The Idea Of Women In Combat Is Not Unusual Anymore. Essays

The idea of women in combat is not unusual anymore. They should be able to hold combat positions beacause although physical strength matters, the military still needs the intelligence that women can bring. Also, banning women from the combat hurts their military careers. Although women account for only ten percent of the enlisted personnel (Time, 8/21/95/ Pg. 31), they are still a major part in the armed forces. Their performance recently has generated support from Congress and the public for enhancing the role of females in the military. During the Persian Gulf War, women were sent to the Middle East to fly helicopters, service combat jets, refuel tankers, and load laser-guided bombs. Their performance has led the world to realize that women are extremely useful in combat. Defense secretary Dick Chaney said "Women have made a major contribution to this [war] effort. We could not have won without them." Leaders in the field agreed. The Gulf War had the largest deployment of women in the armed forces in history. These women encountered the same risks as the men they served with. Twenty one females lost their lives (Holm, Women in Combat: The New Reality, pg. 67-68). In the Persian Gulf, there were no exact positions and all areas were equally vulnerable, so the idea of safe havens for women was not really applicable. By many armed forces policies, females are banned from combat jobs and units, but in the Persian Gulf War females were assigned to battleships, aircraft carriers, and marine support groups dug into the desert. From their experience in the Persian Gulf, military women have earned the right to be treated as equals with men and not as protected individuals. In spite of their record as able combat personnel, there are laws and policies that restrict women in the United States Military from serving in positions that require them to engage in direct combat. Women in the Air Force and Navy are barred from aircraft and vessels that have a chance to be exposed to combat. The official, established policies of the Army and Marine Corps exclude women from combat (Snyder, pg. 75-76). These policies prohibit women, on the basis of gender only, from over twelve percent of the skill positions and thirty-nine percent of the total positions offered by the Department of Defense. Such policies excluding women from combat need to be repealed by Congress. The Fourteenth Amendment's "Equal Protection Clause" insures every citizen "the equal protection of the laws." Although the clause is not applicable to Federal government, the Supreme Court said the Due Process Clause in the Fifth Amendment prohibits the federal government from making unreasonable classifications. Therefore the set laws and policies that exclude women from combat not only violate the Fifth Amendment, but also deny women their fundamental right to engage and excel in their chosen occupation. There have been many court cases involving women in combat over the years, although there has never been a case directly challenging the constitutionality laws and regulations banning women from combat. In the case of Frontiero vs. Richardson, the court rejected the idea that "man is, or should be, woman's protector or defender," which in actuality, put women not on a pedestal, but in a cage. In Satty vs. Nashville Gas Co., the decision stated that gender does not determine who is able to perform capably as a soldier. In the case of Schlesinger vs. Ballard, it was realized by the Supreme Court that the combat exclusion hinders the abilities of women to gain the experience needed for promotion within the military. The combat exclusion puts women wishing to obtain qualification for high-level positions at a disadvantage, because leadership training is usually acquired in combat-type positions. Although many females are not eager to go into combat, there are women who can and want to do the job. In a time where technology takes over battle lines and brains might be more important than brawn, a reason to exclude women is non-existant. By: Megan Craven, Jennifer Kopper, Stacey Rohrer Sources: Time Magazine, Aug 21, 1991 p.31. Holm, Jeanne, Women in Combat: The New Reality, pg. 67-68. Snyder, Kathy L. "An Equal Right to Fight."

Tituba, the crucible essays

Tituba, the crucible essays Tituba was a native Caribbean slave that Reverend Samuel Parris had brought back with him from one of his crusades. Her personality was hospitable, and she would often sing songs in her native tong, which later would prove to be nothing more than ammo in the deliberations. So far, Titubas involvement in the notorious Salem witch trials is about to become more prevailing in the novel The crucible. Outside of the book I am aware that she was the first person in the village to confess to using witch craft but was forced by reasons not of her own, to confess. It all started with the Reverends daughter Betty and her cousin Abby. Betty began to have symptoms of hallucinations and unfamiliar outburst. In the time of the witch trials all things that might have been considered to be misfortune were viewed as being a direct punishment from God for what ever reason. So having a sick child must have been because of a sin committed by a member of the family, or someone else was bewitching her. I n the book however, Tituba was close to the children and was disheveled by the thought that anyone would believe she ment to hurt them, but never the less the blame was placed upon her and I was on her own accored she chose to save herself and confess, true or not. But what is surprising about this is Tituba knew that they would want to blame her for this, and also knew that there was nothing for her to do about it. What I believe Tituba wanted at this particular time was a chance. For many reasons she might have wanted a chance, a chance to show that she was really innocent qnd not a witch, a chance to find out what was really happening to the girls and lastly a chance to live out the rest of her life, not as a potential witch. ...

Financial Crisis Impacts on the Employees' Motivational Aspects Research Paper

Financial Crisis Impacts on the Employees' Motivational Aspects - Research Paper Example Based on the responses of these employees, who belonged to different levels in the two organizations, the research concluded that there was indeed a lowered morale and motivation during the crisis. The reason for this was lack of resources and tools available to perform work at optimum levels, lack of incentives and motivators, lack of managerial support and fear and insecurity.The research also found that the managers can help alleviate the situation by taking a more dynamic role, making themselves available to the employees, setting clear targets, giving clear directions and guidance for achieving targets, and by showing their support and commitment to the employees. The managers can encourage employees, even when there are no external motivators, by simply showing their concern and by being honest and open with them.The research, therefore, concluded with a list of these recommendations that the organizations can follow in order to keep their employees motivated even during the cr isis.The economic and financial crisis of 2008/9 led to massive changes in the understanding of how business and organizations needed to be run. While there were very drastic implications for all, like job losses, pay cuts and loss of benefits and incentives, there were also several lessons that were learned about people management and work culture. Though the crisis may well have receded, there is widespread unemployment and loss of investor confidence that is dampening any prospects of growth. Employees have been seeing a downturn in their prospects due to non-availability of alternative jobs as well as due to lack of interests that their organization may be showing in retaining them.

Tintern Abbey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Tintern Abbey - Essay Example These lines capture in essence the role played by memory in preserving emotion and in poetic expression. Tintern Abbey in particular is imbued with the spirit of these lines and best embodies the role of memory in Wordsworth's poetry. At the onset of the poem Wordsworth declares that five years have elapsed since his visit to this idyllic location. With gentle contentment he allows the sheer beauty of the well remembered and much beloved landscape to sink into his being and permeate his very senses. His detailed description of nature bedecked in all finery transports the reader and one can almost see the "steep and lofty cliffs" and hear the "soft inland murmur" of the flowing water (Wordsworth 112). He becomes nostalgic and is filled with bittersweet remembrances connected to this gorgeous spectacle. Slowly he is lifted up on the wings of memory and he sees himself as the boy he once was and as the man he has become and recollects the eventful time between the two stages of his life. In the said five years, Wordsworth's life had been tumultuous and he bore witness to much suffering, sorrow and pain brought on by the darker side of human nature. He had spent time in France at the time of the French revolution and had been an idealistic supporter of the revolutionaries' cause. However in light of the tide of violence that swept the country and subsequent hostilities between France and Britain he became disillusioned and heartsick and returned to his country. Therefore his return to Tintern Abbey and its idyllic setting is a homecoming of sorts. Spurred by his memory he recollects the pleasurable bond he forged with nature and how it sustained him in trying times and happily looks forward to forging a new bond for the future. Wordsworth describes the profound effect his memory of this location has had on him despite his prolonged absence. Even as he nursed his loneliness in crowded cities and towns, his memories of this picturesque scene eased his fatigued state and rejuvenated his wearied spirit as it filled him with "sensations sweet,/ Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart,/ And passing even into my purer mind,/ With tranquil restoration" (Wordsworth 113). Thus for Wordsworth his memories serve as an opiate for the senses, bruised and battered by a harsh life. He further credits memory for his random acts of kindness. His memories of nature's bounty is like a wellspring of goodness that never runs dry and spurs him on towards achieving a state of perfect morality. Thus pleasant sensations induced by memory are responsible for bringing out all that is pure and true in him. Wordsworth also attributes memory with providing him an insight "into the life of things" (114). Oftentimes he is baffled and bogged down by the thick fog of mystery surrounding the mechanism of the world and thus obscuring his vision of life itself. But he is relieved of this cumbersome burden by memory which allows him to reach deep within himself to find answers and ultimately enlightenment. He is able to shed the trappings of civilization and

Ethics and sustaibanbility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ethics and sustaibanbility - Essay Example Toyota got into a situation wherein disclosure could be damaging to both the company and to its customers. An ethical problem existed wherein a decision has to be made between what is bad and what is good. Toyota is also faced with a decision to act based on legality or efficiency of actions. The first steps in analyzing ethical issues are getting the facts to guide decisions and next are the appeal to values because the facts does not tell us what to do, but values directs us to moral issues of decisions. Documents showed that the Toyota knew of the problem with the sticky pedals in late September but did not issue a recall until late January. Why did they hide it from the public? Was it their intention to continue selling damaged vehicles and let buyers beware and face accidents? There is very little information on the internal events about the damage, who discovered it and other related details. What has been established is that Toyota knew of the damage as early as September of 2009 but made announcements only in late January in 2010. In five months time, there could have been accidents due to faulty breaks that could have been avoided. Individual groups who have important stake in the issue are customers of Toyota; the management and stockholders and the government. Some concerns that got Toyota into a mess, I believe, is the fear for outcome of decisions that would adversely affect Toyota’s operation. Those who will be affected by the first action are the Toyota customers who are facing dangers of accident due to faulty break system. Report said that there are about 2.3 million Toyota vehicles affected by the damage. In the second action, when Toyota announced to public the damage and recall of the cars, those affected are the stockholders and management. Confidence of customers on Toyota is threatened thereby there is a risk of decline of sales. Investors will also lose

