Luzhin will give Raskolnikov a job Essay

Raskolnikov saw the harsh way in which Katerina treated Marmeladov and the horrible poverty they lived in. When he brought Marmeladov back he left some money for them because of their evident need. Despite, he himself not being financially stable. He also reasoned that Sonya would need the money for her to make herself pretty so customers would come. He had many things in common with Sonya and as their life progressed they began to realize this. Raskolnikov could not relate to anyone after the murder except for Sonya. He felt a connection, which made him trust her and in time confess to her. Lizaveta was a dear friend to Sonya, who gave her a bible and a cross for Sonya to pray to. When Raskolnikov confessed to Sonya, she was not upset for Lizaveta but for his well being, which shows how much she cares for him. Raskolnikov views Sonya in the same circumstance as himself, both sinners. He believes this because she has this great believe in God but in the meantime she is a prostitute, which is ironic. Konstantin Mochulsky portrayed Sonya and Raskolnikov â€Å"as guilty of damning her soul as he. `You have ruined a life†¦ your own (it’s the very same thing). ‘† Konstantin says that the words in parentheses are â€Å"filled with malice and a fiendish lie. To lay down one’s life for one’s fiendish the very same thing as destroying the life of one’s neighbor! † (Miller, 97). Raskolnikov wants to make Sonya feel guilty about herself because he wants to leave with her. He wants to run away from their problems since they both have a dreadful past here, so they can start a new future in a new place. Raskolnikov first has to keep Dunya from marrying Luzhin. Dunya and Pulcheria have come to Raskolnikov so Dunya can get married to Luzhin, who is a businessman. Luzhin is mean, intolerant, and egotistical. He only wishes to marry Dunya because she is attractive, clever, but very poor and this combination he believes will make her indebted to him. Dunya is engaged to this man but she is only suffering this for her brother. Pulcheria and Dunya would suffer and sacrifice anything for Raskolnikov but he doesn’t want such responsibilities on his shoulders. They believe that Raskolnikov has the talent and intellectuality to become a wealthy man but he only needs an opportunity to prove himself, which is why Dunya will marry this self-centered man, Luzhin. Luzhin will give Raskolnikov a job, if Dunya marries him. This agreement would make Dunya suffer and Raskolnikov sees this and will not allow her to put herself on the line for him. Dunya knows that she doesn’t want to marry Luzhin and when he came to visit, he made it clear that he wants to be the superior to her. She and everyone else realized that he is a very arrogant person and since he mistreated her brother, she cancelled the wedding. Luzhin believes that it was all Raskolnikov’s fault and wants him to suffer. He wants to retaliate through Sonya. Luzhin goes to Sonya and gives her hundred rubles. He then goes to Katerina to tell her that Sonya stole the money but Sonya was saved from his allegations when Lebezyatnikov came in and told them that he saw Luzhin give her the hundred rubles. Luzhin not only embarrassed himself but also made himself seem vindictive and unreliable. Luzhin in the end was suffering because of his heartlessness. Raskolnikov is becoming more paranoid and keeps on almost confessing, every time he is questioned. Porfiry Petrovich is an officer and suspects Raskolnikov of the double murder. Every time the officer has a conversation with Raskolnikov, he gets so fearful and anxious that he has to leave in order to get his cool back. This shows that he is on the verge of confessing because guilt is overtaking his mind and soul. Raskolnikov only feels some normality when he is with Sonya. Sonya is vulnerable and he likes her kindness even though she also has a hard life. All the Characters in â€Å"Crime and Punishment† cause suffering upon themselves. It is not done in an intentional way but after they suffer they begin to feel redemption. Marmeladov liked to suffer and only felt human when he got punished. Sonya, Dunya and Pulcheria suffered for the sake of their families because they believed that it was for a better cause. Luzhin suffered because he was too egocentric to realize that he was hurting himself. Raskolnikov believed that he was murdering the pawnbroker for the sake of human kind but instead it ruined his life because he was consumed with guilt. The regret mainly came from killing the innocent sister, which made him isolate himself even more. The state of suffering that they all experienced was an escape. They knew what they were doing and felt bad or wrong about it. Suffering was their way of paying for their sins. Bibliography Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. New York: Penguin Group, 1968. Malamud, Bernard. The Assistant. Oregon: Farrar Strauss Giroux, 1957. Miller, Robin Feur. Critical Essays on Dostoevsky. Boston: G. K. Hall & Co. , 1986; 90-100. http://dictionary. reference. com/search? q=suffering.

Bible and Beowulf Reading Journal

Beowulf reading journal Entry 1 Lines 703-1250 Kennings: God-cursed Grendel (true kenning) Cloud-murk (half-kenning) Hell-serf (true-kenning) Wound-slurry (half-kenning) Wave-Vat (half-Kenning) Alliterations: None Epic poetry line that stuck out: Line 927-930 â€Å"first and foremost, let the Lord Almighty be thanked for this sight. † Line 1057 â€Å"past and present God always prevails. † Entry 2 10/02/12 Nick Yasi Lines 1251-1887 Kennings: Line 1259: Hell-Bride (true-kenning) Line 1274: Hell-Brute (true-kenning)Line 1276: Death-Den (half-kenning) Line 1312: First-Footing (true-kenning) Alliterations: Line 1317: Floorboards banged Line1408: Prince Preceded Epic poetry line that stuck out: Line 1272 â€Å"He (Beowulf) relied for help on the lord of all. Entry 3 10/02/12 Nick Yasi One thing that really stuck out to me, which I find really neat, is after Beowulf returns to Heorat and Hrothgar praises Beowulf’s goodness, evenness, and loyalty, he begins to contrast s him with the evil KingHeremod, and predicts a great future for him. He delivers a long speech about how to be a good and wise ruler by choosing eternal rather than earthly rewards. And when I read this I couldn’t help thinking about Solomon and how he asked for wisdom instead of earthly things. Also it seems, for me at least, that reading this story and hearing all the biblical references helps me understand and want to read the bible a lot more than I do already. Cause in a sense Beowulf isn’t even close to being as epic as the bible.

Economics Assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economics Assigment - Essay Example Indeed, it should also be pointed out that Chinese did not focus, especially, on differentiation, innovation and process development that are essentials of technological superiority. In addition, China’s biggest mistake was its failure to understand why technology is foremost for economy and how it contributes to economic growth and sustainable development. Part 2 Acemoglu and Robinson (2008) have thrown light over the importance of institutions and the impact of economic institutions on the prosperity of a nation. Nevertheless, the authors argue that the economic institutions become stronger when harmony exists among political forces and institutions. In other words, political certainty averts the possibility of law and order crises, thereby creating a peaceful business environment for economic actors. Hence, the stronger the economic institutions, the better the policies devised for economic growth. Indeed, the policy-makers pay greater attention to provide trade incentives, to bring Foreign Direct Incentives, to initiate human resource development programmes and to promote technological development for enhancing organisational productivity and ensuring economies of scale (mass production). For instance, the authors’ main argument is that the economic institutions are the actual difference between 2 nations because a nation with strong institutions becomes developed, whereas a nation with weak institutions remains poor and technologically backward. Part 3 As far as the differences between articles written by Landes (2006) and Acemoglu and Robinson (2008) are concerned, it should be pointed out that Landes (2006) is more concerned with the underlying reasons that contributed to China’s technological failure in comparison to developed Western nations, which have become technologically superior due to their proactive and innovation centred approaches. China ruled out the possibility of implementing capitalism; therefore failed to reinforce c ompetition among entities. Next, China also disregarded to adopt some pertinent western values thus remained technologically backward in past, whereas West flourished at a phenomenal rate. Acemoglu and Robinson (2008) are more concerned with institutionalism as they argue that economic institutions and policy – makers play their vital role in economic well-being of a country because they take into consideration economy as a whole and formulate strategies that benefit economic actors in a society in general. Economics Assignment 2 Part 1 The article â€Å"Why Europe and the West? Why Not China?† has been composed by David Landes in which he has presented his arguments regarding the technological advancement of West and Europe and the reasons behind China’s failure in competing with Western economies. Landes (2006) highlighted that the western nations have always focused on developing their educational institutions so that they could establish a strong base for Re search & Development activities. Nevertheless, the Western and European countries were aware of importance of technology and the benefits they could obtain in terms of economic efficiency and sustainability. On the other hand, China lacked these valued as well as failed to thrive by acknowledging western achievements, capitalist values and technological knowledge base. Another major argument raised by Landes

No topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 10

No topic - Essay Example A question is asked on the manner of averting Home Depot from commencing. Devoid of a written accord, how can one stipulate if cheating is a sincere mix-up or intentional cheating? With these aspects of the above depiction, it follows that there are similarities between the difficulties of organizing cartels and the challenges of other forms of international cooperation (PrÃŒÅ'ibram, 35). International corporations face challenges like the identification of a true market requirement and the dilution of a brand-name power. For instance, the success of a business is keyed to the offering of services and goods needed by a customer. Since the customer’s problem needs a solution, the product or the service used should have the capability of solving the consumer’s wants. The capability of the product to provide a solution should be effective in a way that its significance are easy to communicate. It is, therefore, a very hard task to meet this challenge since customer needs are unlimited. Due to the different methods of entertainment in the internet, the culture of Americans and their corporate symbols are famous brand-names in the world. However, this is no indication that American products will be popular in other countries. Gaining of trust is from other countries is a very complicated task (Fear,

Research Proposal for An overview of the application of Essay

Research Proposal for An overview of the application of diversification strategies in British mobile telecommunication companies - Essay Example Mobile telecommunication companies have also been providing Wireless fidelity or Wi-Fi communication. The service oriented industries in particular are the one's reaping maximum benefit out of this technique. Therefore, there's lot of scope for the telecom companies to diversify in different markets, different customer segments, different technologies etc. During the study we intend to analyse the diversification strategies being adopted by different British companies in different markets/ segments. Mobile telephony is still appears to be in the evolutionary stage; with rapid advancements in technology more dimensions are being added. For example live TV broadcasts are the latest additions. With stiff competition and shrinking margins in the domestic market, companies are looking eastward to mark their presence in vast markets like China and India. Therefore, this is the most appropriate subject for study at the moment. Liberalization and globalization has opened newer vistas of trade and business all around the globe. Opening up of economies has now tilted the balance in favor of market forces. Globalisation of production and investment in recent years has led to a situation where long-term capital inflows from advanced economies to developing economies is taking place at a rapid pace. While taking a decision of diversification into a new area, market or segment, instead of the traditional approach of 'maximizing' the profits, organizations go ahead with multiple objectives, monetary as well as non-monetary. There are short-term objectives as well as long-term ones. Strategists are supposed to prioritize all such objectives, so that there is clarity and ease of decision making in situations where there is an apparent clash of objectives. The mobile telecom field in itself is a technology intensive area; with newer trends in technology making the older one's outdated at a faster pace. Therefore, it is a challenging task for the companies to remain relevant in the market, outdo the competitor and continue to profitably cater to the needs of the existing customer. Companies devise strategies accordingly. Diversification is an important element of such strategies. While including vertical integration in diversification, Cantwell et al (2004) define diversification as an extension of company's portfolio of products or businesses into new product or business areas. As far as mobile telecom field is concerned, British telecom scene is dotted with the formidable presence of companies like, British Telcom (BT), Orange, Vodafone, and Hutchison etc. Orange has mobile operations in 13 countries while Vodafone operates in 27 countries (Datamonitor, 2007). Though BT has divested its mobile phone business by divesting its mobile business in 2001, but mobile telecom field doesn't just involve mobile phones only, it includes a range of mobile computing solutions. For example, recently BT lau nched the 'BT Managed Mobility' simplify the management of corporate mobile assets, including mobile phones, BlackBerry devices, PDAs, pagers, aircards and other wireless assets in addition to cutting costs1. Similarly Vodafone has big plans for Turkey and India, where the company sees lot of scope. Quoting a recent study by Mobile Entertainment

Backchannel Responses in Japanese-English Encounters Essay - 1

Backchannel Responses in Japanese-English Encounters - Essay Example Given that the speaker and the listener belong to different backgrounds, the paper explores the evolving differences that present themselves, in responses across different language, gender, and cultural contexts. Â  Since communication takes root in feelings and ideas and manifests itself in behavior, the paper reviews existing research literature and examines if backchannel responses, in the intercultural context of English and Japanese encounters, have played any role explicitly or implicitly in improving communication between the two groups. Analyzing cross-cultural interactions, its value addition to intercultural communication is also studied. Â  The paper then critically scrutinizes convergence and divergence codes among the two groups and tests it in the background of the communication accommodation theory. Investigating into the speaking skills of the listener, the paper construes, that the non-native listener in a conversation with a native speaker, needs to use verbal and non-verbal backchannel responses, informatively and contextually to avoid misunderstanding brought-about by local and foreign interculturality. Â  Charles C. Fries, a renowned American lexicographer, and grammarian was one of the first known researchers to reveal backchannel responses in a published work. Later on, the study of backchannel responses was taken up by researchers from a variety of disciplines - communication studies, sociology, linguistics, and psychology. Â  Since each discipline approached the subject differently, they provided diverse terminologies for the concept of backchannel responses.

Film Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 6

Film Review - Essay Example In this respect, Islam occupies one of the leading places because its religious traditions literally pervade human life in all its manifestations. In particular, one can verify this after watching the movie Sabah directed by Ruba Nadda. The movie offers the viewer an excellent opportunity to see how traditional Islam has an impact on various aspects of Muslim life, including issues relating to family, romantic relationships, as well as professional and career growth and development of men and women in Islamic culture. The main theme of the movie can be defined as the freedom of human choice that is most clearly illustrated by the director by the example of the love relationship between the main heroes. To begin with, the film tells about the life of a Muslim family living in Canada. The family consists of numerous women and a man Majid, who is the brother of the main character by the name of Sabah. Majid is the epitome of a traditional Muslim. After their fathers death, he takes on the responsibility to provide the family with all they need. In contrast to their deceased father, the main religious philosophy of Majid is represented by his desire to strictly follow the customs and norms of traditional Islam. In turn, it has a significant impact on the characteristics of this Arab family. Firstly, as the defender of traditional Islamic values, Majid requires women of complete submission to his authority as the head of the family. The film shows that the foundations of the patriarchal family determine that the women do not have the opportunity to work and earn money. As the head of the patriarchal family, Majid does not allow his women to work, because following the logic of traditio nal Islam, a woman must first be a good housewife. The subordination of the women in the family is shown by the example of using the family budget. Majid controls the use of money and forbids the women to spend money to buy

Aeronautic Science & Aerodynamics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Aeronautic Science & Aerodynamics - Essay Example The aerodynamics component of the wind on the tall buildings would be necessary to decide on the type of shape and orientation of the structure. The detailed aerodynamic analysis would be necessary not only for its design but also for the selection of materials for construction and also the construction technology. As a practice, model of the building would be initially tested for its behavior under different environmental conditions in the wind tunnels before arriving on the final form. The role of HVAC systems in ensuring the required comfort inside the functional space of any building is well known. The operation of these systems demand large amount of energy and also consumes considerable amount of expenditure for their operation. Hence, in an effort to minimize the energy use in the building units, it is essential that the renewable systems are given the priority. Maximising the adoption of the natural methods of ensuring the ventilation in the building would bring considerable saving in the consumption of energy. But effective implementation of the natural means of ventilation like passive cooling systems required extensive information on the natural air flow pattern prevailing in that region. Also, the air movement inside the building units can be directed appropriately configuring the enclosures and also placing the opening at suitable locations. The aerodynamics inside the buildings would be governed most by the wind velocity, the size of the openings , the heating –cooling rates of the building and also the indoor environment prevailing. In addition, the external environmental conditions like neighborhood buildings and natural vegetation too need to be considered here. The aerodynamic situation around all buildings are turbulent and three dimensional. The air flow patter around the building would change subject to any new constructed building

