of the increase in the GNP (Gross National Product) in the last decade. Regan (1963) brought in the idea of services being â€Å"activities, benefits or satisfactions which are offered for sale, or are provided in connection with the sale of goods†. As human beings, we consume services in our everyday life such as switching on the television, talking on mobile phones and using emails. Economies of the world are becoming more and more services based. Some activities such as banking, construction, tourism, accounting and hairdressing can be easily identified. Organisation goals can be achieved by knowing the needs and wants of target markets and thus delivering the appropriate and desired service better than competitors. According to Zeithaml et al. (1990), customers are considered to be the only judge of service. However, it is often difficult for customers to predict satisfaction and evaluate service prior to purchase and consumption and hence, they are more likely to look for information before purchasing services than goods This may be mostly due to the fact that services, in contrast to goods, are commonly said to derive from the four characteristics namely intangibility, heterogeneity, perishability and inseparability. However, some authors have argued that services are not fundamentally different from goods and have also reported that no pure goods or services exist in todays marketplace (McDougall et al. , 1990; cited by Stell et al. , 1996). This stream of thought puts forward that the service/good dichotomy is such that consumers can purchase either a good or service to fulfill their needs. For instance, when consumers need to have their documents copied, they may buy a personal copy machine (a good) or go to a copy center (a service). In these circumstances, services may compete directly with goods (Dholakia and Venkatraman, 1993). So, instead of identifying differences, marketing strategy should be based on the similarities between services and physical goods in relation to the characteristics of the total market offering. 1.4.1 Services in Retail Industry Organisations must be able to identify their most important customers and prospect and at the same time integrating customer insights and powerful analytics into retail decision-making. Thus, this can drive high performance throughout the business. Evidence suggests that services business customers tend to remain with the same service provider if they are continually and continuously satisfied (Hong and Goo, 2004). The building and maintenance of such relationships can attain better financial performance, customer trust, commitment and satisfaction (Hsieh et al, 2002). In order to achieve high performance in the retail industry, there are several attributes that retailers should strive towards to guarantee success and outperform their competitors. They have to excel in areas such as being customer focus, being continuously innovative, establishing a performance-oriented culture and improving the distribution channel. All these add a new dimension of competition. 1.5 Definition of Service Quality Service quality has drawn attention of researchers in recent decades (Zeithaml, 2000). Nevertheless, since there is not a universally accepted definition for service quality, many different meanings exist. For instance, Czepiel (1990) portrays service quality as customers perception of how well a service meets or exceeds their expectations whereas Bitner, Booms and Mohr (1994, p. 97) define service quality as â€Å"the consumers overall impression of the relative inferiority or superiority of the organisation and its services†. Zeithaml et al. (1996) depict service quality as â€Å"the delivery of excellent or superior service relative to customer expectations†. While other researchers (for example, Cronin and Taylor, 1994) view service quality as a form of attitude representing a long-run evaluation in general, Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1985, p. 48) define service quality as â€Å"a function of the differences between expectation and performance along the quality dimensions†. Indeed, this has appeared to be consistent with Roest and Pieters (1997) definition that service quality is a relativistic and cognitive discrepancy between experience-based norms and performances concerning service benefits. As for Gronroos (1983), service quality is viewed as the accomplishment of customers expectations whereas Parasuraman et al. (1985) define it as the gap between customers expectations, in terms of service, and their perception developed by the actual service experience. That is, service quality is an attitude that results from the comparison of expected service levels with perceived performance. Furthermore, Parasuraman et al. (1985) have reported that outstanding service is a profitable strategy as it results in more new customers, fewer lost customers, more business with existing customers, more insulation from price competition and fewer mistakes requiring the re-performance of services. Accordingly, by offering superior service quality, a firm is liable to become more profitable and at the same time to sustain a competitive edge in their served markets. Evidently, superior service quality is a strategic weapon aiming to attract more customers. Lassar et al. (2000) believe that service quality is a significant sign of customer satisfaction and thus delivering superior service quality is a strategy that eventually leads to success. 1.5.1 Service Quality in Retailing With the rapid development in the retail industry nowadays, understanding of retail service quality and identifying determinants of retail service quality has become strategic importance for retailers. By satisfying customers through high quality service, firms not only retain their current customers, but at the same time, their market share also increases. (Finn and Lamb, 1991; cited by Nguyen, 2007) According to numerous marking researchers (for example, Berry, 1986; Reichheld Sasser, 1990; Dabholkar et al., 1996; NcGoldrick, 2002), the offer and supply of high quality service is often perceived to be of fundamental importance in retailing. In the retail context, when customers evaluate retail service, they compare their perceptions of the service they receive with that of their expectations. Customers are seemed to be satisfied only when the perceived service meets or even exceeds their expectations. However, they are dissatisfied when they feel that the service falls below their expectations (Levy and Weitz, 2005). To date, Parasuraman et al. (1988) believe that many studies on service quality relied on service quality construct and scale. Nevertheless, Kaul (2005) and Dabholkar et al. (1996) argue that this application to the retail industry may not be appropriate for service quality in retailing industry as the latter seems to be different from other services. In retail setting, where there is a mix of product and service, retailers are prone to have impact on service quality more than on product quality (Dabholkar et al. , 1996). Hence, since retailers can create such effects, service quality plays a significant strategic role in creating quality perceptions. 