The Civil Rights Of Oklahoma Former Cop Daniel Holtzclaw

Also in Oklahoma former cop Daniel Holtzclaw was charged with raping and sexually victimizing 8 women in a low-income neighborhood (Chicago Tribune Newspaper). He was also convicted of forcible oral sodomy, sexual battery and second degree rape. Now he is known as the serial rapist/cop. He was sentenced to 236 years in prison, including a 30-year sentence on each of four of the first degree charges he faced. It took a jury 45 hours over a period of 4 days to deliberate this case. He also was convicted harsher because he was, well supposed to be a well-known and respected police officer. When police are supposed to be the protector and heroes of the streets instead of being the suspect. This case gained worldwide attention†¦show more content†¦He was also under investigation by the Oklahoma City six weeks before his final crime due to reports of sex crimes. So what that means is that he was targeting and attacking these women while he was under investigation. His convictions have relieved many people but raises many questions about police officers and their intentions. It also makes it seem like even cops are devaluing African-American lives, and that is sad to the black community. Police officers are acting like African American lives are useless and that’s the way we are being treated. And for a case like this to happen, is heartbreaking to black women, or women in general. It could have happened to any race, but women are always the main target. Support groups, women groups, etc. have all been the voice, but they are not being heard loud enough. Women face lots of problems, only to be treated as if they’re not needed on this world. Women go through pregnancies, miscarriages, rape, being degraded by men, etc. and the problem is still continuing with no solution, with no solutions in the future. Men are not the total blame but they contribute largely to the problem. Once the system gets tougher on the sentencing of the guilty under contro l and enforce the laws women will have a burden lifted off their shoulders. When the law strictly enforces acts against women, men will finally see that they can’t just go around raping women. No one knows what it’s like to be a

Adverb Clause Free Essays

What do you know about adverbial clause? Adverb clause is a dependent clauses that consists of subject and verd as a unit which takes the place of an adverb in another clauses or pharses. It answers questions such as â€Å"when? †, â€Å"where? †, â€Å"why? †, â€Å"with whwt result? †, and â€Å"under what condition? †. It oftenly modifies verb in the sentences. We will write a custom essay sample on Adverb Clause or any similar topic only for you Order Now 2. Mention the kinds of adverb clause! There are some kinds of adverb clause, they are: kind of clausecommon conjunctionsFunctionExample ime clauseswhen, before, after, since, while, as, as long as, until,till, etc. (conjunctions that answer the question â€Å"when? â€Å"); hardly, scarcely, no sooner, etc. These clauses are used to say when something happens by referring to a period of time or to another event. Her goldfish died when she was young. conditional clausesif, unless, lestThese clauses are used to talk about a possible or counterfactual situation and its consequences. If they lose weight during an illness, they soon regain it afterwards. urpose clausesin order to, so that, in order thatThese clauses are used to indicate the purpose of an action. They had to take some of his land so that they could extend the churchyard. reason clausesbecause, since, as, givenThese clauses are used to indicate the reason for something. I couldn’t feel anger against him because I liked him too much. result clausesso†¦ thatThese clauses are used to indicate the result of something. My suitcase had become so damaged on the journey home that the lid would not stay closed. oncessive clausesalthough, though, whileThese clauses are used to make two statements, one of which contrasts with the other or makes it seem surprising. I used to read a lot although I don’t get much time for books now. place clauseswhere, wherever, anywhere, everywhere, etc. (conjunctions that answer the question â€Å"where? â€Å")These clauses are used to talk about the location or position of something. He said he was happy where he was. clauses of manneras, like, the wayThese clauses are used to talk about someone’s behaviour or the way somethi ng is done. I was never allowed to do things as I wanted to do them. Table 1. adopted from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Adverbial_clause 3. Example of adverb clause a. The government of resource-poor Japan and the utility companies contend nuclear reactors must come back online after thorough safety checks to avoid possible rolling blackouts this summer and excessive reliance on imports of liquid natural gas, coal and other expensive fuels for conventional power plants. The underlined above is adverb clause of time. It modifies the verb come back. . Tokyo housewife Setsuko Naoe says she felt compelled to join the protests because officials have not learned any lessons from the Fukushima meltdowns. The underlined above is adverb clause of reason, it modifies felt compelled to join the protests. c. Asakawa says since the 1960s, Japan has not seen such large street demonstrations, which also took place in the same location. But these rallies are different he points out – as they are not co mposed of radical, young people but are rather part of a diverse grassroots movement. The underlined above is adverb clause of time, it modifies has not seen’ d. Japan may be forced to halt all state spending including salaries, pensions and unemployment benefits, because of a standoff in parliament that has blocked a bill to finance the deficit. The underlined above is adverb clause of reason. It modifies the verb may be forced. e. â€Å"The giant pandas are messengers of friendship,† he said. â€Å"We hope that people-to-people sentiment and overall relations between China and Japan can be promoted because of the birth of the cub. † The underlined above is adverb clause of reason. It modifies can be promoted. f. Victoria only learned the truth when she became an adult. The underlined above is an adverb clause of time. It modifies learned. g. â€Å"With this verdict we can start repairing the damages caused by our history, even though this history still causes us pain,† she adds. The underlined above is an adverb clause of concessive. It modifies start repairing. h. Some either prefer not to know or when they do find out they remain with the parents who raised them – even if they were directly involved in the death of their biological parents. The underlined above takes place as an adverb clause of conditional. It modifies prefer not to know. i. When her adoptive father told her that her parents were left-wing activists that he himself had helped to arrest, she replied: â€Å"I understand that you had to do it. † The underlined above is adverb clause of time. It modifies the verb replied. j. â€Å"The worst years came when I started to come to terms with my situation and I had this huge internal emotional debate,† she says. The underlined above is adverb clause of time. It modifies the verb came. 4. Comparison and the differences among Noun, Adjective and Adverb clause. Three of the clauses above same in the content, their clauses consist of subject and verb. While the differences among them the functions and what they modify. Noun clause takes place as noun in the sentences, it may be appear as subject or object. Noun clause often modifies the noun in the sentence. Adjective clause takes place as an adjective in the sentence. It also modifies the noun in the sentence. And adverb clause takes place as an adverb in the sentences, it modifies the verb in the sentence. How to cite Adverb Clause, Papers

Jacksonian America free essay sample

State reforms generally peaceful but in RI instability when 1840 group led by Thomas Door and the Peps Party submitted and won a new state constitution by the people; 1842 2 simultaneous governments, Door rebellion quickly failed 4. In south election laws favored planters and politicians from older counties, limited influence of newly settled western areas 5. Everywhere women could not vote, no secret ballots-?despite limitations numbers of voters increased faster than population 6. Originally electors chosen by legislature, by 1828 popularly elected except SC 2.The Legalization of Party 1 . Higher levels of voter participation due to expanded electorate but also threatening of party organization and loyalty 2. Asses/asses saw permanent, institutionalized parties become desirable part of political process. Began at state level in NY w/ Martin Van Burdens factional Buckskins. Partys preservation thru favors, rewards, patronage leaders goals 3. Parties would check/balance one other, politicians forced 2 rep the will of the people 4. By late Asses new idea of party spreading beyond NY, Jacksons 1828 election seemed to legitimate new system. By 1 8305 national 2;party system: anti-Jackson forces called Wigs, his followers called Democrats 3. President f the Common Man 1 Democratic party embraced no uniform ideological position, committed to offer equal protection and benefits by assaulting eastern aristocracy to extend opportunity to rising classes of the W and S, preserve white-male democracy thru subjugation of African Americans and Indians 2. Jacksons first targets entrenched officeholders of fed government, wanted to simplify official duties to make office more accessible.Removed nearly 1/5 of office- holders removed b/c misuse of government funds or corruption 3. Jacksons supporters embraced spoils system, making right of elected officials to point followers to office established feature of American politics 4. Supporters worked to transform presidential nomination system- 1832 national party convention held to replace congressional caucus, considered democratic triumph b/c power from people and not aristocratic caucus 5. Spoils system and convention limited power Of entrenched elites (permanent officeholders, caucus elite), but neither really transferred true power to the people 2.Our Federal Union 1. Calhoun and Nullification 1 . Late 1 sass many in SC came to see tariff of abominations as responsible or stagnation of state economy (really due to exhausted farmland unable to compete with new western lands). Some considered remedy thru secession 2. Vice President Calhoun offered alternative in theory of nullification- idea like Madison and Jefferson KY and VA Resolutions of 1798-1799. Argued fed government created by states, therefore states final arbiter (not Congress or courts) of constitutionality. Convention could be held to null and void law within state 2.The Rise of Van Burner 1 . Appointed Sec of State 1829 by Jackson, also member of Preps of unofficial circle of allies in Kitchen Cabinet. After supporting Peggy Eaton in affair over acceptance into cabinet wife social circle gained favor w/ President 2. By 1831 Jackson had chosen Van Burner to succeed him in WHO, Calhoun presidential dream ended 3. The Webster-Haynes Debate 1 . January 1830 proposal to temporarily stop western land sales led SC Seen. Robert Haynes to claim slowing down W growth means for east to retain political and economic power.Hinted at uniting S + W against tyranny 2. Nationalist and Whig Seen. Daniel Webster attacked Haynes and Calhoun for challenging integrity of the Union. Debate ensued over issue of states rights s national power 3. Jackson announced at Democratic Party banquet Our Federal Union-let must be preserved, lines drawn been Jackson and Calhoun 4. The Nullification Crisis 1. 1832 tariff bill in Congress gave SC no relief from tariff of abominations, state convention held- voted for nullification of tariffs of 1828 1 832, duties collection w/in state.Calhoun resigned UP became Seen. , Haynes now Governor 2. Jackson insisted nullification treason, strengthened federal forts in SC. 1833 Pres. Proposed bill to authorize use of military to see acts of Congress obeyed 3. No states supported SC, State itself divided. Seen Henry Clay offered compromise that tariff would be gradually lowered so that by 1842 it would be at same level as in 1816. Compromise + force bill passed March 1833 4. SC state convention met and repealed its nullification of the tariffs, but also nullified the force act (symbolic of null. Exegetical) 3. The Removal of the Indians 1 . White Attitudes Toward the Tribes 1. In 1 8th century many whites considered Indians noble savages who had inherent dignity, by 19th century more hostile attitude especially among whites in W and territories, simply savages 2. White westerners wanted amoeba b/c feared continued contact + expanding white settlements would lead to endless violence, Indian lands valuable 3. Only fed gobo had power to deal w/ Indians after Sup. Court decisions. Indians created new large political entities to deal w/ whites 2.The Black Hawk War 1 . In Old Northwest Black Hawk War 1831-1832 to expel last of Indians there 2. Conflict notable for violence of white military efforts, attacked even when Chief Black Hawk was surrendering and killed Indians fleeing battle 3. The Five Civilized Tribes 1. asses gobo worried about remaining Five Civilized Tribes in South- successful agricultural society, Constitution forming Cherokee Nation 1827 2. Fed governed in early 1 9th century thru treaties to remove tribes to West and open lands to white settlement.Negotiation process unsatisfying + slow 3. Congress passed Removal Act 1 830 to finance defy negotiations w/ tribes in order to relocate them West, pressure from state covets to move as well 4. In GA Sup. Court decisions of Cherokee Nation v Georgia (1 831 ) and Worcester v Georgia (1832) seemed to protect tribal lands 5. 1 835 treaty signed with minority tribe in Cherokee nation ceding all land to GA, but majority of Cherokees refused to recognize its legitimacy. Jackson sent army under General Winfield Scott to drive them westward to reservation 4.Trials of Tears 1 . Forced trek to Indian Territory began winter 1838. Thousands died before destination, dubbed Trail of Tears 2. Cherokees not alone: BTW 1830-1838 nearly all Five Civilized Tribes expelled from Southern states relocated to Indian Territory created by Congress in Indian Intercourse Act of 1834. Undesirable land far from whites 3. Only Seminole in Florida resisted relocation. Under pressure had agreed to cede land and move to Indo. Territory, many members of tribe moved 1. But 1835 minority led by chief Solaces staged uprising.Jackson sent army, conducted campaign of systematic extermination but successful guerilla warfare forced gobo to abandon war in 1842 5. The Meaning of Removal 1 By end of asses almost all major Indian societies relocated to far less hospitable lands west of Mississippi on reservations surrounded by forts 2. White movement west impossible to have stopped, but alternative to removal could have been some form Of co-existence like in NW trading posts, TX 3. BY mid-1 9th century Americans believed western lands had no pre-existing civilization.Natives could not be equal partners, were obstacles to be removed, lacked intelligence, industry and moral habits for improvement 4. Jackson and the Bank War 1. Fiddles Institution 1. Bank of United States in asses had WHQL in Philadelphia, branches in 19 cities, by law only place gobo could deposit its funds 2. Conducted private business issuing credit, bank notes used throughout country, restrained less well-managed state banks. Pres Nicholas Fiddle had made bank sound + prosperous. Regardless, Jackson wanted to destroy it 3.Opposition came from soft-money faction who wanted more currency in circulation. Made up of state banks, resisted Bank of Uses efforts to restrain free issue of notes from State banks 4. Hard money faction wanted gold and silver to back currency, suspicious of expansion and speculation. Jackson supported hard- money 5. Jackson did not favor renewal of bank charter after 1836 expiration. Fiddle tried to save bank by granting financial favors to influential men, named Daniel Webster made legal counsel (gained Clays support). Recommended renewal bill 1 832 to make bank issue in 1 832 elections. . Bill passed Congress but Jackson vetoed it, could not be overridden. In 1832 Jackson + Van Burner elected despite opposition to bank over opposition Clay 2. The Monster Destroyed 1 . Jackson determined to destroy monster Bank quickly. To weaken it removed gobo deposits (two Tree. Secretaries fired b/c feared financial desalination, third Roger Tangy complied) 2. When administration transferred funds from Bank to pet banks, Fiddle called in loans and raised interest rates- hoped would cause financial distress and recession that would persuade Congress to recharge Bank 3.Financial conditions worsened winter 1833/1 834, two sides blamed it on each other. Finally Fiddle contracted credit too far for his own allies in the business community, began to fear his efforts to save ban threatening their own 4. Fiddle forced to grant credit in abundance on reasonable terms, tactics ended change of re-charter. End in 1836 empowered unstable bank system 3. The Tangy Court 1 . Jackson moved against economic nationalism support of Supreme Court, after Marshall died 1 835 named Roger Tangy chief justice 2.Charles River Bridge v Warren Bridge (1837) BTW company chartered by state for toll bridge monopoly and company applying to legislature to pay for toll-free ridge. Tangy ruled that gobos goal to promote general happiness took precedence over right of contract and property, therefore state had right to amend contract o advance well-being of community 3. Reflected Jackson ideal that key to democracy expansion of economic opportunity that could not occur if corporations maintained monopolies and choked off competition from newer companies 5.The Changing Face of American Politics 1. Democrats and Wigs 1 . Democrats in 1 sass envisioned expanding economic and political opportunity for white males, limited gobo but one that removed obstacles to opportunity, defense of Union, attacking corruption, radical branch called Locos 2. Wigs favored expanding power feed gobo, industrial and commercial development, knit country into consolidated economic system, cautious westward expansion b/c feared territorial growth would produce instability, embraced industrial future and commercial and manufacturing greatness 3.Wigs supported by merchants and manufactures of EN, wealthy Southern planters, western commercialisms. Democrats supported by smaller merchants and workingmen of EN, S planters suspicious of industry, agrarian westerners 4. Above all wanted to win elections: Wigs connected w/ Anti- Masons to resent undemocratic Freemasons (such as Jackson and Van Burner). Irish and German Catholic immigrants supported Democrats b/c aversion to commercial development, Evangelical Protestants supported Wigs 5. Wigs led by Great Triumvirate of Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John Calhoun. 836 election Deems united behind Jacksons choice of Van Burner for candidate, but Wigs could not agree on single candidate. Clay, White, and William Henry Harrison ran for regional interests, defeated by Van Burner 2. Van Burner and the panic of 1837 1 . Van Burner elected on economic boom that reached height 1836- canals and railroads being built, easy credit, land business booming, gobo revenues from sales + 1 833 tariff created surpluses that allowed reduction of natal debt 2. Congress passed 1836 distribution act to return surplus to states, used to fund highways, railroads, canals, created economic boom 3.Withdrawal of fed funds strained state pet banks, forced to call in loans. Jackson issued specie circular that required payment for public land sales be in gold or silver or currency backed by them b/c feared rampant speculation 4. Circular reduced financial panic during Van Burdens presidency banks and business failed, food riots- largest depression in American history to that point 5. Both parties responsible for panic- surplus redistribution a Whig measure, Jacksons circular, but also panics in England and W.

