Scarlet letter :: essays research papers

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a novel about three individuals whose lives are forever changed. The story takes place in a Puritan village in Boston, in the 1600's. A woman named Hester Prynne has committed adultery and is subject to wear a letter "A" on her dress, representing adulteress. Her secret lover, Dimmesdale, does not come forth, and she does not reveal his identity. Hester's husband, Chillingworth, becomes a sick man, living off other people's sufferings. The act of adultery has weakened each character, and isolated them from the community. The three characters find it harder and harder to live each day. Hester Prynne is a strong character, but she also gives in to weakness. She moves to the outskirts of town because she does not want her life to be observed by every town's person. Although she carries herself proudly, inside she feels sorrow for herself and her child, Pearl. Hester wears the scarlet letter even though she can take it off and refuse to wear it. Hester feels every isolated from the world, because she is an outcast in the village. Villagers look at her as a bad example and a bad person. As time goes on, Hester feels like she has to give back to the world. She feels like she has done damage to the community, and therefore Hester helps the sick and makes clothing for the less fortunate. Hester tries to deal with her situation the best she possibly can. Dimmesdale is the weakest character in the novel. Dimmesdale keeps his guilt and sin inside of his self, and by doing so it tears him apart. He does not want the village to know of his sin, because as a minister, he feels he must be looked up to. Dimmesdale keeps to himself and little by little his health fades. He fasts and fasts until he faints and he whips himself on the back as punishment. He has so much guilt built up inside of him after years and years that he decides he must confess to the village upon the scaffold. "For thee and Pearl, be it as God shall order, and God is merciful! Let me now do the will which he hath made plain before my sight. For, Hester I am a dying man. So let me make haste to take my shame upon me!" Dimmesdale is saying that he deserves the punishment that God will give him, and he is ashamed of his sin.

Freemark Abbey Winery Essay

1. Construct the decision tree for William Jaeger. 2. What should he do? Jaeger should choose to harvest later and wait for the storm. If the storm does come but destroys the grapes, he can decide whether to bottle wine or not to protect winery’s reputation. In either way, he will gain higher revenues from harvesting later than harvesting immediately: EV of â€Å"Do not harvest & Bottling†: $39240 EV of â€Å"Do not harvest & Not bottling†: $39240-$12000*0.6*0.5=$35640 EV of â€Å"Harvest†: $34200 If the winery’s reputation is of great importance for long term profitability, he should choose to sell the wine in bulk, or sell the grapes directly to avoid impairing reputation. Besides, Riesling wines contribute only about 1,000 cases of wine, and the whole winery produced about 25,000 cases of wine bottled each year. Since the Riesling takes only about 4% of winery’s total production and the decision analysis only affects a small proportion of winery revenues, an expected value approach is used (not expected utility approach). However, if Jaeger is extremely risk average or the winery could not afford any risks at that time, he could choose to harvest immediately to reduce uncertainty. 3. Incorporate the option that Jaeger can obtain perfect weather information on the path of the storm into your decision tree. Note that the type of storm remains uncertain. 4. What should he do now? And at most how much he is willing to pay for this piece of information? With perfect information of whether storm strikes or not, Jaeger should still choose to harvest later and wait for the storm. EV of â€Å"Harvest† stream: $34200 EV of â€Å"Do not harvest† stream: $39240 (no matter Jaeger decides to bottle  not-up-to-standard wine or not) When Jaeger decides to â€Å"bottling† not up-to-standard wine, EV of â€Å"Information† stream: $39240 When Jaeger decides to â€Å"not bottling† not-up-to-standard wine, EV of â€Å"Information† stream: $34200*0.5+$37200*0.5=$35700 (â€Å"Information, Storm strike, Do not harvest & Not bottling†: this option will not be chosen as its EV is $34080, smaller than EV of â€Å"Information, Storm strike & Harvest† $34200) As the option â€Å"harvest later and wait for the storm† will bring the highest revenues no matter Jaeger decides to bottle not-up-to-standard wine or not to protect reputation, he should stick to the strategy of harvesting later. Even if the perfect information is free-of-charge, and he decides to bottle not-up-to-standard wine to get more monetary returns, the expected value is the same as â€Å"do not harvest and do not gain perfect information†. If he chooses to get perfect information, and decides to not bottle not-up-to-standard wine, the expected value will be lower. Because the perfect information cannot affect his choice from an ex ante position, it is worthless and he is willing to pay for zero. In this case, the information cannot predict the storm type, so the perfect information is worthless for Jaeger. If the perfect information can predict the storm type, it is valuable and Jaeger will be willing to pay.

Attitudes Towards Error Correction Essay

Introduction The present study focuses on the way in which error correction is done and the significance of errors in the Romanian context. In designing it, I did not use my knowledge on causes of errors as I was not interested to find out whether it can be established a correlation between students’ mother tongue, the target language and the production of errors. I oriented this study towards a narrower issue: the attitudes of teachers, students and native speakers of Romanian towards error correction. In order to do this, I used the following classification of correction techniques: self – correction, peer correction and teacher correction. My research instrument for finding out teachers’ and learners’ attitudes towards error correction was the questionnaire. In constructing my questionnaires my sources were David Nunan’s books entitled ‘Language Teaching Methodology. A Textbook for Teachers’ (1991) and ‘Research Methods in Language Learning’ (1995).The questionnaire is a research instrument which involves asking questions of other people and it is classified as ‘introspective’, since it involves respondents reporting on themselves, their views, their beliefs and so on. According to Nunan (1995:115) ‘introspection is the process of observing and reflecting on one’s thoughts, feelings, motives, reasoning processes, and mental states with a view to determining the ways in which these processes and states determine our behaviour’.Very often the questionnaire is answered by reading the questions and then ticking responses, or by writing in short answers. Thus, it is easier for the researcher to deal with the data collected and this is one of the reasons I chose it. The Theory of Questionnaire Design and Analysis Questionnaire preparation †¢Purpose The first thing to be very clear about was the purpose, that is, I had to know exactly the reason why I was setting up the questionnaire and what I wanted to find out. I tried to imagine the range of responses in order to know whether they would tell me what I needed to know. †¢Handling the data Again, it was important to imagine the completed responses. They needed to be in a form that was simple and convenient to analyse. This meant organising the questionnaire form so that it would be easy for me to record and discuss the results. †¢Practical details I needed to know how many copies of the questionnaire I would need and how I was going to ensure the maximum return completed questionnaires. †¢Anonymity I established whether the questionnaires were going to be anonymous. In case of anonymity, people might be more honest and informative in their responses. In case of non-anonymity, I might have been able to have follow-up interviews on selected questionnaires. I might also have been able to send reminders to those who had not responded. Questionnaire Design †¢Clarity It had to clear the informants why they were filling in the questionnaire: what was intended to achieve. It had to be clear whether or not the questionnaire was supposed to be anonymous. The instructions had to be very clear and explicit. The informants had to know whether the answers were to be ticked, crossed, circled or written out and where. †¢Simplicity I needed to know whether the questionnaire was laid out in a straightforward manner and whether the layout helped respondents to find their way through it. †¢Types of questions Questionnaire items can be relatively closed or open ended. A closed item is one in which the range of possible responses is determined by the researcher. In contrast, an open item is one in which the subject can decide what to say and how to say it. Questionnaires can consist entirely of closed questions, entirely of open questions, or a mixture of closed and open questions. The advantage of closed questions is that they usually make the questionnaire easier and quicker to fill in. they also make for quicker and more reliable scoring of the responses. The disadvantages of the closed questions are that they usually take longer to devise than open questions. Instructions on how to answer them have to be very clear. This means that the questionnaire designer has to anticipate all or most of the possible answers, so there may be little unexpected information in the responses. One corresponding advantage of open questions is that they are comparatively easy to design, but one may have some difficulties in trying to score and analyse the responses. It is also likely that responses to open questions reflect what the respondent wants to say. †¢Relevance Probably the most frequent mistake in designing questionnaires is asking unnecessary or irrelevant questions: for example, wanting to know whether the respondent is male or female, when his information has nothing to do with the purpose of questionnaire. †¢User – friendliness A lot of what I have been saying can be summarised by making the point that, since no one enjoys answering questionnaires, they should be made as ‘user – friendly’ as possible. This means they should not be too long, they should not be intensive (e.g. by asking questions that may embarrass the respondents) and they should not be confusing or perplexing. Piloting the Questionnaire An issue that affects questionnaires is that they should be piloted to see whether they work as planned. Even if I was going to distribute only a small number of questionnaires, I had to try them out on one or two people beforehand. In the piloting stage, I inquired: †¢whether the instructions were clear and easy to follow; †¢whether the questions were clear; †¢whether the respondents