1.6 Customer Expectations of Service According to Parasuraman et al (1993), understanding customer expectations is a must for delivering superior and value-added service. Customers have the tendency to compare their perceptions with that of expectations when judging a service. They are satisfied only when the service they have received is the same or exceeds what they expected. Lewis (1991) define expectations as the desires or wants of consumers and what they believe a product or service should offer, which are formed on the basis of previous experience with a company, its competitors and the marketing mix inputs. Thus, identifying what a customer expects is the prime step in delivering high quality of customer service. 1.6.1 Determinants of Customer Expectations of service Berry and Parasuraman (1993) have developed a complete model of customer expectations and have given their opinions through two levels namely desired and adequate expectations and the zone of tolerance in the middle which separates them (refer to Figure 1.3). This model shows the different factors that affect these three features. Desired service is that level of service which a customer expects to receive from a service firm. In fact, it is a blend of what the customer considers ‘can be and ‘should be. It is believed to result from six sources namely, enduring service intensifiers, personal needs, explicit service promises, implicit service promises, word-of-mouth and past experience. Conversely, adequate service level is related to which the customer finds acceptable. It is based on the customers appraisal of what the service ‘will be. It is influenced by five factors such as transitory service intensifiers, perceived service alternatives, customer self-perceived service role, situational factors and predicted service. Berry and Parasuraman (1993) describe a tolerance zone as â€Å"a range of service performance that a customer considers satisfactory†. This concept assumes that customers have expectations of a service attribute on the two given levels which have been discussed above. If the real experiences of a customer fall in the zone of tolerance, then the perceived quality is regarded as good. Understanding the different sources of customer expectations can therefore help managers to perceive correctly what their customers want and expect. They can then put emphasis on the services elements that they can control and deliver the services they have promised. Hence, this model can serve as a valuable diagnostic tool to boost up the overall level of perceived service quality (Kettinger and Lee, 2005).Yet, one of the perplexing issues confronting service businesses is how to measure quality service perceptions of existing and potential customers since many of these factors are uncontrollable and also expectations differ from customer to customer and, possibly, from one situation to the next for the same customer (Young et al. , 1994). Why is Service Quality Important? Across all service industries, service quality remains a critical issue as businesses strive to maintain a comparative advantage over their competitors in the marketplace (Kandampully et al., 1999). As a result, the environment of service organisations is more and more competitive. Ghobatian et al. (1994) point out that â€Å"customers are the lifeblood of any business† and â€Å"service quality can be the means to win and keep customers†. Actually, in todays aggressive environment, the pursuit of service quality is believed to be the most important strategic weapon in achieving a sustainable differential advantage within the global marketplace (Devlin et al., 2000). More importantly, it is conceded that companies that excel in high quality service as perceived by their customers, tend to be the most profitable ones. On the other hand, poor service has been classified as the prime cause for customers switching to competitors (Ghobatian et al., 1994). It is often observed that organisations providing a sophisticated level of service, try to go beyond just satisfying their customers. â€Å"They emphasise the need to ‘delight them by providing them more than what is required. They also now talk about winning customers† (Dale, 2003). The latter highlights some customer service facts and indicates why service quality is crucial for a firm. (See Appendix A) While focusing on the increased importance of service quality, it is also essential to assess the related benefits and costs. Lewis (1991) has underlined some benefits when adopting a quality service strategy such as customer satisfaction and customer retention, loyalty, expanded market share, enhanced firms reputation, improvement in employee morale, low staff turnover, increased productivity, less mistakes, lower costs, high revenues, increased financial performance, high revenues and positive word-of-mouth. On the other hand, Crosby (1979) has identified the costs of poor quality which are related due to lack of responsiveness to customers, low morale of employees, dissatisfied customers and unfavorable word-of-mouth communication. Hence, it is important for businesses to clearly anticipate that service quality is the basic prerequisite for continuous success. 1.7 Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction In a competitive business environment where organisations compete for customers, customer satisfaction is perceived as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a primary element of business strategy (Carl D. McDaniel, 2005). Customers are the foremost decision makers in any marketing effort. They opt for a service offering that adds value to them and optimises their satisfaction. Many researchers such as Brady and Robertson (2001) and Lovelock, Patterson and Walker (2001) conceptualise customer satisfaction as an individuals feeling of pleasure or disappointment resulting from judging against a products perceived performance with respect to his or her expectations. But, Westbrook and Oliver (1981) make use of the confirmation-disconfirmation theory to better explain the meaning of customer satisfaction. This paradigm states that customers assess their levels of satisfaction by comparing their actual experiences with that of their previous experiences, expectations, and perceptions of the products performance. Parasuraman et al. (1994) mention that customer satisfaction is a key consequence of service quality and thus, it can determine the long term success of a service organisation. In the same vein, Oliver (1980) points out that customer satisfaction is affected by customer expectation or anticipation prior to obtaining a service and can be approximated by the following equation: Customer Satisfaction = â‚ ¬Ã‚  Perception of Performance Expectations Based on the above equation, Parasuraman et al. (1994) devise that a service provider can boost up overall customer satisfaction by either improving customer perceptions of a service or by lowering their expectations of it. If a service firm fails to respect this equation, then, this may dissatisfy the customer at the time and, in turn, will result in his or her switching to alternative service firms (McCollough, Berry, and Yadav, 2000; Roos, 1999). Thus, this equation is a valuable tool and a clear reminder that both factors, perceptions and expectations of customer satisfaction need to be managed and controlled by the service provider. An analysis of the literature on the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality has received a widely held view among researches. Caruana and Malta (2002) point out by mentioning that service quality is an important input to customer satisfaction. Zeithaml et al. (1996) share the same line of thought by suggesting that a customers relationship with a company is strengthened when that customer makes a positive appraisal about the companys service quality and is weakened when a customer makes negative assessments about the companys service quality. They argue that favourable assessment of service quality will result in favourable behavioral intentions like â€Å"praise for the company† and expressions of preference for the company over other companies. Thus, implying that there is a positive relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction. However, the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality has been criticised for not being inter-related by many researches. For instance, Iacobucci et al. (1995) identify that the vast majority of articles attempting to scrutinise this inter-relationship have been of a non-empirical nature. Similarly, Anderson and Fornell (1994) point out that the literature is not very clear about the distinction between quality and satisfaction. Satisfaction is a â€Å"post consumption† experience which judges perceived quality against expected quality, whereas service quality refers to a global evaluation of an organisations service delivery system (Anderson and Fornell, 1994; Parasuraman et al., 1985). Hence, Dabholkar et al. (2000) suggest that it is recommended that customer satisfaction should be measured separately from service quality so as to understand how customers evaluate service performance. 1.8 Service Quality and Customer trust The trust that customers have in service organisations is an important concern for customer relationship managers. Existing research has accentuated the significance of trust and its implications for driving profitable and long-lasting customer relationships (Garbarino and Johnson, 1999; Morgan and Hunt, 1999). Practitioners and researchers have repeatedly emphasised the importance of service quality which enable firms to build stable and trusting relationships with customers (Grà ¶nroos, 1983; Rust, Moorman, and Dickson, 2002; Zeithaml, Berry, and Parasuraman, 1996). Recent evidence highlights that there exists a positive relationship between service quality and trust (Chiou and Droge, 2006; Sharma and Patterson, 1999). To reinforce this notion, a firm that consistently meets or exceeds the expectations of customers will cultivate more trusting relationships with its customers. The courteous, caring, and responsive employee behaviours that are characteristic of service quality will inspire confidence in customers, particularly in retail outlets and thus will introduce a sense of trust for the retail store in customers (Weisinger, 1998). These related factors of service quality eventually contribute to the development of trust, and trust starts to develop as the customers experience positive service interactions and obtain benefits from this personal interaction. Consequently, the higher the service quality, the stronger is customer trust in an organisation. 1.9 Service Quality and Customer Loyalty The main aim of leading service organisations is to maintain a superior quality of service in an effort to gain customer loyalty. Coupled with this, Zeithaml (1996) believes that a service firms long term success in a market is essentially determined by its ability to expand and maintain a large and loyal customer base. Buttle and Burton (2002) simply describe customer loyalty as â€Å"a customer who continues to buy is a loyal customer†. Boulding et al. (1993) find that there is a positive relationship between service quality and customer loyalty, that is, customers having the repurchase intentions and the willingness to recommend. Sharing the same line of thought, Zeithaml et al. (1990) also report a positive relationship, thereby, customers willingly pay a price premium and intend to remain loyal in case of a price increase. However, Johnson et al. (2001) point out that this positive relationship varies between products, industries, and situations. On the other hand, some researchers argue that it has remained unclear whether or not there is a direct relationship between service quality and loyalty. In the study done by Cronin and Taylor (1992), service quality did not appear to have a significant or positive effect on customer loyalty. Similarly, Bloemer et al. (1999) mention that this relationship has remained relatively underdeveloped. 1.10 Handling customer complaints The phenomenon of customer complaints is considered as an area of great significance for businesses, particularly where organisations are increasingly recognising the value of pursuing long-term relationships with customers. Tax and Brown (1998) identify that only 5-10% of customers who are dissatisfied actually complain. Hence, it is imperative for organisations to encourage their customers to voice their dissatisfaction by providing communication facilities such as customer service desks. However, Blancero and Johnson (2001) argue that customer complaints could result in negative reactions from employees, which may in turn reduce service quality. But complaints can have a positive impact as well. It is an excellent opportunity for an organisation when receiving complaints in order to restore customer confidence and to capitalise on this feedback for helping in organisational improvements (Johnston, 2001; Ramsey, 2003). When focusing on handling customer complaints, it should include adequacy or fairness of the outcome, access to the organisation contact points, friendliness, empathy, active feedback, and speed of response (Stauss, 2002). 1.11 Service Failure and Recovery The retail industry involves a high degree of interaction between employees and consumers and as a result, provides many opportunities for service failures to crop up. According to Michel (2001), service failures include those circumstances when a service fails to live up to the customers expectations. Some consequences of service failures are dissatisfaction, negative word-of-mouth (Mattila, 2001), decrease in customer confidence and a decline in employee morale and performance (Boshoff and Leong, 1998). When service failure occurs, then service providers have to take actions to recover which gives rise to service recovery. Miller et al. (2000) describe service recovery as the actions takes to problems, change negative attitudes of dissatisfied customers and to ultimately retain these customers. Examples of recovery efforts consist of price discounts, improved services, refunds, free products or services, apologies, and acknowledgment of the problem (Kelley et al. , 1993). 