Maintaining Individuality in a Relationship

Individuality is the state of being independent, where one individual is separate from the other because they have their own needs, desires, and goals. Although some people try to maintain their individuality in a romantic relationship, others compromise and loose their sense.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Maintaining Individuality in a Relationship specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More They forget to take care of their needs and concentrate on the relationship and tend to think that their partners will take care of their needs. This may create a break up in a relationship. People who are in love often struggle to impress each other and loose their individuality in the process. Some of them may feel good after the compromise while others feel suffocated by it. Carver and Scheier (2004) argue that there is a need to maintain individuality, especially when one feels suffocated after losing individuality. According to Giles (2000), it is always good to remember that a good relationship is one which you are not supposed to change yourself, but where you will grow together. Therefore, a person who is ready to accept you just as you are is a true partner and so, instead of striving to change your individuality try to accept the relationship. It is even possible to lose the interest of the other person after losing your own individuality. However, self-care and strong sense of self may make the relationship become strong and enhance sustainability and happiness. It is always good to enter into a relationship as a whole person with your preferences and boundaries because the other partner will always be attracted with your individuality and self of sense. When one starts to lose the sense of self, it is likely that the partner will loose interest. Brad (2007) says that when you loose a sense of self in a relationship, you are likely to start blaming your partner and the relationship as well. A person should try to maintain individuality in order to avoid self-blame in both personal and other things in life. It is always good to think positively in order to maintain individuality and also avoid getting obsessed with others and care for self. According to Solomon’s views, love lets lovers to redefine themselves in a relationship. He supports this point by arguing that romantic love is a concentration and an intense focus of shared definition on an individual. Solomon sees love as a plan for individual’s recreation for himself/herself and for the sake of the relationship. In essence, lovers combine their interests, virtues, role, and share the same identity without forgetting that each individual has a role in recognizing their identity (Halwani, 2010). However, Nozick’s theory does not recognize autonomy and individuality and he argues that both individuals’ identities are destroyed and they are ‘reborn’ to the world with the same senses to their partners.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More People should always be involved in mature and stable love, instead of the symbiotic type. The difference between mature and symbiotic love is that mature love is stable and involves two people who respect each other. Symbiotic love on the other hand is needy and dependent and stipulates that one person should rule over another. As a result, both partners loose integrity (Fisher, 2004). LaFollete (2000) argues that mature love enhances individualism between partners as opposed to symbiotic love, where there is fear of separation. Lewis, Amini, and Lennon (2000) conform that symbiotic relationship causes one person to give their major part to retain a successful relationship. However, the person who is driven by fear of being alone ends up sacrificing his or her identity to keep the relationship whole. These individuals make sure that t here are no conflicts in order to maintain the status quo, which leads to loss of independence. If one individual idolizes over the other, then he sacrifices himself for the sake of the other and ends up being under control of the partner. When there is no balance in power, the relationship becomes unproductive for both and it is likely to end. Despite the fact that many people know the consequence of ending a relationship, they are still willing to give up their individuality in order to avoid being alone. They are ready to give up what they need and who they are just for the sake of love. Moreover, individuals who lose their individualism when in a romantic love are unable to maintain a mature relationship. One should start with self-love to be able to love others because giving up individuality will bring anger, hatred and resentment at the end. When resentment comes in, the relationship starts deteriorating. Individuals need relationships that will bring in personal growth throu gh achievement of their dreams together with their partners. Individuals should also understand that when one is in a relationship, their life does not stop just because they are with another person (Wood, Ellen, and Boyd, 2005). In essence, a person has to maintain his/her own individuality and strive to achieve personal goals. This also means that you are is supposed to do the hobbies you used to have before you met as well as maintaining your self interests because if you give up on your interests you are likely to give up your life (Zimmer, 2008). One should always keep in mind that when he/she met the partner, they were first attracted as individuals and thus there is need to retain your individuality because that the reason why your partner was attracted to you. Maintaining other’s individuality will build up a mature loving and healthy relationship (Halwani, 2010).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Maintaining Individuality in a Relationship specif ically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More According to Sterba (2001), there are many ways of making a relationship work; one is by speaking your truth. It is not advisable for lovers to keep quite and hence they should communicate their feelings to each other. Each individual should own his/her feeling – your partner needs to know when you are angry, disturbed or even when you are happy. Withholding your feelings to your partner will bring in more problems. You should not let your partner speak for you or allow him/her to guess what is on your mind. Instead, you are supposed to share them and in case your partner takes liberty with them, you should be able to stop him/her and let him know what you are going through. Lastly, a person is supposed to reconnect with other friends for joy or fun rather than letting your partner dictate on what to do. This may involve going out with a group of friends whom you used to go out with to do some activit ies or hobbies. Many relationships end because one person has surrendered to the other. Nevertheless, it is always good to love yourself first before loving another person. Giving up on all things that identify your individuality will make you lose your identity and you will not even be able to give into your relationship. Brad (2007) stresses that it is always good never to confuse flexibility with individuality when in a relationship: individuality is what makes people to be who they are. Flexibility is all about compromise and is necessary in a relationship through honest communication of each other’s needs and feelings whenever you are together. However, compromising too much will lead to anger and resentment, which is likely to end the relationship. Individuals should avoid giving up too much in their relationships because it will haunt them later. The get-togethers and friends bashes you decide not to attend just because you do not want to leave your boyfriend or girlfr iend will make yourself left out since you have distanced yourself from your own friends. In conclusion, honest communication is good because partners are able to solve their problems and build a mature loving relationship. Nobody should give up on anything that brings out uniqueness in each individual. Loving partners should find a balance that they both need to build a long lasting relationship. In addition, it is always good to determine what is needed in life and take actions accordingly. This will help maintain individuality while also striving for personal happiness and contentment rather than trying hard to make a partner happy through sacrifice. Nevertheless, maintaining individuality right from the beginning of a relationship is healthy because it is one of the reasons for love.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, if an individual takes away these traits through compromise, then they become a different person to their partner rather than the one he/she started dating. Nevertheless, this does not mean that one is not supposed to compromise in some circumstances in their relationship; things keep on changing as the relationship grows just like life itself, but one should never despair. References Brad, H., 2007. Falling in love. Canada: Random Place. Carver, C. and Scheier, M., 2004. Perspectives on personality. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson. Fisher, H., 2004. Why we love. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company LLC. Giles, L., 2000. A theory of love and sexual desire. Journal for the Theory of Social Behavior, 24 (4), 339–357. Halwani, R., 2010. Philosophy of love, sex, and marriage: An introduction. New York: Routledge. LaFollete, H., 2000. Moral Psychology. In: The Blackwell Guide to Ethical Theory, Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers. Lewis, T., Amini, F., and Lannon, R., 2000. A genera l theory of love. New York: Random House. Sterba, J.P., 2001. The moral self in the face of injustice. In: Social and Political Philosophy: Contemporary Perspectives, London: Routledge. pp. 45-67. Wood, S.E., Ellen, W., and Boyd, D., 2005. The world of psychology. 5th ed. New York: Pearson Education. Zimmer, C., 2008. Romance is an illusion. Time Magazine, [online] 17 Jan. Available at: http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1704665,00.html . This essay on Maintaining Individuality in a Relationship was written and submitted by user Tristen F. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Zeno Ans The First Paradox Of Motion

Name: Preven Chetty Zeno of Elea and the first paradox of motion {including its correlation to the theory on Maya and an appendix on Lao Tzu} - In order to understand Zeno and his arguments against motion it would be helpful to know his background. This is difficult because Zeno was alive in 450 B.C and there are few materials about him. Most of our information is indirect and possibly all of Zeno’s arguments on motion have emerged from one book. What we can safely assume however was that Zeno was a disciple of Parmenides and a supporter of his theories. Background Theories Parmenides (c.515,445 B.C) believed that there is no real change in the world and that all of reality is actually one. Parmenides changed the course of Greek philosophy and not until Plato and Aristotle (384-322 BC) would any philosopher challenge his metaphysical assumptions. Parmenides writings are in the form of a philosophical poem and in the poem it is said that he was driven in a chariot to the gates of light and dark where he met a divine goddess who showed him that reality cannot be generated or destroyed, is all alike, unmoved and complete ( Mautner, T, 1996). It would be interesting to note at this point that Parmenides monistic view of the world is not only to be found in secular Greek philosophy but it is also the foundation of Indian philosophy. In ancient India, even before the time of Parmenides there was a growing consensus amongst scholars that the universe is illusory and is a projection of the One Being. Thus reality is an illusion (also known as Maya) and its varied and changing nature is false for it is in essence one thing (Edgerton, F, 1952). Common in Indian philosophy is the idea that the senses are also a product of Maya (i.e. : ignorance). Desire is perceived as false since it is born out of ignor... Free Essays on Zeno Ans The First Paradox Of Motion Free Essays on Zeno Ans The First Paradox Of Motion Name: Preven Chetty Zeno of Elea and the first paradox of motion {including its correlation to the theory on Maya and an appendix on Lao Tzu} - In order to understand Zeno and his arguments against motion it would be helpful to know his background. This is difficult because Zeno was alive in 450 B.C and there are few materials about him. Most of our information is indirect and possibly all of Zeno’s arguments on motion have emerged from one book. What we can safely assume however was that Zeno was a disciple of Parmenides and a supporter of his theories. Background Theories Parmenides (c.515,445 B.C) believed that there is no real change in the world and that all of reality is actually one. Parmenides changed the course of Greek philosophy and not until Plato and Aristotle (384-322 BC) would any philosopher challenge his metaphysical assumptions. Parmenides writings are in the form of a philosophical poem and in the poem it is said that he was driven in a chariot to the gates of light and dark where he met a divine goddess who showed him that reality cannot be generated or destroyed, is all alike, unmoved and complete ( Mautner, T, 1996). It would be interesting to note at this point that Parmenides monistic view of the world is not only to be found in secular Greek philosophy but it is also the foundation of Indian philosophy. In ancient India, even before the time of Parmenides there was a growing consensus amongst scholars that the universe is illusory and is a projection of the One Being. Thus reality is an illusion (also known as Maya) and its varied and changing nature is false for it is in essence one thing (Edgerton, F, 1952). Common in Indian philosophy is the idea that the senses are also a product of Maya (i.e. : ignorance). Desire is perceived as false since it is born out of ignor...