were able to answer all the questions; †¢whether the respondents found any of the questions irrelevant, patronising or irritating; †¢how long the questionnaire took the respondents to complete; †¢whether the respondents had any comments or suggestions that would help to make my questionnaire more effective. I piloted my questionnaires on two students. Drawing on the lessons learnt from the pilot I made the following changes: †¢I gave clear written instructions; †¢I eliminated questions five and six as they weren’t very clear and their answers were included in the variants of question seven †¢I changed the third variant from question three. Instead ‘uncomfortable’ I used the term ‘embarrassed’ as I thought that when producing an error students might show a sensation of embarrassment. This may be the result of teacher’s and even their classmates’ presence, more than a sensation of discomfort, which cannot be clearly defined. The questions that were unclear were given clear instructions about how to answer them. I tried to make my questionnaire user-friendly by changing the introduction. The questionnaire for learners was given in Romanian, as my subjects were beginners. As I was interested in teachers’ opinions I constructed a separate questionnaire. I piloted it on one teacher. After the piloting stage I made the following changes: I made my questionnaire user friendly by changing the introduction and I gave clear instructions about how to answer the questions. In addition I made a questionnaire for native speakers of Romanian as I thought that by administering it I might get useful and interesting opinions that could help me draw some conclusions concerning error correction in general and not necessary in the context of teaching / learning English. The purpose of questions Questionnaire for learners of English Question 1: to see how they find out learning English. Question 2: to find out what importance students give to error correction Question 3: to see how they feel when committing an error Question 4: to see whether they learn from their errors Question 5: to see what correction techniques students usually prefer Question 6: to find out which correction techniques students find more useful Question 7: to see whether they are interested in the errors committed Question 8: to find out what colour students prefer the teacher to use when providing correction Questionnaire for teachers of English Question 1: to know what is the respondents’ experience in teaching English Question 2: to see how they found teaching English Question 3: to find out what colour teachers use when providing correction Question 4: to find out the way in which correction is carried out Question 5: to find out the way in which they correct errors Question 6: to know what correction techniques teachers use in classroom Question 7: to find out which of the correction techniques teachers find to be more useful Question 8: to see whether they are aware of students’ feelings concerning correction Question 9: to know what they think to be the results of correction Questionnaire for native speakers of Romanian Question 1: to find out the respondents’ age Question 2: to know how they find learning a foreign language Question 3: to see what importance they give to correction Question 4: to see their attitudes when committing errors Question 5: to see whether or not they learn out of correction Question69: to find out what correction technique they prefer Question 7: to see what correction techniques have a greater utility Data Analysis I have administered the questionnaires to 10 students (beginners, studying English as a foreign language), 10 teachers of English and 10 native speakers of Romanian. When selecting the teachers I thought of getting answers from different ones, that is from middle school teachers, high school teachers and even university teachers. I also chose teachers being in their first years of teaching and experienced ones. The native speakers of Romanian were selected on the following criteria: they had nothing in common with the context of teaching / learning and they did not learn any foreign language except for the period when they were students, but they do not use it anymore. Quantitative Data Analysis The questionnaire for learners of English Q1. Nine students consider English as being easy to be learnt and one student considers it difficult to learn. Q2.All the students say that it is very important ‘being corrected’ Q3. Seven students feel encouraged when their attention is drawn to errors committed, while three students feel discouraged about this. Q4. All the students argue that they learn from their errors. Q5.Seven students say that they prefer to be corrected only by the teacher, while three prefer to correct themselves after the teacher has indicated the errors. Q6.All the students consider that they learn more from the correction provided by the teacher. Q7.All the students say that when they get back their papers with correction provided by the teacher, they look at them in order to avoid the errors committed. Q8.All the students say that they prefer their teacher to use a red pencil when correcting their work. The questionnaire for teachers of English Q1.Five respondents have been teaching English between 0-3 years, four between 4-6 years and one for more than 10 years. Q2.Seven teachers find teaching English to be difficult, while three find it easy. Q3. Eight teachers say that they use red colour when correcting students’ work and one teacher says that he / she uses a pencil when doing this. Teacher 4 says that he / she uses both red and blue. Q4.Five teachers write in the correct form when correcting errors, four give hint what it should be and two simply indicate something was wrong. Q5.Four teachers write in the correct form when correcting errors, four give hint what it should be and two simply indicate something was wrong. Q6.Three teachers say that they use only teacher correction in classroom, while two say they use peer correction. Five teachers use more than a correction technique. Here are their answers: Teacher 1 uses both self-correction and peer correction. Teacher 4 uses peer correction and teacher correction. Teacher 5 uses self-correction and teacher correction. Teachers 6 and 7 use all the techniques. Q7.Six teachers consider that self-correction helps students improve their knowledge, one teacher considers that it is peer correction that helps students and one teacher considers that teacher correction helps students more than the other two correction techniques. Teacher 6 considers that all types of correction techniques help students, while Teacher 7 considers that only self-correction and teacher correction is useful. Q8.Four teachers say that the students feel discouraged when given back a paper full of corrected errors, four say that students feel embarrassed, while two say that students feel encouraged. Q9.Eight teachers think that students learn from the corrections they provide for a written paper, while two teachers think that students don’t learn from this. The questionnaire for native speakers of Romanian Q1.The respondents are between 22 and 57 years old. Q2.Six of them find easy to learn a foreign language, while four find it difficult. Q3.Nine respondents consider correction as being very important, while one respondent ranks it as important. Q4. Nine respondents say that they feel embarrassed when their attention is drawn to errors committed while one respondent feels encouraged about that. Q5.All the respondents say that they learn from the errors they usually commit. Q6.Five respondents express their preference for self-correction, while five prefer to be corrected by other people. Q7.Five respondents argue that they learn more from self-correction and five say they learn more from the correction provided to them by other people. Qualitative Data Analysis The learners of English and the native speakers of Romanian consider learning a foreign language, English in this case, to be easy. Conversely, the teachers consider teaching English to be a difficult task. All the respondents consider being very important to be corrected when committing an error. That is why they argue that they usually learn from the errors committed in order to avoid them. Both learners and teachers of English showed their preference for teacher correction in the classroom. However, few students prefer self-correction, but only after the errors have been indicated to them by the teacher. I consider that to be a different way of teacher correction, a more blurred one. What I mean is that teachers should give learners a free hand in correcting errors, but also in getting them used to the identification of errors. I think this is one of the reasons why students, although some of them prefer self-correction to be used, argue that they learn more from the corrections provided by the teachers. They are not accustomed yet to freely express their opinions and I would argue that this might be owing to the tradition of learning in Romania. However, teachers argue that students learn more from self-correction. Taking into account the ideas provided by Julian Edge (1993:10) regarding self-correction: ‘People usually prefer to put their errors right than be corrected by someone else. Also, self-correction is easier to remember, because someone has put something right in his or her own head’, one may say that teachers are absolutely right when maintaining this point of view. But how can students learn more from self-correction if the majority of teachers argue that they usually prefer teacher correction as a technique? However, there are some teachers who use self-correction in classroom, while some use peer correction. Of course, when using peer correction one must keep in mind the disadvantages of this technique. Regarding the way in which teachers correct learners’ written work it was surprising to find out that some, not too many anyway, do not correct any of the errors committed, but simply indicate, probably by means of symbols or underlining, that something was wrong. They use red for correcting errors and this is in agreement with learners’ expectations about this matter. The utilization of a different colour, when correcting errors, that is red, may be explained as a way of making students be more aware of the errors they commit. As a conclusion of the matter of correction techniques, I consider that all of them (i.e. self-correction, peer correction and teacher correction) should be used in classrooms, either when correcting written work or speaking. That is why some of the teachers who were administered the questionnaire chose more than one answer to the question dealing with this issue, being aware of certain advantages, and even disadvantages which, of course when noticed, should be avoided while using one or another correction technique. The following table summarises the respondents’ attitudes towards the correction techniques and their usefulness.