Customer Satisfaction at The Plaza Crowne Hotel

Customer Satisfaction at The Plaza Crowne Hotel Chapter I Introduction 1.1 Introduction Tourism is frequently and justifiably described as a major phenomenon of modern times. Since 1950 the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide has increased spectacularly, from just 25 million to over 924 million in 2008. Representing an average annual growth of 7 % a year (Sharpley, R., 2004; and WTO – World Tourism Organisation, 2009). International tourism generated US$ 856 billion in 2007, representing 30% of the world’s exports of services for the related year. Under the influence of the recent global economic recession, tourism demand has significantly slowed down in the past few months. Notably in the second half of 2008 growth came to stagnation with the number of international arrivals declining slightly – a trend which is expected to continue in 2009 and probably beyond, if the economy does not show signal of reaction (WTO – World Tourism Organisation, 2009). Regardless of the current actual global recession, it is undeniable the importance of the tourism activity for the world economy, mutual understanding of nations, personal growth and development, just to mention a few benefits that tourism brings in. The hospitality industry, as a segment of the tourism industry, plays a major role in this economic activity (King, 1995). Being accommodation the biggest percentage in tourism expenditure, in average of 34% of the total expenditure per trip (Sharpley, R., 2004). The success of the hospitality industry, relies massively on the quality of the service delivered and customer satisfaction. The index of the measurement of both, quality service and customer satisfaction, will widely influence on occupancy rates, hence, on the profitability of the company (Holloway, JC, 1998; Solomon et al, 2006). Therefore, justifying the need for a reliable model of assessment of customer satisfaction and service quality that would better adapt to the hospitality field, which at present still have a lack of agreement. 1.2 Research Title The measurement of service quality and customer satisfaction in the hospitality industry: a case study of the Plaza Crowne Hotel. 1.3 Research Background For Cardozo (1965), cited by Williams and Uysal (2003), marketing researches in the consumer satisfaction field started in the early 60’s. The subject had a relevant increase in popularity by organisations and researchers only in the 80’s, when organisations, in an attempt to try to keep itselves in the marketplace, started paying substantial attention on customer’s expectations demands. 1.4 Research Aims The aim of this project is to analyse customer satisfaction and service quality measurement, using the SERVQUAL model, within The Plaza Crowne Hotel – Kansas City (USA), based upon the hotel’s own data against the highlighted gaps within the model. 1.5 Research Objectives In order to achieve the specified aim it will be necessary to: Conduct a review of service quality and customer satisfaction; Illustrate The Plaza Crowne Hotel’s current customer satisfaction and service quality measurement model to identify its positive and negative aspects; Conduct an initial diagnosis of the key issues presented in the Crown Plaza data, examining the hotel’s past assessments in order to identify areas of failure; Analyse the SERVQUAL model focusing on the hospitality industry; Identify and critically recommend suitable quality measurement practices to apply within The Plaza Crowne Hotel, if necessary; Chapter II Literature Review 2.1 Introduction To Kotler et al (1996), nowadays companies need to change their view and attitude in the marketplace and adopt a more customer centred philosophy, in order to keep competitive and profitable. Customers are changing their behaviour towards consumption, becoming more challenging to companies to attend their expectations, as they are increasingly aware of their rights, expect more than they used to, and know exactly what they want when purchasing a product or service. This increase in consumers expectation naturally leads to the need of a higher quality in costumer services delivery. Customer satisfaction and quality service became priority for companies worldwide. They are believed to generate repeated business, therefore increased profit margin. The hospitality industry is paying close attention to it. Hampton’s Inn, a well know resort in Florida, has developed a 100% satisfaction guarantee program that promises its customers no charge unless they are completely satisfied. Other companies such as Sheraton Hotels has implemented a employees’ reward system for superior services to guests, the Sheraton Guests Satisfaction System (SGSS). Hilton International has adopted as a primary goal its customers satisfaction with global diversity. Moreover, organisations are increasingly becoming adept of rewarding its employees with bonuses, incentives and salary rise, just to mention a few actions to improve service. (Oh, 1997). Therefore, marketing researchers are constantly developing and improving models of measuring customers satisfaction and quality service. Among many measurement models and theories, this dissertation will focus on the analysis of the 5 Gaps Model developed by Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml also called The Servqual Model. 2.2 Defining Service Service is any act or performance that one firm can offer to a costumer, its nature is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything. The service production may or may not be tied to a physical product (Kotler, P, 2003). Addittionaly, Gronroos (1990) cited by Hsu et al (2001, p.18) defines service as â€Å"an activity or series of activities of more or less intangible nature that normally, but not necessarily, takes place in interactions between the costumer and services employees and/or physical resources or goods and/or systems of the service provider, which are provided as solutions to customer’s problems†. From the consumer’s optic, service is nothing else than the experience lived in the whole process of this transaction (Hsu et al, 2001). Moreover, it was noted that services have four major characteristics that greatly affect the way it is delivered and its marketing programme. Which are: intangibility, inseparability, variability, and perishability (Kotler, 2003). Bellow the four charactecristics are briefly explained in the light of Kotler (2003) and Hsu et al (2001): Intangibility relates to the extent that services cannot be tried in anyway before they are actually purchased and delivered. The only thing that can be done to reduce uncertainty is to look for evidences of service quality; Inseparability is the relation that services are typically produced and consumed simultaneously. The person who provides the service, is actually part of the service purchased, therefore the importance of the interaction of providers and customers; Variability occurs because services depend on who provides, when and where, one experience is never exactly equal the other. As people are the means through service production, personal problems, mood, knowledge of the job and many other factors can interfer and widely vary the service; Perishability means that services cannot be stored as we can do with manufactured products, because services are produced and consumed simultaneously. As an example, in a hotel, a room that was not occupied yesterday, cannot be sold anymore as time does not goes backwards. For Cook (2002) the increased global competition has made many organisations realised that they cannot compete only in price. Therefore companies are developing their own strategy in providing superior customer care to differentiate their products and services. â€Å"Surveys suggest that service-driven companies can charge up to 9 per cent more for the products and services they provide. They grow twice as fast as the average company and have the potential to gain up to 6 per cent market share† (Cook, 2002, p.1). 2.3 Defining customer satisfaction and quality service Peter Drucker cited by Cook (2002, p.1), once said: â€Å"There is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer () an organisation’s ability to remain in business is a function of its competitiveness and its ability to win customers from the competition. The customer is the foundation of the business and keeps it in existence†. Customer satisfaction relates to the personal opinion and result of customers’ assessment of a service based on a comparison of their expectations and actual perceptions of the service delivered (Clark, G.; and Johnston, R., 2005). According to Lancaster et al (2002) from the customer’s point of view, service is judged by the mix of customers’ previous experiences and their perception of the outcome of the service. The service experience is the customer’s direct experience of the service process and concerns the way the customer is dealt with by the service provider. The result for the customer of the service delivered is described by the term service outcome. (Lancaster, G. et al, 2002). â€Å"Service quality is more often used to mean different things. Some managers use the term to mean how the customer is treated. This is perhaps more accurately called quality of service, as opposed to service quality, which can mean the entirety of outcome and experience† (Clark, G.; and Johnston, R., 2005, p.108). Van Looy (et al, 2003) differentiates service quality and customer satisfaction stating that â€Å"service quality is a form of attitude representing a long-run, overall evaluation, whereas satisfaction represents a more short-term, transaction-specific judgement. The level of customer satisfaction is the result of a customer’s comparison of the service quality expected in a given service encounter with perceived service quality. This also means that satisfaction assessments require customer experience while quality does not â€Å"(p.124). 2.4 Benefits of service quality Kotler (1996) has listed many benefits that an organisation enjoys as a prize for delivering service quality. As listed bellow: Retaining customers – high quality builds loyal customers and creates positive word of mouth. Avoidance of price competition – â€Å"the PIMS data show that firms in the top third in quality could charge 5% to 6% higher than those in the bottom third. High quality can help to avoid price competition and help to maximise potential revenue† (p.363). Retention of good employees – employees appreciate working in operations that are well managed and produce quality services and products. When an organisation operates in high quality, it decreases turn over rates, hence, retaining good employees. Additionally, recruiting is easier and training costs are reduced. Reduction of costs – which are divided in three categories of costs: Internal costs are those associated with correcting problems discovered by the firm before the product reaches the costumers; External costs – are associated with errors that the costumers experience; Quality system costs – are costs viewed as investments in the future of the company to ensure that customers return. (Kotler, 1996) 2.5 Benefits of a customer-centred organisation An excellent service provides many benefits to an organisation, Cook (2002) has listed what some of the best-practice organisations have gain on focusing on the customer. â€Å"Differentiate itself from the competition; improve its image in the eyes of the customer; minimise price sensitivity; improve profitability; increase customer satisfaction and retention; achieve a maximum number of advocates for the company; enhance its reputation; ensure products and services are delivered ‘right first time’; improve staff morale; increase employee satisfaction and retention; increase productivity; reduce costs; encourage employee participation; create a reputation for being a caring, customer-oriented company; foster internal customer/supplier relationships; bring about continuous improvements to the operation of the company† ( p.24). 2.6 Importance of customer relationship management (CRM) Customers perceive service quality through everyday aspect of their contact with the company. In improving the quality of its service therefore an organisation needs to develop a strategy bearing in mind all aspects of the relationship with its clients. (Cook, 2002) Customers often do not perceive the service they receive from an organisation as a complete entity. Attention to detail is a key tool of the organisation’s relationship with the customer â€Å"such as an incorrectly addressed letter, a lengthy delay in receiving an e-mail response, a service which turns out to be different to how it was originally advertised, which forms customers’ impressions† (Cook, 2002, p.24). CRM involves managing the customer relationship across all its interfaces with the company as one entire process. A CRM system can help identify sales prospects from existing or potential customer databases. It also can assist with all aspects of the sale and service being provided, eg offering online access to order status and a single view of the customer status when the sale is complete. It can collect information about the customer and the queries that he or she made. It can also monitor customer-usage patterns, so abnormal patterns or a reduction in use can be identified. Hotels systems can store any peculiarity or requests made by guests, such as preferences for smoking or non-smoking rooms, higher or lower floors etc. (Cook, 2002 and Lancaster et al, 2002). Ernst and Young found elements that are essentially important for organisations to build a CRM framework. First basic step is to accumulate systematic knowledge of its markets and costumers. This could be made by complex IT systems, that are designed to store, manager and analyse informations about customer’s value. With this tool organisations can access business informations regard theier costumers, and also predict consumer’s behaviour. Enabling organisations to share informations across departments, and automatically update this informations by tracking loyalty cards costumers, any time they make a purchase or request the company’s service,for example (Cook, 2002). CRM systems helps companies to target theier segments, and also to analyse the information flow throughout the company. Making easier to identify its costumers needs, and more importantly, shows the best way to approach its most profitable clients. The more information a company holds about its costumer’s the best is the knowledge built, as it helps refines consumer segmentation and individual needs. In this particular case, data about costumers life-style is very helpful (Cook, 2002). Selling involves taking a proactive approach towards costumers, rather than a reactive. For instance, hotels can treat their most profitable business guests with special offers on their holidays. To finish the CRM framework, is essential to hold a service, providing an after-sales which should be measured to individual needs (Cook, 2002). 