13 Reasons To Date a Chemist

13 Reasons To Date a Chemist If you havent dated a chemist, youre missing out! Chemists can be incredibly romantic and great at lasting relationships. Here are some reasons to date a chemist. Chemists have some of the very best pick-up lines.  Are you made of copper and tellurium? You must be, because youre CuTe. Nerdy, yes, but a good icebreaker. Chemistry experiments require attention to detail. Your date will be on time, will pay attention to you, and will remember your likes and dislikes.Science requires effort, practice, and patience. You can expect a chemist to work at a relationship and not call it quits when problems arise.Chemists are interesting! They are curious and always learning. Dating a chemist means youll never be bored.Lab coats and safety goggles. So hot.Chemists remember to use protection.Chemists pay attention to personal hygiene.Chemists are almost always fantastic cooks. They also often brew amazing beer, make wine, or possibly distill their own spirits. Very few make drugs, though they know how.Chemists are smart. They can carry on meaningful conversations and fix things.Chemists know how to pull all-nighters.Chemists know all kinds of party tric ks and cool ways to celebrate holidays. Because their sense of wonder never fades, they often do well with kids. Your family and friends will probably like your chemist date. Like engineers and other scientists, a chemist asks you out because he or she genuinely likes you and finds you interesting. Chemists tend not to be shallow.Chemists are adventurous, up to a point. They are natural explorers, yet take risk into account. They can plan interesting and fun dates, but arent likely to endanger you. Similarly, chemists know all the toxic chemicals in every food, drink, and household product, yet wont go overboard avoiding minor vices.

Cause and Effect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cause and Effect - Essay Example Competition in the automobile industry has increased significantly in recent years. As a result customers are demanding high quality products at lower prices, and this is one of the main causes of outsourcing manufacturing of materials to foreign countries. Many automobile manufacturers are producing their materials in Third World countries in hopes of cheap labor and, therefore, the company will have to respond to the industry trend (Duhigg & Bradsher, 2012). Competitors in the automobile industry are desperately trying to increase their market share at any cost. In such a competitive environment, it is not possible for our company not to outsource manufacturing to foreign manufacturers. Another important cause of taking the outsourcing decision is the inefficiencies in local production. The cost of production in the developed world is increasingly rapidly and, therefore, it is not possible for companies to achieve high level of efficiency. Local employees have to be provided with employee benefits and a range of other facilities. Local employees can also not work for longer shifts continuously. It has also become difficult to increase productivity in a short span of time without sacrificing money while working with local workforce. This is why local production has become inefficient and this is one of the most important causes of outsourcing to foreign manufacturers. Production is also not very flexible locally which is why it takes a lot of time to respond to market changes (Duhigg & Bradsher, 2012). Specialized manufacturing companies can do this in a lot less time than local companies. Changing production outcomes and redesigning the process is a time consuming process and, therefore, it reduces the flexibility of our company. In today’s competitive business environment, it is essential that firms respond to market changes and customer demand in a very short

Cognitive Biases and Strategic Decision Processes Assignment

Cognitive Biases and Strategic Decision Processes - Assignment Example The actions did or applied to this mode require the compression of larger problems into smaller ones that can be managed easily. For example, A Bata Shoe sales manager will solve the problem of reduced sales by first vetting the branch supervisors and thereby motivating the salesmen etc. which are easier tasks to accomplish but will affect the end result. The avoidance mode, on the other hand, entails the outlining of the strategic decision-making process with the aim of impressing authority. The main aim is to maintain the status quo and avoid change. Basically, the avoidance mode applies the use of elaborate recognition of new problems that would render any new changes unnecessary. It is the finding of the problem that kills the change necessitating problem. For example, instead of a Walmart manager hiring more sales assistants, he will look at the existing staff and identify employees who are under-tasked so as to prevent the decision of hiring new workers. When the manager is solely focused on maintaining the status quo, they are more likely to be exposed to limited alternatives.  

Manifest Destiny American Civil War Essay Example for Free

Manifest Destiny American Civil War Essay Manifest Destiny In the 1840s the United States increased its territory to stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. This land was acquired through treaty, war, and negotiation. The opportunities of this large area of land offered in terms of resources and trade were great. The positive of M.D. do not outweigh the negative consequences. Manifest Destiny is a historic duty, in the 1800s the Americans believed that the manifest destiny of the United States was to expand to the Pacific Ocean. The United States started as costal colonies but eventually the fulfilled their manifest destiny and expanded buy conquering and purchasing land. The Americans gained more land by buying it from France in the Louisiana Purchase and they also acquired land by cession as they did in the Mexican Cession. Other ways of expanded their land was to take it by force; many settlers killed the Indians and stole their land from them. The Americans in the 1800s believed that it was the historic duty of their nation to expand to the Pacific Ocean. They believed that the land was rightfully theirs. They ignored the fact that the land was already occupied and began to move west. They did not recognize the Indians as people; they saw them as potential slaves, so they simply killed them and took their land. Much of the land was bought from France in the Louisiana Purchase, but other lands such as Texas, California and Oregon was not theirs. Using both military strength and negotiations, the US was determined to fulfill their historic duty. The main difference between the border issues of Oregon and Texas is the way these issues were settled. The Texas issue resulted in a war with Mexico, which gained land and lost soldiers. However, this did allow the US to gain more land than just Texas. The Oregon issue, on the other hand, was more peaceful. The US negotiated and made a treaty with Britain instead of going to war with them. However, both these issues were different ways the US gained land and expanded their nation.

Jacob Lawrence :: essays research papers

Jacob Lawrence Jacob Lawrence's unique career has earned him a National Medal Of Arts , election to the National Academy of Arts and Letters and the National Academy of Design,a National Council of the Arts commisionership, and dozens of honorary degrees and awards, including the NAACP's Spingarn Medal. His paintings has been freatured in several major art exhibitions and many different museums. Lawrence's parents came from the south but they moved to Harlem where Lawrence grew up. Lawrence was born in 1917 and grew up in Harlem during the Great Depression. He had many extraordinary educational oppurtunities as well as his first employment as an artist. In the studio of his mentor, Charles Alston, young Lawrence painted while the Harlem Renaissance was blooming with a generation of young artists and writers. He studied at the Harlem Art Workshop from 1932-1937 and at the American Artists School from 1937-1939. In the 1930's there was two main art groups,realism art and abstractionism art. Lawrence rejected both of them and made up his own style of art. His paintings are alive with human figures, usually African Americans,engaged in all different types of activities. He dipicted the figures in his paintings with dignity and grace. He got his ideas from several different sources. He used repetitive paterns and a lot of different colors and design which are commonly found in a quilt or an African textile. He made up to as many as 60 paintings which are each telling a story and the messages are usually of human triumph over oppression and injustice. Although his paintings often relate to the history and experience of black people their themes are universal. Lawrence allso made murals for his story telling. Throughout most of the 20th century , art institutions within black communities were the only places that exhibited the work of black artists. If other galleries did have black exhibits they were singled out as "Negro artists" or "Negro Art". Without gallery exposure, they were rarely noticed by influential people or obtain appropriate prices. In 1941 Alain Locke, a friend of Lawrence's introduced Lawrence's Migration series to the owner New York's Downtown Gallery Edith Halpert. Edith immediately organized an exhibition for Lawrence's art work, and Lawrence joined the select few group of artists she presented, which included Stuart Davis, Charles Sheeler, and Ben Shahn. Lawrence's Migration series was purchased and divided between the Museum of Modern Art and the Phillip's Collection.

Reconstruction in the South Essay

Reconstruction is the Federal Governments plan(s) to abolish slavery, change the way of life in the South, and to bring the nation back together after the devastating effects of the Civil War. Many Government plans were brought up but never fell through. Likewise, Presidents over the years, after the Civil War, had also brought their own Reconstruction plans to the nation. Several good things came from each plan but not one individual plan had drastically changed America on its own. Although Lincoln and his 10% plan would have reshaped the nation and connected the broken line between the North and South, however, it had never taken action because of Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865. However, Reconstruction created many new social changes to the nation. Civil Rights had been shaped over many years; the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments were passed giving African Americans the right to vote, and the Freedmen’s Bureau was established. Reconstruction was a long and rough time for the government and the people. Our Nation had never before needed to recover from such a tremendous loss from something like the Civil War. Reconstruction had failed in several ways. Slavery had still been practiced in the south under different titles of work, ways of life in the south had remained the same, and Redeemers made sure blacks were not represented in government. Before this particular Reconstruction plan was brought up it had been thought about for awhile by a group of Radical Republicans who created the Radical Republicans’ Plan. These Radicals wanted to spark the necessity to take action on the problems occurring in the South. The plan had consisted of three major ideas; â€Å"these ideas were based off of revenge, concern for the freedmen, and political concerns† (Travel and History par. 1). One of the ways that these Radicals wanted revenge was by â€Å"punishing the South for causing the war† (Travel and History pa r. 1). They also felt that â€Å"Southern states had to apply for readmission back into the Union and were required to submit state constitutions that ratified the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments (Ohio History Central par. 11). Also when Ulysses S. Grant took office he â€Å"kept soldiers in the former Confederacy for the duty of protecting African Americans from the Ku Klux Klan and similar groups (Ohio History Central par. 11). These Radicals felt that â€Å"the federal government had a role to play in the transition of freedmen from slavery to freedom† (Travel and History par. 1). They believed that the government needed to aid former slaves into getting good work and treated fairly. Also, many members â€Å"wanted to keep the Republicans Party in power in both the North and the South† (Travel and History par. 1). This way only Republican ideas would be brought up and many Republican based laws would be passed. This is the general idea for the Radical Republicans’ plan and would not be brought up again until Ulysses S. Grant is elected into the Presidency. The former Civil War, Union General, Ulysses S. Grant was elected into office in 1868. President Grant did not take much care in his Presidency campaign because he did not care if he had won or lost. Thus, Grant did not have his own plan for the problems of Reconstruction. However, Grant was a Republican and â€Å"favored the Radical Republicans’ Plan,† (Ohio History Central par. 11) so most of what he tried to accomplish was based on these views. When Grant won his election many republicans realized that he had won by a small margin of votes. Looking deeper they noticed that â€Å"roughly 450,000 African Americans had voted Republican and the majority of whites in the South voted Democrat† (Davidson J. p. 348). Republicans in office realized that an amendment must be created to protect black voting rights so the African American population would co ntinue to vote Republican. The Fifteenth Amendment was created in 1869 and was ratified in 1870; â€Å"this forbade any state to deny any man the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude† (Davidson J. p. 348). However, many states found loopholes to this amendment by issuing literacy tests, poll taxes, and property requirements for voting. Mainly this counted out most of the African American voting population. Although he his mostly known for his scandals, Grant had many other significant highlights during his time as President that greatly contributed to Reconstruction in the South. During his time in office, â€Å"Grant signed a series of Reconstruction related ‘Enforcement Acts’† (Simpson B. par. 6). The main effect these laws had was they â€Å"completely denied states to deny any man the right to vote† (Simpson B. par. 6). He had also signed the Ku Klux Klan act which banned the â€Å"illegal intimidation† of blacks where states were unwilling or unable to provide protection, and for private parties to conspire to violate civil rights. Violation of this law was a federal crime. Before Grant had left office, â€Å"In 1875 he signed last major piece of Civil Rights legislation until 1964† (Simpson B. par. 6). In 1877, Grant had completed his final term as President. Several years later Grant had been slipping deeper and deeper into debt from family troubles. He started to write his memoirs and later had attracted cancer. After he had finished his memoirs he had died in 1897, from the cancer he had acquired. Luckily his writings had sold more than enough copies to provide and settle his family’s debt. Reconstruction had ended in 1877, and many of Grant’s accomplishments had changed society in the South and for the future. Bibliography Davidson, James W., and Brian DeLay. U.S. A Narrative History. 1st ed. Vol. 2. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2009. Print . Foner, Eric. Reconstruction America’s unfinished revolution, 1863-1877. New York: Harper & Row, 1988. Print . â€Å"Radical Republican Reconstruction Plan.† Travel and History. Web. 11 Sept. 2009. . â€Å"Reconstruction – Ohio History Central – A product of the Ohio Historical Society.† Ohio History Central – An Online Encyclopedia of Ohio History – Ohio Historical Society. Web. 1 Sept. 2009. . Simpson, Brooks D. â€Å"Let Us Have Peace: The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant.† Teaching American History in Maryland – Documents for the Classroom – Maryland State Archives. Web. 14 Sept. 2009. .