Los Lobos (Musical Band of Los Angeles) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Los Lobos (Musical Band of Los Angeles) - Essay Example It is their similar interest in music of the same genre and musical acts like the Fairport Convention, which perpetrated their working together musically; therefore building their musical career as a band. The two visited one another in their homes occasionally, where they listened to various music recordings, playing guitar; especially for David, who was very good at it and later on even started writing their songs. It was not very easy for them to work on their music regularly as they both had regular jobs to attend to and most of the time therefore had to work during odd hours; especially at night in order to make up for the time spent at work. David and Perez also did much of borrowing of music recordings from a friend, which were of the parody and free form jazz. It is through these many recordings borrowed that the two made a collection out of it, creating multi-track recordings. To form a complete band that they had wished for, they decided to recruit some of their classmates who are Cesar and Conrad; that was in the year 1973. Their coming together to form a band had them record an album that was titled, ‘How Will the Wolf Survive? that gave them a lot of praises and made them very popular in Los Angeles. They later released La Bamba in 1987 that created even more opportunities for them musically, due to the added praise and popularity that the band received. Since then, the band has never disappointed their music fans in Los Angeles and across the world with their rock and Latin music. Despite all the challenges that Musical bands are faced with in each passing day, Los Lobos have managed to overcome all these challenges by recording over 20 albums in approximately 3 decades and making sure to reach their fans with total satisfaction. However, their ride in the music industry was not as smooth as any other person would think. The sale of their music videos was a bit lower in the beginning and therefore

An op-ed piece Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An op-ed piece - Essay Example Media reports confirm that the student loan debt has ballooned into a gigantic $870 million – even beating debts on car and credit card! Now that is surprising! And this number is projected to rise exponentially within the next few years. Therefore, it is reasonable that the Fairness for Struggling Students Act or FSSA has turned out to be the main focus of government agencies, particularly of the education department. The act would enable student loan debts to be stamped out during bankruptcy proceedings. It gained widespread support from the government and education groups seeing it as a potential solution to the economic problem. Just a couple of days ago, an article written for the Fox News reported that there is a $1.11 trillion â€Å"student loans outstanding† and $121 billion of them â€Å"are 90-plus days delinquent or in default. And this is on top of the fact that college costs has constantly risen over the past few years while the income of college graduates in industries aside from technology and finance, are tripping over (Verhage, n.p). I do not particularly understand why student forgiveness acts do help solve the economic problem when there is not much income that can be generated through taxes. The government is simply shelling out billions of money, bailing out students in an unorthodox manner by simply wiping out their student loan debts. First of all, I go for the argument that education is not really a right but is only a privilege. Nobody can legally claim that he or she is entitled to it. But, if the government stresses on private lenders the inability of a student to pay debts and encourage them to rid student loans is just the same as telling that education is a right after all. Another thing that I would like to put up is that default on loans, which is currently at $121 billion, and compelling private lenders to forgive students who could not pay their debts are acts of insult and slight to property

Morality vs. Obedience Essay Example for Free

Morality vs. Obedience Essay Beliefs and knowledge are both dynamic concepts on all organizational levels of the human experience, from the individual to the global. Lets take for example the statement, â€Å"The Earth is flat. † Five hundred years ago, this statement was knowledge. Today, it’s knowledge that this statement is false. Knowledge changes based on the information and evidence available to us at any point in time. This is also true of beliefs but in a different way. When most of us were young, we believed in the Tooth Fairy. Why? Because someone told us she was real. However, this belief changed as we began to mature and rely more upon our own abilities to discern truth from fiction. Thus, we have established that both knowledge and belief are subjective but for different reasons. Belief requires no evidence, while knowledge requires evidence and/or experience. I would now like to make a comparative argument regarding morality and obedience. Simply put, morality is ‘doing what’s right, regardless of what anyone says’ and obedience is ‘doing what your told, regardless of what’s right. One can think of many examples regarding these concepts as they are defined but I will leave this to the reader’s imagination. There is a simple truth to defining obedience and morality in this manner that I find directly comparable to the examined quotation. Neither belief nor obedience require an individual or group to actively engage in an activity or thought process independently. There is no critical thinking involved and one must put their faith in the ‘rightness’ or ‘truth’ of another’s belief, knowledge or otherwise. Both knowledge and morality require active engagement. One cannot possess knowledge without having evidence to back it up and one cannot act morally without understanding what it is that makes a situation right or wrong in their eyes. This is especially true when acting morally requires someone to go against social norms or established laws. The point of this paper is to shed light on the fact that we are all responsible for ourselves to the extent that we can be. No one person can know everything about everything, so belief and obedience are often useful and easy fallbacks. For example, I don’t snowboard on black diamond slopes. This is not because I have knowledge of how hurt I will get but because I belief the sign posting and obediently board within my level to avoid possible injury. However, in every decision one makes there should be a component of knowledge and morality applied. In application to the snowboarding example, I know, from experience, that my snowboarding skills are not on par with a black diamond. I choose not to risk my health and the resources of first responders by making the moral decision to stay off of it, despite my desire to challenge myself.