2.7 Importance of performance measurement and a programme development â€Å"You cannot manage what you can not measure† (Kelvin Anon, www.dti.gov.uk/quality/performance). According to Cook (2002) and Williams (2002) managers braves the way through customer satisfaction measurement. A measurement programme starts with a clear definition of objectives, budget and timeline. Moreover, for this task to be performed and achieve its highest level of success, it is necessary the full commitment and willingness of top management to act on the results founded. A starting point should be to decide which part of customer satisfaction the company is most concerned to measure. Is also important to be aware that expectations and satisfaction levels can widely vary between the costumers of a company, therefore, the need to identify market segments. For example, the different needs of a businesses and tourists guest of a hotel. (Cook, 2002; Laws, 2004; Williams, 2002) According to Clark and Johnston (2005) performance measurement is costly. Few organisations have calculated just how much time and energy they spend on measuring their performance and its value for money relation. Two useful tests of a performance measure are, first, what is its purpose and, second, what systems are in place to support or achieve that purpose. There are four main purposes or reasons to take measurement: communication, motivation, control and improvement within the company. In the endless improvement process, measuring performance is an important task in order to identify and track progress in harmony with the organisations’ goals; identify areas and opportunities for improvement; and compare performance with internal and external standards (www.dti.gov.uk/quality/performance). According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) the main reasons of measuring performance is: †¢ â€Å"To ensure customer requirements have been met †¢ To be able to set sensible objectives and comply with them †¢ To provide standards for establishing comparisons †¢ To provide visibility and a â€Å"scoreboard† for people to monitor their own performance level †¢ To highlight quality problems and determine areas for priority attention †¢ To provide feedback for driving the improvement effort† (retrieved from ). 2.8 The SERVQUAL model The Servqual model was developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry, and has been one of the most popular service quality measurement instrument since then. The model was designed to measure those components of service that generate satisfaction within five dimensions (Ryan and Saleh,1991; Lee et al, 2004; Johns et al, 2004). Originally the researchers conducted a focus group studies with service providers and costumers, and as a result they came up with a list of ten determinants or dimensions of service quality which are: reliability, responsiveness, competence, access, courtesy, communication, credibility, security, understanding/knowing the customer and tangibles, (Van Looy, B et al, 2003; Parasuraman et al, 1990; Ryan and Saleh,1991) which will be briefly explained bellow: Tangibles – the appearance of physical facilities, the personnel, the tools or equipment used to provide the service and communication material. Guests of a hotel look for details of the building, web sites and reservation systems for instance. Reliability – consistency of performance and dependability. This means that the firm performs the service correctly the first time and that the firm honours its promises. Responsiveness – the willingness to help the customers and to provide prompt service. Competence – knowledge, ability and possession of the right skills to perform the job. Access – degree of approachability of service providers. Courtesy – use of good manners, politeness, friendliness, smiling during the service. Communication – ability to successfully communicate with costumers, keep them informed. Understanding – degree of interest of employees to know the costumers needs and wants. Assurance – knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence. Empathy – caring, individualized attention to customers. (Van Looy, B et al, 2003; Parasuraman et al, 1990; Ryan and Saleh,1991) Later on, in another attempt of improving their models they found a high degree of correlation between communication, competence, courtesy, credibility and security. They therefore, merged them into one dimension, which they called assurance. Similarly they found a high correlation between access and understanding which they merged into empathy. Thus compacting the dimensions of service quality in five which are: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy (Van Looy, B et al, 2003; Dabholkar et al 2000). The diagram bellow was originally made to suit the quality service measurement and customer satisfaction of a car repair garage. Which can be easily adapted to any other service organisation, surely including any hotels to be more precise. Source: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/fig/0240221006003.png The SERVQUAL identified gaps between clients and organisations perceptions of attributes of service perceived, and also between customers expectations and perceptions of the service actually delivered (Ryan and Saleh,1991; Landrigan, 1999). This has led to the well known and widely used 5 gaps of service quality: Gap 1: Consumer expectations versus management perception CEO’s and managers often fail to realise what consumers expect of a service and which features needs to be pursued to deliver a high-quality service. When management does not understand what their customers want, a gap 1 exists. Very often, organisations research to find out what are their markets needs and wants, but later can occur a divergence. When customer needs change but the product remains the same, gap 1 increases, as the service becomes less attractive (Parasuraman etal, 1991). Gap 2: Management perception versus service quality specifications A gap 2 situation occurs when managers know their customers needs, but do not deliver it, either for unwillingness or incapability. Reasons for gap 2 to happen could be inadequate commitment to service quality, absence of goal setting, lack of perception of feasibility, and lack of standardization. The pursuit to achieve short-term profits refrain companies to invest in equipments and people, causing service quality issues (Parasuraman etal, 1991). Gap3: Service quality specifications versus service delivery Gap 3 occurs when employees are unwilling or unable to deliver the appropriate service that was specified by management. In this case managers understand their customers needs, develop strategies and tasks to fulfil these needs, but in the moment of employee and costumer interaction it does not occur (Parasuraman etal, 1991). Gap 3 could be minimised through training and development, rewarding and internal marketing campaigns. Human resources department plays a major role in this task. Gap 4: Service delivery versus external communications A company creates gap 4 when it promises more than it can deliver, creating disappointments to its customers. Good sense and ethic when advertising should be primordial in any circumstances (Parasuraman etal, 1991). The image of a company that cheats or lies to its costumers leads to an extremely bad reputation and negative word of mouth. Gap 5: Expected service versus perceived service Last but not least, gap 5 is a function of the other gaps. It pictures the difference among expected quality and perceived quality. If any of the other 4 gaps increases or decreases, gap 5 will follow it (Parasuraman etal, 1991). The diagram below represents the 5 gaps model of quality service. Source: http://www.kmfadvance.com/mind_the_gap_files/image004.jpg 2.9 Criticisms and limitations of the SERVQUAL According to Oh (1997) the use of the difference of the scores contributes to discrepancies and errors, affecting the reliability and valididyt of the model. Such finding suggests that caution has to be taken when using the scores, and that additional work is essential to the development of measures of assessing the quality of services. In addition it is also noticeable that the SERVQUAL lacks in ties with statistics, economics and even psychology theories, therefore many arguments has formed a doubtful opinion regards its relaibility. 2.10 Other service quality and costumer satisfaction measurement models Obviously, the SERVQUAL is not the only model available to measure service quality and costumer satisfaction. Indeed, there is a range of variety of models out there. Some of them will be quickly explained in this study. 2.10.1 The expectancy-disconfirmation model (EDM) The principle of expectancy theory was early stated by Lewin (1938) who hypothesized that individuals make decisions on the most appropriate action to take based on their expectations of the outcomes of that action. After being reviewed by many researchers, the model developed to two processes: the formation of expectations and the disconfirmation/ confirmation of the expectations through performance evaluations (Oh, 1997; available at http://proquest.umi.com.newdc.oum.edu.my/pqdweb). Chapter III Research Methodology 3.1 Research Process This research will include several components of different character, promoting the approach to new problems, providing bibliographic survey, offering a selection of methodologies, as well as providing a critical analysis of results (Saunders, et al, 2003). In order for the aims of this research to be met it is necessary to gain an understanding of the practices of the service quality and customer satisfaction assessments applied within The Crowne Plaza Hotel (please see appendix II). This data will be given by one manager of the company, and will be adapted for a experimental application of the SERVQUAL model. The research and development will comprise creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to build knowledge accumulation, including not only the practices of the service quality and customer satisfaction assessments model researched but how would be applied within The Crowne Plaza Hotel in order to achieve competitive advantage and business success. The purpose of the literature review is theoretically discussing ideas that exist about the given topic. Data sources, such as library catalogues and indexes will be scanned for secondary data. This will produce a list of journals and newspaper articles, published books and internet sources (Saunders, et al, 2003). The secondary research will be complemented by primary research, through questionnaires and interviews with stakeholders of the organization in question. In case of interviews and questionnaires, the manager cooperating with this research will be fully informed about the, methods and intended possible uses of the research, what their participation in the project entails, the strict confidentiality, and academic purpose only (Bell, 1999). The project proposes to use analytical and theoretical framework, which extends descriptive research, making suggestions of why and how practices of the service quality and customer satisfaction assessments plays an important role in the competitive advantage, profitability and success of the firm (Yin, 2003). A method of both, quantitative and qualitative approach will be applied in order to examine values, attitudes and perceptions aspects of the research subject. (Flick, 2003) The departure point will be deductive, with the observation of the SERVQUAL model, fed by the organisation information’s collected where conclusions will be critically evaluated against facts. Moreover, a phenomenological philosophy will be implemented, applying a case study approach, since this kind of research methodology is ideally suited to investigate the insights into the service quality and customer satisfaction in theory and practice (Yin, 2003). The data collected for this research was taken between the months of January, February and March 2009, it consists of 380 customer satisfaction surveys, applied by the hotel. This surveys were answered by guests, either on the check-out or on the hotel web site, after their stay in the hotel. At the time of the data collection, was common practice of the hotel’s front desk manager to put the weekly result together and send to all hotel departments, so they could have a picture of the guest’s feedback. 3.2 Research Theories In order to achieve this reaserch objectives it will be necessary to apply many reaserch theories that reinforces the reliability of it. The theories used in this research will be briefly explained one by one. 3.2.1 Case study According to Robson (2002:178) cited by Saunders et al, 2003, p.93), a case study is â€Å"a strategy for doing research which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evedence†. A case study approach is recommended to those reasearchs that essentially aims to explain ‘why’, ‘how’ such phenomenon occurs, as well as in research that includes surveys (Saunders, 2003; Yin,2003). A case study is also a scientific way of explore an existing theory, which is one of the main objectives of this research, as is analysing the use of SERVQUAL (Saunders, 2003). 3.2.2 Descriptive studies In order to have a clear picture of the scenario studied is essentially important to describe with accuration every data collected. As cited by Saunders et al (2003, p.97), Robson, 2002:59 describes the objective of descriptive research as ‘ to portray an accurate profile of persons, events or situations’. 3.2.3 Deductive method Complementing the case study approach, a deductive method could be simply described as way of what we would think of a scientific research or theory, moving from theory to practice (Bailey, 2006; Cottrell, 2005; Saunders, 2003). â€Å"It involves the development of a theory that is subjected to a rigorous test† (Saunders, 2003, p. 86). The deductive method has many characteristics. â€Å"First, there is the search to explain casual relationships between variables† (Saunders, 2003, p. 86). Then, hypothesis development, followed by hypothesis testing, normally using quantitative data, but could also being backed up by qualitative data. 3.2.4 Quantitative data On the other hand quantitative research apply measurements and normally considered as better than qualitative research. Ghauri and Gronhaug (2005; p. 109) explains that â€Å"the difference between quantitative and qualitative methods and approach is not just a question of quantification, but also a reflection of different perspectives on knowledge and research objectives†. A method of qualitative approach will be applied in order to examine values, attitudes, and perceptions aspects of the research subject. 