R&G are dead outline

Guilelessness says but is also witty at the same time, but even admits to Guild as being the more â€Å"dominant† of the two. Has more fun than Gull does, as he gets more excited when he sees the Tragedians. Guilelessness: A very inquisitive man who believes he can seek the answer to any question he has. He Is a good friend of Hamlet and initiates things based off how he feels. He Is the leader of the two, but he would be incomplete without Ross_ Even when he is crying, Ross is the only one that's there to comfort him. The two of them are like Batman & Robin, with Guild as being Batman. Are: The leader of the Tragedians who seems to have a dysfunctional brain. He Is wise, knowing that you can't question life at every turn, but saying that life is just like a play is an analogy I can't seem to see. He starts yapping away at Alfred for no apparent reason, and killed someone during a play Just for the heck of it. Something's up with this guy†¦ Hamlet: Is only shown as dysfun ctional and crazy throughout the book. In all of his speaking parts, he is mad and always on the verge of losing it. Always needs attention but Is also smart for saving his whole life.Alfred: the puppy dog who doesn't have a say in things. He just follows orders and lets the cast dress him up however they want. He sort of defies the stereotypical actor, since he admits to not even enjoy acting. Typically when you think of actors, they enjoy their work, but Alfred deviates and doesn't. THEMES/SYMBOLISM completely pointless. None of the events are even doing anything to the entire plot, which sort of means that everything contributes to the work as a whole because Stoppard whole point is that life is sort of meaningless. The Boat: To Ross, it represents death.The Journey is so long that it feels like life is just a drag that goes on for eternity. It's also symbolic of losing your sight-not your actual vision- but your sight as in your goal or future. When nothing surrounds you but wat er, it's easy to lose touch with yourself and you can lose control of yourself quite easily. Coin Tossing: In everyday life, tossing a coin really doesn't mean much. Stoppard flips this entire idea around by making it a big deal in the book. It's almost as if Stoppard switched the roles of the important and non-important things in life and decided to IEEE things through the opposite lens.The coin tossing in this play means much more than Just getting lucky. It's actually the exact opposite. Its getting really really really unlucky, and the fact that it landed heads so many times shows how nothing is really chance-it's fate. It's so weird to think about because in the big picture, getting heads over 100 times in a row seems impossible. But wait-if you think again, it actually is possible. It Just so happens that the chances of it happening are so small that us humans tend to neglect that small chance of occurring because let's face it- hat's never going to happen to one of us.Stoppar d almost defies the law by addressing this . 0000001% chance and tells his audience that, essentially, everything means nothing and nothing means everything. Predestination: The whole concept of not having control of your own life is a controversial topic that Stoppard analyses in the play. He-Lillo! Stoppard puts it in the dang title for crying out loud! R know that they're going to die, so why don't they do something about it? The mental battle that R are in is that they really don't have anything to live for. Even if they go back, what are they even going back to?I think what Stoppard is trying to say is that some of the most absurd things in life (such as walking straight into your death sentence), may not be as absurd as it sounds. When you really look at it from a different perspective, what is it that you're living for? I think R never really fought over their fate not because they couldn't, but because they didn't want to. Stoppard takes a walk on the wild side by telling hi s audience that life sometimes can be ludicrous, but it's up to you to decide what exactly in your life is worth living for.

Global Business

Global Business Global Business-Operational Concerns Essay Indonesia is arguably the most populous Muslim-dominated democracy in the world and Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The administration has fought corruption and attempted to promote much-needed foreign direct investment. Despite this, the poor rule of law persists as a main hurdle to attracting resources. Indonesia is a member of the G-20 and a propelling force among the Association of Southeast Asian countries and consequently plays an increasing role in global economic policy deliberations. The increasingly diversified and contemporary economy has improved considerably from the recent financial crisis and recession (export.gov, 2013). Indonesia has embarked on a broad-range of transformations to tackle diverse structural challenges and enhance competitiveness. Latest reform programs have emphasized improvement of regulatory competence, improvement of regional competitiveness, and forming a more robust private sector through upgrading and modernization of the financial sect or (C.I.A.gov, 2013). Despite considerable progress, the country’s development potential remains weak and hindered by incompetent investment and legal regimes. For example, political meddling in the private sector economy dampens vibrant economic growth, and persistent corruption, aggravated by a fragile judicial system, increases business risk. In the first half of year 2012, the administration reintroduced trade and investment hurdles that comprise restrictions on banks and ownership. Engaging in local sales efforts The Indonesia market is full of rivalry from companies in the neighboring nations such as Japan Singapore, China, and Malaysia. This implies that local intelligence and knowledge is critical to fend of or match the intense competition and this favor a local or regional composition of the sales team. The county and the region in general have different and unique culture that is necessary for the sales people to understand since they will be interacting with different distribution outlets and local consumers (export.gov, 2013). Even though it may be feasible in a number of cases to supply directly to the administration or state-owned entities, local partnerships of agents, domestic offices or distribution agents are regularly important to success of sales projects and development. The social networks and infrastructure are key elements in the Indonesian society. People tend to buy from outlets or distribution chains owned and managed by friends, relatives or acquaintances. Using of for eign citizens to manage distribution will not auger well with the large majority and may keep away potential buyers. The social network, values and norms embrace the support of one another. The local distribution equally has the experience and intelligent of the market and can make entry for the energy drink. Research study by the export office shows that small and medium scale U.S. companies venturing in the Indonesian market enhance their chances of performance by engaging strong local distributors (export.gov, 2013). The U.S. Commercial Service Jakarta helps U.S. companies identify and qualify potential Indonesian representatives (export.gov, 2013). The infrastructure is generally fairly well developed at a rating of 4.2 on a 1-7 scale. Specific areas such as roads, railway, port and energy are at an average score meaning that the direct engagement in direct selling efforts may prove a big challenge. The Indonesian marketing professional and marketing aspects are well developed. The country is rated at about 70 percent in marketing development by the global competitive index 2013. This means that the local sales and marketing team is equal to the task and can manage the distribution, sales and marketing effectively. Undertaking local manufacturing operations Although Indonesia publicly embraces foreign direct investment, numerous investors, both local and foreign, face unpredictability in the investment regulations and inconsistent enforcement.

Importance of the Magna Carta to the US Constitution

Importance of the Magna Carta to the US Constitution The Magna Carta, meaning â€Å"Great Charter,† is one of the most influential political documents ever written: it is seen by many modern political scientists as the fundamental document for many of the governing laws of the west, including the United States. Originally issued in 1215 by King John of England as a way of dealing with his own political crisis, the Magna Carta was the first governmental decree establishing the principle that all people- including the king- were equally subject to the law.   Key Document in U.S. Political Foundations In particular, the Magna Carta had a significant impact on the American Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the constitutions of various U.S. states. Its influence is also reflected in the beliefs held by eighteenth-century Americans that the Magna Carta affirmed their rights against oppressive rulers. In keeping with colonial Americans general distrust of sovereign authority, most early state constitutions included declarations of rights retained by individual citizens and lists of protections of those citizens from the powers of the state government. Due in part to this conviction to individual liberty first embodied in the Magna Carta, the newly-formed United States also adopted the Bill of Rights. The American Bill of Rights Several of the natural rights and legal protections enumerated in both the state declarations of rights and the United States Bill of Rights descend from rights protected by Magna Carta. A few of these include: Freedom from unlawful searches and seizuresThe right to a speedy trialA right to a jury trial in both criminal and civil casesProtection from loss of life, liberty, or property without due process of law The exact phrase from the 1215 Magna Carta referring to â€Å"due process of law† is in Latin, but there are various translations. The British Library translation reads: â€Å"No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land.† In addition, many broader constitutional principles and doctrines have their roots in America’s eighteenth-century interpretation of the Magna Carta, such as the theory of representative government, the idea of a supreme law, a government based on a clear separation of powers, and the doctrine of judicial review of legislative and executive acts. Journal of the Continental Congress Evidence of the influence of the Magna Carta on the American system of government can be found in several key documents, including the Journal of the Continental Congress, which is the official record kept of the Congresss deliberations between May 10, 1775, and March 2, 1789. In September and October 1774, the delegates to the first Continental Congress drafted a Declaration of Rights and Grievances, in which the colonists demanded the same liberties guaranteed to them under â€Å"the principles of the English constitution, and the several charters or compacts.† They demanded self-government, freedom from taxation without representation, the right to a trial by a jury of their own countrymen, and their enjoyment of â€Å"life, liberty, and property† free from interference from the English crown. The Federalist Papers Written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay, and published anonymously between October 1787 and May 1788, the Federalist Papers were a series of eighty-five articles intended to build support for the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. Despite the widespread adoption of declarations of individual rights in state constitutions, several members of the Constitutional Convention generally opposed adding a bill of rights to the federal Constitution. In Federalist No. 84, published during the summer of 1788, Hamilton argued against the inclusion of a bill of rights, stating: â€Å"Here, in strictness, the people surrender nothing; and as they retain everything they have no need of particular reservations.† In the end, however, the Anti-Federalists prevailed and the Bill of Rights- based largely on the Magna Carta- was appended to the Constitution in order to secure its final ratification by the states. The Bill of Rights as Proposed As originally proposed to Congress in 1791, there were twelve amendments to the constitution. These were strongly influenced by the state of Virginia’s Declaration of Rights of 1776, which in turn incorporated a number of the protections of the Magna Carta. As a ratified document, the Bill of Rights included five articles directly reflecting these protections: Protection from unreasonable searches and seizures (4th),  Protection of rights to life, liberty, and property (5th),  Rights of accused persons in criminal cases (6th),  Rights in civil cases (7th), and  Other rights kept by the people (8th).   History of the Magna Carta King John I (also known as John Lackland, 1166–1216) ruled England, Ireland and sometimes Wales and Scotland between 1177–1216. His predecessor and brother Richard I had spent much of the kingdoms wealth on the crusades: and in 1200, John himself had lost lands in Normandy, ending the Andevin Empire. In 1209, after an argument with Pope Innocent III  over who should be the archbishop of Canterbury, John was excommunicated from the church. John needed to pay money to get back in Popes good graces, and he wanted to wage war and get back his lands in Normandy, so as sovereigns were wont to do, he increased already-heavy taxes on his subjects. The English barons fought back, forcing a meeting with the king at Runnymede near Windsor on June 15, 1215. At this meeting, King John was coerced into signing the Great Charter which protected some of their basic rights against royal actions. After some modifications, the charter known as the magna carta libertatum (great charter of liberties) became part of the law of the land of England in 1297 under the reign of Edward I.  Ã‚   Key Provisions of the Magna Carta Following are some of the key items that were included in the 1215 version of the Magna Carta: Habeas corpus, known as the right to due process, said that free men could only be imprisoned and punished after lawful judgment by a jury of their peers.Justice could not be sold, denied, or delayed.Civil lawsuits did not have to be held in the kings court.The Common Council had to approve the amount of money that vassals had to pay instead of having to serve in the military (called scutage) along with any aid that could be requested from them with only three exceptions, but in all cases, the aid had to be reasonable. This basically meant that John could no longer tax without the agreement of his Council.If the King wanted to call the Common Council, he had to give the barons, church officials, landowners, sheriffs, and bailiffs 40 days notice that included a stated purpose for why it was being called.For commoners, all fines had to be reasonable so that their livelihood could not be taken away. Further, any offense that a commoner was said to have committed had to be sworn to by go od men from the neighborhood. Bailiffs and constables could not appropriate peoples possessions.London and other cities were given the right to collect customs.The king could not have a mercenary army. In feudalism, the barons were the army. If the king had his own army, he would have the power to do what he wanted against the barons.Inheritances were guaranteed to individuals with the amount of what today we would call inheritance tax being set in advance.As stated previously, the king himself had to follow the law of the land. Up until the Magna Carta’s creation, British monarchs enjoyed supreme rule. With the Magna Carta, the king, for the first time, was not allowed to be above the law. Instead, he had to respect the rule of law and not abuse his position of power. Location of Documents Today There are four known copies of the Magna Carta in existence today. In 2009, all four copies were granted UN World Heritage status. Of these, two are located at the British Library, one is at Lincoln Cathedral, and the last is at Salisbury Cathedral. Official copies of the Magna Carta were reissued in later years. Four were issued in 1297 which King Edward I of England affixed with a wax seal. One of these is currently located in the United States. Conservation efforts were recently completed to help preserve this key document. It can be seen at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., along with the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights.   Updated by Robert Longley Resources and Further Reading Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774 to 1789. Digital Collections. Library of Congress.The Federalist Papers. Congress.gov.  Howard, A. E. Dick. Magna Carta: Text and Commentary, 2nd ed. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1998.Linebaugh, Peter. The Magna Carta Manifesto: Liberties and Commons for All. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009Magna Carta 1215: Transcript in English and Latin. The British Library.  Hamilton, Alexander. Certain General and Miscellaneous Objections to the Constitution Considered and Answered. Federalist Papers 84. New York: McLeans, July 16–August 9, 1788Vincent, Nicholas. The clauses of Magna Carta. The British Library, March 13, 2015.  The Virginia Declaration of Rights. National Archives.