Relationship Between Leadership Style and Employee Engagment

Relationship Between Leadership Style and Employee Engagment Introduction Organizational effectiveness is essential in todays fast growing organizations where competitiveness is the main feature of the contemporary business. Leadership is the main determinant of organizational effectiveness and is the major identifier of an engaged workforce. The most common leadership style is the Traditional leadership style which is administered in almost all companies of the Petroleum Sector in Egypt with its public companies, joint companies and even part of the investment companies, a leadership style enforcing the concepts of power and authority. The traditional leadership style aims to keep things the same and doesnt promote the engagement of the employees that is not part of their job descriptions and emerges as a result of personal choices. The leadership style applied in the petroleum companies needs to evolve from the traditional approach. It needs to apply leadership styles where the leader is capable of transforming and developing his employees behaviors and benefiting from their efforts would achieve positive contribution to overall organizational effectiveness. This should be through adopting an attitude that supports and enhances motivation and performance of his followers allowing them to exceed their own expectations optimizing their performance to achieve such effectiveness. In some cases, transactional leadership is administered where the leader promotes compliance of his followers through both rewards and punishments and is not looking to change the future. This type of leadership focuses on getting the work done by their followers. Transactional leadership works within the organization culture through management by exception to maintain status quo and stress corrective actions to improve performance. Whereas, the transformational leadership changes the organization culture through its behaviors where the leader affects the followers sense of identity and motivation aiming to achieve performance beyond expectations and employee engagement hence contributing to the main objective which is the organizational effectiveness. Leadership style is a strategic tool that needs to be practiced on a large span to assure employee engagement in order to comply with the surrounding dynamic environment. Statement of Research Problem The leadership style administered in the Egyptian petroleum companies is a traditional one enforcing the concepts of power and authority. This traditional style doesnt promote the engagement attitudes of the employees that are not part of their job descriptions that emerge as a result of personal choices. The leadership behaviors need to evolve to support the behaviors of leaders who are capable of transforming and developing their employees behaviors and benefiting from their efforts would achieve positive contribution to overall organizational effectiveness. Thus, the problem of this study can be stated in the following statement: What is the relationship between the leadership style and employee engagement? Research Objectives The main research objective is to investigate the leadership behaviors that are able to develop employees engagement by: Analyzing the reality of petroleum companies (area of the study) regarding the leadership style used in these companies and whether it has a relationship with employee engagement or not. Using the appropriate behavioral methods to acquire and maintain employees engagement. Providing some recommendations to the responsible people in the petroleum companies regarding what should be done to enhance the relationship between the employees and their supervisors or leaders that would be guiding for future studies on the effect of leadership behaviors both transactional and transformational on employee engagement. Research Importance The academic importance: This research will be an addition to the academic research because there is scarcity in the research topic, transactional and transformational leadership, and dealing with these leadership styles in the petroleum companies. The empirical importance: The empirical importance of this research lies in providing the petroleum companies with the results and the recommendations of the research that can be implemented for maintaining employee engagement aiming to achieve organizational effectiveness. Conclusion Transactional and transformational leadership are considered contrasting leadership styles even though the leader may use both styles of leadership at different times and different situations. Transactional leadership is an exchange process where the leader exchanges rewards for efforts of the subordinates or followers and this in turn allows the leader to punish the subordinates or followers if the task is not accomplished. Whereas transformational leader encourages his followers to make decision, he empowers them and allows them to grow on the individual basis and also among teams by coaching and mentoring them. Transformational leadership and the reward approach of the transactional leadership have a positive influence on employee behaviors, emotions and performance. They have a positive impact on organizational teams, organizational commitment, effectiveness and employees satisfaction in addition citizenship behaviors. For organizations to survive in the rapid competing world, they have to maintain an engaged workforce. Employee engagement will result in high levels of performance and low levels of turnover in organizations. Employee engagement eliminates job stress and is strategic tool leading to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, less turnover and organizational citizenship behaviors. As the literature review shows that the study variables have been covered in many industries and countries around the world, yet it hasnt been given much consideration in the Arab world. This is why the researcher finds that it is a must to conduct this study in the petroleum sector where she works. Research Variables and Operationalization 1. Research Variables: Independent Variables Transformational Leadership Transactional Leadership Dependent Variables Employee Engagement 2. Variables Operationalization Independent Variables The leadership styles in this study: transformational and transactional leadership, are evident but dont replace each other as processes, and the same leader may use both types of leadership at different times in different situations. (Yukl 1998) The researcher chooses two of the leadership style for this study as follows: Transformational Leadership: attempts to create emotional links with its followers and inspires higher values (Bass, 1999). Transformational leadership meets the higher order needs of employees (Yusof and Shah, 2008). Also, transformational leadership refers to the leader motivating the follower beyond self-interests. It raises the followers level of maturity and ideals for achievement and the well-being of others, the organization and the society (Hakan 2008). Transactional Leadership: places an emphasis on exchanging rewards for accomplishment (Burton and Peachey, 2009) Transactional leadership focuses mainly on the physical and the security needs of followers. The relationship that evolves between the leader and the follower is based on exchange and reward systems (Bass and Avolio, 1993). Dependent Variable Employee Engagement is the benefiting of organizational members themselves to their work roles; in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, perceptually and emotionally during role performances (Kahn, 1990) Employee engagement refers to the individuals involvement and satisfaction as well as enthusiasm for work (Harter et al., 2002). Proposed Research Model Independent Dependent Employee Engagement Transactional Leadership Transformational Leadership Research Hypotheses Based on the previous model, we can develop the following hypotheses that try to express the relationship between study variables: H1 There is a strong positive significant relationship between transactional leadership and employee engagement. H2 There is a strong positive significant relationship between transformational leadership and employee engagement. Source of Research Data (Sample) Primary data The researcher collected the primary data from the research sample of 236 employees working in Suez Oil Company by using 30 items questionnaire. Secondary data Secondary data is collected from organizational records from the HR department in the company. Research Variables Instruments In this study, the researcher conducted the questionnaire based on two main research instruments: Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire Transactional and transformational leadership was measured using 20 items from the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5X rater form) on a Likert 5 point scale. The components of leadership dimensions derived from the MLQ 5X rater form questionnaire Transactional Transformational Utrecht Work Engagement Scale Employee engagement was measured using 10 items from Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) on a Likert 5 point scale. Research Population and Sample Population The population of present study is 1200 employees of Suez Oil Company, a petroleum company in the Egyptian petroleum sector. Sample The present study sample is a stratified random sample of 300 employees from all departments and job levels in the company. Statistical Methods/Techniques used in Data Analysis Cronbachs Alpha Split-half T-Test ANOVA Scheffe Test Correlations Regression Stepwise Research Results and Findings Validity and Reliability Questionnaire Validity: It means the ability of the questionnaire to measure what it is set for. Reliability of internal consistency: Calculation of correlation coefficients between each axis component phrases and questionnaire axis total marks. Calculation of correlation coefficients between questionnaire axis total marks and questionnaire total mark. First Axis: Transformational Leadership: Validity was calculated by using internal consistency through calculating the correlation coefficient (Person Correlation Coefficient) between each phrase mark and the axis mark (transactional leadership). The same is shown in the following table below: It is evident from the table that all correlation coefficients are indicating significance at (0.05 0.01) that shows it is close to one which means that questionnaire phrases are valid and consistent. Second Axis: Transformational Leadership: Validity was calculated by using internal consistency through using correlation coefficient (Person Correlation Coefficient) between each phrase mark and the axis mark (Transformational Leadership). The same is shown in the following table below: It is evident from the table that correlation coefficients are significant at (0.05-0.01), thus indicating validity and consistency of the questionnaire phrases. Third Axis: Employee Engagement: Reliability was calculated by using the internal consistency through calculating the correlation coefficient (Person correlation coefficient) between each phrase mark and the axis mark (Employee Engagement). The following table shows the same below. It is evident from the table that correlation coefficients are all indicating significance at (0.05-0.01) which shows it is close to one, thus indicating validity and consistency of the questionnaire phrases. Validity by using internal consistency between axis total mark and questionnaire total mark Validity was calculated by using the internal consistency through calculating the correlation coefficient (Person Correlation Coefficient) between each axis total mark (transactional leadership-transformational leadership-employee engagement) and questionnaire total mark, the following table shows the same below: Employee Engagement It is evident from the table that correlation coefficients are all indicating significance at (0.01), thus indicating validity and consistency of the questionnaire phrases. Reliability: Reliability means accuracy of the test in measurement and observation, non-contradiction to oneself, its consistency and elaboration, thus providing us of information about the examined person behavior, and it is the ratio between the mark variance on the scale indicating the virtual performance of the examined person. Reliability was calculated through: Cronbachs Alpha Split-half Reliability of the whole questionnaire It is evident from the above table that all reliability coefficients values: Alpha and Split-half coefficients are indicating significance at (0.01) thus indicating the questionnaire reliability. Description of the Study A comprehensive description of the study sample is shown in the following tables (from 6 to 9) and charts (from 1to 4), as follows: 1 Gender: Table (6) and chart (1) show distribution of the research sample according to the gender. Distribution of the research sample according to the gender 133 research sample individuals are male at the percentage of 56.4%, whereas 103 research sample individuals are female at the percentage of 43.6%. 2 Education: Table (7) and chart (2) show distribution of the research sample according to the education. Distribution of the research sample according to the education 126 individuals of the research sample are university degrees holders at the percentage of 53.4% followed by 71 individuals of research sample are high school certificates or less holders at the percentage of 30.1%, and the last 39 individuals of the research sample are postgraduates at the percentage of 16.1%. 3 Age: Table (8) and chart (3) show distribution of the research sample according to age. Distribution of the research sample according to age 74 individuals of the research sample whose ages ranging between 30 and 39 years at 31.4%, followed by 68 individuals whose ages ranging between 40 and 49 years at 28.8%, followed by 52 individuals whose ages were below 30 years at 22% and coming last 42 individuals aged 50 years and above at 17.8%. 4 Years of experience: Table (9) and chart (4) show distribution of the research sample according to years of experience. Distribution of the research sample according to years of experience 78 individuals of the research sample whose number of years of experience ranging between 11 to 16 years at 33.1% , followed by 63 individuals whose number of years of experience was above 16 years at 26.6% ,followed by 54 individuals whose number of years of experience ranging between 5 and 10 years at 22.9% , and the last 41 individuals with less than 5 years of experience at 17.4%. Description of Questionnaire answers Below is a detailed discussion (in figures and percentages) of sample individuals answers of the phrases in the questionnaire: Transactional Leadership 1 Provides assistance in exchange for effort: It is evident from the table that 55 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 23.3%, whereas 110 individuals of research sample agreed at 46.6%, and 43 individuals of research sample were neutral at 18.2%, however, 28 individuals of research sample disagreed at 11.9%. 