3.2.5 Qualitative data A narrative analysis process was implemented to interpret the data that were collected from the research portion of this project. Thomas (2003; p.1) argues that â€Å"Qualitative methods involves a researcher describing kinds of characteristics of people and events without comparing events in terms of measurements or amounts† 3.3 Research Design The survey consists of a questionnaire of 44 questions (picked by the hotel’s own customer satisfaction survey) related to the quality of the service provided by the hotel. The guests (sample = 380) will answer the questions according to their perception of the service received, whilst the managers (sample = 4) will answer the questions according to what they expect the overall of the guests to answer. The answers will range between score 1 to score 5. Being 1 the best degree of satisfaction and 5 the worst degree of dissatisfaction, (Saleh and Ryan, 1991) having some variations as follows: Score 1: very satisfied / definitely would / much more than you paid / much better / excellent / yes Score 2: somewhat satisfied / probably would / somewhat more than you paid / somewhat better / very good Score 3: neither / might or might not / about what you paid / about the same / good Score 4: somewhat dissatisfied / probably would not / somewhat lees than you Customer Satisfaction at The Plaza Crowne Hotel Customer Satisfaction at The Plaza Crowne Hotel Chapter I Introduction 1.1 Introduction Tourism is frequently and justifiably described as a major phenomenon of modern times. Since 1950 the number of international tourist arrivals worldwide has increased spectacularly, from just 25 million to over 924 million in 2008. Representing an average annual growth of 7 % a year (Sharpley, R., 2004; and WTO – World Tourism Organisation, 2009). International tourism generated US$ 856 billion in 2007, representing 30% of the world’s exports of services for the related year. Under the influence of the recent global economic recession, tourism demand has significantly slowed down in the past few months. Notably in the second half of 2008 growth came to stagnation with the number of international arrivals declining slightly – a trend which is expected to continue in 2009 and probably beyond, if the economy does not show signal of reaction (WTO – World Tourism Organisation, 2009). Regardless of the current actual global recession, it is undeniable the importance of the tourism activity for the world economy, mutual understanding of nations, personal growth and development, just to mention a few benefits that tourism brings in. The hospitality industry, as a segment of the tourism industry, plays a major role in this economic activity (King, 1995). Being accommodation the biggest percentage in tourism expenditure, in average of 34% of the total expenditure per trip (Sharpley, R., 2004). The success of the hospitality industry, relies massively on the quality of the service delivered and customer satisfaction. The index of the measurement of both, quality service and customer satisfaction, will widely influence on occupancy rates, hence, on the profitability of the company (Holloway, JC, 1998; Solomon et al, 2006). Therefore, justifying the need for a reliable model of assessment of customer satisfaction and service quality that would better adapt to the hospitality field, which at present still have a lack of agreement. 1.2 Research Title The measurement of service quality and customer satisfaction in the hospitality industry: a case study of the Plaza Crowne Hotel. 1.3 Research Background For Cardozo (1965), cited by Williams and Uysal (2003), marketing researches in the consumer satisfaction field started in the early 60’s. The subject had a relevant increase in popularity by organisations and researchers only in the 80’s, when organisations, in an attempt to try to keep itselves in the marketplace, started paying substantial attention on customer’s expectations demands. 1.4 Research Aims The aim of this project is to analyse customer satisfaction and service quality measurement, using the SERVQUAL model, within The Plaza Crowne Hotel – Kansas City (USA), based upon the hotel’s own data against the highlighted gaps within the model. 1.5 Research Objectives In order to achieve the specified aim it will be necessary to: Conduct a review of service quality and customer satisfaction; Illustrate The Plaza Crowne Hotel’s current customer satisfaction and service quality measurement model to identify its positive and negative aspects; Conduct an initial diagnosis of the key issues presented in the Crown Plaza data, examining the hotel’s past assessments in order to identify areas of failure; Analyse the SERVQUAL model focusing on the hospitality industry; Identify and critically recommend suitable quality measurement practices to apply within The Plaza Crowne Hotel, if necessary; Chapter II Literature Review 2.1 Introduction To Kotler et al (1996), nowadays companies need to change their view and attitude in the marketplace and adopt a more customer centred philosophy, in order to keep competitive and profitable. Customers are changing their behaviour towards consumption, becoming more challenging to companies to attend their expectations, as they are increasingly aware of their rights, expect more than they used to, and know exactly what they want when purchasing a product or service. This increase in consumers expectation naturally leads to the need of a higher quality in costumer services delivery. Customer satisfaction and quality service became priority for companies worldwide. They are believed to generate repeated business, therefore increased profit margin. The hospitality industry is paying close attention to it. Hampton’s Inn, a well know resort in Florida, has developed a 100% satisfaction guarantee program that promises its customers no charge unless they are completely satisfied. Other companies such as Sheraton Hotels has implemented a employees’ reward system for superior services to guests, the Sheraton Guests Satisfaction System (SGSS). Hilton International has adopted as a primary goal its customers satisfaction with global diversity. Moreover, organisations are increasingly becoming adept of rewarding its employees with bonuses, incentives and salary rise, just to mention a few actions to improve service. (Oh, 1997). Therefore, marketing researchers are constantly developing and improving models of measuring customers satisfaction and quality service. Among many measurement models and theories, this dissertation will focus on the analysis of the 5 Gaps Model developed by Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml also called The Servqual Model. 2.2 Defining Service Service is any act or performance that one firm can offer to a costumer, its nature is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything. The service production may or may not be tied to a physical product (Kotler, P, 2003). Addittionaly, Gronroos (1990) cited by Hsu et al (2001, p.18) defines service as â€Å"an activity or series of activities of more or less intangible nature that normally, but not necessarily, takes place in interactions between the costumer and services employees and/or physical resources or goods and/or systems of the service provider, which are provided as solutions to customer’s problems†. From the consumer’s optic, service is nothing else than the experience lived in the whole process of this transaction (Hsu et al, 2001). Moreover, it was noted that services have four major characteristics that greatly affect the way it is delivered and its marketing programme. Which are: intangibility, inseparability, variability, and perishability (Kotler, 2003). Bellow the four charactecristics are briefly explained in the light of Kotler (2003) and Hsu et al (2001): Intangibility relates to the extent that services cannot be tried in anyway before they are actually purchased and delivered. The only thing that can be done to reduce uncertainty is to look for evidences of service quality; Inseparability is the relation that services are typically produced and consumed simultaneously. The person who provides the service, is actually part of the service purchased, therefore the importance of the interaction of providers and customers; Variability occurs because services depend on who provides, when and where, one experience is never exactly equal the other. As people are the means through service production, personal problems, mood, knowledge of the job and many other factors can interfer and widely vary the service; Perishability means that services cannot be stored as we can do with manufactured products, because services are produced and consumed simultaneously. As an example, in a hotel, a room that was not occupied yesterday, cannot be sold anymore as time does not goes backwards. For Cook (2002) the increased global competition has made many organisations realised that they cannot compete only in price. Therefore companies are developing their own strategy in providing superior customer care to differentiate their products and services. â€Å"Surveys suggest that service-driven companies can charge up to 9 per cent more for the products and services they provide. They grow twice as fast as the average company and have the potential to gain up to 6 per cent market share† (Cook, 2002, p.1). 2.3 Defining customer satisfaction and quality service Peter Drucker cited by Cook (2002, p.1), once said: â€Å"There is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer () an organisation’s ability to remain in business is a function of its competitiveness and its ability to win customers from the competition. The customer is the foundation of the business and keeps it in existence†. Customer satisfaction relates to the personal opinion and result of customers’ assessment of a service based on a comparison of their expectations and actual perceptions of the service delivered (Clark, G.; and Johnston, R., 2005). According to Lancaster et al (2002) from the customer’s point of view, service is judged by the mix of customers’ previous experiences and their perception of the outcome of the service. The service experience is the customer’s direct experience of the service process and concerns the way the customer is dealt with by the service provider. The result for the customer of the service delivered is described by the term service outcome. (Lancaster, G. et al, 2002). â€Å"Service quality is more often used to mean different things. Some managers use the term to mean how the customer is treated. This is perhaps more accurately called quality of service, as opposed to service quality, which can mean the entirety of outcome and experience† (Clark, G.; and Johnston, R., 2005, p.108). Van Looy (et al, 2003) differentiates service quality and customer satisfaction stating that â€Å"service quality is a form of attitude representing a long-run, overall evaluation, whereas satisfaction represents a more short-term, transaction-specific judgement. The level of customer satisfaction is the result of a customer’s comparison of the service quality expected in a given service encounter with perceived service quality. This also means that satisfaction assessments require customer experience while quality does not â€Å"(p.124). 2.4 Benefits of service quality Kotler (1996) has listed many benefits that an organisation enjoys as a prize for delivering service quality. As listed bellow: Retaining customers – high quality builds loyal customers and creates positive word of mouth. Avoidance of price competition – â€Å"the PIMS data show that firms in the top third in quality could charge 5% to 6% higher than those in the bottom third. High quality can help to avoid price competition and help to maximise potential revenue† (p.363). Retention of good employees – employees appreciate working in operations that are well managed and produce quality services and products. When an organisation operates in high quality, it decreases turn over rates, hence, retaining good employees. Additionally, recruiting is easier and training costs are reduced. Reduction of costs – which are divided in three categories of costs: Internal costs are those associated with correcting problems discovered by the firm before the product reaches the costumers; External costs – are associated with errors that the costumers experience; Quality system costs – are costs viewed as investments in the future of the company to ensure that customers return. (Kotler, 1996) 2.5 Benefits of a customer-centred organisation An excellent service provides many benefits to an organisation, Cook (2002) has listed what some of the best-practice organisations have gain on focusing on the customer. â€Å"Differentiate itself from the competition; improve its image in the eyes of the customer; minimise price sensitivity; improve profitability; increase customer satisfaction and retention; achieve a maximum number of advocates for the company; enhance its reputation; ensure products and services are delivered ‘right first time’; improve staff morale; increase employee satisfaction and retention; increase productivity; reduce costs; encourage employee participation; create a reputation for being a caring, customer-oriented company; foster internal customer/supplier relationships; bring about continuous improvements to the operation of the company† ( p.24). 2.6 Importance of customer relationship management (CRM) Customers perceive service quality through everyday aspect of their contact with the company. In improving the quality of its service therefore an organisation needs to develop a strategy bearing in mind all aspects of the relationship with its clients. (Cook, 2002) Customers often do not perceive the service they receive from an organisation as a complete entity. Attention to detail is a key tool of the organisation’s relationship with the customer â€Å"such as an incorrectly addressed letter, a lengthy delay in receiving an e-mail response, a service which turns out to be different to how it was originally advertised, which forms customers’ impressions† (Cook, 2002, p.24). CRM involves managing the customer relationship across all its interfaces with the company as one entire process. A CRM system can help identify sales prospects from existing or potential customer databases. It also can assist with all aspects of the sale and service being provided, eg offering online access to order status and a single view of the customer status when the sale is complete. It can collect information about the customer and the queries that he or she made. It can also monitor customer-usage patterns, so abnormal patterns or a reduction in use can be identified. Hotels systems can store any peculiarity or requests made by guests, such as preferences for smoking or non-smoking rooms, higher or lower floors etc. (Cook, 2002 and Lancaster et al, 2002). Ernst and Young found elements that are essentially important for organisations to build a CRM framework. First basic step is to accumulate systematic knowledge of its markets and costumers. This could be made by complex IT systems, that are designed to store, manager and analyse informations about customer’s value. With this tool organisations can access business informations regard theier costumers, and also predict consumer’s behaviour. Enabling organisations to share informations across departments, and automatically update this informations by tracking loyalty cards costumers, any time they make a purchase or request the company’s service,for example (Cook, 2002). CRM systems helps companies to target theier segments, and also to analyse the information flow throughout the company. Making easier to identify its costumers needs, and more importantly, shows the best way to approach its most profitable clients. The more information a company holds about its costumer’s the best is the knowledge built, as it helps refines consumer segmentation and individual needs. In this particular case, data about costumers life-style is very helpful (Cook, 2002). Selling involves taking a proactive approach towards costumers, rather than a reactive. For instance, hotels can treat their most profitable business guests with special offers on their holidays. To finish the CRM framework, is essential to hold a service, providing an after-sales which should be measured to individual needs (Cook, 2002). 