Customer Satisfaction Tesco Essay Example

Customer Satisfaction Tesco Essay Example Customer Satisfaction Tesco Essay Customer Satisfaction Tesco Essay Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 1. Introduction â€Å"Satisfying the customer is a race without finish. † (Vadim Kotelnikov). Many researches and academicians have defined customer’s satisfaction in their own way. Satisfying customers is always a challenging job for anyone. Customer satisfaction means providing goods and services to the customer which meets their level of expectation. So, neglecting customer and their demand can be dangerous for the existence of the organisation. That is the significant reason why companies are paying attention to the customer satisfaction today (Harkiranpal Singh, 2006). Similarly, researcher here tries to measure customer satisfaction and efforts to put to recognise its importance in development of the organisation. Introduction Introduction Background of the research Background of the research Background of the organization to be studied Background of the organization to be studied Research purpose Research purpose Scope of the research project Scope of the research project Brief overview of the research methodology Brief overview of the research methodology Structure of the report Structure of the report Figure 1. 1 Structure of Chapter 1: Introduction 1. 1 Background of the Research Customer satisfaction is the buzzword of the 1990s. Unfortunately, till the date numerous amount of managers consider satisfying their customer is a good practice to do rather than crucial element of success (Dianne S. Ward, 1993). Current economic conditions have encouraged many firms to review their approach regarding customer satisfaction management (Jonathan Parkes). Satisfaction is a crucial measure of an organisation’s achievement and it is considered as a great influencer of attitude, word of mouth communication, profit, and repurchase; in long run, lead to customer loyalty; to be appropriate predictor of buying behaviour in the future. Customer satisfaction gained by any organisation results in loyalty of customers, repeated visits and use of wide range of services and goods offered. Therefore, it is found that greater customer retention can be achieved when customer satisfaction is taken care of, while it is also found that customer with high satisfaction received, were ready to pay higher prices (Patricia Huddleston, Judith Whipple, Rachel Nye Mattick and So Jung Lee, 2009). Customer’s satisfaction on their buying is important factor that take business towards success. In current period, customer satisfaction has received new attention within the environment of the paradigm shift to relationship marketing from transactional marketing. (Aurimas Dapkevicius and Borisas Melnikas, 2009). . 2 Background of the organization to be studied This research is based on the customer satisfaction at Tesco PLC. Tesco is the leading retailer in Britain, and one of the top three in the world. It has over 3700 stores globally and employs approximately 440,000 people. It operates in 13 other countries except UK, which are Republic of Ireland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slova kia, Turkey and Poland in Europe, China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and India in Asia and U. S. A. â€Å"Everyday life keeps changing and the Tesco team excels at responding to those changes. Tesco has grown from a market stall, set up by Jack Cohen in 1919. The name Tesco first appeared above a shop in Edgware in 1929 and since then the company has grown and developed, responding to new opportunities and pioneering in many innovations. † â€Å"By the early 1990s it faced strong competition and needed a new strategy. Tesco were good at buying and selling goods but had begun to forget the customers. Sir Terry Leahy, who became Chief Executive in 1997, asked customers the simple question â€Å"what are we doing wrong? . Tesco then invested in the things that matter to customers. For example, it launched its loyalty scheme Clubcard and Tesco. com, its internet home shopping service. † â€Å"Going the extra mile for customers has been key to its growth. It wants to make customers lives easier and better in any way it can. It wants to appeal to every customer and give them a reason to come back to Tesco. † (www. cn. tesco. com/en/aboutus/aboutus_history. htm) Tesco UK Tesco in UK is operating more than 2700 stores. The supermarket giant of Britain has registered the pre-tax profit of ? 3. 4bn for the year 2010 (Graeme Wearden, 2010). Headquarter of Tesco is in Hertfordshire, UK. In UK, Tesco is the leading supermarket with small sized grocery stores named as Tesco Metro; outside cities they developed big supermarkets (Tesco Extra), and 24-hour stores. In Britain, Tesco is the king of supermarkets, apart from being national leader in food sector, it is proud of retailing every goods that satisfies the needs of the customers which includes household appliances and hi-fi, books, household equipment, CD/DVD/mini-discs, flowers, apparel, wine, liquors and so on. Keeping in mind the future, Tesco has improved rapidly with the changes in the technologies. Introduction of online sales through its website named www. esco. com has benefited the company with an attractive profit. Tesco; a joint venture with the Royal Bank of Scotland facilitates it to sell general insurance (car, home, travel, pet), and life insurance, saving schemes and credit cards. Besides, it has also started owning gas (petrol) stations in many places for continuing support to its customers (Tesco PLC Company, 2010). Tesco has a largest geographic market in UK. It stocks around 40,000 food products. Apart from selling other brands, it has its own labels categorized in three levels: value, normal and finest (Company Spotlight: Tesco PLC, 2006). Non-food sales of Tesco’s in UK operations are small in margin compared with the food products, but still it holds substantial potential growth. In order to improve customer service Tesco has heavily invested in self-service checkouts which carry out quarter of all its transactions. Such steps help ensure the cost accuracy and reduced waiting time in queue for customers, which makes their in-store experience pleasant. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is getting introduced in every companies and Tesco has also implied it in its company to get closer with the customers and understand their needs. For the convenience of the customers and continued improved quality of the service, Tesco has introduced a free downloadable application on iphone like Tesco loyalty card and the Clubcard, where any customer with the application stored in their iphone can use their phone instead of the card while making payment at the till (Tesco PLC, 2010). According to the recent survey; Tesco, the Britain’s largest retailer is ranked 7th in terms of customer satisfaction with the rating of 49%. 1. 3 Research Purpose It is said that most companies lose 45% to 50% customers every five years if the companies do not meet the expectations of the customer and if such happens then it would be at least 20 times expensive to make new customers than to retain the existing customers. Moreover, a 5% reduction in the customer defection rate can increase the customers by 25% to 85%. (B2B International, Market research with intelligence, white paper: using market research for product development by Julia Cupman) ‘Customer satisfaction nowadays is considered a main concern by the business and is the critical element of its profitability’. Vadim Kotelnikov) Now business firms are investing more than ever in customer satisfaction. The purpose of the research is to measure and to detect the importance of customer satisfaction. Many factors influence the satisfaction and dissatisfaction of the customers and play an important role in satisfying the customers. In this research we will try and include all those factors that affect customer satisfaction, where customers would be the key asset for this research as they are the one who has experienced the service and goods of Tesco. A proper survey would be conducted in a real market to best know the real vision of the customers towards goods and services of Tesco and also would outline their opinions in this research and eventually a conclusion would be drawn based on the undertaken survey. 1. 4 Scope of the research project Tesco Plc. is quite large to conduct a survey on customer satisfaction, hence Tesco at some places are only taken into consideration assuming the same level of customer service and goods are provided in all the other stores within UK and other countries. In other words, the research is limited to the customers of some places in London, UK only. The respondents of the survey are the people who are currently residing in London and only few physical stores in London are included to conduct this research. 1. 5 Brief overview of the research methodology Methodology as the term; refers to the way in which individual approach problems and search for answers. In short, how research is conducted (Steven J. Taylor and Robert Bogdan, 1998). The purpose of the research is to inform action. It is essential for the researcher to design a methodology or an approach on how to solve the problem. It helps any individual to stay on track and follow the steps of the methods in solving a particular problem. (S. Rajasekar, P. Philominathan, V. Chinnathambi, 2006). As per the research questions, researcher has utilized the deduction approach, for satisfying the purpose of data collection and medium of questionnaire in survey adopted by researcher. Both primary and secondary data are used and when it comes to type of research used in this case, it is known as applied research. All the further information on research methodology is mentioned in chapter 3. 1. 6 Structure of the report The structure follows this way: Chapter 2 talks about literature review which lets reader know the relevant work that is already published on researched field. Chapter 3 is about the methods used during the research. Chapter 4 is about the data analysis and discussion, means broadly explains the how data were analysed and the techniques used to do it. Chapter 5 is the conclusion and recommendation drawn by the researcher. Chapter 2. Literature Review Chapter 2. Literature Review 2. 1 Introduction In the current era, customer is considered as king, not only king sometimes referred to as a god. It means to be successful in any business, customers are given the most priority and their needs to be fulfilled at any cost, which make those customers to repeat again for more products, recommend the goods and services of that particular business to others. What we have heard is that in any kind of business, customer is always right and we always have to meet their expectation, indeed by hook or by crook. If not done so, would be a loss in business. In a successful business strategy, customer satisfaction plays a key role that is recognised by retailers. It is very important for any retail company to satisfy its customer at the best because customers bring revenue for the company. Satisfied customer always comes back to you so customer satisfaction is very crucial part for retail companies. Customer satisfaction definitions have been discussed widely from the viewpoint of various researchers and organisations who wish gradually to measure it (Chapter 2- Literature Review- Customer satisfaction in call centre, 2009). Research on customer satisfaction and dissatisfaction has predominantly concentrated upon evaluation of customer regarding particular goods and services consumed. Various investigation has took place related to incidence of satisfaction and dissatisfaction through product and service categories, efforts to identify the psychographic and demographic correlates of satisfaction and dissatisfaction with products, and theoretical models test to describe the satisfaction level that customers recognize from products (Robert A. Westbrook, 1981). Introduction Introduction Customer Satisfaction Conceptual and Operational Definitions Why Customer Satisfaction is Important? Models of Satisfaction Customer Satisfaction Measurement Process Consequences of Customer Satisfaction Customer Satisfaction in Retail Customer Satisfaction Conceptual and Operational Definitions Why Customer Satisfaction is Important? Models of Satisfaction Customer Satisfaction Measurement Process Consequences of Customer Satisfaction Customer Satisfaction in Retail Summary Summary Figure 2. Structure of Chapter 2: Literature Review 2. 