1.12 Summary of the Literature Review This chapter has provided a general idea on service quality. It has started by providing an overview of services and quality with emphasis in the retailing industry. In addition, customer expectations, customer trust, loyalty and customer satisfaction have also been discussed. Undoubtedly, in the service quality literature, service quality is proven to provide many benefits to organisations. Literature Review Chapter Two: Related Concepts of Service Quality 2.0 Introduction In this chapter, service quality and its related concepts have been explored. They are as follows: The dimensions of service quality including SERVQUAL, Gap analysis, the three dimensions of Lehtinen and Lehtinen and the Perceived service quality model. Besides, the difficulties in measuring service quality as well as a critical review of the concept of service quality have also been identified 2.1 Dimensions of Service Quality Service quality is not a singular but rather it is a multidimensional phenomenon (Ghobatian et al, 1993). Without doubt, the identification of the quality dimensions to measure is of fundamental necessity as customers base their views about service on these dimensions (Kunst and Lemmink, 1996). Various writers and researchers have suggested a number of dimensions of service quality. For instance, Lehtinen and Lehtinen (1982) identify three dimensions for service quality which are physical quality (tangible aspects of service), corporate quality (company image and reputation) and interactive quality (two-way flow between customers and personnel). They also argue that it is important to differentiate between the output quality of service and the quality associated with the process of service delivery. Indeed, service quality is being perceived as a multidimensional concept. Grà ¶nroos (1984) point out that service quality comprises of three global dimensions: The technical quality which refers to what is delivered or what the customer gets from the service. For example, for a retail store, technical quality may consist of the range of products offered and the availability of parking space. The functional quality, that is, the way in which the service is delivered or how it is delivered. For example, customers of a retail store will assess whether the salespersons are friendly or whether products are easily returnable. The corporate image has to do with how consumers perceive the firm and is built by mainly both technical and functional quality and to some extent other factors such as the traditional marketing activities (pricing, advertising). Unlike Grà ¶nroos (1984) who uses the global measure of service quality, Parasuraman et al. (1985) argue that the criteria used by consumers to evaluate service quality fits ten dimensions: reliability, responsiveness, competence, courtesy, communication, credibility, security, access, tangibles and understanding/knowing the customer. Later, after having carried out successive research, analysis and testing, Parasuraman et al. (1988) refine the dimensions into only five dimensions namely: Tangibles: the appearance of physical facilities, personnel, communication materials and condition of equipment. Reliability: the ability to perform the promised service on time dependably and accurately. Responsiveness: the willingness to help customers, to deal effectively with complaints and provide prompt service. Assurance: the employees knowledge and courtesy and their ability to convey trust and confidence. Empathy: The level of caring, individualised attention provided to the customers. 2.1.1 SERVQUAL Model Based on these five dimensions above, the SERVQUAL instrument has been developed. This particular instrument which is originally developed by A. Parasuraman, Valarie A. Zeithaml and L.L. Berry in 1988, measures service quality through customer opinions. They point out that SERVQUAL essentially comprises of two sections. The first section basically questions customers expectations, while the second part measures customers perceptions. The gap between the expected service and perceived service is measured using the SERVQUAL together with its five underlying dimensions of service quality (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy). The SERVQUAL incorporates 22 items in each of the two sections which are sub-items of the predefined five dimensions (refer to Appendix B). According to Zeithaml et al. (2006), SERVQUAL has been creatively used in multiple service contexts. Indeed, Parasuraman et al. (1988) suggest that the instrument is applicable across a wide variety of services. In the same line, Getz et al. (2001) put forward that SERVQUAL has been broadly used in a variety of service industries. They also point out that it is a helpful tool comprising of potential applications in assessing effectively consumers expectations and perceptions of service quality. Despite the fact that SERVQUAL is the most well known instrument for service quality, it has been criticised from several researchers. Cronin and Taylor (1992) claim that there are deficiencies in both the conceptualisation and operationalisation of service quality in the SERVQUAL model. Buttle (1996) criticises on the dimensionality of the SERVQUAL scale, especially to the number of dimensions and their stability from contexts to contexts. He also states that the dimensions are not universal. Following the same line of thought, Bahia and Nantel (2000) declare that this model emphas Strategies for Service Quality Strategies for Service Quality Literature Review Chapter One: An overview of Service Quality 1.0 Introduction Nowadays, service quality strategy is an important weapon used to gain a competitive advantage over competitors. This chapter starts by defining quality, services and service quality. Some essential elements such as the expectations of service, importance of service quality and its benefits are also being highlighted. It further stresses the need for handling customer complaints and underlines the role of service failure and recovery. 1.2 Meanings of Quality Quality is constantly evolving depending on its application techniques used. Quality is a term that is heard almost everywhere nowadays, from top management business to the small corner shop on the local street to the stall selling fruits in the market. Quality is perceived as a subjective term which means different things to different people in different situations. According to Joseph M. Juran (1988), quality is defined as â€Å"fitness for purpose†. Deming W. Edwards (1982), another quality guru, described quality as being â€Å"a predictable degree of uniformity and dependability at low cost and suited to the market†. However, â€Å"Delighting the customer by fully meeting their needs and expectations† is a more common definition of quality. Other definitions of quality are listed below: â€Å"Quality is a conformance to requirement† (Philip Crosby, 1979) â€Å"Quality is the customers opinion† (Armand V Feigenbaum, 2004) â€Å"Quality is the extent to which the customer or users believe the product or service surpasses their needs and expectations† (Gitlow et al. , 1989) The different definitions of â€Å"quality† given above are not stating the same thing. Thus, it is possible that one business concentrates on quality to meet a specified requirement, but this may not satisfy the customers expectations. Also, it is possible for a product to be of a degree of excellence but may not fit for purpose, that is, the definition underlined by Joseph Juran. Simply expressed, all gurus of quality dance around the definition of quality but none of these definitions stated above is a complete statement of what is meant by quality. 