2 Very clear on the reward if goals are achieved: It is evident from the table that 115 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 48.7%, whereas 78 individuals of research sample agreed at 33.1%, and 32 individuals of research sample were neutral at 13.6%, however, 11 individuals of research sample disagreed at 4.7%. 3 Express satisfaction when expectations are met: It is evident from the table that 65 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 27.5%, whereas 132 individuals of research sample agreed at 55.9% and 39 individuals of research sample were neutral at 16.5%. 4 Concentrate attention on dealing with mistakes, complaints and failures: It is evident from the table that 69 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 29.2%, whereas 101 individuals of research sample agreed at 42.8%, and 31 individuals of research sample were neutral at 13.1%, however, 25 individuals of research sample disagreed at 10.6% and finally 10 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 4.2%. 5 Keep track of mistakes: It is evident from the table that 54 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 22.9%, whereas 85 individuals of research sample agreed at 36% and 41 individuals of research sample were neutral at 17.4%, yet, 34 individuals of research sample disagreed at 14.4%, and finally 22 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 9.3%. 6 Takes corrective action on mistakes: It evident from the table that 105 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 44.5% ,whereas 80 individuals of research sample individuals of research sample agreed at 33.9% and individuals of research sample were neutral at 16.1% ,however,13 individuals of research sample disagreed at 5.55%. 7 Fails to interfere when problems become serious: It is evident from the table that 12 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 5.1%, whereas 43 individuals of research sample agreed at 18.2% and 37 individuals of research sample were neutral at 15.7%, yet, 63 individuals of research sample disagreed at 26.7%, and finally 81 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 34.3%. 8 If it isnt broken dont fix it: It is evident from the table that 34 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 15.3%, whereas 87 individuals of research sample agreed at 36.9% and 44 individuals of research sample were neutral at 18.6%, yet, 60 individuals of research sample disagreed at 25.4%, and finally 9 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 3.8%. 9 Waits for things to go wrong before taking action: It is evident from the table that 16 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 6.8%, whereas 65 individuals of research sample agreed at 27.5% and 34 individuals of research sample were neutral at 14.4%, yet, 72 individuals of research sample disagreed at 30.5%, and finally 49 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 20.8%. Transformational Leadership 10 Goes beyond self -interest for the good of others: It is evident from the table that 43 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 18.2%, whereas 129 individuals of research sample agreed at 54.7% and 33 individuals of research sample were neutral at 13.9%, yet, 17 individuals of research sample disagreed at 7.2%, and finally 14 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 5.9%. 11 Admired, respected and trusted: It is evident from the table that 122 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 51.7%, whereas 73 individuals of research sample agreed at 30.9% and 41 individuals of research sample were neutral at 17.4%. 12 Display sense of power and confidence, willing to take risk: It is evident from the table that 45 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 19.1%, whereas 64 individuals of research sample agreed at 27.1% and 81 individuals of research sample were neutral at 34.3%, yet, 11 individuals of research sample disagreed at 4.7%, and finally 35 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 14.8%. 13 Talks about values and beliefs: It is evident from the table that 101 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 42.8%, whereas 74 individuals of research sample agreed at 31.4% and 40 individuals of research sample were neutral at 16.9%, yet, 21 individuals of research sample disagreed at 8.9%. 14 Talks optimistically about the future: It is evident from the table that 100 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 42.4%, whereas 81 individuals of research sample agreed at 34.4% and 55 individuals of research sample were neutral at 23.3%. 15 Motivate and inspire people around: It is evident from the table that 99 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 41.9%, whereas 106 individuals of research sample agreed at 44.9% and 21 individuals of research sample were neutral at 18.9%, yet, 10 individuals of research sample disagreed at 4.2% 16 No public criticism: It is evident from the table that 52 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 22%, whereas 71 individuals of research sample agreed at 30.1% and 44 individuals of research sample were neutral at 18.6%, yet, 39 individuals of research sample disagreed at 16.5%, and finally 30 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 12.7%. 17 Spends time coaching, mentoring and teaching: It is evident from the table that 98 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 41.5%, whereas 46 individuals of research sample agreed at 19.5% and 42 individuals of research sample were neutral at 17.8%, yet, 31 individuals of research sample disagreed at 13.1%, and finally 19 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 8.1%. 18 Considers every employee as having different needs, aspiration and abilities: It is evident from the table that 84 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 35.6%, whereas 64 individuals of research sample agreed at 27.1% and 52 individuals of research sample were neutral at 22%, yet, 23 individuals of research sample disagreed at 9.7%, and finally 13 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 5.5%. 19 Develops employees into Leaders: It is evident from the table that 83 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 35.2%, whereas 99 individuals of research sample agreed at 41.9% and 38 individuals of research sample were neutral at 16.1%, yet, 16 individuals of research sample disagreed at 6.8% 20 Interaction with employees are personalized: It is evident from the table that 64 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 27.1%, whereas 70 individuals of research sample agreed at 29.7% and 57 individuals of research sample were neutral at 24.2%, yet, 36 individuals of research sample disagreed at 15.3%, and finally 9 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 3.8%. Employee Engagement 1 At my work, I feel bursting with energy: It is evident from the table that 69 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 29.2%, whereas 101 individuals of research sample agreed at 42.8% and 49 individuals of research sample were neutral at 20.8%, yet, 17 individuals of research sample disagreed at 7.2%. 2 I find the work that I do full of meaning and purpose: It is evident from the table that 71 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 30.1%, whereas 82 individuals of research sample agreed at 34.7% and 46 individuals of research sample were neutral at 19.5%, yet, 29 individuals of research sample disagreed at 12.3%, and finally 8 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 3.4%. 3 Time flies when Im working: It is evident from the table that 88 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 37.3%, whereas 73 individuals of research sample agreed at 30.9% and 22 individuals of research sample were neutral at 9.3%, yet, 39 individuals of research sample disagreed at 16.5%, and finally 14 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 5.9%. 4 When I am working, I forget everything else around me: It is evident from the table that 67 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 28.4%, whereas 108 individuals of research sample agreed at 45.8% and 37 individuals of research sample were neutral at 15.7%, yet, 24 individuals of research sample disagreed at 10.2%. 5 My job inspires me: It is evident from the table that 58 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 24.6%, whereas 93 individuals of research sample agreed at 39.4% and 39 individuals of research sample were neutral at 16.5%, yet, 30 individuals of research sample disagreed at 12.7%, and finally 16 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 6.8%. 6 When I get up in the morning, I feel like going to work: It is evident from the table that 81 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 34.3%, whereas 84 individuals of research sample agreed at 35.6% and 41 individuals of research sample were neutral at 17.4%, yet, 21 individuals of research sample disagreed at 8.9%, and finally 9 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 3.8%. 7 I am proud of the work that I do: It is evident from the table that 82 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 34.7%, whereas 94 individuals of research sample agreed at 39.8% and 60 individuals of research sample were neutral at 25.4%. 8 I can continue working for very long periods at a time: It is evident from the table that 64 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 27.1%, whereas 86 individuals of research sample agreed at 36.4% and 43 individuals of research sample were neutral at 18.2%, yet, 25 individuals of research sample disagreed at 10.6%, and finally 18 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 7.6%. 9 To me, my job is challenging: It is evident from the table that 100 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 42.4%, whereas 79 individuals of research sample agreed at 33.5% and 34 individuals of research sample were neutral at 14.4%, yet, 13 individuals of research sample disagreed at 5.5%, and finally 10 individuals of research sample strongly disagreed at 4.2%. 10 I get carried away when Im working: It is evident from the table that 83 individuals of research sample strongly agreed at 35.2%, whereas 103 individuals of research sample agreed at 43.6% and 50 individuals of research sample were neutral at 21.2%. Hypotheses Testing There is a correlation between transactional leadership and employee engagement and a correlation between transformational leadership and employee engagement To test the developed hypotheses, a Pearson correlation method is used for figuring out the relationship between the study variables. The obtained results can be shown in the following table: Table (10) correlation matrix among transactional leadership, transformational leadership and employee engagement Employee Engagement 0.831** Transactional Leadership 0.924** Transformational Leadership ** p = à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 0.01 Table (10) shows a positive correlation among transactional leadership, transformational leadership and employee engagement at significance of (0.01) function. In other words, the better the transactional leadership perception is the better the employee engagement which supports H1and the better the transformational leadership perception is the better the employee engagement which supports H2. Demographic Analysis Transactional Leadership and Demographics: There are differences of statistical indication between the sample individuals marks average in transactional leadership according to the study demographics. T-Test was applied and the sample individuals marks were calculated by ANOVA in the transactional leadership, the following tables show the same below: Chart (5) differences in the sample individuals marks average in transactional leadership according to the gender Table (11) and Chart (5) show that T value was (20.931 ),it is a value statistically indicating significance at (0.01 ) in favor of females, as females marks average was ( 39.019 ) , whereas males marks average was ( 21.451 ), that means that females consider transactional leadership better than males. Total Table (12) shows that F value was ( 31.402 ) which is a statistically indicating significance at ( 0.01 ), that means that there are differences among the sample individuals in transactional leadership according to education. To verify the direction of the indication, Scheffe Test was applied for multiple comparisons. The following table shows the same below: Table (13) and chart (6) show no differences in transactional leadership between post graduate studies holders and university degree holders, whereas there are differences between post graduate studies holders and high school certificate or less holders in favor of post graduate studies holders significant at ( 0.01 ). There are also differences between university degree holders and high school certificate or less holders in favor of university degree holders significant at ( 0.01 ), whereas the average of marks of post graduate studies holders and university degree holders was (35.205) and (34.515) respectively, followed by high school certificate or less holders sample individuals at the average of ( 16.197 ) , post graduate studies holders and university degree holders came first as they had better perception of transactional leadership , while high school certificate or less holders came second. It is evident from table (14) that the value of T was ( 39.670 ) , it is a value indicating statistically significant at ( 0.01 ), thus indicating the differences among sample individuals according to age. To define the function direction, Scheffe Test was applied for multiple comparisons .The following table shows the same below. Chart (7) differences of sample marks in transactional leadership according to age Table (15) and chart (7) show that there are differences in transactional leadership between sample individuals aged 50 years and above and sample individuals aged 40-49 years ,30-39 years and those below 30 years in favor of the sample individuals aged 50 years and above with significance at (0.01), whereas there are differences between sample individuals aged 40-49 and sample individuals aged 30-39 in favor of sample individuals aged 40-49 years with significance at (0.05), whereas there are differences between sample individuals aged 40-49 and sample individuals aged below 30 years in favor of the first with significance at (0.01), whereas there are differences between sample individuals aged 30-39 years and sample individuals aged below 30 years in favor of the first with significance at (0.01). The average marks of the sample individuals aged 50 years and above were (42.000), followed by the sample individuals aged 40-49 at the average of (32.441) ,followed by sample individuals aged 30-39 at the average of (29.540) ,and sample individuals aged below 30 years at the