Rape, what to do while being raped, and reporting rape Essay

Rape, what to do while being raped, and reporting rape - Essay Example This paper is going to discuss what to do and how to report rape so that the rapist can be convicted for his shameful act. The main instinct would be to scream, shout, kick, punch and yell at the rapist. This helps when you are in crowd and your shouting may bring help to you. When you start getting the feeling in the first place that somebody is trying to harass you sexually by touching or through any other cues, you must first of all tell him loudly to leave you alone or shout â€Å"Help†. Then if you are attacked, then it is natural that you will and have to shout for your sake. Kick him in his groin hard enough to get his hands off you. But what if you are in a desolate place? Rapists like deserted places where the victims cannot call for help or where there are no witnesses. In that case, screaming will do no good and the better thing would be to submit to the rapist to keep him from getting more violent and hurting you more. Men usually like to see terror they cause in women’s eyes and they enjoy it. So, when there is no help around, it would be better to stay calm so that you can come up with some idea to end this up. But if you decide to fight which is natural, then hit the rapist if you have something sharp in your hand like a bottle or anything you can grab and hit that will make him change his mind from continuing. Another good tip is that you should pretend as if you are going to vomit on the rapist’s face (Crislip). You can also try biting his hands or ears which will cause him enough pain to get off you. You can also tell him that you are suffering from AIDS! After knowing this, he will sure ly not wish to rape you or will discontinue even in the middle of the rape. Though vulgar to state here, but a sure tip to get him off you is to grab his scrotum and squeeze it hard till he yells for his life. You can do this by pretending as if you are enjoying the act and then grabbing his sensitive area and hurting it hard. Whether you

Comprehensive classroom management plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Comprehensive classroom management plan - Essay Example Philosophical Statement I believe that an effective classroom management puts into consideration the unique individual capability in need of a safe, supportive, and a motivating environment in which to improve socially, emotionally, and intellectually towards building a successful career. It is my wish as a professional educator to assist my students to reach their full potentials by providing the conducive and supportive environment, which encourage the sharing of various classroom and coursework ideas. I expect the students in my classroom to have diversified levels of learning desires in their preferred areas. I feel that a learning community is in a way that the students, teachers and parents, uncover an environment that encourages a positive student-teacher relationship and effective parent-teacher relations. It is my responsibility to ensure that there is no student isolated from accessing equal education in my classroom. Equally significant to students’ self-esteem and self-empowerment is have an opportunity to contribute towards relevant issues in classroom meetings. Scheduling regular classroom meetings helps identify individual student needs fostering confidence and support among students. Inviting students’ dialogue about what affects them and their contributions on the learning process contributes to learning directed towards the students’ needs and interests. I believe group work is a key to a supportive learning process in a classroom. My profession is engrossed to ensuring that individual students potential are nurtured efficiently and provide an environment that encourages talent growth for students academically, socially, and psychologically. I see my role as an educator as ensuring that course content knowledge is transferred to students. Moreover, I am committed cultivating the students’ critical thoughts capabilities by providing the relevant information and will strive towards instilling curiosity among students, which will create a challenging learning environment. Classroom Arrangement General classroom arrangement is as shown in the classroom map below, designed to ensure minimal distractions and a spacious student seating arrangement for ease of movement. On entering the classroom, the first thing the students see the bulletin placed direct situated directly to the entrance. This sets students mind on what to expect for the day such as lecture topic, assignments, and classroom meetings. On the entrance, a tray containing common commodities such as pencil sharpeners whereby students can pick one in case they left their sharpeners home. The carpet on the floor brings a sense of comfort to the students setting a comfortable learning environment (Fraser, 2012). The bags and other student belongings are packed at the back of the classroom to minimize distractions and ease movement. The desks are spacious and easily accessible to all students including those with physical disabilities (Hallah an et al, 2012). Several resources are strategically arranged in the classroom to facilitate studies and research carried by the students. The computers are placed on close to the walls to

Richard Pascale (the person who known as Honda Effect) Essay

Richard Pascale (the person who known as Honda Effect) - Essay Example The four dimensions incorporate the management of past, present and future. In addition to these dimensions, there is also the need for strategic intent as well as the need for agility on the management part as these are what will drive the sustainability of the organization in the future. Power is constant in the present and future, but the learning and identity development which was carried out in the past should be added on in the present as well as in the future. Contention will always be present and hence strategies to handle these conflicts should keep on being developed. Pascale further explains that not all moves an organization makes are calculated or based on years of positive research findings. He advocates for flexibility in the management as there is no on definite prescription to success. This is evident in the Honda story where they stumbled upon success in the US market despite market research eliciting negative findings. Sometimes success simply comes because of a series of unplanned effects but the most important thing is to be prepared to handle it once it comes and strategize on sustaining or even increasing it further (Pascal, 2000). The 7s theory model is relevant in all organizations and should be implemented by management. These include: style, strategy, skills, staff, shared values, structure as well as systems. The concepts mentioned briefly above are summarized in the table below and they all focus on using the past strategies to establish the present and build on the future. They are simply a guideline to the managers by Pascale for every organization on how to ensure that they not only succeed but they sustain the success in the future. Further issues to think about in management are the attitudes of the managers towards their jobs, employees and competitors. The job attitude matters a lot and especially for the new generation of managers whose patience is not their strongest

The Story Of Josie King Health And Social Care Essay

The Story Of Josie King Health And Social Care Essay The story of Josie King is one that shook the hospital health care system in 2001. Josie King was an 18 month-old that died from complications of treatment at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. Josie was originally admitted to the hospital with second and third degree burns over 60 percent of her body. During care, Josie had received a lethal dose of methadone after which she died as a result of a cardiac arrest. As a result of this sentinel event, the Kings were awarded a settlement which they refused. Josies mother Sorrel wanted everyone to know what happened to her baby. Sorrel King has written an inspiring memoir Josies Story and has created a patient-safety program at Hopkins in addition to a foundation devoted to reducing medical errors. Sorrel King now advocates for patient and families affected by medical errors, and provide lectures to medical professionals countrywide. (www.josieking.org.) Medical errors have and continue to be an enormous problem in health care. Patients die from the wrong drug or wrong dosage, or perhaps an infection that could have been prevent with better hygiene practices. More attention was placed on the issue of medical errors in 2000 when the Institute of Medicine made available the well-known report titled To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. The report documented evidence of an estimated 44,000 people and as many as 98,000 people dying in hospitals from medical errors each year in the United States (IOM, 1999). Of the many medical errors, medication errors happen to be one that can not be overemphasized. Medication use have been found to account for at least 20 percent of adverse events in patients in hospitals. Out of every hundred medication orders, there is an occurrence of five adverse drug events (Tam, 2005). Malpractice claims due to adverse drug events can have negative effects on the hospital and the health care providers. The hospital and health care providers can have their reputation damaged, thousands of dollars are spent for the losses, there is time lost from work, not to mention the emotional stress involved (Rothschild et. al, 2002). The cost of preventable medication errors has been estimated between 17 and 29 billion dollars annually (Strohecker, 2003). As such, due to these alarming statistics, this paper focuses on some of the potential risks of medication errors, and some recommended interventions that can be implemented to help curb the incidence of medication errors. What is a medication error? A medication error is defined as any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer (Oren, 2003). The terms adverse drug events and medication errors though used interchangeably do not necessarily mean the same thing. An adverse drug event is an undesirable reaction after a drug administration that is not necessarily caused by the drug. Adverse drug events include adverse drug reactions and medication errors. Medication errors may lead to actual or potential adverse events. The potential adverse events are often termed near misses. For example, if a medication overdose is administered accidentally, it would be a medication error and not described as an adverse drug reaction (Oren, 2003). Potential Risks of Medication Errors Many of the factors leading to medication error are unfortunately human related (Etchells, et. al, 2008). A survey of 983 nurses working in acute care hospitals reported that among the many factors that would contribute to medical errors, illegible hand written prescriptions, distraction from the environment, exhaustion and stress happened to be the most weighted (Mayo Duncan, 2004). A study by Hodgkinson et.al that sought strategies to reduce medication errors cited the most common reason of medication error was due to the lack of drug information by the multidisciplinary team (2006). Inexperience and or lack of knowledge of the drug could lead to the physician ordering the wrong dose, the pharmacist incorrectly mixing the medication with the right concentration, and the nurse administering the medication with the wrong route such as giving an intramuscular injection instead of subcutaneously (Etchells, et. al, 2008). While human error is very important to consider, it is equally important to analyze the context in which errors can occur such as the clinical environment and patient population. The type of clinical setting in a hospital can be more prone to medication errors than others due to the patient population with respect to the severity of their illness, and number and type of medications needed to be administered. Critical care units for example, tend to be at a higher risk for medication errors. Critical care units provide for very sick patients who need to be attended to without delay, may require consults from various providers, and receive twice as many medications as compared to patients on general medical floors. Patients in intensive care experience an average of 1.7 medical errors each day. Medication errors are the most common type or error and account for 78 percent of serious medical errors in critical care (Camire et. al, 2009). In addition to the patients in critical care, pediatrics and the elderly also tend to be at high risk for medication errors since there require many medications when sick. Pediatric patients in particular tend to be very sensitive to most medications hence the need to calculate most of their medication dosages by weight (King, 2003). The least miscalculation could lead to an adverse drug event. Older adult populations, on the other hand, take many prescription medications for their chronic illnesses which need scrutiny to avoid contraindications (ANJ, 2009). However, regardless of whether the patient may be at risk of experiencing a medication error or not, all medication administration must ideally follow the seven rights which include the right patient, right medication, right dose, right time, right route, right reason, and right documentation (Schaeffer, 2009). Another factor which may influence the safety of medication administration involves medication reconciliation. When patients list of home medications and allergies are not collected upon admission, a medication error can occur when a medication being taken regularly at home is not continued during the hospital stay. If the patients medication reconciliation is not complete, the physician would not have full knowledge of the medications that the patients would need to be restarted on after being transferred or discharged from the hospital. At times there may be an oversight on the part of the prescribing physicians where brand and generic medication names are concerned. A physician may also duplicate order a medication that the patient may already be taking at home, and at times order an incorrect dosage (Landro, 2006). In recent times, there have been technological influences in health care, where there has been an effort to get rid of the paper documentation but the transition is not that complete. Many hospitals still document on paper and still creating the risk of medication errors by the use of error prone medication abbreviations. During transcription of written orders, the use of abbreviations can cause errors if not interpreted correctly. American Health Association News mentions a study discussed in the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, medication errors that were reported to the national database made up 5 percent of all errors that occurred as a result of incorrect interpretation of abbreviations used during prescribing (2007). In this same study, an analysis of 30,000 abbreviations related- medication errors reported to the United States Pharmacopeias database was made. Most of the errors consisting 81 percent were made during the writing of prescriptions. The abbr eviation QD used in place of once daily was found to have caused more errors; 43.1 percent than any other abbreviation. The Joint Commission has a national safety goals report that include a do not use list of abbreviations that hospitals and other healthcare organizations can use as a reference (AHA News, 2007) Medication Error Risk Reduction Strategies In addition to the modified traditional seven rights for medication administration, hospitals are instituting additional evidence-based practices. According to an article in the ACCN monthly publication, the implementation of six best practice procedures for medication administration designed by the California Nursing Outcomes Coalition (CalNOC) significantly improved accuracy (2010). In this study, participating hospitals showed an 80.5 percent improvement in adherence to CalNOC best practices and an 81.4 percent score for combined administration accuracy and best practice improvements. The CalNOC six best practices include: compare medication to medical record, keep medication labeled until administration, check two forms of patient identification, immediately record medication administration in the chart, explain the medication to the patient, and minimize distractions and disruptions during the administration process (ACCN, 2010). Another technological invention to help reduce medication errors are the smart infusion pumps. These smart pumps have built-in danger alerts, clinical calculators, and drug libraries including information on the standardized concentrations of commonly used drugs. Though smart pumps have been designed to prevent mistakes, it only works for high alert intravenous medications. In cases where the smart pumps are not used appropriately, its purpose is not served. In a controlled trial study of smart infusion pumps, nurses were found to routinely ignore danger alerts and drug libraries as much as 25 percent of the time, sometimes administrating medications such as propofol, insulin, and heparin at rates 10 times as high as those ordered (Rothschild et.al, 2005). Smart pumps can work exceptionally and prevent errors if alerts are paid attention to used appropriately. The computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system is another technology that has been found to significantly decrease the danger of illegible handwritten orders and the need for transcription. According to Bates et. al, out of the approximately 28 percent of preventable adverse drug events are associated with medication errors, 56 percent occurred during prescribing (Bates, et. al, 1998).The computerized physician order entry (CPOE), computer based system where all orders are electronically written helps to ensure accuracy of writing orders. Most of these CPOE are accompanied by a Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) which provides automatic alert to prescriber on drugs or doses that are contraindicated with the patients age, allergies, condition, and or diagnosis. Review of a systematic study by Kaushal et. al on the effects of CPOE with CDSS showed a considerable decline in the rates of medication errors (2003). A study at the Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston on the effect of CPOE on prevention of serious medication errors showed that the use of the CPOE system caught on to half the possible errors that may have lead to deleterious effects. The study showed a reduction in all the stages of the process; from ordering to dispensing to administration (Bates et.al, 1998). CPOE therefore proven to hold some promise as an intervention to improve patient safety but would require further data of the benefits of costs before implementation. Bar coding is another technological intervention that has been shown to decrease the rate of medication administration errors. Bar coding can alienate the possibility of nurses administrating medications without having a documented order. With bar coding, each time a physician ordered a medication, the order is automatically transmitted to the pharmacy where a unique bar code is generated. After verification of the order by the pharmacist, the labeled medications are sent to the floor/unit. The nurses who have to administer the medication would then have to scan the bar code on the patient identification band against the labels on the medications for comparison. Bar coding has shown to reduce medication errors by more than 50 percent, thus preventing preventable adverse drug events (Wright et.al, 2005). The Veterans Affairs hospital led the way in 1999 instituting a national bar coding program. Within a year of initiation the VA hospital documented a 24 percent decrease in the rate of medication-administration errors (Wright et. al, 2005). Although the ultimate goal is to protect patients, bar coding could also save hospitals lots of money. The average adverse event costs extra hospital days and additional services, not to mention the cost of litigation. Like every other measure there would be disadvantages for using bar coding, but once more research can show that the benefits outweigh the costs, more hospitals can join the increasing number of institutions that have embraced this technology. With medication errors responsible for many lost lives yearly, new national patient-safety standards require hospitals to have a mandatory formal medication reconciliation process for every patient admitted into the hospital. Medication reconciliation would take effect during the patients admission process and involves the recording of a patients allergies and thorough collection of all the patients home medications including over the counter drugs. This routine has been found to reduce medication duplication and avoid the effects of contraindication while the patients are hospitalized. This also aids the physicians on what medications to discharge the patient with. During the medication reconciliation process the need to educate the patients and their families is also import. Patients and families have to understand the rationale behind keeping handy a list of all their medications and being able to provide the list especially in emergent situations (Landro, 2006). Summary This paper has reviewed research on medication errors in hospitals with an emphasis on the prevalence, risk factors, and strategies to prevent errors from occurring. Although the immediate cause of medication errors is often as the result of human error, the majority of errors can be attributed to system failures made worse by the increasing complexity of patient care. A medication error can cause devastating results, threaten patients lives, and affect a providers confidence and job security. Hospitals also tend loose lots of money in malpractice law suits. The wide range of pharmaceutical products and dramatically changing technology adds to the complex situation. Many strategies including the CPOE and CDSS, smart pumps, and bar coding among other strategies have already been implemented by few hospitals. Research shows that these strategies that have been implemented targeting the reduction of medication errors have been found to be promising. However, due to the complexity of pat ient care, both human and technological influence may be able to control but never be able to completely put to death medication errors.