1.3 Importance of Quality The concept of quality is currently so widely used by organisations that it is no longer just an advantage to adopt it but a must for survival. Increased globalisation leads to increased competitive pressures. Therefore, businesses are forced to do their best to be more efficient, more up-to-date with the changing technologies and at the same time to be responsive to the markets. Dale (2003) stresses the importance of quality in that it increases productivity, followed by enhanced performance in the marketplace and improves overall business performance. According to Armand Feigenbaum (2004), quality is considered to be the single most important force resulting in organisational success and growth in both national and international markets. Competition nowadays is fiercer as existing competitors need to improve their offerings while new and low cost competitors emerge in the marketplace (Dale, 2003). Consequently, businesses are required to understand the great significance of quality and try to indulge in continuous and sustainable quality improvements in order to survive. Quality is a key aspect that plays a great role for both goods and services providing enterprises. More specifically, quality and its management have turned out to be progressively significant in pursuing business excellence, superior performance and market supremacy. But why quality in service? This is because organisations face challenges such as meeting customer requirements while remaining economically competitive. Services are labour intensive even today. There is not any substitute for high quality personal interaction between service employees and customers. Thus, quality practices need to be implemented by the service enterprises to identify problems quickly and systematically, establish valid and reliable service performance measures and measure customer satisfaction. 1.4 Services The new catch-all word â€Å"services† is making its rounds in the industry in the last decade. Indeed, the role of services in the world economy has increased considerably within the last ten years, particularly in developed nations. According to Jiang and Rosenbloom (2005), the shifting of the economy in industrialised countries from goods to services is considered to be one of the most essential long-term trends in the business world today. In fact, the service sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in the USA nowadays, accounting for over 75% of the increase in the GNP (Gross National Product) in the last decade. Regan (1963) brought in the idea of services being â€Å"activities, benefits or satisfactions which are offered for sale, or are provided in connection with the sale of goods†. As human beings, we consume services in our everyday life such as switching on the television, talking on mobile phones and using emails. Economies of the world are becoming more and more services based. Some activities such as banking, construction, tourism, accounting and hairdressing can be easily identified. Organisation goals can be achieved by knowing the needs and wants of target markets and thus delivering the appropriate and desired service better than competitors. According to Zeithaml et al. (1990), customers are considered to be the only judge of service. However, it is often difficult for customers to predict satisfaction and evaluate service prior to purchase and consumption and hence, they are more likely to look for information before purchasing services than goods This may be mostly due to the fact that services, in contrast to goods, are commonly said to derive from the four characteristics namely intangibility, heterogeneity, perishability and inseparability. However, some authors have argued that services are not fundamentally different from goods and have also reported that no pure goods or services exist in todays marketplace (McDougall et al. , 1990; cited by Stell et al. , 1996). This stream of thought puts forward that the service/good dichotomy is such that consumers can purchase either a good or service to fulfill their needs. For instance, when consumers need to have their documents copied, they may buy a personal copy machine (a good) or go to a copy center (a service). In these circumstances, services may compete directly with goods (Dholakia and Venkatraman, 1993). So, instead of identifying differences, marketing strategy should be based on the similarities between services and physical goods in relation to the characteristics of the total market offering. 1.4.1 Services in Retail Industry Organisations must be able to identify their most important customers and prospect and at the same time integrating customer insights and powerful analytics into retail decision-making. Thus, this can drive high performance throughout the business. Evidence suggests that services business customers tend to remain with the same service provider if they are continually and continuously satisfied (Hong and Goo, 2004). The building and maintenance of such relationships can attain better financial performance, customer trust, commitment and satisfaction (Hsieh et al, 2002). In order to achieve high performance in the retail industry, there are several attributes that retailers should strive towards to guarantee success and outperform their competitors. They have to excel in areas such as being customer focus, being continuously innovative, establishing a performance-oriented culture and improving the distribution channel. All these add a new dimension of competition. 1.5 Definition of Service Quality Service quality has drawn attention of researchers in recent decades (Zeithaml, 2000). Nevertheless, since there is not a universally accepted definition for service quality, many different meanings exist. For instance, Czepiel (1990) portrays service quality as customers perception of how well a service meets or exceeds their expectations whereas Bitner, Booms and Mohr (1994, p. 97) define service quality as â€Å"the consumers overall impression of the relative inferiority or superiority of the organisation and its services†. Zeithaml et al. (1996) depict service quality as â€Å"the delivery of excellent or superior service relative to customer expectations†. While other researchers (for example, Cronin and Taylor, 1994) view service quality as a form of attitude representing a long-run evaluation in general, Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1985, p. 48) define service quality as â€Å"a function of the differences between expectation and performance along the quality dimensions†. Indeed, this has appeared to be consistent with Roest and Pieters (1997) definition that service quality is a relativistic and cognitive discrepancy between experience-based norms and performances concerning service benefits. As for Gronroos (1983), service quality is viewed as the accomplishment of customers expectations whereas Parasuraman et al. (1985) define it as the gap between customers expectations, in terms of service, and their perception developed by the actual service experience. That is, service quality is an attitude that results from the comparison of expected service levels with perceived performance. Furthermore, Parasuraman et al. (1985) have reported that outstanding service is a profitable strategy as it results in more new customers, fewer lost customers, more business with existing customers, more insulation from price competition and fewer mistakes requiring the re-performance of services. Accordingly, by offering superior service quality, a firm is liable to become more profitable and at the same time to sustain a competitive edge in their served markets. Evidently, superior service quality is a strategic weapon aiming to attract more customers. Lassar et al. (2000) believe that service quality is a significant sign of customer satisfaction and thus delivering superior service quality is a strategy that eventually leads to success. 