2.7 Importance of performance measurement and a programme development â€Å"You cannot manage what you can not measure† (Kelvin Anon, www.dti.gov.uk/quality/performance). According to Cook (2002) and Williams (2002) managers braves the way through customer satisfaction measurement. A measurement programme starts with a clear definition of objectives, budget and timeline. Moreover, for this task to be performed and achieve its highest level of success, it is necessary the full commitment and willingness of top management to act on the results founded. A starting point should be to decide which part of customer satisfaction the company is most concerned to measure. Is also important to be aware that expectations and satisfaction levels can widely vary between the costumers of a company, therefore, the need to identify market segments. For example, the different needs of a businesses and tourists guest of a hotel. (Cook, 2002; Laws, 2004; Williams, 2002) According to Clark and Johnston (2005) performance measurement is costly. Few organisations have calculated just how much time and energy they spend on measuring their performance and its value for money relation. Two useful tests of a performance measure are, first, what is its purpose and, second, what systems are in place to support or achieve that purpose. There are four main purposes or reasons to take measurement: communication, motivation, control and improvement within the company. In the endless improvement process, measuring performance is an important task in order to identify and track progress in harmony with the organisations’ goals; identify areas and opportunities for improvement; and compare performance with internal and external standards (www.dti.gov.uk/quality/performance). According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) the main reasons of measuring performance is: †¢ â€Å"To ensure customer requirements have been met †¢ To be able to set sensible objectives and comply with them †¢ To provide standards for establishing comparisons †¢ To provide visibility and a â€Å"scoreboard† for people to monitor their own performance level †¢ To highlight quality problems and determine areas for priority attention †¢ To provide feedback for driving the improvement effort† (retrieved from ). 2.8 The SERVQUAL model The Servqual model was developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry, and has been one of the most popular service quality measurement instrument since then. The model was designed to measure those components of service that generate satisfaction within five dimensions (Ryan and Saleh,1991; Lee et al, 2004; Johns et al, 2004). Originally the researchers conducted a focus group studies with service providers and costumers, and as a result they came up with a list of ten determinants or dimensions of service quality which are: reliability, responsiveness, competence, access, courtesy, communication, credibility, security, understanding/knowing the customer and tangibles, (Van Looy, B et al, 2003; Parasuraman et al, 1990; Ryan and Saleh,1991) which will be briefly explained bellow: Tangibles – the appearance of physical facilities, the personnel, the tools or equipment used to provide the service and communication material. Guests of a hotel look for details of the building, web sites and reservation systems for instance. Reliability – consistency of performance and dependability. This means that the firm performs the service correctly the first time and that the firm honours its promises. Responsiveness – the willingness to help the customers and to provide prompt service. Competence – knowledge, ability and possession of the right skills to perform the job. Access – degree of approachability of service providers. Courtesy – use of good manners, politeness, friendliness, smiling during the service. Communication – ability to successfully communicate with costumers, keep them informed. Understanding – degree of interest of employees to know the costumers needs and wants. Assurance – knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and confidence. Empathy – caring, individualized attention to customers. (Van Looy, B et al, 2003; Parasuraman et al, 1990; Ryan and Saleh,1991) Later on, in another attempt of improving their models they found a high degree of correlation between communication, competence, courtesy, credibility and security. They therefore, merged them into one dimension, which they called assurance. Similarly they found a high correlation between access and understanding which they merged into empathy. Thus compacting the dimensions of service quality in five which are: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy (Van Looy, B et al, 2003; Dabholkar et al 2000). The diagram bellow was originally made to suit the quality service measurement and customer satisfaction of a car repair garage. Which can be easily adapted to any other service organisation, surely including any hotels to be more precise. Source: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/fig/0240221006003.png The SERVQUAL identified gaps between clients and organisations perceptions of attributes of service perceived, and also between customers expectations and perceptions of the service actually delivered (Ryan and Saleh,1991; Landrigan, 1999). This has led to the well known and widely used 5 gaps of service quality: Gap 1: Consumer expectations versus management perception CEO’s and managers often fail to realise what consumers expect of a service and which features needs to be pursued to deliver a high-quality service. When management does not understand what their customers want, a gap 1 exists. Very often, organisations research to find out what are their markets needs and wants, but later can occur a divergence. When customer needs change but the product remains the same, gap 1 increases, as the service becomes less attractive (Parasuraman etal, 1991). Gap 2: Management perception versus service quality specifications A gap 2 situation occurs when managers know their customers needs, but do not deliver it, either for unwillingness or incapability. Reasons for gap 2 to happen could be inadequate commitment to service quality, absence of goal setting, lack of perception of feasibility, and lack of standardization. The pursuit to achieve short-term profits refrain companies to invest in equipments and people, causing service quality issues (Parasuraman etal, 1991). Gap3: Service quality specifications versus service delivery Gap 3 occurs when employees are unwilling or unable to deliver the appropriate service that was specified by management. In this case managers understand their customers needs, develop strategies and tasks to fulfil these needs, but in the moment of employee and costumer interaction it does not occur (Parasuraman etal, 1991). Gap 3 could be minimised through training and development, rewarding and internal marketing campaigns. Human resources department plays a major role in this task. Gap 4: Service delivery versus external communications A company creates gap 4 when it promises more than it can deliver, creating disappointments to its customers. Good sense and ethic when advertising should be primordial in any circumstances (Parasuraman etal, 1991). The image of a company that cheats or lies to its costumers leads to an extremely bad reputation and negative word of mouth. Gap 5: Expected service versus perceived service Last but not least, gap 5 is a function of the other gaps. It pictures the difference among expected quality and perceived quality. If any of the other 4 gaps increases or decreases, gap 5 will follow it (Parasuraman etal, 1991). The diagram below represents the 5 gaps model of quality service. Source: http://www.kmfadvance.com/mind_the_gap_files/image004.jpg 2.9 Criticisms and limitations of the SERVQUAL According to Oh (1997) the use of the difference of the scores contributes to discrepancies and errors, affecting the reliability and valididyt of the model. Such finding suggests that caution has to be taken when using the scores, and that additional work is essential to the development of measures of assessing the quality of services. In addition it is also noticeable that the SERVQUAL lacks in ties with statistics, economics and even psychology theories, therefore many arguments has formed a doubtful opinion regards its relaibility. 2.10 Other service quality and costumer satisfaction measurement models Obviously, the SERVQUAL is not the only model available to measure service quality and costumer satisfaction. Indeed, there is a range of variety of models out there. Some of them will be quickly explained in this study. 2.10.1 The expectancy-disconfirmation model (EDM) The principle of expectancy theory was early stated by Lewin (1938) who hypothesized that individuals make decisions on the most appropriate action to take based on their expectations of the outcomes of that action. After being reviewed by many researchers, the model developed to two processes: the formation of expectations and the disconfirmation/ confirmation of the expectations through performance evaluations (Oh, 1997; available at http://proquest.umi.com.newdc.oum.edu.my/pqdweb). Chapter III Research Methodology 3.1 Research Process This research will include several components of different character, promoting the approach to new problems, providing bibliographic survey, offering a selection of methodologies, as well as providing a critical analysis of results (Saunders, et al, 2003). In order for the aims of this research to be met it is necessary to gain an understanding of the practices of the service quality and customer satisfaction assessments applied within The Crowne Plaza Hotel (please see appendix II). This data will be given by one manager of the company, and will be adapted for a experimental application of the SERVQUAL model. The research and development will comprise creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to build knowledge accumulation, including not only the practices of the service quality and customer satisfaction assessments model researched but how would be applied within The Crowne Plaza Hotel in order to achieve competitive advantage and business success. The purpose of the literature review is theoretically discussing ideas that exist about the given topic. Data sources, such as library catalogues and indexes will be scanned for secondary data. This will produce a list of journals and newspaper articles, published books and internet sources (Saunders, et al, 2003). The secondary research will be complemented by primary research, through questionnaires and interviews with stakeholders of the organization in question. In case of interviews and questionnaires, the manager cooperating with this research will be fully informed about the, methods and intended possible uses of the research, what their participation in the project entails, the strict confidentiality, and academic purpose only (Bell, 1999). The project proposes to use analytical and theoretical framework, which extends descriptive research, making suggestions of why and how practices of the service quality and customer satisfaction assessments plays an important role in the competitive advantage, profitability and success of the firm (Yin, 2003). A method of both, quantitative and qualitative approach will be applied in order to examine values, attitudes and perceptions aspects of the research subject. (Flick, 2003) The departure point will be deductive, with the observation of the SERVQUAL model, fed by the organisation information’s collected where conclusions will be critically evaluated against facts. Moreover, a phenomenological philosophy will be implemented, applying a case study approach, since this kind of research methodology is ideally suited to investigate the insights into the service quality and customer satisfaction in theory and practice (Yin, 2003). The data collected for this research was taken between the months of January, February and March 2009, it consists of 380 customer satisfaction surveys, applied by the hotel. This surveys were answered by guests, either on the check-out or on the hotel web site, after their stay in the hotel. At the time of the data collection, was common practice of the hotel’s front desk manager to put the weekly result together and send to all hotel departments, so they could have a picture of the guest’s feedback. 3.2 Research Theories In order to achieve this reaserch objectives it will be necessary to apply many reaserch theories that reinforces the reliability of it. The theories used in this research will be briefly explained one by one. 3.2.1 Case study According to Robson (2002:178) cited by Saunders et al, 2003, p.93), a case study is â€Å"a strategy for doing research which involves an empirical investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real life context using multiple sources of evedence†. A case study approach is recommended to those reasearchs that essentially aims to explain ‘why’, ‘how’ such phenomenon occurs, as well as in research that includes surveys (Saunders, 2003; Yin,2003). A case study is also a scientific way of explore an existing theory, which is one of the main objectives of this research, as is analysing the use of SERVQUAL (Saunders, 2003). 3.2.2 Descriptive studies In order to have a clear picture of the scenario studied is essentially important to describe with accuration every data collected. As cited by Saunders et al (2003, p.97), Robson, 2002:59 describes the objective of descriptive research as ‘ to portray an accurate profile of persons, events or situations’. 3.2.3 Deductive method Complementing the case study approach, a deductive method could be simply described as way of what we would think of a scientific research or theory, moving from theory to practice (Bailey, 2006; Cottrell, 2005; Saunders, 2003). â€Å"It involves the development of a theory that is subjected to a rigorous test† (Saunders, 2003, p. 86). The deductive method has many characteristics. â€Å"First, there is the search to explain casual relationships between variables† (Saunders, 2003, p. 86). Then, hypothesis development, followed by hypothesis testing, normally using quantitative data, but could also being backed up by qualitative data. 3.2.4 Quantitative data On the other hand quantitative research apply measurements and normally considered as better than qualitative research. Ghauri and Gronhaug (2005; p. 109) explains that â€Å"the difference between quantitative and qualitative methods and approach is not just a question of quantification, but also a reflection of different perspectives on knowledge and research objectives†. A method of qualitative approach will be applied in order to examine values, attitudes, and perceptions aspects of the research subject. 3.2.5 Qualitative data A narrative analysis process was implemented to interpret the data that were collected from the research portion of this project. Thomas (2003; p.1) argues that â€Å"Qualitative methods involves a researcher describing kinds of characteristics of people and events without comparing events in terms of measurements or amounts† 3.3 Research Design The survey consists of a questionnaire of 44 questions (picked by the hotel’s own customer satisfaction survey) related to the quality of the service provided by the hotel. The guests (sample = 380) will answer the questions according to their perception of the service received, whilst the managers (sample = 4) will answer the questions according to what they expect the overall of the guests to answer. The answers will range between score 1 to score 5. Being 1 the best degree of satisfaction and 5 the worst degree of dissatisfaction, (Saleh and Ryan, 1991) having some variations as follows: Score 1: very satisfied / definitely would / much more than you paid / much better / excellent / yes Score 2: somewhat satisfied / probably would / somewhat more than you paid / somewhat better / very good Score 3: neither / might or might not / about what you paid / about the same / good Score 4: somewhat dissatisfied / probably would not / somewhat lees than you

