Financial accounting and Managerial use Essay Example for Free

Financial bill and Managerial use EssayBackground LJB Company , a small business topical anaesthetic distri simplyor who understands to go public in the future, the company should be in accordance with the law and may need to take more stringent sexual control principles. At the request of the president, an independent internal evaluation of internal controls was conducted to evaluate the direction of strength and weakness.Objective The objectives of this report should evaluate the existing controls and own recommendations that will ensure the companies assets and help stand the most accurate financial information. Based on a system of internal checks and balances will be besides in my recommendations to the president of the company, since most of the internal control systems provide for independent internal control This principle involves the review of data prep ared by employees. To get the maximum acquire from an independent internal control Control values and Integrit y from the top grow it clear that it is unethical activities will not be accepted, and set the tone for the companys culture .There are several principles of management 1. Establishment of responsibility management is most effective when a single fountain may be responsible for the problem, including the authorization and approval of transactions.Weakness LJB has only one accountant who serves as treasurer and controller , which can optimize the processes , just it creates an inherent risk . Cashier handled informally . Accountant is so busy that the company handles the checkout bit differently . All employees have access to the little change drawer and just put a note asking if they use any of the cash.Recommendation* Align the specific obligations of employees to limit access to legitimate employees so that the buyer is not the same person who authorizes the payment without the approval of the head at least . Otherwise , a person may make payments that are made to yourself.* Use unique passwords per employee to protect the purchasing system to provide adequate inventorys and records management.* deputize picayune cash custodian.2 . Segregation of duties afterward one employee should , without duplication of effort , provide a sound basis for evaluating the work of another employee. 2* Strength Accountant receives the checks and completes the monthly bank reconciliation. This crusade , as the bank and the company maintain independent records , which may not always agree on what may be a simple geological fault of either party. To maintain maximum benefits , a worker who has no other duties associated with cash should prepare a reconciliation.* Weakness The same accountant all purchases of supplies and pays for these purchases per minute of arc is a dual role . Petty cash handled all .* Recommendation1. Divide the purchase task to avoid the temptation of possible abuse. go alongerof the petty cash fund makes payments , but the reviews accounta nt to recharge .2 . Require the authorization of the buyer and payment of employees on vacation at different measure of the year.3 . Documentation and procedures to provide evidence that the transactions and events occurred* Strength Accountant recently started using pre- numbered invoices.* Weaknesses Unclear procedures for shipping requirements , invoices and time signatures in developing accounting documents . All employees are required only to leave a note in the box , not supply a receipt.* Recommendation* Delivery document indicates well have been shipped, invoice sales means that the client has been announced. Use remittance advice (mail receipts ) , cash register tapes, and deposit slips .* Require signature to bring up the person responsible for the activity .* If possible , the user pre- numbered documents . It also helps to ensure that the transaction is no recorded several times or not at all .* Require time when documents should be sent in accounting for timely accoun ting.* Require receipts for most, if not all operations on a small number of dollars.Note accountant wants to buy an indelible ink machine to print their checks. I would recommend the purchase of this equipment , depending on the cost-benefit analysis . Keep blank checks in safes with limited access willbe my first suggestion to cut spending immediately , with no additional be. 4 . somatic control can be mechanical and electronic asset protection .* Strength Before leaving for the weekend accountant , accountant will impinge on checks in a safe in his office .* Weakness For salaries , checks selected accountant and left in his office for pick-up . Cashier box is not locked.* Recommendation* closed storage inventory and records management and control at all times, and not just for the weekend .* Alarm to prevent tampering if appropriate cost benefit* Closed petty cash .5 . Independent internal verification includes an overview and comparison of the data to reconcile* Strength Doe s not work .* Weaknesses Unclear procedures requirements signatures , such as small cash transactions. Accountant is so busy that the company handles the checkout bit differently . All employees have access to the petty cash drawer and just put a note asking if they use any of the cash.* Recommendation1. Require an accountant to examine receipts and documents to see to it costs to replenish funds.2 . Surprise internal audits6. Office of Human Resources* Strength Employees seem to stay with the company for a long time and seems to be incorruptible .* Weakness The President is still quite embarrassed because he was forced to fire one of their employees for viewing pornography on a company computer. He later learned that this man was a convicted felon who served time for molesting children. The Company had a hard time getting the employee to admit that this is it, because the company does not asseverate individual passwords. The President expressed his disappointment because he and an accountant and an interview and approve all new employees.* Recommendation1. Perform back ground checks and verify education credentials2 . Check references , but never used the figures provided a reference sheet3 . Employees bonds that deal cash4 . Assign unique passwords for employeesConclusionThere are limitations of internal control , but they must provide reasonable assurance that assets are protected and accounting are accurate. Currently, as a small company LJB can not have a very complicated system of internal control , but must recognize the reality of the law for trading companies with the public are held at a higher level of compliance . LJB Company does some things right , but there are several areas for improvement .Literature http//map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1002631Paul D. Kimmel , Jerry J. Weygandt, Donald Kieso 2010 Business Economicshttp//www.macomb.edu/About+Macomb/College+Policies/Policies/Guidelines+for+Purchasing+Activities.htmhttps//www.cms.gov/Regulations-and -Guidance//fin106c07.pdfhttp//www.brockport.edu/intcontrol/questions.html

Growing Years Essay Example for Free

Growing Years EssayPeople come and people go, moments atomic number 18 gone done and experiences are created. What lone(prenominal) remains are memories ,and for that reason these growing years are considered to be golden. Growing up is the most important aspect of an individuals breeding as it determines on their state of mind and how they look at feel when they are old enough. Some go through and through a hard magazine whereas practiced about may just cruise through a good life. living is in spades a long journey and how we go ab start it is up to us, we substantiate a lot of what life has to offer us at the time of childhood and teenage years. A lot of attractions and distractions, basic whollyy the good things and the bad and how these crop us.I turn out gone through different situations in my life, make believe had to make pretty tough choices , moreover one of the best things Ive learnt from these growing years is that your life is never at a stand still ev en when you imply it is. The modern world has loads to offer teenagers like me. But at the same time I would like to include myself to agree on the fact that growing up as a person from within isnt an easy designate. Ive assemble myself in different instances at a stage where I dont seem to be agreeing with my parents. Well obviously my mind is developing and I have opinions of my cause. This did conduct into quarrels at times, its not that I may necessarily be wrong further I dont opine anyones parents would like their child to not agree with them on any aspect.The solution that I found to this problem was to be much understanding to thoughts and opinions that people shared with me. I could consider myself lucky to go on that path because Ive come across quite a few people who have thought in anformer(a) scent out and are mayhap straightaway leading messed up bouncys at collection plate and away. But then again thats all told part of growing up, it could be scary at times but life has much more to offer than just a scare. My growing up like anyone elses has its own ups and downs, but lucky for me Ive learnt from my older brothers experiences and have been sleepless into not making the same mistakes as he has do.We come across many fri abolishs in this period of life, many come, couple of them remain in our show time but only some or none remain as you move on all the way. Yes when were juvenility were all joyful and think that nothing can ever affect our friendship and lifestyle. But what we forget is that those who are surrounding us are growing up too, and they begin to think differently and thats what fades them away from us. No doubt that Ive learnt quite a lot from my friends but one regret would be there that some of them arent present in the bonds of friendship around me.Due to all the distractions that growing up has had on me, Ive had a conflict with education and living reality itself. I pretend I was just taking it too