1.5.1 Service Quality in Retailing With the rapid development in the retail industry nowadays, understanding of retail service quality and identifying determinants of retail service quality has become strategic importance for retailers. By satisfying customers through high quality service, firms not only retain their current customers, but at the same time, their market share also increases. (Finn and Lamb, 1991; cited by Nguyen, 2007) According to numerous marking researchers (for example, Berry, 1986; Reichheld Sasser, 1990; Dabholkar et al., 1996; NcGoldrick, 2002), the offer and supply of high quality service is often perceived to be of fundamental importance in retailing. In the retail context, when customers evaluate retail service, they compare their perceptions of the service they receive with that of their expectations. Customers are seemed to be satisfied only when the perceived service meets or even exceeds their expectations. However, they are dissatisfied when they feel that the service falls below their expectations (Levy and Weitz, 2005). To date, Parasuraman et al. (1988) believe that many studies on service quality relied on service quality construct and scale. Nevertheless, Kaul (2005) and Dabholkar et al. (1996) argue that this application to the retail industry may not be appropriate for service quality in retailing industry as the latter seems to be different from other services. In retail setting, where there is a mix of product and service, retailers are prone to have impact on service quality more than on product quality (Dabholkar et al. , 1996). Hence, since retailers can create such effects, service quality plays a significant strategic role in creating quality perceptions. 1.6 Customer Expectations of Service According to Parasuraman et al (1993), understanding customer expectations is a must for delivering superior and value-added service. Customers have the tendency to compare their perceptions with that of expectations when judging a service. They are satisfied only when the service they have received is the same or exceeds what they expected. Lewis (1991) define expectations as the desires or wants of consumers and what they believe a product or service should offer, which are formed on the basis of previous experience with a company, its competitors and the marketing mix inputs. Thus, identifying what a customer expects is the prime step in delivering high quality of customer service. 1.6.1 Determinants of Customer Expectations of service Berry and Parasuraman (1993) have developed a complete model of customer expectations and have given their opinions through two levels namely desired and adequate expectations and the zone of tolerance in the middle which separates them (refer to Figure 1.3). This model shows the different factors that affect these three features. Desired service is that level of service which a customer expects to receive from a service firm. In fact, it is a blend of what the customer considers ‘can be and ‘should be. It is believed to result from six sources namely, enduring service intensifiers, personal needs, explicit service promises, implicit service promises, word-of-mouth and past experience. Conversely, adequate service level is related to which the customer finds acceptable. It is based on the customers appraisal of what the service ‘will be. It is influenced by five factors such as transitory service intensifiers, perceived service alternatives, customer self-perceived service role, situational factors and predicted service. Berry and Parasuraman (1993) describe a tolerance zone as â€Å"a range of service performance that a customer considers satisfactory†. This concept assumes that customers have expectations of a service attribute on the two given levels which have been discussed above. If the real experiences of a customer fall in the zone of tolerance, then the perceived quality is regarded as good. Understanding the different sources of customer expectations can therefore help managers to perceive correctly what their customers want and expect. They can then put emphasis on the services elements that they can control and deliver the services they have promised. Hence, this model can serve as a valuable diagnostic tool to boost up the overall level of perceived service quality (Kettinger and Lee, 2005).Yet, one of the perplexing issues confronting service businesses is how to measure quality service perceptions of existing and potential customers since many of these factors are uncontrollable and also expectations differ from customer to customer and, possibly, from one situation to the next for the same customer (Young et al. , 1994). Why is Service Quality Important? Across all service industries, service quality remains a critical issue as businesses strive to maintain a comparative advantage over their competitors in the marketplace (Kandampully et al., 1999). As a result, the environment of service organisations is more and more competitive. Ghobatian et al. (1994) point out that â€Å"customers are the lifeblood of any business† and â€Å"service quality can be the means to win and keep customers†. Actually, in todays aggressive environment, the pursuit of service quality is believed to be the most important strategic weapon in achieving a sustainable differential advantage within the global marketplace (Devlin et al., 2000). More importantly, it is conceded that companies that excel in high quality service as perceived by their customers, tend to be the most profitable ones. On the other hand, poor service has been classified as the prime cause for customers switching to competitors (Ghobatian et al., 1994). It is often observed that organisations providing a sophisticated level of service, try to go beyond just satisfying their customers. â€Å"They emphasise the need to ‘delight them by providing them more than what is required. They also now talk about winning customers† (Dale, 2003). The latter highlights some customer service facts and indicates why service quality is crucial for a firm. (See Appendix A) While focusing on the increased importance of service quality, it is also essential to assess the related benefits and costs. Lewis (1991) has underlined some benefits when adopting a quality service strategy such as customer satisfaction and customer retention, loyalty, expanded market share, enhanced firms reputation, improvement in employee morale, low staff turnover, increased productivity, less mistakes, lower costs, high revenues, increased financial performance, high revenues and positive word-of-mouth. On the other hand, Crosby (1979) has identified the costs of poor quality which are related due to lack of responsiveness to customers, low morale of employees, dissatisfied customers and unfavorable word-of-mouth communication. Hence, it is important for businesses to clearly anticipate that service quality is the basic prerequisite for continuous success. 