2 Customer Satisfaction The first question that arises in mind is, â€Å"What is customer satisfaction? † In simple words, the goods and services that satisfies the customer needs. Customer satisfaction is monitored by business for the sake of determining how to maximise their profits, customer base, revenue, market share, customer loyalty, and survival. Although the primary driver is greater profit, exemplary business concentrate on the customer and her/his experience with the company. Company does work to make their consumers happy and consider customer satisfaction as the crucial part to achieve profit and survival. Customer satisfaction in turn hinges on the quality and effects of their experiences and the goods or services they receive. The definition of customer satisfaction has been widely debated as organizations increasingly attempt to measure it. Customer satisfaction can be experienced in different types of situation and connected to both services and goods. It is a highly personal assessment that is greatly affected by expectations of customer. Satisfaction; also depends on the experience of customer on both; contact with the firm and personal outcomes. Customer satisfaction differs depending on the situation and the product or service. There is a possibility that customer may be satisfied with a product or service, an experience, a sales person, a purchase decision, service provider, store, or an attribute or any of these. Customer satisfaction is a highly personal assessment that is reatly influenced by expectations of the individual (Customer Satisfaction, 2007). Despite the abundance of customer satisfaction literature acknowledge that customer satisfaction definition which is generally accepted has not been established (Patricia Huddleston, Judith Whipple, Rachel Nye Mattick and So Jung Lee, 2009). 2. 2. 1 Conceptual and Operational Definitions in Consumer Satisfaction Literature Conceptual Definition | Source | Focus| Response | T ime| The consumer’s fulfillment response. It is a judgment that the product or service itself or product or service feature, delivered (or is delivering) a delightful level of purchase –related fulfillment, comprising levels of under-or over fulfillment | Oliver 1997| Product or service | Fulfillment response/judgment | During consumption | Causing from the consumer’s product performance comparison to particular pre-purchase standard | Hartman, and Schmidt 1994 | Product performance compared to some pre-consumption standard | Affective response | During or after consumption | (Product satisfaction) is an attitude like post-purchase evaluative judgment varying along the hedonic continuum | Mano and Oliver 1993 | Product | Attitude evaluative judgment Varying along the hedonic continuum | Post consumption| An overall post-consumption evaluation | Fornell 1992 | Post-consumption perceived product performance compared with pre-consumption expectations | Overall evaluation | Post purchase | Examined whether satisf action was an emotion. Concluded that satisfaction is a summary attribute phenomenon co-existing with other consumption emotions | Oliver 1992 | Product attributes | Summary attribute phenomenon coexisting with other consumption emotions | During consumption | A post-choice evaluative judgment concerning a specific purchase selection | Westbrook and Oliver 1991 | Specific purchase selection | Evaluative judgment | Post choice | No conceptual definition. (with the salesperson) a function of fairness, preference, and disconfirmation | Oliver and Swan 1989 | Salesperson | | During purchase | The consumer’s response to the evaluation of the perceived discrepancy between prior expectations (or some norm of performance) and the actual performance of the product as perceived after its consumption | Tse and Wilton 1988 | Perceived discrepancy between prior expectations (or some norm of performance) and the actual erformance of the product | Response to the evaluation | Post consumption | Conceptualized as a feeling developed from an evaluation of the use experience | Cadotte, Woodruff and Jenkins 1987 | Use experience | Feeling developed from an evaluation | During consumption | Global evaluative judgment about product usage/consumption | Westbrook 1987 | Product usage/consumption | Global evaluative judgment | During consumption | the evaluative response to the current consumption event the consumer’s response in a particular consumption experience to the evaluation of the perceived discrepancy between prior expectations (or some other norm of performance) and the actual performance of the product perceived after its acquisition | Day 1984 | Perceived discrepancy between prior expectations (or some other norm of performance) and the actual performance of the product | Evaluative response | Current consumption event †¦ particular consumption experience †¦ after its acquisition | No conceptual definition. A function of consumer expectations operationalized as product attribute beliefs and disconfirmation. | Bearden and Teel 1983 | | | During consumption | Postpurchase evaluation. Cited Oliver’s (1981) definition: An evaluation of the surprise inherent in a product acquisition and/or consumption experience| LaBarbera and Mazursky 1983 | Surprise | Evaluation | Postpurchase Product acquisition and/or consumption experience | An emotional response to the experiences provided by and associated with particular products or services purchased, retail outlets, or even molar patterns of behavior such as shopping and buyer behavior, as well as the overall marketplace. An emotional response triggered by a cognitive evaluative process in which the perceptions of (or beliefs about) an object, action, or condition are compared to one’s values (or needs, wants, desires). | Westbrook and Reilly 1983 | Experiences provided by and associated with particular products or services purchased, retail outlets, or even molar patterns of behavior such as shopping and buyer behavior Perceptions of (or beliefs about) an object, action, or condition are compared to one’s values | Emotional response | Postpurchase | Conceptually, an outcome of purchase and use resulting from the buyer’s comparison of the rewards and costs of the purchase relative to anticipated consequences. Operationally, similar to attitude in that it can be assessed as a summation of satisfactions with various attributes. | Churchill and Surprenant 1982 | Comparison of the rewards and costs of the purchase relative to anticipated consequences | Outcome | Implies after purchase and use | An evaluation of the surprise inherent in a product acquisition and/or consumption experience. In essence, the summary psychological state resulting when the emotion surrounding disconfirmed expectations is coupled with the consumer’s prior feelings about the consumption experience. | Oliver 1981 | Surprise Disconfirmed expectations coupled with the consumer’s prior feelings | Evaluation Summary psychological state Emotion | Product acquisition and/or consumption experience | A conscious evaluation or cognitive judgment that the product has performed relatively well or poorly or that the product was suitable or unsuitable for its use/purpose. Another dimension of satisfaction involves affect of feelings toward the product . Swan, Trawick and Carroll 1980 | Product has performed relatively well or poorly or that the produ ct was suitable or unsuitable for its use/purpose Toward the product | Conscious evaluation or cognitive judgment Another dimension involves affect of feelings | During or after consumption | Refers to the favorability of the individual’s subjective evaluation of the various outcomes and experiences associated with using or consuming it (product). | Westbrook 1980 | Outcomes and experiences | Favorability of the individual’s subjective evaluation | During consumption | A kind of stepping away from an experience and evaluating it. . . the evaluation rendered that the experience was at least as good as it was supposed to be. | Hunt 1977 | Experience was at least as good as it was supposed to be | A kind of stepping away from an experience and evaluating it | During consumption experience | The buyer’s cognitive state of being adequately or inadequately rewarded for the sacrifices he has undergone. Howard and Sheth 1969 | Being adequately or inadequately rewarded f or sacrifices | Cognitive state of being | | Table 1. Conceptual and Operational Definitions in Consumer Satisfaction Literature Source: Joan L. Giese and Joseph A. Cote (2002) Customer satisfaction can mean virtually anything. It can include such variables as price, conformance, lead time, reliability, responsiveness, convenience and professionalism and it’s sometimes a complicated mix of all of these and more. Industry by industry, and even across product lines, the importance of each variable can differ drastically (Craig Cochran, 2003). The formal definition of customer satisfaction is the consumer’s fulfilment response. It is a judgement that a product or service feature, or the product or service itself, provided (or is providing) a pleasurable level of consumption-related fulfilment, including levels of under or over fulfilment (Richard L. Oliver, 1997). Understanding of the concept of customer satisfaction is easy. Satisfaction is simple. If one gets what he/she wanted, if ones requirement met, then he/she is satisfied. If they’re not met, then he/she will not be satisfied. â€Å"Customer satisfaction is a measure of how your organization’s ‘total product’ performs in relation to a set of customer requirements. † This definition tells us something fundamental about customer satisfaction-it’s not absolute concept; it’s relative one. It’s relative to what the customer expected in the first place (Nigel, John and Rob, 2003). Customer care’s nature is mostly oriented by service as most of the goods are consumed at the similar time as services are experienced. In order to satisfy customers, the supplier requires the services which customer wants. If the consumer in a certain way perceives a service, but expected less, then it ends up with satisfied customer, as the formula shows in Figure 1. Anticipation made by customer regarding products and services like how it will be performed and that is added to his/her expectation. Customers have earlier experiences and based on those experiences, they look forward to receive a service in a particular way, which can be considered as company controlled expectation creators. Uncontrollable creators are action word of mouth and the competition. Over the time, customer’s standards form by such company uncontrollable and controllable expectations creators. Services compared by customers according to particular standards with which they are familiar and those don’t necessarily relate to the service that is performed (Heikki Koskela, 2002). CUSTOMER CUSTOMER CUSTOMER = SATISFACTION PERCEPTION EXPECTATION CUSTOMER CUSTOMER CUSTOMER = SATISFACTION PERCEPTION EXPECTATION Figure 2. 2 Formula of Customer Satisfaction The customer satisfaction theories developed to date, mostly subjected to notice with the Expectancy-Disconfirmation mode. This model originally presented by Oliver where the satisfaction antecedents are expectations and disconfirmation, at that stage, the expectance disconfirmation model was generally adopted. The most immediate influence on satisfaction in this model is disconfirmation. Later on, Churchill and Suprenant clearly comprised performance in the model as an antecedent of satisfaction and included expectations and performance effects on disconfirmation and expectations effects on performance. Accordingly, Oliver and DeSarbo mentioned that there are three factors, expectations, performance and disconfirmation, which have influence on customer satisfaction (Chih-Chung Chen and Dr. Su-Chao Chang, 2006). 