Customers Satisfaction Services

Customers Satisfaction Services INTRODUCTION Organizations have been increasingly interested in retaining existing customers while targeting non-customers; measuring customer satisfaction provides an indication of how successful the organization is at providing products and/or services to the marketplace. Customer satisfaction is an ambiguous and abstract concept and the actual manifestation of the state of satisfaction will vary from person to person and product/service to product/service. The state of satisfaction depends on a number of both psychological and physical variables which correlate with satisfaction behaviors such as return and recommend rate. The level of satisfaction can also vary depending on other options the customer may have and other products against which the customer can compare the organizations products. Because satisfaction is basically a psychological state, care should be taken in the effort of quantitative measurement, although a large quantity of research in this area has recently been developed. Work done by Berry, Brodeur between 1990 and 1998(1) defined ten Quality Values which influence satisfaction behavior, further expanded by Berry in 2002 and known as the ten domains of satisfaction. These ten domains of satisfaction include: Quality, Value, Timeliness, Efficiency, Ease of Access, Environment, Inter-departmental Teamwork, Front line Service Behaviors, Commitment to the Customer and Innovation. These factors are emphasized for continuous improvement and organizational change measurement and are most often utilized to develop the architecture for satisfaction measurement as an integrated model. Work done by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry between 1985 and 1988 provides the basis for the measurement of customer satisfaction with a service by using the gap between the custom ers expectation of performance and their perceived experience of performance. This provides the measurer with a satisfaction gap which is objective and quantitative in nature. Work done by Cronin and Taylor propose the confirmation/disconfirmation theory of combining the gap described by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry as two different measures (perception and expectation of performance) into a single measurement of performance according to expectation. According to Garbrand, customer satisfaction equals perception of performance divided by expectation of performance. The usual measures of customer satisfaction involve a survey (2) with a set of statements using a Likert Technique or scale. The customer is asked to evaluate each statement and in term of their perception and expectation of the performance of the organisation being measured. To efficiently deal with customer satisfaction, coordination of all departments of a company, from the marketing to the human resources, operations and financial departments is not only critical, but they should also be involved in the process. The aim of this report is to reflect on the customer satisfaction in all the processes and operations at the NIKE, Inc. The focus will be on the numerous systems and activities set up by the company to meet overall customer satisfaction. However, it would be of great relevance to firstly investigate who is a customer in general and what is the nature of customer service. A literature review on customer satisfaction and an assessment of the business environment will then follow. Secondly, an analysis of customer satisfaction through the various processes and systems established at the NIKE, Inc. will be undertaken. In a third chapter, an evaluation of customer satisfaction at the BMW Group in relation to the theories will be carried out. Finally, a conclusion and recommendations will follow. Company Background Nikes Heritage NIKE, pronounced NI-KEY, is the winged goddess of victory according to Greek mythology. She sat at the side of Zeus, the ruler of the Olympic pantheon, in Olympus. A mystical presence, symbolizing victorious encounters, NIKE presided over historys earliest battlefields. A Greek would say, When we go to battle and win, we say it is NIKE. Synonymous with honored conquest, NIKE is the twentieth century footwear that lifts the worlds greatest athletes to new levels of mastery and achievement. The NIKE swoosh embodies the spirit of the winged goddess who inspired the most courageous and chivalrous warriors at the dawn of civilization. (from Nike Consumer Affairs packet, 1996) The Swoosh The SWOOSH logo is a graphic design created by Caroline Davidson in 1971. It represents the wing of the Greek Goddess NIKE. Caroline Davidson was a student at Portland State University in advertising. She met Phil Knight while he was teaching accounting classes and she started doing some freelance work for his company. Phil Knight asked Caroline to design a logo that could be placed on the side of a shoe. She handed him the SWOOSH, he handed her $35.00. In spring of 1972, the first shoe with the NIKE SWOOSH was introduced. (from Nike Consumer Affairs packet, 1996) History Nike was founded in the year of 1968 by Philip H. Knight, who is currently the Owner, Chairman, and CEO of the company.   Phil Knight completed his education from the University of Oregon and the Stanford Business School by 1962, (Moore, 128).   As an aspiring young business man, he decided to travel to Japan and speak to the president of Tiger shoes.   He presented himself as an American distributor of athletic equipment when he actually had nothing.   He was pretty sneaky, however, he got what he wanted and began selling running shoes under the name of Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS). Once he became bored with selling shoes at sporting events from the back of his truck, he began producing his own athletic apparel, (nike/history.htm).   He renamed his so-called company Nike and hoped for the best to happen.   Within the first year, he sold $8000.00 worth of shoes and only received a $250.00 profit, (nike/history.htm).   After some time, Knight turned to his old coach from sch ool, Bill Bowerman, for advice on what to do next.   Phil Knight wanted Nike to stand out above the rest.   Once Bill Bowerman came up with the idea for having traction on the bottom of shoes, Nike had finally made its mark, (nike/history.htm).   The Nike Waffle Trainer stood out and made Nike the most unique shoe company of the 1970s.    By the year of 1979, Nike was the most well-known shoe company in the world.   They no longer just sold shoes but sporting equipment as well.   However, the joy of being on top came crashing down when Reebok surpassed Nike with the aerobic phase in athletics.   In order to maintain the reputation of Nike, the worlds best shoe corporation, Nike struck back by diversifying their shoes for different kinds of sports activities.   Nike continued to rise in success throughout its prosperity by signing famous sports players ( ex. Michael Jordan) and using intelligent advertising tactics, (nike/history.htm).   Today, Nike is a four billio n dollar business that has had its ups and downs.   As of now, Nike is having difficulties with the publicity it is receiving about its labor practices in China, South Korea, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Chapter 1: Theoretical aspects of customer satisfaction 1. The concept of customer in general A customer refers to individuals or households that purchase goods and services generated within the economy. The word historically derives from custom, meaning habit; a customer was someone who frequented a particular shop, who made it a habit to purchase goods there, and with whom the shopkeeper had to maintain a relationship to keep his or her custom, meaning expected purchases in the future. Customer needs may be defined as the goods or services a customer requires to achieve specific goals. Different needs are of varying importance to the customer. Customer expectations are influenced by cultural values, advertising, marketing, and other communications, both with the supplier and with other sources. Both customer needs and expectations may be determined through interviews, surveys, conversations, data mining or other methods of collecting information. Customers at times do not have a clear understanding of their needs. Assisting in determining needs can be a valuable service to the customer. In the process, expectations may be set or adjusted to correspond to known product capabilities or service. 1.1 Customer Service Customers are the essential to the business. Basically, the business makes profit from the product sales, so it depends how many customers purchase the companys products. Recently, most of firms are not only to focus their products decoration and price, but also pay attention to the those customer whom buy the products. For instance: listen with understanding, ask questions, apologize, take fair and corrective action and remain courteous to the customers.The profit of a business increase markedly the more loyal, long-standing customers it has. Therefore, it is crucial to provide an excellent service to attract and keep the customer. To begin with, a customer who is a person or business buying goods or services from another. And the customer service is helping and supporting the customer before, during and after they purchase the product. Normally, the customers can be broken into to two types categories: external and internal. External customers are who buy goods or services that are not employed by or combined with the business selling the goods or providing the service. Internal customers which means the people within an organization to whom work is passed or to whim a service provided. The four basic aims for the customers are, what they want, when they want, where there want it and what price they willing to pay. Nowadays, the customers service is quite important to a firm, because of the following reasons. First one is to make the business profitable; of course, it is most important principle to a firm. The second reason, it is differentiation with other competitors. In a market, may be have many of firms produce the products almost the same style, same quality and same price. Hence, the customers might depends the which firms can be provided good service, and this can be helped them to make a decision to buy which brand of product. Beside that above two reasons, if the company provides the excellent services to the customer, who will come back. This is the key for a firm to live longer in a competition market. How many customers will do â€Å"repeat business† with company according to how better services they can obtain. Lastly, as the similar reason with second one, which is increasing competition in the market. Especially, currently most of Mutil-company joining into the domestic e conomic, therefore, the firms really needs to keep their good customer service that not going to be eliminated by the market. Customer services are so crucial to any company, hence, there have some ways that to provide an excellent customer service. First of all, responding any questions from customers. Whatever from the customer calls, E-mail and letters. Customers have higher requirement of response time. If the customer will not be answered quickly, they may think that they are not important and have been ignored; and start to move to other company. One example, like UGR company, we have three groups each week and many sales people to do the same job, which is responding the customers E-mails or letters. However, due to the improper manage, lots of letters and E-mails response to one customer too many times, in contrast, other customers have been ignored. As a result, the company will lose the business with those customers. Secondly, understanding the customers need, such as satisfy customers emotional satisfaction. There are 4 main points that the enterprise should achieve to satisfy customers emotional needs. Fist one is making the customers feel to be understood. This depends on the communication between the company and clients, like a good listener, it lets the customer feel nothing is hindering between their and the company. The second one is to feel welcome. They like to feel that you are happy to see them and that they are important to you. Welcome delivery the image about that the company is happy to see them to the customer. Then the customers need to feel to be important. Ensuring that every customer feels that they are attached importance. To feel important can increase the goods that are consumed by every customer, because they feel the company respects them. Finally, the company should supply a comfort environment to the customer, such as good decoration, a nice music, some soft seats to si t and cup of drinks. All of these images not only make the customers have a happy mood, but also give them a feeling of that the company can take care them properly. To be a great people is other point. For example, speak to people, smile, be friendly and helpful, call people by name, enjoy yourself, be genuine ,be considerate, be thoughtful, be willing and be generous. Sometimes, I do not want to buy something from shop, however, the staffs make me feel they are polite and have a beautiful smile. Therefore, I change my mind to buy something. The other point is listening and communication with your workers. A good leader who is always concerns their employees thinking. Workers to understand that their own well-being is affected by providing good customer service. For example, I had a part-time job before, which is selling the earrings and necklaces. In the first few weeks, my boss just told me try to sell them as much as you can, but she did not taught me how to do. Later, I told her I do not how to describe the feature about each style and she taught me how to say, at the end, I sold many products. Hence, the communication is quite important between the boss and work. Lastly, the enterprise attempts to reducing high product in order to reduce the loss in the business. The enterprise needs concern the household in the whole economy. Most of people cannot afford the high price. Therefore, for the firms might be lost some customers that affect the profit into the business. For instance, if I am going to buy a laptop, the first thing I see the price then its function. I think not too many people can afford high price whether it has high-tech. So, the company might be lost that kind of customer who really cares about the price. In conclusion, the keys of keep a high customer loyalty is to provide the service that could satisfy the customers wants, needs and use proper attitude. However, it is the most important to understand that to deliver the excellent service makes more profit to the business. 1.2. SWOT and PEST analyses of the business environment 1.2.1. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis summarizes the key issues from an analysis of the business environment and the strategic capability of an organization. The main objectives of conducting SWOT analysis is to identify the extent to which the current strategy of an organization and its more specific strength and weaknesses are relevant to, and capable of, dealing with the changes taking place in the business environment. It also uses to assess whether there are opportunities to exploit further the unique resources or core competence of organization. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Strengths Strengths are internal characteristic that has the potential of improving the organizations competitive situation. Every organization has some strength. A strength could be: * A new product or service * New machinery or equipment. * Strong market share. * Strong financial. * Specialist Hardware and Software expertise. Weaknesses Weaknesses are an internal characteristics that leaves the organization potentially vulnerable to strategic moves by competitors. Every organization also has some weakness. A weakness could be: * Poor reputation. * Lack of marketing strategies. * Location of the business in respect of the market-place. * Poor after-sales service record. Opportunities Opportunities are an environment situation that offers significant prospects for improving an organizations situation relative to competitors. All organizations have some opportunities that they can gain from. These could range from diversification to sale of operations. An opportunity could be: * A new or developing market. * Possibility of purchasing an effective competitor. * Government grants offered for new market development. The possibility of cheaper raw materials. Threats Threats are an environment situation that offers significant prospects for undermining an organizations competitive situation. No organization is exceptional to threats. These could be internal, such as falling productivity. Or they could be external, such as lower priced international competition. A threat could be: * Competitors developing new products or services. * Extra competitors in the main market area. * High bargaining power of suppliers. * Taxation is introduced on the products or services 1.2.2. PEST Analysis A PEST analysis, as defined by David Lines et al is Political, Economical, Social and Technological analysis, a means of analysing the external factors that may present opportunities or threats to a business.'(David Lines et al, 2004:p212 ). It is also known as PESTEL analysis when Environmental and Legal factors are included. It is used to identify external factors which may affect a company. (http://www.marketing-intelligence.co.uk/help/QA/question24.htm) The political factors PEST looks at include government stability, taxation policy, foreign trade regulations and social welfare policies. Foreign trade regulations in particular are important for an organisation planning on opening up in a different country or trading with a different country as their laws may differ from those the organisation already employs. Economical factors include business cycles, interest rates, money supply, inflation, unemployment and disposable income. An organisation planning on breaking into a new market would be well advised to look at the economical factors that may affect their proposed business plans, such as market trends and consumer patterns. Sociocultural factors, such as population demographics, social mobility, lifestyle changes, consumerism and levels of education, should also be monitored closely, and example being the tobacco industry. With people becoming more health conscious and with social pressures on smokers growing in western countries the sales of tobacco have been adversely affected in this market. Anti smoking campaigns, restrictions on advertising and packaging and the banning of smoking in most public places, as well as heavy taxes and court cases, have led tobacco companies to concentrate their marketing efforts mainly on the developing world.(Gerry Johnson and Kevan Scholes, 2002) Technological factors include new discoveries, speed of technological transfer, government spending on research and rates of obsolescence. These are important factors to watch, especially for people in the hi-technology industry which changes constantly. For example in the mobile phones industry new models with bigger memory, new extras and applications and other technological advances have replaced the original mobile. A mobile phone is no longer just a mobile phone but a computer, diary, calendar, and in some cases office. With new models coming out almost every month it is important the mobile phone companies keep up with current trends to ensure their mobiles do not become obsolete. 1.3. Service/ Product quality In its broadest sense, quality is a degree of excellence: the extent to which something is fit for its purpose. In the narrow sense, product or service quality is defined as conformance with requirement, freedom from defects or contamination, or simply a degree of customer satisfaction. In quality management, quality is defined as the totality of characteristics of a product or service that bears on its ability to satisfy stated and implied needs. Quality is also rapidly embracing the nature or degree of impact an organisation has on its stakeholders, environment and society. Meeting requirements Specifications are an imprecise means of conveying subjective aspects not everything can be reduced to figures or measurable characteristics. For instance, the characteristics of friendliness or courtesy in a service industry are difficult to measure reliably and repeatedly. Therefore, conformance to requirements is not necessarily all there is to achieving quality. Quality is a result Quality is the result of a comparison between what was required and what was provided. It is judged not by the producer but by the receiver. The judgement can be made of an intention, as is the case when selecting suppliers, or an output, as is the case when purchasing a product or service. Customer satisfaction The only true measure of acceptable quality is customer satisfaction, which takes into account both objective and subjective interpretations of the needs and expectations of customers. If customers are satisfied with the products and services offered, the organisation has not only correctly interpreted customer needs and expectations but it is also providing products and services of acceptable quality. Changing customer perceptions Customer needs and expectations are constantly changing. Awareness of new technology, legislation, problems, competitor products or services creates new wants for customers. Wants turn into demands when these customers begin their next purchase. Therefore, it is vital for organisations to constantly improve quality so that satisfied customers are retained as well as created. Quality and value Value is not a price tag but a measure of the benefits derived from a product or service for what is given in return. A product may well meet physical and functional requirements but be overpriced when compared to others of the same class and grade. Alternatively, the same product may be on offer at another store for 50 per cent less, indicating exceedingly good value for money. In an effort to reduce costs, some organisations have forgotten that it is the quality of the complete transaction that counts. Getting product quality right while ignoring the human relationship between customer and supplier will not lead to satisfied customers. What quality is not? Quality is not perfection, a standard, a procedure, a measure or an adjective. No amount of inspection changes the quality of a product or service. Quality does not exist in isolation there has to be an entity, the quality of which is being discussed. Quality is not a specific characteristic of an entity but the extent to which that characteristic meets certain needs. The value of the characteristic is unimportant it is how its value compares with customer needs that signifies its quality. Why should an organisation be interested in quality? Every business exists not to make a profit, as many would have us believe, but to create and retain satisfied customers. A business would have no profits if it failed to create and retain satisfied customers. Providing products and services which meet customer needs and expectations creates satisfied customers. Anticipating future needs and expectations retains satisfied customers. Therefore, quality is vital to the survival of every enterprise. What does quality apply to? Every product, service, process, task, action, decision can either be acceptable or unacceptable. Hence, there is an intrinsic quality in everything that an organisation does. Everyone must pay attention to quality, from the chief executive to the shopfloor across all functions in an enterprise. It is as important for support staff to pay attention to quality as production staff. Who is responsible for quality? One can only be responsible for doing something relative to quality. Hence a person can be responsible for: specifying quality requirements achieving quality requirements determining the quality of something Assigning responsibility means giving a person the right to cause things to happen and with this right should be delegated the authority to control the processes which deliver the output the quality of which the person is responsible for. One manager cannot be made responsible for quality within an organisation unless that manager is the CEO. All a specialist manager such as a Quality Manager can do it is to enable others to achieve quality by providing encouragement, leadership, training, tools, techniques and performance data. However, it is important for someone in the business to give leadership and results on quality performance and this person needs special knowledge and skills. How can quality be achieved? Several methods have evolved to achieve, sustain and improve quality. They are known as quality control, quality improvement and quality assurance collectively known as quality management. Quality management is not the preserve of one manager but of all managers. Quality is achieved through a chain of processes, each of which has to be under control and subject to continual improvement. The chain starts with top management expressing a firm commitment to quality, then: establishing customer needs and expectations developing and maintaining a management system that will enable achievement of customer needs and expectations reliably, repeatedly and economically designing products and services with features which reflect customer needs building products and services so as to reproduce faithfully the design verifying before delivery that products and services possess the features required preventing the supply of products and services which possess features which dissatisfy customers discovering and eliminating undesirable features in products and services finding less expensive solutions to customer needs making operations more efficient and effective discovering what will delight customers and providing it most importantly, honouring commitments A variety of standards, philosophies, methodologies, tools, techniques and measures have been developed to help organisations meet these goals: management systems ISO 9000, ISO 14000, BS 8800, BS 7799 philosophies total quality management methodologies business process management, continual improvement tools and techniques process charts, failure mode and effects analysis, statistical process control, quality function deployment measures quality awards, best value, ISO 9000 and Investors in People All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording and/or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers. This publication may not be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise disposed of by way of trade in any form, binding or cover other than that in which it is published without the prior consent of the publishers. 3. Literature review on customer satisfaction 3.1. What is customer satisfaction? Customer satisfaction is the provision of goods or services which fulfil the customers expectations in terms of quality and service, in relation to price paid. Customer satisfaction can help the businesses achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. It is about understanding the way a customer feels after purchasing a product or service and, in particular, whether or not that product or service met the customers expectations. Customers primarily form their expectations through past purchasing experiences, word-of-mouth from family, friends and colleagues and information delivered through marketing activities, such as advertising or public relations. If the customers expectation is not met, they will be dissatisfied and it is very likely they will tell others about their experience. Why customer satisfaction is important? The organisations should not underestimate the value of customer satisfaction. It is becoming an important area of competition. A high level of satisfaction can deliver many benefits, including: -Loyalty: a highly satisfied customer is a loyal customer. -Repeat purchase: a highly satisfied customer buys more products. -Referrals: a highly satisfied customer tells their family and friends about the product or service. -Retention: a highly satisfied customer is less likely to switch brands. -Reduced costs: a highly satisfied customer costs less to serve than a new customer. -Premium prices: a highly satisfied customer is willing to pay more for the product or service. Not happy Jan Monitoring customer satisfaction is important because we are much more likely to tell our friends and family about a bad experience with a product or service than a good experience. The introduction of blogs and websites such as www.notgoodenough.com.au has provided customers with an excellent platform to spread the bad word about a product or service to thousands of people. And theres always the threat of negative publicity generated from current affairs programs or other media outlets. Dont learn the lesson about customer satisfaction the hard way! Customer satisfaction research Satisfaction surveys are an important method for collecting information about how the customers think and feel about the organisations brand, product or service. A satisfaction survey can help the organisations to understand the expectations of their customers, determine whether the customers believe they are meeting those expectations, identify new customer requirements or trends in the market and determine what areas of the organisations business need investment. A good customer satisfaction survey will also help the organisations to understand the causes of dissatisfaction among their customers. Once the organisations have identified these issues, they will be able to implement new practices to improve customer satisfaction. Many businesses systematically measure customer satisfaction through independent surveys, feedback forms, mystery shopping and focus groups. Some third party surveys also compare the customer satisfaction of major competitors, which allows companies to benchmark themselves in their relevant sector. Measuring customer satisfaction doesnt have to be expensive. It can be as simple as preparing a short feedback form or conducting a brief telephone interview that asks the customer to rate the product or service on a number of criteria. Indicators of customer satisfaction An important indicator of customer satisfaction is the customer retention rate. To calculate the customer retention rate, the organisations will need to capture data about the total number of customers and the number of customers switching brands. If they track this information ove