1.7 Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction In a competitive business environment where organisations compete for customers, customer satisfaction is perceived as a key differentiator and increasingly has become a primary element of business strategy (Carl D. McDaniel, 2005). Customers are the foremost decision makers in any marketing effort. They opt for a service offering that adds value to them and optimises their satisfaction. Many researchers such as Brady and Robertson (2001) and Lovelock, Patterson and Walker (2001) conceptualise customer satisfaction as an individuals feeling of pleasure or disappointment resulting from judging against a products perceived performance with respect to his or her expectations. But, Westbrook and Oliver (1981) make use of the confirmation-disconfirmation theory to better explain the meaning of customer satisfaction. This paradigm states that customers assess their levels of satisfaction by comparing their actual experiences with that of their previous experiences, expectations, and perceptions of the products performance. Parasuraman et al. (1994) mention that customer satisfaction is a key consequence of service quality and thus, it can determine the long term success of a service organisation. In the same vein, Oliver (1980) points out that customer satisfaction is affected by customer expectation or anticipation prior to obtaining a service and can be approximated by the following equation: Customer Satisfaction = â‚ ¬Ã‚  Perception of Performance Expectations Based on the above equation, Parasuraman et al. (1994) devise that a service provider can boost up overall customer satisfaction by either improving customer perceptions of a service or by lowering their expectations of it. If a service firm fails to respect this equation, then, this may dissatisfy the customer at the time and, in turn, will result in his or her switching to alternative service firms (McCollough, Berry, and Yadav, 2000; Roos, 1999). Thus, this equation is a valuable tool and a clear reminder that both factors, perceptions and expectations of customer satisfaction need to be managed and controlled by the service provider. An analysis of the literature on the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality has received a widely held view among researches. Caruana and Malta (2002) point out by mentioning that service quality is an important input to customer satisfaction. Zeithaml et al. (1996) share the same line of thought by suggesting that a customers relationship with a company is strengthened when that customer makes a positive appraisal about the companys service quality and is weakened when a customer makes negative assessments about the companys service quality. They argue that favourable assessment of service quality will result in favourable behavioral intentions like â€Å"praise for the company† and expressions of preference for the company over other companies. Thus, implying that there is a positive relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction. However, the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality has been criticised for not being inter-related by many researches. For instance, Iacobucci et al. (1995) identify that the vast majority of articles attempting to scrutinise this inter-relationship have been of a non-empirical nature. Similarly, Anderson and Fornell (1994) point out that the literature is not very clear about the distinction between quality and satisfaction. Satisfaction is a â€Å"post consumption† experience which judges perceived quality against expected quality, whereas service quality refers to a global evaluation of an organisations service delivery system (Anderson and Fornell, 1994; Parasuraman et al., 1985). Hence, Dabholkar et al. (2000) suggest that it is recommended that customer satisfaction should be measured separately from service quality so as to understand how customers evaluate service performance. 1.8 Service Quality and Customer trust The trust that customers have in service organisations is an important concern for customer relationship managers. Existing research has accentuated the significance of trust and its implications for driving profitable and long-lasting customer relationships (Garbarino and Johnson, 1999; Morgan and Hunt, 1999). Practitioners and researchers have repeatedly emphasised the importance of service quality which enable firms to build stable and trusting relationships with customers (Grà ¶nroos, 1983; Rust, Moorman, and Dickson, 2002; Zeithaml, Berry, and Parasuraman, 1996). Recent evidence highlights that there exists a positive relationship between service quality and trust (Chiou and Droge, 2006; Sharma and Patterson, 1999). To reinforce this notion, a firm that consistently meets or exceeds the expectations of customers will cultivate more trusting relationships with its customers. The courteous, caring, and responsive employee behaviours that are characteristic of service quality will inspire confidence in customers, particularly in retail outlets and thus will introduce a sense of trust for the retail store in customers (Weisinger, 1998). These related factors of service quality eventually contribute to the development of trust, and trust starts to develop as the customers experience positive service interactions and obtain benefits from this personal interaction. Consequently, the higher the service quality, the stronger is customer trust in an organisation. 1.9 Service Quality and Customer Loyalty The main aim of leading service organisations is to maintain a superior quality of service in an effort to gain customer loyalty. Coupled with this, Zeithaml (1996) believes that a service firms long term success in a market is essentially determined by its ability to expand and maintain a large and loyal customer base. Buttle and Burton (2002) simply describe customer loyalty as â€Å"a customer who continues to buy is a loyal customer†. Boulding et al. (1993) find that there is a positive relationship between service quality and customer loyalty, that is, customers having the repurchase intentions and the willingness to recommend. Sharing the same line of thought, Zeithaml et al. (1990) also report a positive relationship, thereby, customers willingly pay a price premium and intend to remain loyal in case of a price increase. However, Johnson et al. (2001) point out that this positive relationship varies between products, industries, and situations. On the other hand, some researchers argue that it has remained unclear whether or not there is a direct relationship between service quality and loyalty. In the study done by Cronin and Taylor (1992), service quality did not appear to have a significant or positive effect on customer loyalty. Similarly, Bloemer et al. (1999) mention that this relationship has remained relatively underdeveloped. 