easy and was playing around with the responsibilities that were put upon me. Each year that you grow certain tasks are upseted to you, be it from your parents or life itself. Whereas at the same time certain things are expected from you. I am quite sure that I personally never was in favour of this. Probably that couldve been one of the reasons I quarreled with my folks. I guess I just couldnt digest up to the expectations. For instance, when I was out with my friends I had to be home by a certain time. I thought of this as reasonable to an extent but sometimes I went over my curfew. Obviously this wasnt acceptable from my parents as it was heading me towards indiscipline.I always thought that a couple of years back I was invincible and nothing but good things could come out of what I was doing, basically I was happy in satisfying myself. Therefore I guess I was looking for some space of my own which my parents werent spontaneous to give me at that point of time which would be my early te enage years. But now I realize that all I was doing was just neglecting my tasks and duties. Life cannot be lived with one owns satisfaction and happiness, its also about sacrifice, sacrifice that my parents have made in order to help me live a good life, as they think of my future and happiness before their own and perhaps I have to carry out these appreciates to a family of my own. But yea I was too young then and still am now but I can certainly say that Im in a better sense of mind to understand these things now. For this reason now I understand why my parents decided to give me this space now as I could use it more rightly. Ive been infatuated with material things and have gotten lost in the unreal world of dreams and fantasies.More importantly my teenage years brought about certain feelings and emotions in me that made me interact with the opposite sex. Definitely this is a normal feeling and theres nothing wrong with it. Going on dates and having serious relationships with g irls was another aspect of my growing up. This perhaps made me well versed with the word hit the sack but what Ive experient with most girls was just infatuation and a phase that eventually had to fade away. This all is a part of growing up, but when it begins to interfere with your personal life or becomes a part of your personal life then I guess things just seem to be all messed up.Your moods and attitudes can easily alter at any given moment. In my case I could see this climax and still couldnt take control of it. A really funny situation I guess for many but for me it was just a result of getting too involved in something that never was. I devoted a large amount of my time on telephones and going out which in the end added up to nothing. While making hasty decisions I never really thought twice or overlooked at what I was doing after a while. The mess began to add up and soon I found myself lagging behind in stuff that really mattered for me as a person as I didnt give much attention to it previously. I still do mostly all these things but within boundaries and dont make it control my lifestyle as now I perhaps am in control of things and myself.Opening myself up as a person was never a problem but opening up to the wrong people was a mistake that I constantly committed and trusting the wrong people too was involved in this. In a way I remain happy at the fact that Ive gone through experiences such as these at a young age, as it keeps me prepared for the future. Neglecting my duties as a growing child ,I constantly came across a lot of troubles ,this included studies ,social life etc. There came times when my parents were really unhappy with me and my future remained a question mark in their minds as it built a lot of tension within them.But what Im thankful about is that they never lost faith in me and they constantly always explained to me about what was right and always heard my side of the story too. Perhaps because of their love and affection it was a quick process for me to realize my mistakes and undo my way of thinking. Ive at times tried to make my brother as my idle and live the way he did, in a quite reserved but jovial way. There have been instances where I just wanted to be in my brothers shoes as I felt that he handled himself quite well while he was growing up. According to me he did everything at the right time and thats why he enjoyed quite a bit. But I cant escape the fact that him n me are two different personalities and we just have to be our own people. I hear from a lot of people who are elder to me, that my age is the best as I dont have to nark about a lot of stuff. It brings upon confusion to me as I think the responsibilities that are on me arent too easy to fulfill though theyre necessary.But as a growing child, I explored a lot that perhaps people my age wouldnt. Main reason for this world that I was quite curious and being the youngest in my family always accustomed me to what elders usually do and how they behave. It was serious conflict as one hand I was neglecting my given duties and on the other hand I intended on doing things that I wasnt capable of. Eventually I realize that being older than I already am isnt an easy task every and probably when I do come to that age I would concupiscence to be where I am right now.Keeping that in mind, Ive experienced times that Ive wished and wanted to act older than I already am. But what I was leaving behind only I know. That of being a youngster and enjoying the best of what it has to offer. Being a kid or a teenager, I always hated to lose and I still do, be it anything perhaps at studies or at sport, or losing friends. But while growing up youve to accept to lose at times and youve to be open to that fact. soul that I guess has helped me into not being stuck up and has helped me in growing further as a person. In my years of growing up I have come across many instances that Ive witnessed people breaking up their relationships with each other just over meaningless arguments.Having fights is normal but it goes over restrict when it starts effecting the way two people think about each other. There has to be space for understanding certain things as every person has his/her own opinions over matters. But many yet remain oblivious to this. Thats why perhaps it is easy to ruin things but hard to keep it together. I sometimes sit to think about most of those teenagers who have slit their wrists and committed suicide in depression, well in their case they never liked losing either and resorted into ending their life. I can probably relate to some teenager problems considering Im in the same age group and perhaps have gone through the same at some stage, but my upbringing has excluded the thought of suicide from me.Everything has to come to an end at one point in time and that refers to our lives as well, so we should wait until then. Thats why we teenagers are always told that theres a time for everything. In m y times of growing up, Ive had a lot of fun even through all the hardships that have come along my way. Going to gigs and parties with friends was no more of an exciting thing to me as before. Since Ive cut down on that theres more value to it now then there was before. One of the most important tasks that Ive learnt in my journey of growing up is setting priorities. Something I wasnt good at doing so sometime back. There are loads of distractions available to get you off your way but if you have your priorities set out I dont think you could go off track.Part of becoming an adult brings a lot of confusion in our minds. There come times when people have asked me what Ive wanted to be when I grow up, and Im left over(p) with no answer. I realize I cant be young all my life but it just seems with all the competition around Im growing up much faster than I should be. But thats how this modernized world works, and I could probably deny the fact but cant hide from it. Accepting this Ive got an ambition, something that I hope to become and achieve. But I realize that this task isnt easy for some people and this has helped me into understanding the problems that some teenagers go through. They cant deal with the pressure and therefore breakdown into depression. Understanding aspects like these and looking into my own life, it has been quite easy to give way to other peoples opinions and sometimes accept what someone else says on top of your own word. Being unselfish is a part of growing up too.These values instilled in me thankfully is to my advantage and would perhaps benefit me in my future. There sure have been times when I just have been fed up of happenings around me and wished that everything should just stop. At the end of things I still would have to get on with my life and deal with my problems as thats part of growing up. I do wish that sometimes things should be quite different from what they are, but then if life had to be so predictable there wouldnt be any fun left in life itself. Believing in something of this sort has made me want to enjoy life as it comes even through its good times and bad.Understanding that behind every face theres a story, and thats why some people act in the manner that they do, we have to be open to whatever this life has to offer us. Growing up isnt an easy task but how would we ever know where our silver lining lies if we dont want to grow up. These growing years are considered golden as theyre times once lived they can never come back. We have the ability at times like these to make the most of our lives and should definitely use it. We never stop learning and thats why everyday we look at our life through a different light. Every year that I grow it brings me closer to my adult age and cuts off a year from my life. There surely is a time for everything and in life there are no short cuts to that. From now on I would like to take things as they come and enjoy myself under those means. Therefore I would like to live my life to the maximum level and in the right manner. Im still growing and so far the journey has been incredible.