Plato’s Portrayal of Socrates Essay -- Plato Socrates

Plato’s Portrayal of Socrates The portrayal of Socrates by his student Plato creates one of the most controversial characters of all time. There are few other personalities in history that have drawn criticism and praise from the furthest ends of each spectrum. Socrates has been called the inventor of reason and logic, and at the same time has been condemned as a corruptor and a flake. Perhaps he was all of these. Despite this disagreement, one is a certainty: Socrates had a very interesting and active sense of humor. In order to successfully demonstrate Socrates’ sense of humor, it is necessary to define a few terms. To begin, we must define â€Å"comedy† as it was looked upon in the time of Socrates, Plato, and the Greek playwrights. Greek comedy comes in many different shades depending on both the author and the subject matter. There are two types of comedy that emerge as the most common when dealing with Socrates, slapstick and intellectual humor. Aristophanes uses the former as slapstick fart jokes and the like in Clouds. In an exchange with Socrates, Strepsiades exclaims, â€Å"Yes, I revere you, much honored ones, and wish to fart in response.† (Aristophanes, Clouds, 2931). On the other hand, Plato displays comedy as a more intellectual concept dealing quite a lot with puns and especially politics during Socrates’ trial. Socrates has been found guilty of impiety and corrupting the youth and the penalty of death has been suggested. Socrates uses his opport unity to suggest an alternative punishment and suggests â€Å"to be given [my] meals in the Prytaneum2,† (Plato, Apology of Socrates, 36d3). This ridiculous â€Å"hubristic and boastful†4 proposal can only be taken as comedy because having already been found guilty, Socrates... ...ophical Perspectives, Section 4: Sixth Handout.† Sources Aristophanes. Clouds. Translated by Thomas G. West and Grace Starry West in Four Texts on Socrates. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998. Burkert, Walter. Greek Religion. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1985. Euripides. Bacchae. Translated by Paul Woodruff. Cambridge: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1998. Homer. The Iliad. Translated by Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1990. Plato. Apology of Socrates. Translated by Thomas G. West and Grace Starry West in Four Texts on Socrates. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998. Plato. Euthyphro. Translated by Thomas G. West and Grace Starry West in Four Texts on Socrates. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1998. Sennet, Richard. Flesh and Stone, the Body and the City in Western Civilization. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1994.