Digital Image Alteration and Photojournalist Ethics in China and USA Es

Digital Image Alteration and Photojournalist Ethics in China and USA Introduction Photography is a process where lights are recorded through chemical means(by film) or by an electronic device such as digital sensor. The resulting photograph represents a optically realistic portrait of a specific event at a specific location and time. This connection to reality allows people place a significant amount of trust on photographs and coined the phrase "the camera does not lie." Thus, photographs are used heavily in news reporting as a proof that a certain event has occurred. Recently, news agencies have begin to digitize their photographic process. Using digital photography allows journalists to send their pictures to the editor with faster speed and better reliability than using film. However, digital images are easily modifiable. People or objects may be added, rearranged, reversed, distorted or removed from a scene. Colors and brightness may be adjusted. Pictures can be sharpened or blurred. Yet, when a picture is altered, its link to reality, to that particular even t, may be weakened or completely severed. To many people, this is a form of deception by the news agency to the public because people assume that photograph is a faithful representation of an event. In addition, these changes are difficult to detect since there is no physical negatives to inspect. The public can only rely on the news editorial board to perform as they promised-- to uphold journalist integrity and to report facts as accurately as they can While news editors have a duty to report news truthfully ,they also have to deal with publishing constraints. Editors are constantly tempted to alter the picture to fit the layout, deliver pictures with stronger ... ...oynter Online. 2 Apr. 2003.http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=28082 New York Times, Guideline on Our Integrity, December 2000, http://www.asne.org/index.cfm?id=408 Tung-chiang Ch'iu, Literary Inquisition, Banned Books and "The Series of Si Ku Banned and Burned Books". http://www.lib.nccu.edu.tw/mag/admin/26/p28.html Guideline for Chinese News workers. http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2003-10-14/19271921005.shtml Identifying fake photographs. http://www.dpnet.com.cn/school/school_show_new.asp?id=1491 Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Virtue Ethics. 18, July 2003.http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue/ Kieran, Mathew. Media Ethics New York, NY: Routledge, 1998. Olen, Jeffrey. Ethics in Journalism Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998. Kieran, Mathew. Media Ethics: A Philosophical Approach Westport, CT: Praeger, 1997.