Customers Expectations Versus Management Perceptions

clients Expectations Versus trouble PerceptionsEating is observably a daily action and necessity for all human beings. Depending on individuals reason for eating at restaurants, individual intentionally or instinctively assess a multifarious set of attri exactlyes ahead of choosing a restaurant. The significance convoluted to these restaurant attributes is ultimately evaluated in the nodes mind, leading to a decision of purchasing (Johnson and Champaner, 2004). Thus, this claim is to investigate how much good select can have an relate on client enjoyment and retention especially in our Mauritian context at KFC. As on that point is a casual inter-relationship between guest blessedness and expediency shade, this study aims to find out the effectiveness of the expediency dimensions of serve woodland which leads to client satisfaction and finally to retention at KFC. entirely the main aspects pull up stakes be analyzed and recommendations will be drawn out for revea l improvement.Comp either BackgroundHistoryKentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was founded by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952 and its primary focus is fried chicken. KFC also offers grilled and roasted chicken intersections, wraps, salads, sandwiches and desserts as well beef based products outside the USA. Although the death of Sanders in 1980, he remains a vital dissolve of the firms branding and advertisements, and Colonel Sanders or The Colonel is a metonym for the company itself. In 1991, the abbreviated form of its name KFC was adopted by the company.The PresentKFC operates more than 5,200 restaurants in the United States and more than 15,000 units around the world. In 109 countries and territories around the world, KFC everyday serves more than 12 million nodes. KFC is world famous for its pilot program Recipe fried chicken, made with the same secret blend of 11 herbs and spices Colonel Harland Sanders perfected more than a half century ago. Based on the possibility 500 List, KF C is ranked on 239 positions with revenues in excess of $11 billion in 2008.Introduction of KFC in MauritiusWith time, consumers were more demanding for large variety of nutrition and then, the archetypical KFC outlet was launched in Mauritius-1983. Pick N Eat is the company which operates the KFC franchise in Mauritius. KFC has carved a solid reputation as a tender table advantage restaurant which provides bore products and service. Across our island, 18 outlets be spread out and 10,000 customers daily atomic number 18 enjoying their finger-linking favorites in the consumer-friendly environment.Background of the programIn the rough competition, the market trend has changed noniceably from agricultural to service market. The service sector especially fast food industry is in a rapid offset and gain a position in the market due to lack of time to prepare food and dual in develop families. All of the fast food businesses are trying their best to improve their service eccen tric in order to make customer satisfied and return back to them again. They are concentrating more on service lumber in order to meet the ask and expected values of the customer. The more satisfied the customers are, the more apt(predicate) they are to return to the restaurant. The restaurant industry has undoubtedly not been free from either augmented competition or from increasing customer expectations regarding quality. According to the Kaplan and Norton (2001) the importance of the perceive quality in order to stick to the retention effect in restaurant industry is always considered as a main element to retain in the customers and the business. The main reason shag that in this industry entry barrier are usually low and any one can easily enter due to investment adoptful that is not on the higher side. So the point is that when ever consumer is satisfy from the arrangement by the management, the quality of the food provided by the lag members with the positive place ment than this result in increasing the loyalty towards the particular restaurant and increases the retention intensions of the customers.Problem StatementService quality is a vital strategy for any restaurants, success and repeat business and it has long been delimit by adopting a rather more customer-oriented view and not by the restaurateur-oriented (Saleh and Ryan, 1991). client is the key economic consumption in any business, without any customer it is difficult to do business. It is necessary to work closely with your customer. As customers can also create your business, thus, customer is the study part of business and also in the market. Business runs through customer, without the customer there is no business. Due to the increasing competition with other restaurants and quality-conscious customers, it is vital to exculpate out this look. There is a need for further improvement in order to face the competitors and meet the increasing customers expectation concerning qual ity. Based on the developed service quality performance of KFC, it is important to identify if customers are satisfied with the current situation and are likely to retain at KFC or faulting to other competitors. Also, to find out the factor outs of service quality that leads to customer satisfaction and retention. From the above reasons, it is important that the service performance meets or exceeds customers and their expectation, the customer will be satisfied. Service quality is an antecedent of customer satisfaction.Research Objectives-To assess customers expectation and perception level towards service quality.-To analyze the discrepancy perturbation between customers expectation and perception level towards service quality.-To identify the discrepancy gap between customer expectations and employees perceptions at KFC.-To explore the service aspects of the dimensions which have an influence on customer satisfaction and retention?Research Questions-What is the level of custo mers expectation and perception towards service quality?-What is the discrepancy gap between customers expectation and perception towards service quality?-What is the discrepancy gap between customer expectations and employees perceptions at KFC?-What are the service aspects of the dimensions which have an influence on customer satisfaction and retention?Aims of the studyThis study is to find out whether the service dimensions have an impact on customer satisfaction and retention at KFC by using the SERVQUAL Model by Parasuraman, Zenithaml, and pick (1988). It will also explore the service aspects that affect and influence customer satisfaction and retention.Significance of the studyThis study will act as a practical guideline for KFC, especially the management and the front line employees which may increased a higher level of customer satisfaction in the penny-pinching future. The results of this quantitative assessment of service quality may provide some insights into how custom ers rate the service and assessed customer satisfaction at KFC. The outcomes will utilize as a basis to improve their existing service quality or to develop a new one in order to meet with the customers needs and satisfy them. Furthermore it will help KFC managers to know if they are providing services according to the norms established by customers. The management will be able to come up with a strategy for upgrading their service quality which will definitely lead to customer satisfaction and retention. All these views of customers will help KFC to remedy problems if there are and maintain their service quality.Phases of the discussionIntroductionIn the commencement chapter, the problem area is discussed with a deeper sagacity regarding the research. The problem discussion ends with a research objectives and questions. In the end of this chapter, the contributions of this research are also presented.Literature ReviewIn the second chapter, the literature review of service quality s impact on customer satisfaction and retention is discussed with the following purposes of assessing customers expectation, customers and employees perception, identifying their gaps and the influencing service quality aspects.Research Methodology*************************************Analysis*************************************************Conclusion and Recommendation********************************************************ConclusionThe first chapter provided us a play d suffer to the outline of the dissertation. It contained the research context, which is, identify the problems, and establish its aims and its objectives, set out the research questions and finally present the outline of the study.Chapter 2- LITERATURE REVIEW2.1 IntroductionThis chapter will lay out an overview of literature and exemplars that presented by writers and journalists. It will support the research objective presented in the previous chapter. The chapter will elaborate the opinions of service, service quality, customer satisfaction, customer retention, service quality dimensions, the gaps and others.2.2 ServiceThere are many definitions concerning the concept of service by researchers. (Parasuraman et al. 1985). Gronroos (1983) defined service as An activity or series of activities of more or less intangibles nature that normally, but not necessarily, take place in interactions between the customer and service employees and/or physical resources or goods and / or systems of service provider, which are provided as solutions to customer problems. Service is Any primary or complementary activity that does not directly. Produce a physical product that is, the non-goods part of the transaction between customer and provider (Payne, 1993). Whereas Kotler et. al. (1999) defined service as any activity or benefit that one party offers to another which is fundamentally intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything, and it may or may not be tied to a physical product. In str aightaway market, products heavily rely on its service to acquire competitive advantage and to satisfy customers needs.2.3 Service whole toneIn the service industry, service quality has plow a crucial tool. Practitioners are interested in the concept of service quality, which has an advantageous effect on outcome performance for the company. Service quality is a critical element of customer perceptions as well as in determining customer satisfaction. Various experts have defined service quality differently. Parasuraman et al. (1985) proposed a formal definition of service quality as the degree and direction of discrepancy between customers service perception and expectation. If expectations are greater than performance, then sensed quality is less than satisfactory and hence customer dissatisfaction occurs. Asubonteng et al. (1996) defines service quality as the extent to which a service meets customers, need and expectation. Hooley, Saunders and Piercy (2004) A prime factor in d