2. 2. 2 Why is Customer Satisfaction Important? In any business you always look for a repeat customer, if a customer walks unhappy then they look for goods and service somewhere else. Therefore customer satisfaction is very important which would end up for repeated customers and that’s what business need today. So repeat business base is very much crucial because of that gaining and losing of short-term and new customers does not have greater impact. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, significant differentiator among gaining customers or losing customers to firm’s competitors could be customer satisfaction (What is Customer Satisfaction? ). Repeat business is very huge part of organization’s business. Words of mouth are considered as one of the biggest assets to grow or destroy any organizations. If customers are happy with the organization, they will have a word with other people who will listen to them and on contrary if customers are unhappy, still they will tell other people and such things will lead to gaining or losing new customers all because of words of another (Melissa B. Evans, 2009). All the types of organizations should strive for customer satisfaction, in good times and bad times (Manto, 2010). Because satisfied customers buy more. If customer receives full satisfaction from the goods and service of the company in terms of quality, price and the other services, then they will spend more with same company. If they don’t receive such kind of satisfaction, then they will go away with the purchase that they already made and never return to same company for next purchase (Melissa B. Evans, 2009). The advantages of creating and maintaining customer loyalty within existing consumers have been studied in various fields. Researchers agree that by enhancing customer loyalty companies diminish marketing costs and increase profits. In case of engagement of word-of-mouth, loyal customers are more likely to be part in positive one than non-loyal. First and foremost, customer loyalty largely depends on customer satisfaction (Heepup Han and Kisang Ryu, 2009). 2. 2. 3 Models of Satisfaction For understanding and evaluating consumer acceptance and satisfaction, a great variety of methods and frameworks are utilized in various disciplines. 2. 2. 3. 1 Confirmation / Disconfirmation Model An individual can have various degrees of satisfaction and dissatisfaction at one particular time; for instance, an individual may be happy with the service he receives from the staff of a retail outlet but at the same time he might be unhappy with the business hours of the same retail outlet. To best describe customer satisfaction, â€Å"confirmation /disconfirmation† paradigm is the widely used model. According to this model, the difference between the expectations (E) of customers regarding particular product or service and their perception regarding actual performance (P) supplied by this product or service determine satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Fulfilment of customers’ expectations will lead to their satisfaction; if such thing doesn’t happen then it will result in dissatisfaction. The customers’ satisfaction (S) can be expressed in the terms of mathematical equation as below, where S is Satisfaction, E is Expectation and P is Performace. S = E – P In addition to the above mentioned three variables (S, E, and P), Locke’s general satisfaction model comprises of a third variable which is not included in the confirmation/disconfirmation model. Importance (I) of the service or product attribute under consideration is the fourth variable. This variable is related because not all attributes are equally significant to consumers; for example, a customer of the bank is likely to rate financial success as being one of the greater importance to satisfaction than, say, staff members friendliness. If the Locke model’s importance variable is included in the mathematical expression mentioned above, then following formula expresses satisfaction in mathematical terms: S = (E – P) ? I There are some problems with both of these satisfaction models. Both the models mentioned above are plausible, but both of them show conceptual problems. One of the problems is that it is unclear what should be understood by the term â€Å"expectation†. An â€Å"expectation† might correspond to a customer’s pressing need, or an ideal, or a desire, or even a norm. Such various forms of â€Å"expectation† apparently represent various qualities, but â€Å"confirmation/ disconfirmation† model doesn’t take into consideration such distinctions. In the Locke’s model, such distinctions are at best considered only indirectly in the form of the variable of â€Å"importance†; for example, it could be assumed that the fulfilment of an ideal is of lesser importance than the fulfilment of a norm. Not paraphrased). The second problem is that each models indicate that dissatisfaction occurs when performance is less than expectation (P ; E). Although this appears to be plausible, there is possibility that sa tisfaction might occur if performance matches expectation (P = E). Where, it is not clear whether the â€Å"over-fulfilment† of expectation (P ; E) will produce satisfaction or dissatisfaction. For example, a consumer might be annoyed by over-friendly service at the counter of a cashier in the retail outlet, while at the same time pleased by receiving good savings on the purchase of a particular goods or service from the same retail outlet. There is also possibility that a plateau is reached in terms fulfilment of expectations, beyond which a ‘better’ performance does not result to any further growth in satisfaction. The confirmation/disconfirmation or Locke’s model doesn’t consider any of those cases. Third problem with the satisfaction model, basing satisfaction on the difference among expectation and performance neglects the absolute expectation and performance level. If both expectations and performance are quite high, the difference among the two can be identical as when both expectations and performance are quite low. Basing satisfaction only on the relative difference means that information about absolute performance is lost, even though this might have an influence on the overall satisfaction of the customer. Indeed, it has been plausibly argued that the same difference might be associated with a greater level of satisfaction if performance is at a higher absolute level. Finally, it is assumed that both model consider equally significant both performance and expectation in producing satisfaction. However, numerous studies have displayed that the ‘performance’ variable is more crucial than ‘expectation’ variable in predicting customer satisfaction (Uwe Peter Kanning and Nina Bergmann, 2009). 2. 2. 3. 2 SERVQUAL Model In any business, high level managers are in increasing pressure to demonstrate their services are highly customer focused and the continuous performance improvement is being delivered. Given the financial and resource constraints under which organizations must manage it is essential that customer expectations are properly understood and measured and that, from the customers’ perspective, any gaps in service quality are identified. To study this gap, SERVQUAL model assists any managers the best in fulfilling those gaps in a cost effective ways. Hence the SERVQUAL model shows the difference between management perceptions of what customers expect and what customers really do expect, the difference between management perception and service quality specifications, the difference between service quality specifications and actual service delivery and the difference between service delivery and what is communicated externally. SERVQUAL model is one of the popular models regarding service quality. Perception gap between the obtained quality of service and the expected quality of service is the main base of SERVQUAL, and adopted widely for explaining customer perception of quality of service. Originally proposed dimensions of service quality were 10 (reliability, competence, responsiveness, courtesy, access, credibility, communication, understanding the customer, security, and tangibles). Later on the number dimensions reduced to five (tangibles, assurances, empathy, responsiveness and reliability) (K. Ravichandran, B. Tamil Mani. S. Arun Kumar, and S. Prabhakaran, 2010). The key five dimensions are: * Tangibles the appearance of the physical facilities, equipment, personal and information materials. Reliability – the ability to perform the service accurately and dependably * Responsiveness – the willingness to help customers and provide a prompt service * Assurance a combination of competence, courtesy, credibility and security * Empathy – a combination of access, communication and understanding the customer However, there has been an extensive debate whether the perception-minus-expectations specification would be appropriate or assessing perception alone would be sufficient. Many authors showed concerns about SERVQUAL instrument. The argument of authors was that there are severe conceptual and operational disadvantages connected with the SERVQUAL model. Conceptual model of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) In the above model, we could see five gaps where there are problems in delivering the service quality to the customers. Gap 1 illustrates not knowing what customers expect. Gap 2 shows the wrong service quality standards. Gap 3 is the service performance gap. Gap 4 is when promises do not match actual delivery and Gap 5 is the difference between customer perception and expectation. Tangibility Tangibility Reliability Reliability Customer Satisfaction Customer Satisfaction Service Quality Service Quality Responsiveness Responsiveness Assurance Assurance Empathy Empathy Price/CHS Price/CHS Figure 2. 3 SERVQUAL Model Source: K. Ravichandran, B. Tamil Mani. S. Arun Kumar, and S. Prabhakaran (2010) 2. 2. . 3 Kano model Customer satisfaction model of Kano classifies attributes of product based on how customer perceived it and its effect on customer satisfaction. For guiding design decisions, these classification are useful which direct when good is good enough and when more is better. Prod uct attributes divided into three categories by customer satisfaction model of Kano divides and that is threshold, performance and excitement. High Excitement Customer Satisfaction Absent Fully Implemented Performance Threshold Low Product Function Figure 2. 4 Kano Model Source: Kano Model Analysis Threshold attributes are the attributes which is expected by consumers or â€Å"musts† of the product, and do not supply any chance for differentiation between products. Rising the performance of above mention attributes deliver decreasing returns concerning customer satisfaction. Whereas these attributes nonexistence or weak performance lead to high level of customer dissatisfaction. Performance attributes are those for which more is generally better, and will be enhance customer satisfaction. An absent or poor performance attribute decreases customer satisfaction. Performance attributes closely tied by the price for which consumer is ready to pay for the product. Excitement attributes are unexpected and unexpressed by consumers but can lead to high degree of customer satisfaction, nevertheless their nonattendance does not result into dissatisfaction. In the era of stiff competition, where producer of product and service provide product with similar performance, providing excitement attributes can be competitive advantage (Kano Model Analysis) 2. 2. 