Applying Servqual to Web Sites: an Exploratory Study

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management Emerald Article: Applying SERVQUAL to Web sites: an exploratory study Jos van Iwaarden, Ton van der Wiele, Leslie Ball, Robert Millen Article information: To cite this document: Jos van Iwaarden, Ton van der Wiele, Leslie Ball, Robert Millen, (2003),†Applying SERVQUAL to Web sites: an exploratory study†, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 20 Iss: 8 pp. 919 – 935 Permanent link to this document: http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/02656710310493634 Downloaded on: 27-01-2013References: This document contains references to 26 other documents Citations: This document has been cited by 25 other documents To copy this document: [email  protected] com This document has been downloaded 2679 times since 2005. * Users who downloaded this Article also downloaded: * Jos van Iwaarden, Ton van der Wiele, Leslie Ball, Robert Millen, (2003),†Applying SERVQUAL to Web sites: an exploratory studyà ¢â‚¬ , International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 20 Iss: 8 pp. 919 – 935 http://dx. doi. org/10. 108/02656710310493634 Jos van Iwaarden, Ton van der Wiele, Leslie Ball, Robert Millen, (2003),†Applying SERVQUAL to Web sites: an exploratory study†, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 20 Iss: 8 pp. 919 – 935 http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/02656710310493634 Jos van Iwaarden, Ton van der Wiele, Leslie Ball, Robert Millen, (2003),†Applying SERVQUAL to Web sites: an exploratory study†, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 20 Iss: 8 pp. 919 – 935 http://dx. doi. org/10. 1108/02656710310493634Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by UCSI EDUCATION SDN BHD For Authors: If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service. Information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www. emeraldinsight. com/authors for more information. About Emerald www. emeraldinsight. com With over forty years' experience, Emerald Group Publishing is a leading independent publisher of global research with impact in business, society, public policy and education.In total, Emerald publishes over 275 journals and more than 130 book series, as well as an extensive range of online products and services. Emerald is both COUNTER 3 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. *Related content and download information correct at time of download. The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at http://www. emeraldinsight. com/researchregister The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at http://www. emeraldinsight. om/0265-671X. htm NEW RESEARCH Applying SERVQUAL to Web sites: an exploratory study Applying SERVQUAL 919 Jos van Iwaarden and Ton van der Wiele Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and Leslie Ball and Robert Millen Received August 2002 Revised December 2002 Accepted December 2002 Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA Keywords Worldwide Web, SERVQUAL, Electronic commerce Abstract In an effort to identify the quality factors perceived to be most important in relation to the use of Web sites, a survey was undertaken. The questionnaire utilized was based on the SERVQUAL instrument that identi? s ? ve quality dimensions in service environments. The results indicate that the quality dimensions found applicable in the service sector are also applicable to Web sites. The items that have been identi? ed as most important in relation to the quality of Web sites are tangibles (the appearance of the Web site, navigation, search options, and structure), reliability (the abi lity to judge the trustworthiness of the offered service and the organization performing the service), responsiveness (the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service), assurance (the ability of the Web site to convey trust and con? ence in the organisation behind it with respect to security and privacy), and empathy (the provision of caring, individualized attention to customers, including user recognition and customization). Introduction In the early 1990s three technologies (communications speed, memory capacity, and computer speed) were rapidly growing in terms of capabilities they had for over 20 years. However, their combined S-curve growths suddenly enabled one of the greatest technology revolutions ever seen – the explosion of the Internet.Originally designed as an information conduit, entrepreneurs soon saw the great power of a selling channel that enabled browsing, selecting, and buying without leaving the comfort of the home. Businesses realized that t hey could interact directly with other businesses over the Internet, as well. Additionally, government agencies caught on and began delivering services online, collecting payments for licenses and taxes, providing information, etc. The history of this explosion is well documented as both computer and Internet use have increased substantially in the past few years (US Department of Commerce, 2002).Since 1997 computer use has grown at a rate of 5. 3 percent on an annualized basis. Internet use has grown at a rate of 20 percent per year since 1998, and in the 13 months prior to the September 2001 survey by the US Department of Commerce, over 26 million more Americans went online. The authors are thankful to all anonymous referees for their valuable comments. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management Vol. 20 No. 8, 2003 pp. 919-935 q MCB UP Limited 0265-671X DOI 10. 1108/02656710310493634 IJQRM 20,8 920While there is a great talk about the â€Å"digital divide†, t he US Department of Commerce reported that 54 percent (or 143 million Americans) have access to the Internet in their homes and that nearly 100 percent of the US population has access through schools and libraries. Thousands of companies were formed to sell goods and services over the Internet during this period creating the â€Å"New Economy†. Subsequently, many of those companies are now gone as witnessed by the huge number of bankruptcies (Baldwin, 2002). Different experts might de? e e-commerce differently, but most agree on one thing: the sector represents a growing piece of the overall commerce pie, and its share is expected to increase steadily – though gradually – over the next ? ve years. Various parties have forecast different results. For example, Forrester reports that online sales in the USA accounted for $51. 3 billion in revenue during 2001, and revenue for 2002 is expected to a total of $72. 1 billion, a 41 percent increase over the previous year (Hirsh, 2002). However, this accounts for only 2 percent of the overall retail spending.It has been predicted that this share will grow by about three-tenths of a percentage point each year through at least 2005, marking a slow but steady climb. As for e-commerce sales, another projection estimates that online revenue will total about $90 billion in 2002, $160-$170 billion in 2004, and $287. 9 billion by 2006 (Hirsh, 2002). The value of the Internet goes beyond adding another selling channel. Researchers at McKinsey and Company report that the retention of customers online is easier than in traditional â€Å"bricks and mortar† companies where the online company spends three to ? ve times less to retain them.Companies that retained customers exhibited traits of reliable basic operational execution. Their sites downloaded quickly; they responded to customer queries quickly; they delivered more than 95 percent of their orders on time; and they made it easy for customers to retu rn or exchange purchases. One company raised its on-time delivery rates from 60 to 90 percent, and cut customer churn in half (Agrawal et al. , 2001). The Internet also can play a pivotal role in enhancing brand relationships and corporate reputations. Nike, Disney, Coke, and Toyota are all well-established brands that drive us to search for and ? d their products. Branding is a critical component of the design of Web sites. It is about building a brand or corporate reputation to create relationships with customers (Chiagouris and Wansley, 2001). â€Å"Branding is rede? ned online,† says Caroline Riby, vice president-media director at Saatchi & Saatchi Rowland. â€Å"We are moving beyond representing a brand to experiencing it† (Chiagouris and Wansley, 2001). The Web site must capture the attention of those people who know nothing or very little about the company, but are interested in its category.It must also build awareness of what the company does within the contex t of the industry in which it is competing. Earlier Web sites were developed by large corporations, which required that they adhere to the corporate logo and color scheme, attach to the corporate databases, and comply with several other corporate requirements. This translated to high cost and signi? cant development time. Others (those created for â€Å"Mom and Pop† operations and early entrepreneurial operations), built over the weekend, did not connect to large databases, and had no standards. While the company was in operation fast, the sites were often unattractive and dif? ult to use. Is it not surprising that the companies that are most successful selling over the Internet are the former and not the later? Certainly, we can ? nd examples of the up-starts that have succeeded, but they have usually adapted to the model of the corporation that requires high standards. Just as in the bricks and mortar world, companies have to offer excellent service on the Web. Web sites wi ll become very important to companies as more products and services will be bought either over the Internet or by making use of the Internet before purchasing in a bricks and mortar store.Therefore, companies need to have Web sites that live up to customers’ expectations. The purpose of our research is to provide empirical evidence on the factors that contribute to the quality of Web sites. Our most important research questions are: . How do customers distinguish a good Web site from a bad one? . What factors determine the quality of a Web site? Customer satisfaction Companies offer quality to satisfy their customers (Dale, 1999). Because a Web site is part of the connection between a company and its customers, it is evident that it should re? ct the quality efforts that are in place throughout the company. Besides this reason there is another reason why a company should provide high quality Web sites to its customers: there is no human contact through Web sites. The interact ion via the Internet between a company and a customer is always through technology. This means the â€Å"moment of truth† between a company and a customer is the Web site. Although companies may try to emulate human behavior with technology, the interaction remains different because some aspects of human interaction cannot be replaced with technology, e. g. ourtesy, friendliness, helpfulness, care, commitment, ?exibility and cleanliness (Cox and Dale, 2001, 2002). The absence of these aspects of human interaction through which quality can be delivered to customers will have to be compensated by better performance on other quality factors or by excellent performance on â€Å"new† speci? c Web quality factors. A key aspect in customer satisfaction is the way a customer can attain satisfaction or dissatisfaction with a company’s service. If a company wants to satisfy its customers the ? rst question it needs to answer is what is it that Applying SERVQUAL 921 IJQRM 20,8 22 satis? es customers and, equally important, what is it that makes customers dissatis? ed with the company and its products and services. Satisfying customers depends on the balance between customers’ expectations and customers’ experiences with the products and services (Zeithaml et al. , 1990). When a company is able to lift a customer’s experience to a level that exceeds that customer’s expectations, then that customer will be satis? ed. Because customers have ever increasing expectations it is necessary for companies continuously to improve their quality and hence customers’ experiences with the company.The issue is what should be improved to keep the customers satis? ed. What customers experience is not just one simple aspect of a company, but a whole range of aspects. Some of these aspects are concerned with the way customers experience the company itself, some are concerned with the way customers experience the physical product and, ? nally, some are concerned with the way customers experience the service the company offers. Comparing customers’ expectations and their perceptions of actual performance can be done by making use of the SERVQUAL scale of Berry, Parasuraman and Zeithaml (Zeithaml et al. 1990). This scale has been developed for the service sector. It has ? ve generic dimensions or factors and are stated as follows: (1) Tangibles. Physical facilities, equipment and appearance of personnel. (2) Reliability. Ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. (3) Responsiveness. Willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. (4) Assurance (including competence, courtesy, credibility and security). Knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to inspire trust and con? dence. (5) Empathy (including access, communication, understanding the customer).Caring and individualized attention that the ? rm provides its customers. In the SERVQUAL instrument, 22 statements m easure the performance across these ? ve dimensions. For each statement, the expectation and the experience of a customer is determined. There is some criticism on the long-term stability of the results of the SERVQUAL scale (Lam and Woo, 1997) and on the general applicability of the ? ve dimensions (Buttle, 1996; Crosby and LeMay, 1998). Although alternative models have been proposed for the measurement of service quality, e. . SERVPERF (Cronin and Taylor, 1992), the SERVQUAL scale has been widely used by academics and practitioners to measure service quality. Therefore, this model has been used as a point of reference in this paper. SERVQUAL dimensions in relation to e-business Tangibles Examples of the tangibles factor are â€Å"has up-to-date equipment†, â€Å"physical facilities are visually appealing† and â€Å"materials are visually appealing†. These aspects might be even more important in e-business as there is no face-to-face contact between the custome r and an employee.The visual aspects of the equipment (i. e. the Web site) are the only visual contact between a customer and an organization. Therefore, the need to have well functioning and good-looking Web sites is paramount. There are a great number of customers who abandon their shopping carts on the Internet because they get frustrated with the technology, or the design and lay out of the Web site interface (Hager and Elliot, 2001). The visual aspects of Web sites are also judged differently by the people of different age. While young people may be attracted by ? shy graphics, sounds and a high-speed interface, older people do not want blinking texts that are hard to read or animations that distract from the use of the Web site (Houtman, 2002). Although a number of Web sites offer users the opportunity to customise the Web site to their needs, this customization process is mostly aimed at the content of the Web site and not at the graphics, animations and sounds. Reliability S ome of the aspects in the reliability factor have to do with â€Å"doing what is promised† and â€Å"doing it at the promised time†.Although many organizations seem to think that the major reason why customers shop via the Internet is because of the low prices, this does not always need to be the case. Some organizations found out the hard way that there are also a lot of customers shopping via the Internet because of convenience considerations (Riseley and Schehr, 2000). If customers cannot trust an organization to do what they ask, those customers will be dissatis? ed. Priceline, for example, ran into big problems by the end of 2000 because of its focus on the lowest prices. People could buy a plane ticket at a very low price, but because of possible inconvenient ? ing times there was a big risk for customers. This resulted in dissatis? ed customers who were happy to trade off Priceline’s discounts for the convenience of a competitor (Riseley and Schehr, 2000) . Responsiveness One of the aspects in the responsiveness factor is â€Å"gives prompt service†. The amount of time it takes to download a Web page appears to be of great importance to the users of the Internet. Research in 1999 found that fewer than 10 percent of users leave a Web site if page response time is kept below 7 s. However, when it rises above 8 s, 30 percent of users leave.When delays exceed 12 s, a staggering 70 percent of users leave a Web site (Cox and Dale, 2001, 2002). It can be assumed that people expect Web sites to be even more quicker than in 1999 because of the technological advances. Thus, it is very important Applying SERVQUAL 923 IJQRM 20,8 924 for organizations to have a Web site that is quick, but on the other hand users expect Web sites to be visually appealing. As the number and size of animations, pictures and sounds increase to make a Web page more visually appealing, the time it takes to download that Web page will also increase, which is judg ed negatively by users.Hence, there is a trade-off between the looks of a Web site and the speed of that site. Organizations will have to try to ? nd the right balance between good looks and speed. The trade-off between looks and speed is complicated by companies’ demand that their Web sites convey the corporate image (Manning et al. , 1998). The design department of a company wants Web pages to be easily recognisable as belonging to that company. In their view, Web pages have to display company and product logos as well as other graphics that underscore the corporate identity.These graphics add to the overall size of Web pages and thereby increase the download time for Internet users. It is questionable whether users are willing to accept slower pages in return for more logos and graphics that do not improve the functionality of the Web site (although they might improve the visual appeal). Assurance One of the aspects in the assurance factor is â€Å"knowledge to answer que stions†. Customers expect to ? nd everything they want on a Web site. In a bricks and mortar store, people feel comfortable with a limited inventory. On the Internet, people are not satis? ed if they cannot ? nd everything they want.Web shops need to have great depth of inventory and rich and relevant product information (Dayal et al. , 2002). Two other aspects in the assurance factor are â€Å"employees can be trusted† and â€Å"feel safe in your transactions with employees†. First, there is the risk for users to share personal information with an organization they do not know. Research on this topic (Statistical Research Inc. , 2001) shows that at least 50 percent of users are very concerned about: misuse of credit card information given over the Internet; selling or sharing of personal information by Web site owners; and cookies that track customers’ Internet activity.Second, the same research shows that two-thirds of active Web users typically abandon a site that requests personal information and one in ? ve has entered false information to gain access to a Web site. Aspects in the assurance factor that could be very important in e-business are (Daughtrey, 2001): . availability of a formal privacy and con? dentiality policy on a Web site; . secured access to a Web site (that customers are prompted to acknowledge); . general reputation of supplier; . certi? cations or guarantees of assurance; and . reports of experiences of other customers.The ? rst aspect in this list is also acknowledged by the International Organization for Standardisation in Geneva. The Code of Practice for Information Security Management (ISO/IEC 17799:2000) provides a basis for establishing and maintaining the means of handling sensitive data (Daughtrey, 2001). Certi? cations and guarantees of assurance are also important in e-business. More and more organizations are trying to obtain certi? cation by an objective, consensus-based standard, just as they did earlier with quality management standards (Daughtrey, 2001).These organizations are becoming aware of the advantages of such certi? cation in relation to customers’ trust in these organizations. Empathy In the dimension of empathy there are several aspects that are usually not found on a Web site. Because of the fact that there is no human interaction, Web sites normally do not offer personal attention. To achieve this, a number of Web sites have a design that can be personalized by the users of these sites, so people can have their own version of the Web site. This kind of Web site design is aimed at giving users the experience of getting personal attention.The idea is that the more a Web site is tailored to a particular customer’s needs, the more likely that customer will return again and again (The Economist, 2001). The most advanced technologies in this area aim to create a face-to-virtual-face interaction. A friendly looking face of a virtual assistant on your scr een is supposed to make customers feel more comfortable. With the use of arti? cial intelligence, the virtual assistant can suggest products or services that might be of interest to a customer based on previous purchases and on reactions to the questions of the virtual assistant.The latter possibility of asking users of a Web site questions via a virtual assistant will enable companies to tailor their offerings to the wishes of the user to prevent customer dissatisfaction. The only purpose of all these technological gadgets is to add one of the Web’s key missing ingredients: warmth (The Economist, 2001). Other aspects It seems that most of the dimensions and aspects that have been de? ned for general service environments are also important in e-business. Besides the ? ve dimensions as de? ned by Zeithaml et al. (1990), empirical evidence might come up with more speci? c dimensions related to e-business.Some preliminary research has been done in this area (Cox and Dale, 2001, 2002; Fink and Laupase, 2000; Schubert and Dettling, 2001; Wan, 2000), but no de? nitive results have been attained. Hence, more research is needed (Zeithaml, 2002). Research methodology The research was conducted by means of a questionnaire survey. Employment of this approach provides a relatively easy means to study the perceptions and Applying SERVQUAL 925 IJQRM 20,8 926 opinions of a large group of people in a limited time frame and at low costs. The survey was undertaken with the student population at Northeastern University (NEU), Boston, USA.Students were expected to be familiar with e-business and the Internet. Students received an e-mail with a hyperlink to the Web site containing the questionnaire allowing them to respond to the questionnaire electronically and to submit by clicking a button. The purpose of the questionnaire survey was to develop empirical evidence on the quality factors of Web sites that are important to people who are familiar with the Internet and frequ ent Internet users. The survey comprised the following questions: . personal information (gender, age, academic discipline); . respondents’ use of Internet (equipment, frequency of use); . peci? c Web sites that are visited by respondents (a prede? ned list of 20 categories of Web sites); and . aspects of Web quality (a prede? ned list of 50 aspects). The core of the questionnaire consists of the list of aspects of Web quality. For every aspect we ask the respondent to indicate the importance of that aspect and at the same time we ask for their satisfaction with that aspect. The structure of the questions is based on the SERVQUAL scale (Zeithaml et al. , 1990). The aspects have been de? ned according to the categories of the model developed by Cox and Dale (2001, 2002) and are as follows: clarity of purpose; . design; . communication; . reliability; . service and frequently asked questions; . accessibility and speed; . product or service choice; . order con? rmation; . produc t purchase; . user recognition; . extra service; and . frequent buyer incentives. For each of these categories a number of aspects have been de? ned in the questionnaire. The questionnaire has been discussed with experts in the ? eld of quality management and a pilot study has been conducted amongst a small number of students. This lead to an improved questionnaire which has been used for the esearch presented in this paper. Survey results Sample and response rate All students who obtained a university e-mail account at NEU (approximately 6,000) received an e-mail about the study and the questionnaire. Responses were received from 293 students. The response rate for the direct mailings to students was rather low (approximately 5 percent of the number of e-mails sent out), although acceptable for this type of mailing. Applying SERVQUAL 927 Descriptive statistics In Tables I and II, the response sample is described in terms of gender and age, respectively.A comparison of the response sample with the total population at NEU leads to the conclusion that the response group is representative for the total population. The respondents were enrolled across many academic disciplines, and judged by the age of the respondents, most students were at the undergraduate level. Table III shows the respondents’ use of the Internet in terms of the quality of their own equipment. Overall the students are rather satis? ed with their equipment and do not seem to have problems with speed and download time. Table IV summarizes the frequencies of respondents’ Internet visits.They visit the Internet on an average 18 times per week, for about an hour per visit. So, it is clear that students make frequent use of the Internet. Male Female Total 104 188 292 Table I. Number of respondents by gender , 21 years 21-25 years 26-30 years 31-35 years . 