ifferentiating the product or service from that of competitors is quality. Quality concerns the fitness for purpose of a product or service. For manufactured products that can include the durability, sort or grade of the product term in services it often comes down to the tangible elements of the services, the reliability and responsiveness of the service provider, the authority provided of the value of service and empathy, or caring attention, received.2.4 SERVQUAL ApproachThe SERVQUAL framework has come up for the purpose to improve service quality in services and retailing organizations as it has suggest that customer satisfaction is based on multiple factors rather than one. The SERVQUAL method developed by Parasuraman et al. in 1988 is a technique used to perform a gap analysis of an organizations service quality performance against customer service quality needs. Parasuraman et al. (1988) came up with five dimensions (grouped with 22 attributes) to measure service quality a re tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. The SERVQUAL instrument is regarded as a reliable method of measuring service quality (explore customers expectation and perceptions), which in turn leads to a measurement of customer satisfaction.2.4.1 SERVQUAL DimensionsIn 1985, Parasuraman et al. has identified ten determinants for measuring service quality reliability, responsiveness, competence, access, courtesy, communication, credibility, security, understanding or knowing the customer and tangibles. Later, in 1998, Parasuraman et al. refined the model to the useful acronym RATER-ReliabilityIt is defined as the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately or delivering on its promises (Zeithaml et al., 2006, p. 117). It is one of the most important service components for customers as it implies doing it right the first time. The service organizations need to keep its promise and maintain an error free record. The reliability factor the staf f performs tasks that have been promised to guests and resolve problems encountered by guests. For the food crapulence industry, reliability can be interpreted to mean fresh food delivered at the correct temperature and accurately the first time (Andaleeb Conway, 2006).AssuranceIt is defined as the ability of staff to inspire confidence and trust. Assurance is defined as the employees knowledge and courtesy and the service providers ability to inspire trust and confidence (Zeithaml et al., 2006, p. 119). The staff can handle effectively complaints and problems from the guests. Customers are more likely to use tangible evidence to assess the assurance dimension much(prenominal) as awards or special certificates which give a new customer confidence.TangiblesTangible is defined as the physical facilities, equipment, staff appearance and others. It translates to the restaurants interiors, the appearance and condition of the cutlery, tableware, and uniform of the staff, the appearanc e and design of the menu, restaurant signage and advertisements (Zeithamal et al., 2006). Tangibles are used by firms to convey image and signal quality (Zeithaml et al., 2006). Customers use this dimension to evaluate the quality.EmpathyEmpathy is the extent to which caring tell service is given to a customer. The customer is treated as a king. Many small companies use this ability to provide customized services as a competitive advantage over the larger firms (Zeithaml et al., 2006). Empathy may be important to ensure customer loyalty as the server knows how the customer likes his or her food prepared. In return, the customer is easily approach and spell out their needs to the service provider. If a company looks its customer as an individual, as result, the company will come as a winner.ResponsivenessResponsiveness is defined as the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service (Zeithaml et al., 2006, p. 117). The service provider has the ability to shell out custome r requests, questions, problems and complaints with attentiveness and promptness in a timely manner and it is crucial for the customers. In order to be responsive, a service provider has to run into how long it would take to get answer or to solve a problem. To be successful, companies need to look at responsiveness from the view point of the customer rather than the companys perspective (Zeithaml et al., 2006). This dimension captures the notion of flexibility and ability to customize the service according to the customer needs.2.4.2 Service Quality Gaps ModelIn 1990, Zeithaml, Parasuraman and berry have developed a survey instrument to measure the gap between customers expectation for excellence and their perception of actual service delivered. The SERVQUAL model uses the foothold that describe one or more determinants of a quality service encounter. SERVQUAL as the most often used approach for measuring service quality has been to compare customers expectation before service en counter and their perception of the actual service delivered (Gronroos, 1982, Lewis and Booms, 1983 Parasuraman et al., 1985). There are seven major gaps in the service quality concept, out of which Gap 1, Gap 5 and Gap 6 are more associated with the external customers as they have a direct relationship with customers. common fig 1 SERVQUAL or Gaps Model(Zeithaml Parasuaman Berry 1988)Gap 1 Customers expectations versus management perceptionsIt is the knowledge gap which portrays the difference between the management beliefs about customers, expectations and what customers actually need and expect. This gap happens when there is insufficient flow of communication upwards, lack of marketing research orientation and too many level of management.Gap 2 Management perceptions versus service specificationsIt is a policy gap where a difference occurs between management perceptions regarding customers expectations and service specifications are set for service actors line. The reasons for this gap are unfeasibility, miserable commitment to service quality and task standardization as well as an absence of goal setting.Gap 3 Service specifications versus service deliveryIt is the difference between the service specifications and the service delivery teams actual performance on these specifications. The gap is a result of poor employee-job fit, lack of perceive swan and lack of teamwork.Gap 4 Service delivery versus external communicationThe communication gap is the difference between what the company communicates and what is actually delivers to the customer. It is due to incapable horizontal communications and propensity to over- promise.Gap 5 The discrepancy between customer expectations and their perceptions of the service deliveredIt is the difference between what has actually delivered and what customers feel they have received. Customer expectations are influenced by the extent of personal needs, past service cognizes and word of mouth recommendation. The di fference occurs when customers are influenced and service provider has shortfalls.Gap 6 The discrepancy between customer expectations and employees perceptionsThe service quality gap is what the customers expect to receive and their perception of the service that is actually delivered. There is a difference in the understanding of customer expectations by front-line service provider.Gap 7 The discrepancy between employees perceptions and management perceptionsThis gap is mainly an internal difference in the organization such as differences in understanding of customer expectations between management and employees.2.3 Customer SatisfactionCustomer satisfaction is the heart of marketing. Customer satisfaction is the customers evaluation of the service or product against if their needs and expectations are meant. Richard L. Oliver (1997, P.13) define customer satisfaction as Satisfaction is the consumers fulfillment reaction. It is a judgment that a product or service feature, or the p roduct or service itself, provides a pleasurable level of consumption-related fulfillment. Satisfaction is influenced by customers emotional rejoinders, their attributions and their perceptions of equity. As Kotler (2000, p.36) defined that satisfaction is a persons feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a products sensed performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her expectation. Johnston and Clark (2005) defined Service as the combination of outcomes and experience delivered to and receives by a customer. Customers therefore judge the quality of the service on the experience as well as the outcome.2.5 Customer RetentionLovelock (2004) illustrates importance of customer retention The hardest part of a business is customer retention. If a company does not retain its customers, inevitably it will fail. Marketing essentially means retentivity customer loyalty. When an organization is able to retain a customer in a good way, the customers will be loyal w ith the firm for vitalitytime. Laura Lake (2010) defined Customer retention is not only a cost effective and profitable strategy, but in todays business world its necessary. This is especially true when you remember that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customer and clients.. Hill and Alexander (2006) defined It is becoming accepted that there is a strong link between customer satisfaction, customer retention and favorableness. After providing all service to customer, means that the organization understands customer expectation well, according to the customer expectation, organization provide all service and customer is loyal to the organization. It makes profit for the organization and organization has to retain by providing continues good services, more better customer satisfaction and that will be profitability for the organization. So, organization has to make strong relation with customers.2.6 Customers expectations and perceptions2.6.1 Customers expectationsConsumers expect to be delivered quality products and services therefore expectations play an important role in the customer satisfaction formation. The term expectations really matters to companies because they want to know what customers expectations are. According to Oliver (1981) expectations are consumer-defined probabilities of the occurrence of positive and negative events if the consumer engages in some behavior. Customers form their expectations from their past experience, friends advice, and marketers and competitors information and promises. Organizations in order to keep expectations from rising, they have to perform services mighty from the first time (Parasuraman et al. 1988). Thus, customer expectations for the service are likely to rise when the service is not performed as promised. Expectations serve as reference points in customers assessment of performance (Cronin Taylor, 1992). The purpose of trying to understand customers expectations is to try to ensure that service ca n be designed and delivered in order to meet those expectations. If