1.10 Handling customer complaints The phenomenon of customer complaints is considered as an area of great significance for businesses, particularly where organisations are increasingly recognising the value of pursuing long-term relationships with customers. Tax and Brown (1998) identify that only 5-10% of customers who are dissatisfied actually complain. Hence, it is imperative for organisations to encourage their customers to voice their dissatisfaction by providing communication facilities such as customer service desks. However, Blancero and Johnson (2001) argue that customer complaints could result in negative reactions from employees, which may in turn reduce service quality. But complaints can have a positive impact as well. It is an excellent opportunity for an organisation when receiving complaints in order to restore customer confidence and to capitalise on this feedback for helping in organisational improvements (Johnston, 2001; Ramsey, 2003). When focusing on handling customer complaints, it should include adequacy or fairness of the outcome, access to the organisation contact points, friendliness, empathy, active feedback, and speed of response (Stauss, 2002). 1.11 Service Failure and Recovery The retail industry involves a high degree of interaction between employees and consumers and as a result, provides many opportunities for service failures to crop up. According to Michel (2001), service failures include those circumstances when a service fails to live up to the customers expectations. Some consequences of service failures are dissatisfaction, negative word-of-mouth (Mattila, 2001), decrease in customer confidence and a decline in employee morale and performance (Boshoff and Leong, 1998). When service failure occurs, then service providers have to take actions to recover which gives rise to service recovery. Miller et al. (2000) describe service recovery as the actions takes to problems, change negative attitudes of dissatisfied customers and to ultimately retain these customers. Examples of recovery efforts consist of price discounts, improved services, refunds, free products or services, apologies, and acknowledgment of the problem (Kelley et al. , 1993). 1.12 Summary of the Literature Review This chapter has provided a general idea on service quality. It has started by providing an overview of services and quality with emphasis in the retailing industry. In addition, customer expectations, customer trust, loyalty and customer satisfaction have also been discussed. Undoubtedly, in the service quality literature, service quality is proven to provide many benefits to organisations. Literature Review Chapter Two: Related Concepts of Service Quality 2.0 Introduction In this chapter, service quality and its related concepts have been explored. They are as follows: The dimensions of service quality including SERVQUAL, Gap analysis, the three dimensions of Lehtinen and Lehtinen and the Perceived service quality model. Besides, the difficulties in measuring service quality as well as a critical review of the concept of service quality have also been identified 2.1 Dimensions of Service Quality Service quality is not a singular but rather it is a multidimensional phenomenon (Ghobatian et al, 1993). Without doubt, the identification of the quality dimensions to measure is of fundamental necessity as customers base their views about service on these dimensions (Kunst and Lemmink, 1996). Various writers and researchers have suggested a number of dimensions of service quality. For instance, Lehtinen and Lehtinen (1982) identify three dimensions for service quality which are physical quality (tangible aspects of service), corporate quality (company image and reputation) and interactive quality (two-way flow between customers and personnel). They also argue that it is important to differentiate between the output quality of service and the quality associated with the process of service delivery. Indeed, service quality is being perceived as a multidimensional concept. Grà ¶nroos (1984) point out that service quality comprises of three global dimensions: The technical quality which refers to what is delivered or what the customer gets from the service. For example, for a retail store, technical quality may consist of the range of products offered and the availability of parking space. The functional quality, that is, the way in which the service is delivered or how it is delivered. For example, customers of a retail store will assess whether the salespersons are friendly or whether products are easily returnable. The corporate image has to do with how consumers perceive the firm and is built by mainly both technical and functional quality and to some extent other factors such as the traditional marketing activities (pricing, advertising). Unlike Grà ¶nroos (1984) who uses the global measure of service quality, Parasuraman et al. (1985) argue that the criteria used by consumers to evaluate service quality fits ten dimensions: reliability, responsiveness, competence, courtesy, communication, credibility, security, access, tangibles and understanding/knowing the customer. Later, after having carried out successive research, analysis and testing, Parasuraman et al. (1988) refine the dimensions into only five dimensions namely: Tangibles: the appearance of physical facilities, personnel, communication materials and condition of equipment. Reliability: the ability to perform the promised service on time dependably and accurately. Responsiveness: the willingness to help customers, to deal effectively with complaints and provide prompt service. Assurance: the employees knowledge and courtesy and their ability to convey trust and confidence. Empathy: The level of caring, individualised attention provided to the customers. 2.1.1 SERVQUAL Model Based on these five dimensions above, the SERVQUAL instrument has been developed. This particular instrument which is originally developed by A. Parasuraman, Valarie A. Zeithaml and L.L. Berry in 1988, measures service quality through customer opinions. They point out that SERVQUAL essentially comprises of two sections. The first section basically questions customers expectations, while the second part measures customers perceptions. The gap between the expected service and perceived service is measured using the SERVQUAL together with its five underlying dimensions of service quality (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy). The SERVQUAL incorporates 22 items in each of the two sections which are sub-items of the predefined five dimensions (refer to Appendix B). According to Zeithaml et al. (2006), SERVQUAL has been creatively used in multiple service contexts. Indeed, Parasuraman et al. (1988) suggest that the instrument is applicable across a wide variety of services. In the same line, Getz et al. (2001) put forward that SERVQUAL has been broadly used in a variety of service industries. They also point out that it is a helpful tool comprising of potential applications in assessing effectively consumers expectations and perceptions of service quality. Despite the fact that SERVQUAL is the most well known instrument for service quality, it has been criticised from several researchers. Cronin and Taylor (1992) claim that there are deficiencies in both the conceptualisation and operationalisation of service quality in the SERVQUAL model. Buttle (1996) criticises on the dimensionality of the SERVQUAL scale, especially to the number of dimensions and their stability from contexts to contexts. He also states that the dimensions are not universal. Following the same line of thought, Bahia and Nantel (2000) declare that this model emphas