4 The Customer Satisfaction Measurement Process Producing reliable measures of customer satisfaction is very important, as well as the requirement regarding things needs to be done if those measures are to be successfully utilized as the basis for effective action. Dramatic growth has been registered in customer satisfaction measurement in last few years. Many of the firms devote as much as 50% of their budget of research on measuring customer satisfaction (Alan Wilson, 2002). Let’s first have an overview of the customer satisfaction measurement process (see figure) Objectives Objectives Project planning Project planning Update Update Exploratory research Exploratory research Mid-term reveiw Mid-term reveiw Questionnaire Questionnaire CUSTOMER SATISFACTION MEASUREMENT CUSTOMER SATISFACTION MEASUREMENT ACTION ACTION Sampling Sampling Feedback to customers Feedback to customers Feedback workshops Feedback workshops Main survey Main survey Mirror survey Mirror survey Presentation to management Presentation to management Analysis and reporting Analysis and reporting Figure 2. 5. An overview of the Customer Satisfaction Measurement Process Source: Nigel, John and Rob, 2003 The beginning point of any project work is to set objectives and for the exercise, plan a detailed critical path. Research’s first stage is to clarify with the customers what they exactly require and supplier selection criteria are so that suitable questionnaire can be designed, which ask the appropriate questions. This is done by utilizing focus groups (typically in the consumer market) or one-to-one depth interview (the norm in business market). It is consumers’ most significant requirements, as it was indicated by the consumers themselves, which must create the basis for a customer satisfaction measurement questionnaire and should not be assumed by one about what one think might be important to customers. There are two major determinant factor of the accuracy in the customer satisfaction measurement (CSM) study. The first one is asking the right questions; second one is asking the right people. Right people are the sample of customers that reflect ones customer base. To determine the accuracy of the samples three things requires and that is; it must be large enough, it must be representative and it must be randomly selected. One can start designing the final questionnaire and start the main survey as one gets the confidence that he or she will be asking the appropriate questions to appropriate people. How the survey will be carried out is the main question here. Survey can be done by doing self-completion questionnaires or interviews, and latter can come in various forms, containing postal, electronic and point of sale. After selecting the type of survey, researcher will carry out the next big thing which is to design questionnaire. Finally, at this point survey can be carried out quickly followed by the results analysis. Mirror survey is a worthwhile addition to the CSM study where similar questions set administered within the firms employees to discover whether they realize what’s significant to consumers and how closely they are fulfilling the requirements of customers. Feedback should be provided quickly to employees and customers after analysing the data and producing a report. Common reason behind unsuccessfulness of various organizations to reap the full rewards of their CSM process is inadequate feedback. Only if workforces completely understand the results of survey and their implications; will effective action be taken (Nigel, John and Rob, 2003). There may be chances of occurrence of weakness in the measurement of satisfaction. Score regarding satisfaction may differ according to particular situation, because of temporary and unstable conditions customer get influenced that they happen to be in at the moment they finish the assessment. One thing should always be kept in mind regarding satisfaction measurement and that it is not a standardized process; there may be variance in terms of the scales used to gather data, questions format may vary and the methods of data collection (personal interview, telephone, self-completion); therefore generalizing about the customer satisfaction measurement value is often very tough (Alan Wilson, 2002). 2. 2. 5 Consequences of Customer Satisfaction Many benefits can be fetched from the customer satisfaction. Customers, who are satisfied become less sensitive regarding price, buy additional products, whereas also get less influenced by the competitors and stay longer as loyal customer. Business firms must have knowledge about how well or badly its consumers are treated. Complains are rarely done by customers, but when someone does, it might be possible that it is too late for retention of that customer. In the concept of satisfaction, there is one crucial component and that is compl aint management. It is found in the study that customer satisfaction increased when they are encouraged to make complaints, and this was especially the case for the most customers’ dissatisfaction. Management of complaint not only led to customer satisfaction, but also resulted into improved financial performance and operational improvement. Customer retention increases by customer satisfaction, and the substance of the relationship between parties is the backing of customer retention. Properly served and satisfied customers are more likely to come back to your firm than are dissatisfied customers who could simply choose to go to another firms. Sometimes customer who is satisfied may unexpectedly take a decision to switch company. A satisfied consumer may or may not aim to come back to a firm, which is the reason that it is not necessary that satisfaction always results into retention. While retention levels remain unchanged customer satisfaction still can rise. Not all of the retained customers are satisfied, there may be one reason behind staying with that firm is lack of alternatives. They might not get the products that they require somewhere else or may have to travel a long distance for that particular product, so despite of worse customer service, the consumer would come to that place for that particular product (Ove. C. Hansemark and Marie Albinsson, 2004). There may be severe consequences in case of dissatisfaction of customers. For example, dissatisfied customers can select to stop buying goods or services, get into negative word of mouth communication, and make complain to the firm or third party and may return the purchased item (Harkiranpal Singh, 2006). Consequences of customer satisfaction in the case of satisfied customer may turn out good for company and in case of dissatisfaction may not good. So it is very important for companies to take care of customer satisfaction for the betterment of their future. 2. 2. 6 Customer Satisfaction in Retail In any retail, consumers are the target upon which all the activities are targeted. There are lots of factors which have to be taken into consideration in meeting those targets. Creating a brand image and enjoying the benefits of being the leader does not come so easy. An organization can succeed in its mission only by taking care of its targeted consumers and maximizing their satisfaction level. Some of the factors that influence the consumers’ satisfaction in retail business are: * Accessibility – Providing the product and services at the nearest and most convenient location. * Need satisfying product – providing the product that meets the need of the consumer. * Value – The price and cost of the products and services should be reasonable and satisfactory. * Assistance – ensuring the advice and assistance when needed. * Ambience – the store should maintain an ambience which is likely to affect for the repeat of the consumer. After sales service – Proper follow up services at the end of the day to all the consumers. In past few decades, significant changes have been experienced by retail industry which is very highly competitive and challenging (Patricia Huddleston, Judith Whipple, Rachel Nye Mattic k and So Jung Lee, 2009). The sector of supermarket is characterized by improved competition, a better chance for analysis of markets, and greater expectations of shopper. All these aspects advice that management of customer satisfaction is specifically critical. Variety of goods and services are simultaneously offered by supermarkets; so that, for the consumer, there is more to visit a store than just purchase of products. Dissimilarities in the experience during shopping among retail outlets (e. g. store services, and store ambience) are often as significant to the consumer as differences in the offered goods physical features (e. g. , quality, price) (Miguel I. Gomez, Edward W. McLaughlin, and Dick R. Wittink (2004). Different consumers have different shopping motivations such as getting information about new products or trends, diversion from daily routine, or enjoyment of bargaining. There are some customers who are more of an activity oriented and other are more of a task oriented. Meaning of such differences is that the customers will get value in and also from diverse pieces of the shopping experience receive satisfaction. These differences must have kept in mind by retailers in order to form the formats of store and offer related features that fulfil the requirement of their target segment. Expectations of customer regarding retail experience may differ across stores and products of retail which means that satisfaction will also differ by the sort of retailer and/or sort of product retail offer (Patricia Huddleston, Judith Whipple, Rachel Nye Mattick and So Jung Lee, 2009). Frequency and intensity of customer traffic is another critical characteristic of the supermarket sector. According to the Food Marketing Institute, in supermarkets, customer traffic is approximately around two times per person per week. The presumed low costs of switching because of proliferation of supermarkets and competing retailers with same merchandise offerings, motivates customers who are unsatisfied to switch. Even customers may immediately shift to another store after receiving single unsatisfactory experience, so customer satisfaction can affect the sales performance of store in a short period (Patricia Huddleston, Judith Whipple, Rachel Nye Mattick and So Jung Lee, 2009). 2. 2. 7 Determinants of Customer Satisfaction Research suggests that physical surroundings and price perception has strong influence on customer satisfaction (Heepup Han and Kisang Ryu, 2009). Physical Environment According to the environmental psychology research, there is strong association between human behaviour and physical environment. There are two opposite ways in which individuals generally react to the environment and that is approach and avoidance. Whereas approach behaviour can be considered as positive responses towards the physical environment of a particular place (e. g. , wish to stay, buy, and affiliate), avoidance behaviour which can be termed as negative response (e. g. , wish not to stay, buy, and affiliate). Companies always ask for diminish avoidance behaviours and increase in individual approach behaviours (Heepup Han and Kisang Ryu, 2009). Physical environment contains various elements like layout of the store, arrangement of goods and services, the location, store design (like ambience and lighting), visual merchandising, visual communication (like graphics and signage), and so on. The appropriate store layout facilitates efficiency and flexibility to the customer. Technical Aspects Functional Aspects Decor and artefacts Spatial Layout Ambient conditions Price Perception 2. 3 Summary Customer satisfaction is the key to customer retention (Aurimas Dapkevicius and Borisas Melnikas, 2009). Companies have to make efforts to satisfy customers but for dissatisfaction no efforts required. To satisfy a customer is an on-going and never ending process, where the efforts has to be put on in every steps in achieving the goals and objectives set by the companies. Unfortunately, satisfaction is phenomenon which lives for short time. Surveys have produced the results that even customers who are satisfied leaved the company on a regular interval (Aurimas Dapkevicius and Borisas Melnikas, 2009). The customer might be satisfied about some product for some time frame and once they are dissatisfied with something or the other in the same place, then there would be an excuse for the customer to look for other options and alternatives. Right service at the right time is very essential to have a customer forever. In some cases, one particular factor becomes source of satisfaction for one individual and dissatisfaction for another individual for example opening and closing time. With the development of customer satisfaction measurement models, Customer satisfaction studies with retailers have also been prosperous, such as theories of service quality considered as the base of customer satisfaction measurement. Chapter 3. Methodology Chapter 3. Methodology 3. 