35 years Total 192 71 19 4 7 293 Table II. Number of respondents by age PC Connection speed Printing from the Web Downloading from t he Web Notes: On a ? ve-point scale from very dissatis? ed to very satis? ed 3. 83 3. 59 3. 53 3. 57 Table III. Satisfaction of respondents with the equipment they use IJQRM 20,8 928 Table IV. The use of the WebIt is interesting to note the types of Web sites that are used most often by our respondents (Table V). The types of Web sites that are used most often are: search engines, university sites, daily news and entertainment sites. Web sites that are used less frequently are: e-shops and chat rooms. Sites with stock exchange information are not visited very often either. In Table VI (top ten) and Table VII (bottom ten) the importance (expectations) and the satisfaction (experiences) are summarized on prede? ned aspects related to the quality of Web sites. The top ten aspects seem to relate to reliability issues in pure e-commerce.Customers who buy a product on the Internet want Web sites and the organizations behind them to be trustworthy. E-commerce Web sites need to be fast, sim ple and always available. Customers want a clear overview and con? rmation of what they bought and what they have to pay for. Easy to ? nd desired Web site 3. 80 Easy to use Web page links 3. 92 Easy to ? nd relevant information 3. 38 Time spent on one site , 12 min Time on the Web per Internet visit , 60 min Number of Internet visits per week , 19 visits Note: If not indicated otherwise, on a ? ve-point scale from very dif? cult to very easy Mean Table V. Web sites ranked by requency of visits Search engines Daily newspapers Entertainment Universities Electronic libraries Personal Web sites Information portals Games Travel Sports Banking Company information E-shops Book stores Music stores Movie stores Second-hand products Stock exchange information Who is where Chat rooms Note: On a ? ve-point scale from never to once a day or more 4. 64 3. 63 3. 47 3. 38 3. 02 2. 99 2. 92 2. 82 2. 72 2. 62 2. 60 2. 58 2. 57 2. 41 2. 39 2. 27 2. 16 2. 02 1. 84 1. 76 Top ten with highest scores on importance Finding your way on the Web site is easya Access is fasta A complete overview of the order is presented before ? al purchase decisiona Tax and/or other charges are clearly detaileda The registration process is simplea Access to anticipated delivery times is available at all timesa All relevant order con? rmation details sent by e-maila Order cancellation and returns details are con? rmed within three daysa Order-tracking details are available until deliverya There are well programmed search optionsa Importance Satisfaction mean mean Delta S-I 4. 61 4. 60 3. 44 3. 31 2 1. 17 2 1. 29 4. 55 4. 50 4. 50 4. 46 4. 46 3. 75 3. 47 3. 36 3. 18 3. 84 2 0. 80 2 1. 03 2 1. 14 2 1. 28 2 0. 62 4. 43 4. 40 4. 39 3. 24 3. 30 3. 08 1. 19 2 1. 10 2 1. 31 Notes: a Mean values on ? ve-point scales; difference between importance and satisfaction signi? cant at 0. 01 level based on a t-test (two-tailed) Bottom ten with lowest scores on importance Applying SERVQUAL Importance Satisfaction mean mean Searches on related sites are provideda 3. 81 The privacy policy is accessiblea 3. 79 The security policy is accessiblea 3. 76 The Web site contains company detailsa 3. 70 3. 68 Scrolling through pages and text is kept to a minimuma Links are provided to pages on related products and servicesa 3. 67 Web site animations are meaningfula 3. 52A customer platform is provided for exchange of ideas 3. 36 The user is invited into a frequent buyer programa 3. 31 Brand image is important 3. 22 Notes: a Mean values on ? ve-point scales; Difference between importance signi? cant at 0. 01 level based on a t-test (two-tailed) 3. 40 3. 52 3. 51 3. 32 3. 29 929 Table VI. Importance of and satisfaction with aspects of Web quality Delta S-I 2 0. 41 2 0. 27 2 0. 25 2 0. 38 2 0. 39 3. 40 2 0. 27 3. 21 2 0. 31 3. 29 2 0. 07 3. 08 2 0. 23 3. 29 0. 07 and satisfaction The bottom ten aspects seem to relate to extra service (e. g. customization of Web sites) and information (e. g. ecurity policy and c ompany details) that is provided to the customer. Apparently respondents do not ? nd these extras very important in their use of the Internet. Tables VI and VII also show the gaps between experiences and expectations (satisfaction minus importance). It can be concluded that the gap is widest for the aspects that respondents perceive as most important. The aspect with the largest gap is â€Å"access is fast† (satisfaction score 3. 31 and importance score 4. 60). In the top ten aspects there are no aspects with a positive delta, meaning Table VII. Importance of and satisfaction with aspects of Web qualityIJQRM 20,8 930 that for every aspect the experience is less than expected. In the bottom ten aspects there is just one aspect with a (very small) positive delta â€Å"brand image†. Factor analyses (varimax, principal components) on the importance data (KMO value ? 0. 91) and satisfaction data (KMO value ? 0. 93) based on Eigenvalues greater than one indicated 12 factor s olutions. These factors cluster the aspects more or less according to the structure of the questionnaire. Most of these factors also become too speci? c and do not disclose the underlying structure of customers’ perceptions of the quality of Web sites.The Scree plots indicated solutions with fewer factors, possibly around ? ve factors. A comparison of the results of factor analyses with varying numbers of factors led to the conclusion that ? ve-factor solutions ? t the data best. These ? ve-factor solutions were used to ? nd evidence for the existence of the ? ve dimensions according to the SERVQUAL scale (Zeithaml et al. , 1990). The results of these ? ve-factor solutions are summarized in Table VIII. In Table VIII we only include the aspects with factor loadings greater than 0. 5. The aspects are ranked under each factor according to their factor loadings.It can be seen from the table that the two ? ve-factor solutions (importance and satisfaction) come to the same conclusi ons regarding the clustering of the aspects. There are some minor differences in the clustering of the aspects between the two factor solutions; however, these differences are related to the aspects with low factor loadings. It can be concluded that the factor analyses on both the importance of the Web quality aspects and the satisfaction with the Web quality aspects are compatible with the ? ve factors of the SERVQUAL scale. Correlation between Web sites and Web quality factors The importance of any of the ? e factors of the SERVQUAL scale might differ per type of Web site, just like it differs per service sector in the bricks and mortar world. Therefore, a correlation between the ? ve SERVQUAL factors and the different types of Web sites is useful to determine these differences. In order to categorize the fairly large number of different types of Web sites, a factor analysis (varimax, principal components, KMO value ? 0. 83) on the data on the use of Web sites (Table V) is conduct ed. The results of this factor analysis indicate that there are clearly ? ve groups of sites that form the underlying usage pattern.These are: (1) e-shops for books, music, movies, etc. (Cronbach’s alpha ? 0. 75); (2) university and study information (Cronbach’s alpha ? 0. 64); (3) games, entertainment, and sport (Cronbach’s alpha ? 0. 66); (4) company information, stock information, and banks (Cronbach’s alpha ? 0. 69); and (5) general information on daily news, travel, libraries, and search engines (Cronbach’s alpha ? 0. 58). Importance Satisfaction Factor 1 (Reliability) A complete overview of the order is presented before ? nal purchase decision Tax and/or other charges are clearly detailed Different payment options are stated clearlyAll relevant order con? rmation details are sent by e-mail within 24 hours Access to anticipated delivery times is available at all times Terms and conditions of sales are accessible Order-tracking details are avai lable until delivery Order cancellation and returns details are con? rmed within three days Full details of product or service pricing are available The registration process is simple Full product or service characteristics are available Registration process details are retained The Web site offers free shipping and handling within a set of rules Access is fast The user can make a purchase without Web ite registration Factor 1 (Reliability) All relevant order con? rmation details are sent by e-mail within 24 hours A complete overview of the order is presented before ? nal purchase decision Terms and conditions of sales are accessible Order-tracking details are available until delivery Different payment options are stated clearly Tax and/or other charges are clearly detailed Access to anticipated delivery times is available at all times Order cancellation and returns details are con? rmed within three days The home page features options for new and registered users Registration proce ss details are retainedFactor 2 (Tangibles) Finding your way on the Web site is easy Information is found with a minimum of clicks Navigation is consistent and standardized There are well programmed search options Instructions are directly available Opening of new screens is kept to a minimum Applying SERVQUAL Factor 2 (Tangibles) Finding your way on the Web site is easy Information is found with a minimum of clicks Navigation is consistent and standardized The number and type of links are meaningful The purpose is clear Scrolling through pages and text is kept to a minimum Instructions are directly available It is easy to print from the WebFactor 3 (Empathy) Factor 3 (Empathy) Links are provided to pages on related products Links are provided to pages on related products and services and services A customer platform is provided for the On travel sites a ? ight/hotel search is provided exchange of ideas A standard navigation bar, home button and On travel sites the user can customiz e seat and back/forward button are available on every meal preferences and the information is page retained (continued ) 931 Table VIII. Con? rmative factor analysis (? ve-factor solution) IJQRM 20,8 Importance Satisfaction It is easy to print from the WebOn travel sites a ? ight/hotel search is provided Web sites that focus on brand awareness have a store locator The user is invited into a frequent buyer program Factor 4 (Assurance) The security policy is accessible The privacy policy is accessible External validation of trustworthiness is important The Web site contains company details Brand image is important Page availability information is given on entry The user is invited into a frequent buyer program A customer platform is provided for exchange of ideas Factor 4 (Assurance) The privacy policy is accessible The security policy is accessibleThe Web site contains company details External validation of trustworthiness is important 932 Factor 5 (Responsiveness) The frequently ask ed questions and answers contain links that take the user to the relevant page(s) Information is provided to frequently asked questions and answers Queries or complaints are resolved within 24 hours User feedback is sought to measure customer satisfaction An e-mail address for queries and complaints is provided Table VIII. Factor 5 (Responsiveness) User feedback is sought to measure customer satisfaction Queries or complaints are resolved within 24 hoursThe frequently asked questions and answers contain links that take the user to the relevant page(s) Access is fast Opening of new screens is kept to a minimum Graphics and animation do not detract from use Full details of product or service pricing are available Notes: Principal component analysis. Varimax with Kaiser normalization. Rotation converged in nine iterations (importance) and ten iterations (satisfaction). Factor loadings . 0. 5, ranking based on factor loadings from high to low Table IX shows the correlation matrix betwee n the frequency of use of types of Web sites and the importance of the Web quality factors.Some results are as follows: . All ? ve quality dimensions are most strongly correlated with e-shops, indicating that frequent users of e-shops tend to have higher quality expectations. . An increase in the frequency of use of the types of Web sites is in all cases most strongly correlated with either empathy (E-shops), assurance (company sites and search engines) or responsiveness (study related sites, Reliability Coef. Sign E-shops (books, music, movies etc. ) Study-related sites Games and sports sites Company and banking sites Search engines, daily news, travel Tangibles Coef. Sign EmpathyCoef. Sign Assurance Coef. Sign Responsiveness Coef. Sign 0. 220 ** 0. 174 ** 0. 239 ** 0. 232 ** 0. 233 ** 0. 171 ** 0. 167 ** 0. 183 ** 0. 156 ** 0. 202 ** 0. 114 * 0. 124 * 0. 168 ** 0. 112 n. s. 0. 171 ** 0. 144 ** 0. 136 * 0. 151 ** 0. 166 ** 0. 144 ** 0. 122 * 0. 115 * 0. 115 * 0. 123 * 0. 115 * Note s: * Correlation is signi? cant at the 0. 05 level (two-tailed); ** Correlation is signi? cant at the 0. 01 level (two-tailed); n. s. ? no signi? cant correlation . Applying SERVQUAL and games and sports). More frequent users of the Internet tend to ? nd reliability and tangibles less important.All correlation coef? cients are positive, indicating that for all types of Web sites more usage leads to higher importance of all quality dimensions. The experienced user seems to have higher expectations of the quality of Web sites. Conclusion The results of this research can be summarised in the following way. Of a prede? ned list of Web quality aspects these aspects are considered to be the most important: access is fast; ? nding your way on the Web site is easy; a complete overview of the order is presented before ? nal purchase decision; and the registration process is simple. Of the ? e factors that can be found by means of factor analyses (reliability, tangibles, empathy, assurance an d responsiveness) various aspects related to the factors reliability and tangibles are included in the top ten important aspects. Various aspects related to the factors empathy and assurance are included in the bottom ten aspects ranked according to their perceived importance. Both the importance of the Web quality aspects and the satisfaction with the Web quality aspects are compatible with ? ve-factor analyses that support the existence of the ? ve factors of the SERVQUAL scale of Zeithaml et al. (1990).The importance of any of the ? ve factors of the SERVQUAL scale differs per type of Web site, just like it differs per service industry in the bricks and mortar world. So far, it can be concluded that the quality dimensions developed by Zeithaml et al. (1990) for service environments are equally useful in e-business. 933 Table IX. Correlation between the frequency of use of types of Web sites and the importance of the Web quality factors IJQRM 20,8 934 Further analysis of the data is needed. While this research project yields a number of very interesting results, we believe that there are a number of things that should be done to con? m our results as well as to expand our hypotheses. First, with the number of Internet users now over one billion, our sample is relatively small. Therefore, research with larger samples that pose the same or similar questions would be appropriate. Second, Internet users come from all over the globe. One has to suspect that there are differences between a sample taken from students of the USA and what might be found among students elsewhere. Possible, language, culture, religion, and a host of other factors may be important to a user’s impression of the quality of a Web site.Finally, quality is an area of critical importance for commercial companies. Businesses need to understand what attracts people to their Web sites, what keeps them there, and what keeps them coming back. They need to understand the differences between the casual buyer versus the user who visits their Web sites on a daily basis. Web sites for companies like Dell, Cisco, Orbitz, and Covisint do millions of dollars of business each day. They need to understand the factors that keep these businesses growing better by understanding what encourages buying and what brings them back to the Web sites.Likewise, their competitors need to understand these factors even more to compete in this highly competitive marketplace. Due to the signi? cance of this to business, we expect that this type of research will be ongoing for many years to come. The results of that research will be easier to use Web sites that are more customer focused and evolving as the user evolves. A Chinese proverb says, â€Å"May you live in interesting times†. We are certainly living in interesting times. References Agrawal, V. , Arjona, L. and Lemmens, R. (2001), â€Å"E-performance: the path to rational exuberance†, The McKinsey Quarterly, No. 1. Baldwin, S. 2002), Ghost Sites, available at: www. disobey. com/ghostsites (accessed 17 January). Buttle, F. (1996), â€Å"SERVQUAL: review, critique, research agenda†, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 30 No. 1, pp. 8-25. Chiagouris, L. and Wansley, B. (2001), â€Å"Branding on the Internet†, available at: www. MarketingPower. com Cox, J. and Dale, B. G. (2001), â€Å"Service quality and e-commerce: an exploratory analysis†, Managing Service Quality, Vol. 11 No. 2, pp. 121-31. Cox, J. and Dale, B. G. (2002), â€Å"Key quality factors in Web site design and use: an examination†, International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, Vol. 19 No. 7, pp. 862-88.Cronin, J. J. Jr and Taylor, S. A. (1992), â€Å"Measuring service quality: a re-examination and extension†, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 56 No. 3, pp. 55-69. Crosby, L. and LeMay, S. A. (1998), â€Å"Empirical determination of shipper requirements for motor carrier services: SERVQUAL, direct ques tioning, and policy-capturing methods†, Journal of Business Logistics, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 139-53. Dale, B. G. (1999), Managing Quality, 3rd ed. , Blackwell Publishers, Oxford. Daughtrey, T. (2001), â€Å"Costs of trust for E-business: risk analysis can help e-businesses decide where investments in quality and security should be directed†, Quality Progress, No. 0, pp. 38-43. Dayal, S. , French, T. D. and Sankaran, V. (2002), â€Å"The e-tailer’s secret weapon†, The McKinsey Quarterly, No. 2. (The) Economist (2001), â€Å"Talking heads†, The Economist, 24 March. Fink, D. and Laupase, R. (2000), â€Å"Perceptions of Web site design characteristics: a Malaysian/Australian comparison†, Internet Research, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 44-55. Hager, L. and Elliot, B. (2001), â€Å"Web quality tool can raise ROI on contact center investments†, Gartner First Take, 15 November. Hirsh, L. (2002), â€Å"How big is e-commerce? †, E-commerce Times, avai lable at: www. ecommercetimes. om/perl/story/18403. html (accessed 27 June). Houtman, J. (2002), â€Å"Webpagina’s instelbaar voor oudere surfers†, Emerce, 25 March. Lam, S. S. K. and Woo, K. S. (1997), â€Å"Measuring service quality: a test-retest reliability investigation of SERVQUAL†, Journal of the Market Research Society, Vol. 39 No. 2, pp. 381-96. Manning, H. , McCarthy, J. C. and Souza, R. K. (1998), Forrester Report: Why Most Web Sites Fail, Forrester, Washington, DC. Riseley, M. and Schehr, D. (2000), â€Å"Priceline’s problems result from poor execution in a niche market†, Gartner First Take, 8 November. Schubert, P. nd Dettling, W. (2001), â€Å"Web site evaluation: do Web applications meet user expectations? Music, consumer goods and e-banking on the test bed†, Proceedings of the 14th Bled Electronic Commerce Conference, Bled, pp. 383-403. Statistical Research Inc. (2001), â€Å"Even veteran Web users remain skittish about site s that get personal†, 7 June, available at: www. statisticalresearch. com/press/pr060701. htm (accessed 15 March 2002). US Department of Commerce (2002), A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet, US Department of Commerce, Washington, DC, February.Wan, H. A. (2000), â€Å"Opportunities to enhance a commercial Web site†, Information and Management, Vol. 38 No. 1, pp. 15-21. Zeithaml, V. A. (2002), â€Å"Guru view†, Managing Service Quality, special issue on service excellence, Vol. 12 No. 3, pp. 135-8. Zeithaml, V. A. , Parasuraman, A. and Berry, L. L. (1990), Delivering Quality Service; Balancing Customer Perceptions and Expectations, The Free Press, New York, NY. Further reading Cutler, M. and Strene, J. (2000), E-metric: Business Metric for the New Economy, NetGenesis Corp. Applying SERVQUAL 935