Opsec

What is OPSEC and Why Do We Have It What is OPSEC? It’s a process of protecting little pieces of information that might grouped together to give the bigger picture. It is also protecting critical information deemed mission essential for military commanders. It is simply denying your adversary the information that they might need to harm you or the mission. The AR that covers OPSEC is AR 530-1 and goes over purposes, responsibilities, policy, procedures, training requirements, OPSEC review, assessment, survey, contract and subcontract requirements and special access programs.The reasons why we have OPSEC is because any vital information that the enemy can get their hands on can give them an advantage on the battle field or operations. Those little pieces of information could show the enemy the full picture of what it is that we plan to execute. Most don’t know what is considered vital information. Think about it, what would you like to know about your enemy and how to in filtrate, interfere or stop their objective. How about where you are going, when you are going, how are you moving, what equipment that you will be using and even what paths have you taken before.Even your unit’s job association can be a part of the information they can gather on. Certain identifying marks such as your unit patch, or any other unit/ battalion identifiers can even give information. For instance the enemy is looking at the patch and can look up through Google and find out what unit you are with and keep open eyes and ears to see if they can get any information on what your purpose is and where you will be. Even taking pictures in certain places can give the enemy a layout of an area.It’s not wise to take pictures of equipment, it would not be hard with the information highway to find out all they need to know about certain functions of our equipment and their weak spots as well. In this day in age we have the social media network that can also help the e nemy track and get information. How OPSEC affects family and social networking We all have friends and family that want to know what you are doing but there are only so many things that you can tell them without violating OPSEC.You are not the only one who needs to understand why there is OPSEC, your family needs to understand its importance as well. Any information you give them and they put out there can affect you and them. The military offers family members who are curious about OPSEC classes and briefs at the FRG meetings. They go over what it stands for and why it’s so important in the military. There are also links on the internet that explain and answers a lot of questions they may have.There is also a Facebook page that family members can go on, it’s called Army Operation Security. Your family has to understand that there is only so much you can tell them and even what you do tell them they don’t need to be telling others or posting it on Facebook. With out thinking they could accidently put the information out without knowing if the person they told is the enemy or a spy. You know what they say keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer.The enemy thinks the same way and will do whatever it takes to get the information they need to plan and infiltrate our operations. Families are the biggest target for our enemies to infiltrate and get information. One more important thing to think about is the enemy could be anyone, American or even your family you never know. There are many reasons why we have OPSEC but not taking the proper measures can result in serious injury or death to personnel, damage to weapons systems, equipment and facilities, loss of sensitive technologies and mission failure.The process of OPSEC There is a process to OPSEC as well the subjects that are covered are identification of critical information, analysis of threats, analysis of vulnerabilities, assessment of risk, an application of appropriate OPSEC measures and assessment of insider knowledge. Identification of critical information is the process of identifying what information is needed by the enemy, not so much protecting everything that is classified or sensitive unclassified, but protecting what is more vital and would be more useful to the enemy.Analysis of threats is the research and analysis of intelligence, counterintelligence and open source information on the likely enemies of a planned operation. Analysis of vulnerabilities is to examine each and every aspect of the planned operation and try to identify certain OPSEC indicators that could reveal critical information and then compare those indicators with the enemy intelligence collection capabilities used in the previous actions that they have taken in the past.Assessment of risk is where they first analyze the vulnerabilities identified in the previous action and see what OPSEC measures can be taken to prevent the opportunity of the enemy getting information, and t hen those measures are selected for execution based upon a risk assessment done by the commander and staff. Application of appropriate OPSEC measures is when the command implements the OPSEC measures selected in the assessment of risk, action, or in the case of planned future operations and activities, which includes the measures in specific OPSEC plans.Assessment of Insider Knowledge is assessing and ensuring employees, contractors, and key personnel having access to critical or sensitive information practice and maintain proper OPSEC measures by organizational security elements; whether by Open Assessment or Covert Assessment in order to evaluate the information being processed and / or handled on all levels of operation ability (the employees/mid-level/senior management) and prevent unintended/intentional disclosure. These are all important steps that are taken to implement those measures to use as soldiers.All this information that they gather and analyze gives us the understand ing of what the enemy is looking, what they have done in the past and what they may plan in the future. We have briefs annually that go over such information that they gather and the measure to prevent them from happening again. We even sign a nondisclosure agreement after we are briefed on what we are not supposed to do when we have information that is mission critical. Basically they go over the does and don’ts in this brief and we are bound in contract not to disclose any of this information to whom it doesn’t concern.Later in this essay, you will know the consequences to violating the nondisclosure agreement. Indicators and Vulnerabilities There are other forms of analyzing ways that the enemy would get information and create weak spots in our operations or mission tasks, they are Indicators and Vulnerabilities. Indicators, consists of five characteristics which are signatures, associations, profiles, contrasts and exposures. A signature can cause certain indicator s to be identifiable and stand out.If a signature is unique and stable, it reduces the unclear and uncertainty of a particular indicator and reduces the number of additional indicators that must be observed in order to determine the significance. If the indicator’s signature is stable, meaning that the behavior is constant and repeated, an adversary may accurately predict future actions. By varying the pattern of behavior, the signature’s stability can be interrupted and increase the uncertain information of an enemies observations. An association is the relationship that an indicator has to other information or activities.Adversarial Intelligence Analysts spend a considerable amount of time comparing current observations with past observations, which may reveal possible relationships. For example, an observer may note a particular employee report to work after hours. Though previous observation, the Analyst is aware of that employee’s position as an on-call com puter forensics analyst. Given the association between those two observations, the Adversarial Intelligence Analyst could conclude that the organization has suffered a computer breach of some sort.An association can also take the form of a pattern. For instance, if it is observed that we do a test fire on our weapons before rolling out the gate to go on mission, an analyst may be able to accurately predict these procedures. Lastly, an association can take the form of organizational patterns, particularly in military units. The analyst may be aware that a particular unit is comprised of Headquarters Company, a maintenance company and a transportation company.If one of these elements is detected, the presence of the others would be strongly suspected. A profile is the sum of multiple signatures, and what that means is when multiple signatures are detected, the combination therein would be more or less unique to a particular mission or task. For instance, if signatures are detected tha t indicate that aircraft fueling capacities are in place, as well as air traffic control, personnel and weaponry, a profile can be compiled indicating future air-based operations.If a unique profile is observed, an analyst may be able to accurately determine which type of operation is in progress, minimizing the need for additional observation and analysis. Contrasts are any differences between the established pattern and current observations. Contrasts are the most reliable indicators because they depend on differences in established and repeated profiles, and need only to be observed rather than understood. A contrast can take many forms; for instance leaving work at a different time or the presence of vehicles or aircraft that were not previously observed.When noting a difference, the analyst will attempt to determine if the change is isolated or widespread, if the change has occurred previously (and has a matching association), if anything significant has occurred since the chan ge and what the change may represent. The exposure of an indicator refers to the length of time and the time frame in which the indicator is observed. If an indicator is allowed to be observed for a long period of time, it will be assimilated into the profile and be assigned a meaning. If an indicator is able to be observed for only a short period of time and does not repeat, it is less likely to attract attention.However, if the indicator is observed for short periods of time, but is repeated frequently, it will begin to be seen as a contrast to a normal profile. These can be found on OPSEC professionals. com. Vulnerabilities, is the information and indicators that can weak spots to infiltrate and disrupt the mission plans or operation. Finding and preventing the vulnerabilities can reduce the affect that it may have on missions and operations that are planned and executed. For instance, your path that you take to a given destinations, and the terrain were they could plant IED†™s.If someone was to give out information as to where the mission was going and when, it could give the enemy the time to organize a plan of attack on that convoy or mission of operation. Convoy and Equipment security Convoy security is a very important part of our job and there are techniques that we have in the way we pull security and make ourselves less known to the enemy as well. For example, when we have to halt the convoy for complications that arise, we will turn off our lights to make ourselves less know. We also, put spaces between us to eliminate more damage in the event that we are hit with either small arms fire or an IED.Identifying marks on the vehicle is not permitted because it can be traced and monitored by the enemy and observe and predict the way we move and how we operate. These techniques that we have shouldn’t be spoken to anyone as well. If the enemy was to know this information it would give us an even more disadvantage in completing our mission. Ev en the classes that we take like (Crow, Puma, Crew, etc. ) should not be shared information, the enemy would love nothing more that to understand our equipment and the way it works.They will try to find the weakness in anything that we use to plan, secure, and complete our missions and tasks. Radio frequencies are another very important part of information that could be very valuable to the enemy. With that information they could pretty much get just about anything that they would possible need to know to infiltrate us, harm us, equipment and the very mission itself. All this information and more is vital to our very purpose here and simply if the person to whom at anytime you are speaking with or if there are others around and they do not need to know don’t say anything.One other thing that is important to remember there are a lot of DOD contractors around that know and understand about OPSEC, and they are listening around you and will report this information that they hear. Even our battle drills we go over on how we respond and operate under certain conditions can be considered valuable information to the enemy, and something they could use against us. How to Conduct an Operations Security (OPSEC) Assessment OPSEC Assessments are conducted to evaluate an adversary's or competitor's ability to access your critical information, intellectual property, proprietary information or personal information.OPSEC Assessments directly benefit anyone desiring to protect information or assets from disclosure. Operations Security (OPSEC) Assessments enable insight to your predictable indicators, exploitable processes and procedures while presenting specific measures to counter potential vulnerabilities. Assessments can be conducted by internal representatives from each department or can be performed by external experts and typically run from 1-3 weeks.Step 1: Identify information critically important to the organization, mission, project or home [intellectual proper ty, mission details, plans, R&D, capabilities, degradations, key personnel deployment data, medical records, contracts, network schematics, etc. ] Step 2: Identify the relevant adversaries, competitors or criminals with both intent and capability to acquire your critical information. Step 3: From the adversary's, competitors, or thief's perspective, identify potential vulnerabilities and means to gains access to results of step 1. Interview a representative sample of individual.Step 4: Assess the risk of each vulnerability by its respective impact to mission accomplishment / performance if obtained Step 5: Generate / recommend specific measures that counter identified vulnerabilities. Prioritize and enact relevant protection measures. Step 6: Evaluate measure effectiveness, adjust accordingly. This was reference at http://www. wikihow. com/Conduct-an-Operations-Security-%28Opsec%29-Assessment There are many tips when conducting a Operations Security (OPSEC) Assessment here are a cou ple. Don’t try to perform all analysis on your own, obtain threat data from the experts.The cost of OPSEC money wise would be prohibitive to attempt to protect information that is already accessible to the public so focus on what you can protect than what is already publicly accessible. Even though 100% awareness of OPSEC is realistic, zero vulnerabilities are not. Your critical information list should not be secret and inconspicuously posted near PC monitors, phones, copiers, etc. You should keep your list to about ten items. Those aware of what to protect have a better chance of protecting sensitive information as opposed to those unaware of its value is a general rule.Regular assessments ensure your best protection. OPSEC often provides low cost solutions to high tech problems. Instead of a long drawn-out report on observations, findings and proposed counter measures can be formatted in a presentation template. To mitigate vulnerabilities you should include a plan of actio ns and milestones (POA&M) in the brief to decision makers. Consequences to violating OPSEC There are many consequences to violating the nondisclosure statement that all soldiers, NCO’s and Officers are obligated to adhere and follow. This is a direct order from your chain of command.This statement informs you of the obligations and responsibilities concerning OPSEC procedures and consequences that will occur if violating this statement. OPSEC involves vital and important information on mission operations. This includes dates, times, cargo, number of personnel and vehicles, even the rout and destinations of missions. Violations of OPSEC can happen many different ways especially with current technology. Cellular phones are the easiest and most convenient method of use getting and giving information. However, another method would be the internet.People who make random posts on facebook or other forms of social media pages or write blogs about things they do in combat areas revea l types of information without realizing what they have done. Revealing this type of information, whether it was intentional or not can have severe consequences from the Military Judicial System. These consequences include UCMJ, Article 15, Military Court Martial, and separation from the military and loss of all VA benefits. Another and more substantial result of the violations is the loss of people’s lives because the enemy found this information from unsecured communication networks.The first course of punishment is an Article 15 of the UCMJ. A Soldier will receive the maximum punishment from an Article 15. Which would be 45 days extra duty, 45 days of restriction, loss of pay and reduction of rank. If the information the Soldier revealed results in the convoy getting ambushed and Soldiers die, that Soldier may have to appear before a Military Court for a Court Martial Hearing. If the Courts finds the Soldier guilty of the charges they have been accused of. This will result in a Dishonorable Separation from the Military.A Dishonorable Separation from the Military may result in future difficulties in civilian life after you are released from the Military. The main problem might be trying to attain a civilian job. When employers see a dishonorable discharge from the military service and the reasons to which you obtained this action. They will be less likely to employ such a person who they can’t trust in. Along with the dishonorable discharge, you will loss all benefits and entitlements. The Bureau of Veteran affairs will also give soldiers loans to buy a house or brand new vehicle.This will also be taken from, because due to the soldier’s indiscretion to reveal vital information and risk the lives of their fellow comrades. References Operation Security on Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Operations_security Operation Security AR 530-1: www. fas. org/irp/doddir/army/ar530-1. pdf OPSEC Indicators: www. opsecprofessionals. org/artic les/indicators. htm How to Conduct an Operations Security (Opsec) Assessment: http://www. wikihow. com/Conduct-an-Operations-Security-%28Opsec%29-Assessment