the operation meets the expectations, or indeed exceeds them, then customers are satisfied with the service. If they are satisfied they are more likely to become valuable customers who not only use the service again, but are positively disposed towards it and may even recommend it to other Johnston and Clark (2005). Therefore, the perceived service quality is viewed as the difference between consumers perceptions and expectations for the service provided.2.6.2 Customers perceptionsMc Kenna (2000) is of opinion that perception is a vital process in a persons life where he or she has to manage and interpret a situation or an event to define a particular respond. Service firms must understand the concept of service quality from the point of view of the customer, not from the view point of the service firm or service provider. Besides, customer perceives services in the response to quality pertaining to the service and the extent to which they are satisfied with the overall service with their experiences (Zeithaml and Bitner 2003). The customer satisfaction is determined by the customers perceptions and expectations of the service quality. Customer perceives services in terms of the quality of the service and how satisfied they are overall with their experience. The customers perception varies from customer to customer and each one has different beliefs towards the services that play a crucial role in determining customer satisfaction. Therefore, customer perception and customer satisfaction are very closely linked together, because if the perceived service is close to customers expectations it leads to satisfaction. Satisfied customers provide recommendations maintain loyalty towards the company and customers in turn are more likely to pay price premiums (Reichheld, 1996). As such, perceived service quality is a key component of customer satisfaction.2.7 Relationship between service quality and c ustomer satisfactionA great ferocity need to be heightened on service quality and customer satisfaction. Sureshchandar et al, (2003) identified that strong relationships exist between service quality and customer satisfaction while emphasizing that these two are conceptually distinct constructs from the customers point of view. Spreng and Mackoy (1996) also showed that service quality leads to customer satisfaction while working on the model developed by Oliver (1997). Customer satisfaction and the quality of food have long been acknowledged as a essential function for success and selection in competitive marketplace that have been connected to consumer behavioral intentions as purchase and loyalty intention, their willingness to widen positive word of mouth, recommendation, and complaint intention (Olsen, 2002). Customers perceived service quality has a positive effect on customer satisfaction.2.8 Relationship between service quality and customer retentionService Quality is viewe d as a vital means for customer retention. Service quality is regarded as one of key factors for service differentiation and competitive advantage for a business. It has been argued that service excellence enhances customers inclination to buy again, to buy more, to buy other services, to become less price sensitive, and to tell others about their positive experiences (Anderson and Fornell, 1994 Anderson et al.,1994 Rust et al., 1995 Zeithaml et al., 1996 Bolton et al., 2000). A study by Zeithaml et al. (1996), determines that service quality influences different intentions, such as giving recommendations, doing more business, and willingness to pay more. When customers perceive that they are receiving better quality service for their money, they believe they are receiving good value, which increases their loyalty to the service provider (Bolton et al., 2000).3.0 Comparison between authorsMany researchers and writers have their own opinion regarding service quality, customer satisfa ction and customer retention. These opinions will definitely shed light and need to determine which is more applicable in this research work. Service quality has many definitions but the most common is the match of customers expectation and their experience. Asubonteng et als definition is more relevant to this study as it describe as the extent to which a service meets customers, need and expectation. The SERVQUAL model is valued as an all purpose measurement and Parasuraman et als definition has used in this study. Some authors define the service quality gaps model similarly as a mean to measure customers expectation and customers perception. The SERVQUAL dimensions in this study have mostly used the definition of Zeithaml et al which are Reliability- to perform dependably and accurately, Assurance- knowledge, courtesy, trust and confidence, Tangibility- the physical evidence of the service, Empathy- caring individualized service to customer, Responsiveness- the willingness to hel p. Oliver, Kotler, Johnston and Clark illustrate customer satisfaction as a positive response of the consumers expectation. Customer retention becomes a necessity for the success of a business. Oliver, Johnston and Clark agreed with the fact that customers expectation should be understand in order to design better service and meet their expectation. Then, the customer will be satisfied and Parasuraman et al. explained that in order to increase the level of expectation, the task must be done properly at the first time itself. Regarding customers perception, Mc Kenna, Zeithaml and Bitner share the same opinion that it the way of customer to interpret their experience and if they are satisfied.4.0 Application of the theory at KFCInternationally, a service quality assurance team conducts regular surveys in every KFC restaurant in every country. The evaluation is mainly attributed by the aspects of CHAMPS including cleanliness, hospitality, accuracy, maintenance, product quality standard and speed of service. This is to evaluate the customers experience whether they are satisfied or not with the products and services.In Mauritius, KFC has already executed the theory of service quality and conduct survey regarding the services locally. A Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) program is implemented in order to identify, evaluate and surmount any physical and environmental hazards in the work place. KFC restaurants in Mauritius are constantly checked through internal audits and checks by the parent company with the aspects of CHAMPS. KFC has its own training center recognized by the franchisor for their staffs and also have achieved National Quality Award. The most significant policy of KFC is evaluating the customers experience with KFC restaurants, whether they are satisfied or not with the products and services, and they can also put their comments and suggestions for further improvements of the products and services of KFC. Today for Mauritians, KFC rest aurants has become the preferred eating spots, living and amusement spots for the families and young concourse especially.5.0 ConclusionThe literature review shows some general agreement by writers that the concept of service quality is an antecedent of customer satisfaction and retention. High service quality will obviously lead to high levels of customer satisfaction and result in customer retention. Finally, the SERVQUAL Model was established as a astray used and reliable method of measuring service quality.

How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession

How Outsourcing is touch by the Current Economic RecessionAn investigation into Companies Usage of Outsourcing and a Critical Analysis of How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession, Specificall(a)y in relation to northerly Ireland.Aims and ObjectivesThe Aim of this question is to determine whether or not the current frugal recession has affected companies decisions to outsource. It is important to decipher whether or not companies have increase their usage of outsourcing as a direct result of the recession or whether the increase or decrease in outsourcing is due to other factors. The Aim of this enquiry shall be applied in relation to Northern Ireland companies and build a general consensus that Northern Ireland based companies during this time of economic pressure argon increasing their outsourcing. Based on this there shall be three objectives of the look into. These shall beTo determine companies have increased their outsourcing during the unstable economic climate.To determine that this increase is due to the unstable economic climate andTo determine the relation of outsourcing and the unstable economic climate to Northern Ireland Companies. brilliance of the ResearchIn todays volatile and largely unstable economic climate, it is important to note that the recession as it is referred to affects not just large corporations such as banks and multinationals, but ordinary people living in an everyday environment. The state of the scrimping affects the modest corner shop consumer right to the small to medium size business entrepreneur. The word recession has become a word synonymous in everyday language. It is due to this that it can be seen to be important that research is carried out to determine exactly how this has impacted the behavioural patterns of people, businesses and theories.This research is important, and more so relevant, to today than ever before with numerous companies being forced to lash be and overheads, and inevit ably, manpower, as they try to stem the tide of financial loss.The term Outsourcing is subcontracting a service to a third party and the decision to employ this belief is based upon the companies hopes to achieving a uplifteder margin of profit by lowering their running costs. Lankford et al 1999 defines it as the procurement of products or services from sources that ar outdoor(a) to the organisationIt is believed today that firms should aggressively adopt the practice and the practice is almost becoming a given, and consultants presentations talk of a revolution in outsourcing. The academic literary works on the subject has grown in kind. (Lonsdale and Cox, 2000)Outsourcing for businesses has been an integral part of a well oiled operating system for many years. It came to the fore in the mid-eighties and has since been used in business lexicon, and it is today in the midst of the economic downturn that it has been a vanguard of companies value systems.Few management practic es have attracted as much attention as outsourcing is enjoying at the present time (Lonsdale Cox, 2000)The idea of a subcontracting deal to make the most of time and m 1y in the depths of economic downturn would seem akin a perfect opportunity to cut the cost of overheads and use resources efficiently. Faith (2009, p.36) agrees, stating As the recession persists, managements are enforcing stricter budgets. All departments are reviewing their processes to find ways to reduce costs and save m maviny. Outsourcing is an area