1 Introduction In common parlance, research refers to a search for knowledge and the term method refers to techniques and procedures used to obtain and analyse data. Methodology is the system of methods followed by particular discipline. Research methodology is the way how we conduct our research. Research can be defined by one as a scientific and systematic search for information which is relevant for a particular topic. Research is considered as an academic activity and as such the term should be used in a technical sense. According to Clifford Woody, research consist of defining and redefining problems, framing hypothesis or suggested solutions, collecting and analysing data, summarising data and making conclusions; and at the end cautiously testing the conclusions in order to decide whether they fit in the formulating hypothesis (C. R. Kothari, 2008). Business research is a systematic inquiry that supplies information in order to guide decisions of management. More specifically, it is a process that contains the various stages of activities like planning, acquiring, analysing, disseminating relevant information, data and insights to the person who has the authority to make decision which provide mobility to firm to make a right decision regarding actions which lead to help organisation to maximize its performance (D. R. Cooper, P. S. Schindler, 2006). METHODOLOGY METHODOLOGY Introduction Introduction Research Approach Research Approach Validity, Reliability and Credibility Validity, Reliability and Credibility Research Methods Research Methods Questionnaire Designing Questionnaire Designing Sampling Sampling Data Analysis Data Analysis Ethical Issue Ethical Issue Summary Summary Figure 3. 1 Structure of Chapter 3: Methodology Most of the research textbooks supply information about research as a multi-stage process which one has to follow for undertake and complete research project. The precise number of stages varies, but it normally contains formulating and clarifying a topic, reviewing the literature, designing research, collecting data, analysing data and writing up (M. Saunders, P. Lewis and A. Thornhill, 2007). As one can see in the Figure 1. 1 normally researchers target to produce knowledge which is necessary and improve human understanding. There are various nine stages in these process and each and every stages has its own importance to carry out trustworthy outcomes from this study. Write your project report Write your project report Analyse your data using one or both of: Analyse your data using one or both of: Quantitative methods Quantitative methods Qualitative methods Qualitative methods Questionnaires Questionnaires Secondary data Secondary data Semi-structured and in-depth interviews Semi-structured and in-depth interviews Sampling Sampling Plan your data collection and collect the data using one or more of: Plan your data collection and collect the data using one or more of: Negotiate access and address ethical issues Negotiate access and address ethical issues Formulate the research design Formulate the research design Understand your approach Understand your approach Critically review the literature Critically review the literature Formulate and clarify your research topic Formulate and clarify your research topic Wish to do research Wish to do research Figure 3. 2 The research process Source: Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill 2007 3. 2 Research Approach Without any prejudice in mind a researcher observes and faithfully records what is seen. Few of these observation statements are form as true and assist as the basis for laws and theories. Two approaches for establishing what is true or false and to reach conclusions are there, and that are induction and deduction. Empirical evidence is the base of induction, while ogic is the base of deduction (Pervez Ghauri and Kjell GrOnhaug, 2010). Deduction owns various significant characteristics and that is, there is the search to describe causal relationships among variables (M. Saunders, P. Lewis and A. Thornhill, 2007). One can understand by deduction that individual draw conclusions thro ugh logical reasoning. Often this kind of research is associated with the quantitative type of the research. In the induction, we draw conclusions from our empirical observations. Often this kind of research associated with the qualitative kind of research. This process move to conclusions from assumption (Pervez Ghauri and Kjell GrOnhaug, 2010). This research has deductive approach as it is specified since the theories which are related will be utilized and data will be collected accordingly. Basically starting point of research is what type of research employed and that is applied research. To answer the practical problems of the modern world applied research is designed, rather than getting knowledge for the sake of knowledge (Basic vs. Applied Research). Every company involves in applied research. Exploratory research is conducted to clarify and define the problem’s nature. General problems may have find out by management, but there is a necessary of research in order to receive proper understanding of the dimensions of the problems. Exploratory studies supply information which can be used in analysing circumstances, but uncovering conclusive evidence to decide kind of action is not the motive of exploratory research. The main motive of descriptive research, as term indicates, is to describe characteristics of a phenomenon or population. Descriptive research strive for determine the answers to who, what, when, where, and how questions. Unlike exploratory research, descriptive studies are based on few previous understanding of the nature of the research problem (William G. Zikmund, 2003). In this case researcher has selected descriptive research. Here, researcher has a certain strategy on how researcher will go about answering the research questions that has been set by the researcher. It will contain clear objectives, derived from research questions, specify the sources from which researcher intends to collect data and consider the constraints that researcher will enviably have such as access to data, time, location and money, ethical issues (Thornhill et. al. , 2003). Most important condition for selecting research strategy is to identify the type of research question being asked. â€Å"Who†, â€Å"What†, â€Å"Where†, â€Å"How† and â€Å"Why† are the categorization schemes for the types of research questions. Two Possibilities needs to investigate by asking the â€Å"What† question. First, some types of what question are justifiable for conducting an explanatory study and the goal is to develop pertinent hypotheses and propositions for further inquiry. The second type of what question actually forms a â€Å"how many† or â€Å"how much† line of inquiry and the outcomes from a particular situation. Hence the survey is more favourable than any other research strategies. It is popular and common strategy in business research. Survey allows the collection of large amount of data from a sizeable population in a highly economic way. Questionnaires, structured observation and structured interviews often fall into this strategy. In this research, survey has been used. A dummy test was conducted to detect weakness in design and instrumentation and to provide proxy data for selection of a probability sample. It should, therefore, draw subjects from the target population and stimulate the procedures and protocols that have been designed for data collection (Cooper and Schindler, 2003). The basic idea of sampling is that by selecting some of the elements in a population, researcher may draw conclusions about the entire population. There are several compelling reasons for sampling, including: lower cost, greater accuracy of result, greater speed of data collection and availability of population selection (Cooper and Schindler, 2003). 3. 3 Validity, Reliability and Credibility Whatever the method selected for gathering data, it should be critically examined in order to assess to what extend it is likely to be reliable and valid. Reliability refers to the extent to which a test or process yield same results under constant conditions at all the incident. Validity tells us whether an item describes or measures what it is supposed to describe or measure. If an item seems unreliable, then it must also lack in terms of validity, but it is not necessary that reliable item is also valid (Judith Bell, 1993). Construct validity is essential for interpretable and meaningful findings and in various ways it can be assessed (Pervez Ghauri and Kjell GrOnhaug, 2010). The study is both valid and reliable as there is real cause to belief that gathered data is representative and also can be proven. 3. 4 Research Methods Research methods are rules and procedures, and can be seen as ‘tools or ways of proceeding to solve problems’ (Pervez Ghauri and Kjell GrOnhaug, 2010). 3. 4. 1 Types of research Three types of research design are available and that is qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods. Both kinds of approaches, qualitative and quantitative should not be seen as dichotomies or opposites; instead, they signify different ends on a continuum (John W. Creswell, 2009). Qualitative research is a tool for exploring and understanding the meaning groups or individuals ascribe to a human or social problem. There is an involvement of various elements in this process of the research and that is emerging questions and procedures, data gathered typically in the setting of participants, analysis of data inductively building from particulars to general themes, and the interpretation of the meaning of the data by the researcher. Those researchers involve in this type of inquiry support a style of looking at research that honours an inductive style (John W. Creswell, 2009). One of the main concerns of the qualitative researchers is the meaning individuals attach to stuffs in their lives and another concern is how people think and act in their normal lives. In qualitative studies, a flexible research design is followed by researchers (Steven J. Taylor and Robert Bogdan, 1998). Quantitative research is a tool for testing objective theories by examining variables relationship. In turn, these variables, typically on instruments, can be measured, so it will lead to analysis of that data by utilizing statistical procedures. As the qualitative researchers, those researchers involve in such kind of inquiry have assumptions regarding testing theories deductively, against bias building in protections, controlling regarding alternative explanations, and being able to replicate and generalize findings (John W. Creswell, 2009). One of the tough decisions which are faced by researcher during conducting this research is selection of research design. Where it was difficult to make up his mind regarding making selection of quantitative or qualitative design of research. Researcher consider both quantitative and qualitative approach are most suitable for conducting this research, as there is structured questions in the research and the research practising more of a survey form. Research methodology contains list regarding data collection methods which are as shown below. 3. 4. 