Property Law in the UK

According to Clout (2002), more and more unmarried couples are living together nowadays.   Clout (2002) added that although their relationship comparable in a lot of aspects to marriage, unmarried couples must be conscious that the law deals with them differently from married couples.   In addition, Dyer (2002) states that according to the Law Commission, unmarried couples essentially have no legal right to a share of their partner’s property and must be decisive to safeguard themselves.On domestic property, in England the courts have declined to acknowledge that domestic property must be handled in a different way from any other kind of property.   In general, Parliament has refused to understand and follow this politically sensitive issue (www.warwick.ac.uk).There is also myth about the common law wife and cohabitants.   As maintained by www. divorce.co.uk , there is a widespread belief that a thing like a common law husband or wife exists. Contrary to this belief, e ver since the Marriage Act of 1763, there has been no such thing as a common law husband or wife in Wales and England.This means that whether somebody lives with his/her â€Å"partner†, or â€Å"cohabitee,† the law still considers that there is no special relationship existing and that their relationship is not equivalent to the relationship of a husband or wife. Moreover, Dyer (2006) said that surveys reveal that majority of unmarried couples are not aware of their lack of rights.The Rights of Cohabitees if the Relationship Breaks DownNot like married couples, Law on the Web adds that unmarried couples or â€Å"cohabitees† have no fundamental rights to their partner’s property or to maintenance if the relationship ends.   Essentially, what is hers is hers, what is his is his, and what is jointly owned has to be apportioned.If the relationship between an unmarried couple ends, then their property rights are unaffected. The distinction between â€Å"his , hers and theirs† (or, indeed, between â€Å"his, his and theirs† or â€Å"hers, hers, and theirs†) is very real in this situation and each person is entitled to claim his/her own property.According to www.terry.co.uk, the situation of cohabitees is different. The property rights of unmarried couples continue to be precisely the same even after break up. This means that any property is still owned by its owner and that is typically the individual who paid for that property. Logically, there is certain room for argument over this but that is the prevailing standard and the courts have no power to disregard it.If  the parties are putting in inequitably or disproportionately to the maintenance or purchase price of the property, then this must be manifested by being specified as tenants-in-common and possessing unequal shareholdings (for instance, 60% and 40%), instead of the identical shareholdings of beneficial joint tenants (Law on the Web).Meanwhile, if the ot her party also contributed to the purchase price of the property, the courts are probable to acknowledge or recognize that in any case part of the property must have been in their name; and if there has been an agreement between the parties and the non-owner of the property has taken actions to their disadvantage accordingly (for example, paid household bills, contributed to mortgage repayments, or, maybe, sold their personal property) then the courts might possibly concur that they must share in the property.According to www.divorce.co.uk, if the unmarried couple splits up, the woman might be able to prove that she is unconstrained to a share in the house if she might be able to prove the following:(a) That she contributed to the price of buying the house. Even though if for instance she merely gave a 10% deposit that could signify she would simply be expected to get 10% of the net equity.(b) That she can prove or establish that the man promised her that the house would be theirs j ointly if she makes some contribution to the price of the house. It is more effective if she can disclose that the man put his promise in writing, even though it does not have to be a formal paper; actually, love letters can be sufficient. Moreover, the contribution should be practically important, for instance paying for the groceries and the dining set would probably not be adequate.(c) That in case there is no written document as an evidence, the woman might still be able to assert a share of the house if she will prove that she depended on the man’s promise to her and as a consequence she made a considerable contribution to what she assumed was going to be her home as well.The Case of Jane and AhmedIn the case of Jane and Ahmed, Jane can claim beneficial rights in the house due to the following: §   When Jane asked Ahmed that the house be transferred into their joint names, Ahmed assured Jane that in the near future when they get married, the house will be Janeâ€℠¢s too. § Because she depended on Ahmed’s promise, she undertook extensive gardening in the grounds of the house, redesigned the house to make it more homely, paid for some central heating to be installed, and helped build and pay for the extension of the house.Meanwhile, her share to the house will be calculated in terms of the contributions that she had made in the house.   In her case, she can claim the 25,000, which she spent for the extension of the house and the price that she paid for the other renovations made in the house.The Case of Rachel and TomWith regards to the situation of Rachel and Tom, Rachel could certainly claim beneficial rights to the house due to the following reasons:Even if the house is in the sole name of Tom, Rachel has a contribution to the purchase price of the house because her parents gave 10,000, which was used to help pay for the house.   As Montgomery (2005) asserts, the easiest way that the woman can prove that she is entitled to a sh are in the house is if she can prove that she contributed in the purchase price.Moreover, Rachel paid the installments of the mortgage loan of the house for a period of 12 months when Tom was out of work.   In the course of their relationship, Rachel has also supervised some renovation work on the house, subsidized the housekeeping and allowed Tom to pay less.Rachel’s share to the house will be calculated taking into account the amount given by her parents in paying for the house, the total amount of the installments she had paid for the mortgage loan, and the amount of the renovation and housekeeping she had paid out of her own money.A similar case to that of Jane and Rachel is the case of Elayne Oxley who was awarded a 100,000 share of her previous partner’s home although they were not unmarried and she made no financial contribution to the mortgage (Divorce-Online Ltd, 2004).   The court verdict said that Ms. Oxley is entitled to a 40% share of the property beca use even though she had not paid the mortgage she had contributed towards food and utility bills.Works CitedCompactlaw. (2006).   Unmarried Couples.   Retrieved from http://www.compactlaw.co.ukClout, Imogen.   (2002).   The â€Å"Which?† Guide to Living Together.   Which? Books.Divorce-Online Ltd. (2004).   Unmarried woman wins share of former partner’s home.Divorce Website.   The myth of the common law wife and cohabitants.   Retrieved from http://www.divorce.co.ukDyer, Clare.   (2002).   Property rights warning for unmarried couples.   The Guardian.Dyer, Clare.   (2006).   Unmarried couples to get new rights.   The Guardian.Law on the Web.   Unmarried Couples-Property Rights.   Retrieved from http://www.lawontheweb.co.ukMontgomery, Emma-Lou.   (2005).   The common-law wife – is there such a thing? MSN Money.Terry Website.   Cohabitees and their rights if the relationship breaks down.   Retrieved from http://www.terry.co. ukWarwick Website. (1999).   Domestic Property.   Retrieved from http://www.law.warwick.ac.uk