where companies can limit expenditureResearch into the recession and its effect on outsourcing has never been more important than it is today, and while companies cannot predict when the recession is going to end, and with the increasing uncertain future and the possibility of more volatility, research into this area of business practice is vital.In a historical sense, the United Kingdom has experienced the onslaught of a recession before. The last recession struc k in the eighties, and this is where companies found the advantages of using outsourcing during a period of economic downturn (Charsley, 1986) Within Northern Ireland, research into the recession linked with outsourcing within Northern Irish companies has been under researched and indeed very exactr work has been published.So while periods of boom and bust continue throughout the decades in the worlds economy, research into aspects of the need of cost cutting exercises through outsourcing remain essential. at that place have been many research papers in the area of outsourcing and the implementation of such a business rationale, as there has been in the area of recession, all the same the development of one in relation to the other has only been lightly touched on, and this is one of the main reasons for the importance of research into this common area, and hopefully gibe to academic debate.Critical Literature ReviewA review of literature published suggests that the recession h as caused many firms to reshape and refocus their energies into cost cutting exercises, and one of these comes in the form of outsourcing. The literature suggests that there are pros and cons of such an exercise, and that there whitethorn be a negative impact of such an implementation. This research is tick to highlight the benefits of outsourcing as a discover business tool, especially in a period of economic downturn and that it has increased during recent times in this period of economic instability.Past recessions have changed the way businesses operate and the ability to outsource entire departments have compounded this change. Industrial organisations in the late 1980s and early 1990s experienced a luxuriant environment brought slightly by an increase in internationalisation and a downturn in the economy (Tucci et al, 1997)As a result of cost-cutting efforts during this period, many companies are opting to go the outsourcing route to cover either routine and/or non-core wo rk. (Charsley, 1987) This proposal by Charsley would back up the research to determine that the increase in outsourcing is due to the unstable economic climate.The disintegration, outsourcing and off-shoring of manufacturing and other non-core leads have been seen as irresistible trends (Shi and Gregory, 2003, 2005 Sturgeon, 2002 Arnold, 2000)Outsourcing and the recession appear to come deal in hand when a business is restructuring to save costs. The advantages of such a restructuring and outsourcing during a recession have been highlighted in Joanna Faiths article in Outsourcing becomes luxury in recession where she states that the advantage of outsourcing rather than hiring internal resources is that if the state of the company declines, there is no need to make redundancies This helps stave the negative consequences of firing staff and difference the workforce unsettled, while saving the companys reputation within the market. Mukesh Butani from BMR Advisors in India believes t hat If you outsource you can just terminate or alter the contract in seasons of peak and downturn however Graham Beck of PA Consulting stated that many firms who were involved in multi-sourcing were unaware of the risks. These include the integration of all the suppliers after the multi-sourcing, in spite of admitting that multi-sourcing would drive down costs. (Financial Management, 2009, p.7) PA Consultings outsourcing survey found that with the result of the recession firms are re-evaluating their outsourcing contracts or in effect outsource more elements of their firm.Research has as well as found that Human imaging chiefs have lost control over making outsourcing decisions, as finance directors and chief executives look to rein in costs during the recession (Logan 2009)In January 2009, a study by outsourcing firm Ceridian found that 20% of two hundred and fifty senior Human Resource professionals had the ultimate say in outsourcing recruitment, payroll and benefits for their organisation. Thirty one percent (31%) of the decision making went to the CEOs.Steve Joyce of Ceridian (2009) stated that The credit crunch has left no business function untouched, and it is clear in some organisations now that HR directors are not masters of their own strategy.Barker (2009) believes that In a recession, sometimes it is not assertable to take a long-term perspective, especially where firms are really facing an emergency, and it becomes a matter of survival to cut costs wherever they canCharsley, 1987, states the opportunities brought about by outsourcing are several Charsley saw these as, firstly, management could balance the work force with the load, since contracted employees and can be brought on board or push aside This could be done without the headaches generally involved in changing permanent staff levels.He in any case identified that management can focus on core work and more easily determine actual cost to the organization provided by non-core support units.In his book, Management Consultancy-A Cost Effective Resource Charsley states The ability to determine costs and allocate them across different parts of the organisation alike leave management to consider new structural forms that index enhance the firms overall competitive positionHowever in an interview of 1,000 firms all around the world about their experiences with outsourcing, also by the PA Consulting Group, the results deliver that the most common outcome was a fairly neutral one.As a result of the cost-benefit analysis comparing contract labour to company personnel, many managers were and are becoming more bequeathing to opt for the contractor through outsourcing contracts because of the total cost of continuing the relationship with the company employeeTo summarise, there has been very little research conducted to verify whether or not within Northern Ireland the recession has had a direct impact on the decision of companies to outsource more of their business. B y conducting further research into this field the function of this investigation is to shed more light on the topic as it is of high significance in this turbulent economic climate. Many authors agree that outsourcing is an integral part of the business acumen. The shaping and refocus of business objectives because of the recession has led to this. However there a smattering of experts who believe that outsourcing has led to the relationship between the company and employee being stretched.Proposed MethodologyThe study being undertaken can be described as an exploratory research study. The research blueprints to find and explain the relationships between the outsourcing and the recession amongst companies in Northern Ireland. The research aims to assess the phenomena of companies outsourcing to cut their overheads and to maximise profit in the time of high economic uncertainty, and to find out what is happening to seek new insights to ask questions and to assess phenomena in a ne w light (Robson, 2002 taken from Saunders, 2007) This research propose is set to explore information and develop theories from which will directly relate to previous literature. This is an inductive approach.The use of primary sources for the purpose of this research is decided on the fact that the researcher can focus on specific issues and have a higher level of control over how the information is pick uped and used. The research can be implemented on a strict timescale.A survey strategy shall be implemented in-order to meet the aims and objectives of the research. Survey strategies are frequent in business and management research and are frequently used to answer questions raised by previous research. The benefits of a survey strategy are that they allow a large amount of data to be collected from a large population in an economical way. Survey data is also seen as straightforward to comprehend and illustrate.To conduct this survey, questionnaires shall be drawn up and sent t o companies based around Northern Ireland. In social research, questionnaires are one of the most widely used in data collection. For the questionnaires a sample shall be selected from the wider population. The population in this case is all the registered companies in Northern Ireland. Because it is not feasible to send questionnaires to all the companies in Northern Ireland, for the purpose of the research, an appropriate sampling frame shall be drawn up. This is a complete list of all the cases from which the sample shall be made from. The sampling base shall be unbiased, current and accurate. Upon collaborating a suitable sampling frame the close stage of the process will be to decide how many (the sample size) and the rule by which the companies shall be chosen.Large sample sizes can be sought without the burden of major costs, and produces quantifiable data. In this instance, systematic sampling shall be used. The reason behind this is it works well with either a small or la rge number of cases. It is also suitable for geographically dispersed cases. Actual lists are not always needed either. The relative costs are low and is relatively easy to explain.The next stage of the research having identified the method by which the data shall be collected, the sample and the sampling technique is to decide upon the technique of data collection. For this research it is proposed to collect the data via postal questionnaire. This is decided upon the characteristics of the respondents and the size of the sample.Having designed the questionnaire the next step is controling. The purpose of piloting the questionnaire is to refine it so that the respondents have no ambiguity as so how to answer the questions and the questionnaire exhibits face validity thus ensures accurate feedback of results. In addition to this it shall provide some form of validity to the questionnaire and the results. Reliability of the results is the main aim here. Initially to pilot the questio nnaire, a group of experts in the field of which the questionnaire is to given to, should be asked to complete it. Allowing suggestions to improve the questionnaire would further enhance the content of the questionnaire. Upon completion of the pilot, the necessity adjustments can be made. The pilot should also ensure that the structure of the questions is correct and there is an established flow allowing an easier understanding of what is being asked. For the purpose of this research it would be suggested that ten pilot questionnaires be distributed amongst a field of experts to ensure that any