2 Data Collection Methods Various approaches for collecting data are available to the researcher and selection of approach will be based on the strategy of research and tactics being followed whereas research questions itself (Dan Remenyi, Brian Williams, Arthur Money and Ethne Swartz (1998). In order to fulfil requirement of research, researcher need to collect primary data and secondary data or both. Primary data is the data observed or collected directly from first-hand experience and secondary data is the data which is in the past collected and published (Primary data, 2010). Secondary data is like existing primary data that someone else collected or collected for a different purpose than current one (Secondary data, 2010). Most of the research questions are answered by the combination of primary data and secondary data (Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill, 2007). A numerous amount databases are available which comprises of beneficial evidence and information for research in business and management studies, and the Internet and World Wide Web are speedily growing as a crucial source of secondary data (Dan Remenyi, Brian Williams, Arthur Money and Ethne Swartz, 1998). Secondary data comprise of both data which is raw and published summaries. Both qualitative and quantitative data are part of secondary data (Mark Saunders, Philip Lewis and Adrian Thornhill, 2007). Primary data gathering techniques are the means of generating secondary data. One person’s primary data become another’s secondary data. Secondary data are not only beneficial to discover information to solve one’s research problem, but also helpful in terms of source of better understanding and explaining one’s research problem. The major advantage of using secondary data is the huge saving in terms of money and time. One of the leading difficulties is that such data are gathered for another study with different objectives and they may not fit properly in one’s problem. The several kinds of secondary data are available and they are books and articles, industry statistics, general statistics, and research report, etc. Pervez Ghauri and Kjell GrOnhaug, 2010). In this research, researcher will use books, journals, and internet as a source of collecting secondary data. When secondary data are not available or cannot answer research questions, one have to gather the data which is relevant to one’s research. These kinds of data are known as primary data. There are numerous of options available for collecting primary data, like surveys (questionnaires), observations, experiments, and interviews. The key benefit of primary data is that they are collected for the specific research. That means data are more consistent with that particular research questions and objectives. The leading disadvantage of primary data is that it takes lots of time and cost to collect primary data. One other major disadvantage is that the quality and scope of information collected from primary sources is big question for researcher because he or she is completely dependent on ability and willingness of respondents (Pervez Ghauri and Kjell GrOnhaug, 2010). Survey (questionnaire) method has been selected as the most suitable tool for gathering primary data in a research project of this nature. Since, survey strategy has been chosen for this research, we would be using the primary data as it delivers more specific results than secondary data and moreover, surveys are the most popular way of collecting primary data. Survey strategy, the tool questionnaire which we are using for the research provides us with the current, present and factual data, hence we are using primary data to conduct this research and know the position and stand of Tesco’s customer satisfaction in the real world. Whereas secondary is the past data or someone else’s primary data which doesn’t give us the actual status of Tesco on customer satisfaction. 3. 4. 3 Types of Questions Various types of question classification in questionnaires available and it is as under. The

Medium and Its Large and Small Relatives

Medium and Its Large and Small Relatives Medium and Its Large and Small Relatives Medium and Its Large and Small Relatives By Mark Nichol Medium is taken directly from Latin, where, stemming from the adjective medius, it meant â€Å"middle,† â€Å"center,† or â€Å"interval.† It preserves that meaning but also acquired the sense of â€Å"intermediate agent† or â€Å"communication channel.† The primary connotation is now of a substance through which something else moves, whether in a scientific context or in terms of the form in which art is conveyed or content is delivered. (Medium is also used in the sense of conveyance for a person who supposedly channels messages from the spirit world.) As an adjective, medium refers to something between large and small. The plural form of medium is media, and art made of multiple materials or content available in several forms is called multimedia. The journalism industry is referred to collectively as mass media, and conventional, corporate journalism is labeled, often pejoratively, mainstream media. The phrase â€Å"in media res,† taken directly from Latin, literally means â€Å"in the midst of things.† Other words based on medius include mediate (meaning â€Å"arbitrate† or â€Å"negotiate†) and its noun forms mediator (meaning â€Å"negotiator†) and mediation (meaning â€Å"the act of negotiation†), as well as intermediate, meaning â€Å"someone in the middle,† whether in the context of communication or in terms of skills; it serves also as a verb (meaning â€Å"come between†) and an adjective (meaning â€Å"in the middle†). (Moderate has a meaning similar to mediate and looks related but is akin to the Latin word modus, meaning â€Å"measure.†) Other forms are intermediation and disintermediation. Mediocre, meaning â€Å"ordinary† or inferior,† is related to medium; the original, neutral meaning was â€Å"halfway up a mountain,† and it only later acquired a disparaging connotation. (The second half of the word, meaning â€Å"jagged peak,† is cognate with acrid, which refers to a sharp smell or taste.) Medieval, referring to the middle of history, between ancient and modern times, is also cognate with medium. Medial, an adjective meaning â€Å"in the middle,† and median, which serves as both an adjective and a noun, are also descended from medius. (Remedial, from remedy, is unrelated; the medial syllable in that word has the same etymology as the first part of medical and medicine.) Median originally had an anatomical connotation, referring to arteries, veins, and nerves; now, it refers mainly to an area between lanes of traffic, though it also has the mathematical sense of the middle number in a series. Mean, the same word distilled in French, has the distinct meaning of â€Å"average†; the mean is derived by adding a series of numbers and dividing the sum by how many numbers there are. (In lay usage, it more informally refers to something intermediate or midway.) The senses of mean pertaining to definition or intention and to being cruel or stingy are unrelated, but means- as in â€Å"by any other means† (meaning â€Å"any other way†), â€Å"by means of† (meaning â€Å"through the use of†), or â€Å"by no means† (meaning â€Å"not at all†), as well as â€Å"a person of some means† (meaning â€Å"someone with material resources†) is ultimately derived from medius. (So are meantime and meanwhile.) Another French word that pertains to the middle is milieu, meaning â€Å"environment† or â€Å"setting†; the second syllable, meaning â€Å"place,† is the same element seen in lieutenant and â€Å"in lieu of.† Moiety, though it means â€Å"half† or â€Å"part† rather than â€Å"middle,† is related as well. Medium’s Germanic cognate, middle, also serves as both a noun and an adjective; another adjective, middling, refers to something of average or mediocre quality. Middle is used in various compounds such as middlebrow (referring to someone or something of merely moderate sophistication) and middleman (a go-between in a transaction). Mid, originally a stand-along adjective meaning â€Å"among† or â€Å"with,† is loosely related to middle; it survives only as a prefix (as in mid-air) or as shortening of the preposition amid (amidst, in British English). Midst is also used sometimes in the latter sense, though it usually serves as a noun meaning â€Å"the middle part† or â€Å"the time while something is happening.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Possessive of Proper Names Ending in SFlier vs. FlyerThe "Pied" in The Pied Piper

How to get fired Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to get fired - Essay Example As you’re being shown the ropes, be sure to pull out that bottle of whisky or vodka and flash it around amicably – drink to everyone’s health and inform them all sweetly about how you need your daily tipple to really get going. Ask a lot of silly questions, the kind that even a ten year old would be ashamed to ask. The objective here is to demonstrate your utter lack of competence for the job you’ve been hired for, so plant those seeds of doubt liberally in your supervisor’s mind. And thirdly, be sure to leave early. Tell them you have a hot date, or yawn loudly and say you’re too bored to hang around any longer and leave. What? Still not fired? Well, don’t lose hope, lots of options are still open. Remember those tools I mentioned? Let’s take the last one first – blogsphere. Be sure to enter blogsphere with lots of ultra specific details on your personal blog about your Company. This is the place to mention anything and everything you don’t like about your boss and if the details you furnish are good enough to identify him or her, so much the better, especially if it’s a place your boss visits too. Waste lots of company time on your personal blog and let your work pile up. The chances of getting fired are directly proportional to the lack of discipline you display. Now let’s say your boss is a patient person and prepared to give you a chance. So you get a warning – but that’s it. Then it’s time to pull out the second tool – lies. The aim of the mission is to antagonize the boss by proving exactly how untrustworthy you are. Make personal calls from your office phone, gossip for hours with your friends or co-workers and then lie blatantly when the boss questions you – say that you were engaged in company business. If he or she tries to be pleasant to you and cracks a few jokes, do not laugh at any of them even if your funny bone is

Sense of self Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sense of self - Essay Example It is a blueprint such as a gut check for people to reflect on reason why they respond diversely to distinct situations. The most critical times for sense of self are in problem solving, relationships as well as decision-making. Their self is the first relationship people have. Regularly, others prescribe people’s selfs most undeniably during the young age. Children trust in educators and guardians notifying them who they are to be the good children. Occasionally, they receive information that fail to build them or assist them in trusting in their capabilities. These negative messages obliterate children’s sense of self and they have possibilities of feeling apprehensive and miserable about themselves. They may consider themselves insignificant or not acceptable. Everybody requires having a sense of self that is strong enough to believe in themselves as well as assist others. Just like an enigma, sense of self has various diverse factors integrated to come up with a picture. These factors include self-acquaintance, defectiveness, management and self-consciousness. Self-alertness is a means for people to realize their personal characters, beliefs, value systems, natural proclivity and propensities. Since everyone have their technique of responding to diverse circumstances, generating information as well as learning, it is important to erratically have time to reflect on one’s self to achieve an enhanced insight into themselves. Self-awareness assists people to appreciate themselves better, make modifications and recognize areas for enhancements (Cottle 62). In relation to self-knowledge, everyone is distinctive and nobody is faultless. For people to be conscious of their competence, the foremost step is acknowledging themselves on their weaknesses and strength. The more people comprehend themselves the more effective their growth will become. The third aspect of