trace of ambiguity or misinterpretation be eliminated before the actual questionnaires are distributed. The responses of the questionnaire will provide an idea of reliability and sustainability. It is good research practice to follow through with a pilot of the questionnaire.The final stage is administering the questionnaire. Attempts must be made to maximise the response rate. In order to d o this, factors such as appearance, type of delivery and incentives, should be considered.In order to achieve the aims and objectives of this research, the key data collection method employed shall be interviews. For the purpose of the research the key figures to be interviewed shall be managers from the Human Resource (HR) departments. Reasons for this are that evidence from front research suggests that it is this department who are in charge of outsourcing despite Logan, (2007) suggesting that many companies are taking this responsibility away from the HR departments.To conduct the interview for the purpose of the research a semi- organize interview shall be implemented as opposed to a fully structured one. The drawbacks of the fully structured interviews in research like this are the fact that the answers that may be given could be irrelevant, providing little or no use to the research, the questions are normally closed and thus does not allow freedom to operate outside the cons traints of the questions and removes the interviewers ability to back track and highlight certain topic areas.As questionnaires shall be produced and sent out to conglomerate companies, the need for a structured interview is further outweighed as fully structured interviews are broadly similar to structured questionnaires.To complete the semi structured interview the main areas of the research to be covered shall be worked out in advance so the overall focus of the interview can be guided by the researcher.The advantage of using the interview situation is that the response rate can tent to be higher than perhaps if requesting information in a non face to face environment. The ability to judge the seriousness of the answers can be helpful in interpretation as well as noting system language.The planned sequence of questions may change during the semi structured questionnaire. This is a huge advantage, as a number of topic areas may covered concurrently and the interviewee may rever t back to a question to be covered in more detail. The naturalism of conversation can take effect and allow the interviewee peace of mind.Before the interview takes place, the interviewee shall be asked whether or not it is possible to ask for the interview to be recorded for further evaluation. This would be an advantage as the flow of the interview shall not be disturbed.In-order to gain access to the HR department within the companies, adequate time shall be allowed to let the organisations allow feedback, and the talk follow up clutch. A clear account of purpose shall be given to the company. This should clear all concerns regarding credibility. The gatekeeper is the sole source through which contact should be made to gain access to the interviewee. This is done to ensure feasibility of the actual interview.The analysis of the semi structured interviews shall take the form of transcribing the conversations and from that withdrawing key themes and concepts which may help with t he implantation of the research objectives. This is known as grounded theory approach, a widely used method for generating a theory from research. The data derived from this research method shall be qualitative data, and shall emerge from the data collected rather than being imposed.Having completed the transcriptions of the interviews, and the keys themes of note are recognised, the information must then be change into a form of quantifiable data which allows easier understanding. This involves coding. The data is split into segments which are relevant and meaningful to the overall research and the aims and objectives. The purpose of this is to highlight any trends which may appear from the qualitative data and add weight to what the research is investigating in a statistical manner. As more data is analysed the codes may change. The broadcast used to carry out statistical analysis is SPSS.Time ScaleThe research shall commence on January 11th 2010 and will be collated over the ma nnikin of the following fourteen weeks. It shall conclude on April 16th 2010. Here is a detailed plan of the timescale of each proposed stage of research. While conducting the research it will be important to note that there will be time allowed for contingencies should there be any unforeseen circumstances occur.Due to Undertake performanceActivityWeek 1-3Background readingWeek 3Construction of QuestionnaireWeek 4Pilot questionnaire/Select Sample SizeWeek 5Feedback from pilot questionnaire and modify accordinglyWeek 6Perform final questionnaire, allow three weeks for postal surveys to return and begin interviewsWeek 9Collect data from Postal Questionnaires. Begin interview Transcriptions.Week 10Begin coding of questionnaire resultsWeek 12Results and DiscussionConclusion and recommendationsWeek 14Final compose prepared and Submitted

Analysis of Ancient Roman Architecture

Analysis of Ancient roman print ArchitectureAncient Rome is well recognised for its potential to catch volumed, dense and complex network of base of operations ranging from roads, aqueducts, bridges, baths, and temples. The papisticals were impressive builders and some of the structures built by the Romans that still stand up to this day exhibit this. Large infrastructure was one of the fundamental aspects that allowed the Roman Empire to maintain its expansive territory roads allowing the free movement of goods, information and troops, the sewers and freshwater systems enabling the arouseth of large populations. Thus, with these benefits, the Roman empire began to flourish and sparked a golden age of technological advancement and architectural development.Under the Roman empire, city development followed the grid blueprint based framework adopted from late Greek cities of the Hellenistic period. Roman cities had two major roads, the Cardo Maximus, the main street running thr ough the north-south and the Decumanus, running east-west, help as a secondary street, emphasised in the ancient Roman city of Timgad (figure 1), which was a common aspect of Roman cities. In essence, the Cardo Maximus and Decumanus played an integral p imposture of city planning, but also served as a central hub for economic life and business. grade 1 The city of Timgad in Algeria (M deviceen Kuilman 2010)Furthermore, the Roman grid-based city plan transitioned towards an urban plan by the first nose candy B.C.E. However, it was not planned entirely in advance during the development of Rome. On the other hand, by superseding grid-based plan, an urban plan was a more flexible solution resulting in a more elaborate and organic plan that allowed Rome to expand, improve and grow in splendour (Evans, 2017, p.24-5).Thus theater of operationss, human beings buildings, basilicas, temples, libraries, and amphitheatres were sprinkled all across the urban fabric of the city so that every building was surrounded by a public structure (Kostof, 1991, p.214).Albeit, Rome did suffer from urban issues, most of which was the gap between the wealthy and poor. The vast majority of Roman citizens were poor and lived in multi-storey flats or apartments known as Insulae (figure 2), which were simplistic buildings that only provided at best a maximum of 2 rooms with no indoor plumbing therefore, the poor had to qualify to public baths to get a supply of water. jut 2 Remains of a insula in the Capitol hill, in Rome (II century a. C.) (Peter Collony and Hazel dodge 1998)On the other hand, the rich lived in single storey private houses called Domus, consisting of multiple rooms, lavishly laid out walls, gardens and courtyards surrounding the atrium (figure 3) which was the large central hall of the Domus.Figure 3 A Pompeian Interior oil on panel Dahesh Museum of Art (Luigi Bazzani 1882)The Roman forum was an oblong space adapted from the Greek agora, located burn down the inters ection of the Cardo Maximus and Decumanus whereas the theatre and amphitheatre were located at the perimeter of the city, wrapped around by fortified city walls. The forum was mainly composed of public buildings such as baths, temples of worship, civil centres and administrative buildings, acquaintd by colonnades and either a town hall or a basilica. This was because of the Roman propensity to enclose public buildings, for example, the classical Greek theatres evolution that ab initio began as an open structure (figure 4), however, it was improved upon by the Romans into an enclosed theatre (figure 5) through the combination of the auditorium and dress (Wheeler, 1964, pp.111-2).Figure 4 Greek theatre (Twinningblog 2008)Figure 5 Greek theatre (Twinningblog 2008)Public buildings were adorned with sculptures, paintings, and fountains that were utilise as a quotation of civic pride for the Roman public. As a result, the forum became the focal point of business, social existence and the centre of political debate amongst the people of the empire and politicians.Roman temples such as the Maison Carre, Nimes (16 B.C.E.) (figure 6) were considered the home of the gods as Roman religion played an important part of Roman society. People went to temples to worship and pray to a lot of deities such as Jupiter, Juno, Venus and Mars amongst many other main gods.Figure 6 The Maison Care, the Arenas and the Magne Tower in Nimes (Hubert Robert 1787)The Roman theatre, amphitheatre and Hippodrome provided Roman society with an abundance of entertainment. Amphitheatres such as the Coliseum (figure 7) was the home of violence presented in many forms. Entertainment ranged from gladiatorial fights, executions, wild animal fights and the occasional naval battles that required the Coliseum to be flooded, in front of 50,000 spectators from different social classes arranged on stands that the Coliseum was able to house. Therefore, the Coliseum became a public spectacle to a socie ty that loved blood and could decide the fate of the loser but also reflected the social stratification of Roman society.Figure 7 Colosseum Cross-section (Granger 2014)Whereas the carnival Maximus offered a different kind of entertainment that was chariot racing in front of a maximum capacity 250,000 people that were as famous as the events held at the Coliseum. Even though society loved watching fights and races, however, some members of the public were opposed to the idea of watching fighters die for entertainment at the Coliseum. Thus, the theatre was the ideal alternative to the Coliseum and the Circus Maximus, where plays were held.Roman baths were considered as an essential requirement for day-to-day life in Rome. The Roman practice of Bathing was initially a Greek tradition that gained popularity amongst Roman society during the second century B.C.E. Moreover, due to the popularity that baths gained, it highlighted the requirement for a centrally based bath complex at heart the urban structure of every Roman city as more Roman cities began to emerge, epitomised by the city of Bath that gained its name for its Roman bath complex.By the early third century C.E., Eleven main aqueducts supplied the city of Rome on average 190,000 cubic meters of water daily to homes, public and private baths, which had to be provided and distributed via a system of pipes made from either clay or lead. The aqueduct in Segovia, Spain, built in the second Century CE is still being used today. Whereas the Pont du Gard that is part of the aqueduct de Nimes (figure 8) is probably regarded by many architects and engineers as the most impressive aqueduct built by the Romans, standing at a total height of 48.77 metres, shows the adroitness and complexity that Roman engineers were able to attain.Figure 8 Pont du Gard (Emanuele 2007)Despite water being supplied to Roman baths and houses via a system of pipes, tiptoes were charged in accordance to the pipes size, the larger the pip e, the higher the tax. Therefore, for personal hygiene, Roman citizens went to local baths such as the baths of Caracalla (figure 9), known for its complex functionality, sophistication and immense size. Romans were able to bathe for a small fee however, Roman baths also became areas of social interchange where gatherings gossiped and conversed about current events or to discuss business matters while getting clean at the same time.Figure 9 The Baths Of Caracalla (Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema 1899)Some Roman structures have survived the test of time and still reside within the urban fabric today, many of these have been changed, repurposed and modernised into urban forms within the city and have contributed to the formation of cities. The Roman amphitheatre turned into a public circular square in Lucca, Diocletian palace that became the centre of classify in Croatia, which was a palace with walls that became the downtown of the city since the collapse of the roman empire. Furthermore, piazza Navona was built on the site of the stadium of Domitian, the amphitheatre and basilica having monumental influence on Western architecture.To conclude the Romans were a sociable society that transformed the legacy of Greek architecture into their vision, a vision turned into an art form and embodied in many cities today. Despite Roman architecture being around for millennia, it is one of the most influential architectural styles that became a source of inspiration for many architects throughout time.BibliographyKuilman, M. (2010). QA596 The city of Timgad in Algeria. image Available at https//www.flickr.com/photos/quadralectics/4361584827/in/photostream/ Accessed 8 Jan. 2017.Collony, P. and Dodge, H. (1998). Remains of a insula in the Capitol hill, in Rome (II century a. C.). Photography from CONNOLLY, Peter y DODGE, Hazel La Ciudad Antigua. La vida en la Atenas y Roma clsicas, Madrid, 1998.. image Available at http//www.catedu.es/aragonromano/images/insulac2.jpg Accessed 8 Jan. 2017.Bazzani, L. (1882). A Pompeian Interior oil on panel Dahesh Museum of Art. image Available at http//www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2008/pompeii/images/atrium_int_large.jpg Accessed 8 Jan. 2017.Twinningblog, (2008). Greek Theatre. image Available at https//twinningblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/t-greco.jpg Accessed 8 Jan. 2017.Twinningblog, (2008). Roman theatre. image Available at https//twinningblog.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/roman-theatre1.jpg Accessed 8 Jan. 2017.Robert, H. (1787). The Maison Care, the Arenas and the Magne Tower in Nimes. image Available at https//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Hubert_Robert_-_The_Maison_Car%C3%A9e%2C_the_Arenas_and_the_Magne_Tower_in_Nimes_-_WGA19601.jpg/612px-Hubert_Robert_-_The_Maison_Car%C3%A9e%2C_the_Arenas_and_the_Magne_Tower_in_Nimes_-_WGA19601.jpg Accessed 8 Jan. 2017.Granger, (2014). Colosseum Cross-section. image Available at httphttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1_ns3l55MkJbXykfM3wymDUKQCMSKdBKjek5RToii6ho3Ocs11nyoMsnO6N28h5xnFOtmRdLB8X5wAHFW8tSr0re0cOFpXX4yMZAFikFuF9i2kzZgQ1IC2EUF7ou5pOrU8nUYYNw2dws/s400/colosse um-cross-section.jpg Accessed 8 Jan. 2017.Emanuele, (2007). Pont du Gard. image Available at https//www.flickr.com/photos/emailprotected/1566294527 Accessed 8 Jan. 2017.Alma-Tadema, L. (1899). The Baths Of Caracalla. image Available at https//uploads1.wikiart.org/images/alma-tadema-lawrence/the-baths-of-caracalla-1899.jpgLarge.jpg Accessed 8 Jan. 2017.Dudley, D. (1991). Roman society. Harmondsworth Penguin.Evans, G. (2017). Cultural planning an urban renaissance. capital of the United Kingdom Routledge.Gates, C. (2004). The archaeology of urban life in the ancient Near easternmost and Egypt, Greece, and Rome. London Routledge.Hodge, A. (2002). Roman aqueducts water supply. London Duckworth.Kostof, S. and Richard, T. (1991). The City Shaped Urban Patterns and Meanings Through History. London Thames and Hudson.Macaulay, D. (1975). City A Story of Roman Planning and Construction. London Collins.Perez de Arce, R. (2017). Urban Transformations and the Architecture of Additions. ebook London Routledge, p.xvi-ii. Available at https//books.google.co.uk/books?id=CX09BAAAQBAJprintsec=frontcoverv=onepageqf=false Accessed 3 Jan. 2017.Rykwert, J. (1976). The idea of a town. Princeton, N.J. Princeton University Press.Vitruvius Pollio., Schofield, R. and Tavernor, R. (2009). On architecture. London Penguin Books.Watkin, D. (2009). The Roman Forum. 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Chaucers Canterbury Tales - The Incredible Wife of Baths Tale :: Wife of Bath Essays

Chaucers Canterbury Tales - The Incredible married woman of Baths Tale In reading Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales, I found that of the Wife of Bath, including her prologue, to be the most thought-provoking. The pilgrim who narrates this humbug, Alison, is a gap-toothed, partially deaf seamstress and widow who has been married five times. She claims to have great experience in the ways of the heart, having a remedy for whatever might ail it. Throughout her story, I was shocked, yet pleased to encounter details which were rather uncharacteristic of the women of Chaucers time. It is these peculiarities of Alisons tale which I go away examine, looking not only at the chivalric and religious influences of this medieval period, but also at how she would have been viewed in the context of this society and by Chaucer himself. During the period in which Chaucer wrote, there was a dual concept of chivalry, one facet being based in reality and the other existing in the first p lace in the imagination only. On the one hand, there was the medieval notion we are most familiar with today in which the knight was the consummate virtuous man, willing to sacrifice self for the worthy cause of the afflicted and weak on the other, we have the sad truth that the human knight rarely lived up to this ideal(Patterson 170). In a work by Muriel Bowden, Associate Professor of English at Hunter College, she explains that the knights of the Middle Ages were merely mounted soldiers, . . . notorious for their utter cruelty(18). The tale Baths Wife weaves exposes that Chaucer was aware of both forms of the medieval soldier. Where as his knowledge that knights were often far from perfect is evidenced in the beginning of Alisons tale where the lusty soldier rapes a young maiden King Arthur, whom the ladies of the country beseech to spare the life of the guilty horse soldier, offers us the typical conception of knighthood. In appurtenance to acknowledging this dichotomy o f ideas about chivalry, Chaucer also brings into question the religious views of his time through this tale. The loquacious Alison spends a good deal of the prologue espousing her views regarding marriage and virginity, using her knowledge of the scriptures to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder strength to her arguments. For instance, she

The Oslo Agreements :: essays research papers

Framework & ImplementationThe Israeli Palesletinian peace negotiations took a giant leap forward during Yitzhak Rabins term as Israeli prime minister, with the commencement of the Oslo Peace Process. While no significant progress was being made in upper-case letter in the bilateral talks agreed upon at the Madrid Conference in 1991, a secret unofficial channel began operating between Israelis and the PLO, nether the auspices of Norway. The unofficial talks continued throughout early 1993 and culminated in the initialling of a joint Declaration of Principles (DOP) on August 19, 1993. Then, after having formally recognized each other in mutual letters, Israel, represented by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the PLO, represented by Yassir Arafat, signed an agreement in Washington on September 13, 1993. The DOP created a framework for areas of negotiation and set outlines for a rapid hand-over of Gaza and Jericho to Palestinian self-rule. According to the agreement, major fundamental and controversial issues, such as Jerusalem, the prox of Israeli settlements on in Judea & Samaria, and the Palestinian refugees (from 48 and 67), would be deferred to the permanent status negotiations. The following stages in the transition of power and land from Israel to the Palestinians were put forth.1. Gaza and Jericho First egotism rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The details of the Gaza and Jericho First Agreement were negotiated and concluded in capital of Egypt between Rabin and Arafat on May 4, 1994. The Cairo Agreement spelled out a step-by-step program for the extension of autonomy within a specified time-frame, without this being conditional on bilateral death penalty or objectives.2. Transfer of civil powers and responsibilities Responsibilities in five specific spheres (education and culture, health, welfare, taxation and tourism) entrust be transferred to the Palestinians. The DOP proposed that this transfer take pl ace immediately following the execution of the Gaza-Jericho agreement. 3. The Interim Agreement and Elections Elections leave alone take place on the West Bank and Gaza Strip for a new Palestinian Authority. The Interim Agreement will detail the self-government arragements in the West Bank and terrotories. In the rest of the West Bank, Israel will pull out its forces from Palestinian populated areas. The Palestinian Council will have a strong police force in order to guarantee public order and internal security. Central to the DOP were two economic annexes which sketch economic cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians, both bilaterally and in the multilateral context.