Waiting for Godot, Hollow Men and Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock :: comparison compare contrast essays

Compare Waiting for Godot, Hollow Men and Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Life is occupied by waiting.   In Waiting for Godot, Samuel Becket presents the suffering of the human condition.   Godot is about two beings who talk about nothing, experience the drudgery of life, complain that they do not do anything, meet a few people, think about hanging themselves, and then do it all over again.   The existentialist style by Godot is comparable to T.S. Eliot's works.   Eliot's Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and Hollow Men are about the tormenting cycle of life and death.   The connection among these three works is that people want to and should do so much, but they do not.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Waiting for Godot takes place in a rural area, with just a tree in the background.   The two friends Vladimir and Estragon talk aimlessly and complain about life.   They consider hanging themselves, but realize before they do that they should consult with Godot.   Who or what Godot symbolizes remains a mystery, but their whole existence seems to be to wait for Godot. They meet a couple of fellows: Pozzo, an upper-class man, mistaken by Vladimir and Estragon as Godot, and Pozzo's slave, Lucky.   After they leave, a messenger from Godot arrives and states simply that Godot will arrive tomorrow, same place, same time.   They consider leaving, but do not.   The second act is almost an exact repeat of the first, but Lucky and Pozzo have fallen upon hard times.   Pozzo has become blind and pathetic, and Lucky has become dumb.   This change in events is a direct point of life being terrific one moment, and worthless the next.   Godot never shows up.   The play ends with the two considering to go somewhere, but they do not.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The similarity of this play to Eliot's poem is remarkable.   Eliot's Love Song is in the first person point of view, and this person refers to " you," who is probably a woman.   It is about a man who want to do so much - be with pretty woman, make something of his life.   His flaws are many, though.   He realizes he is getting balder and more wrinkled.   His prowess with women is deteriorating and this disturbs him.

The Catholic Church: A Cult In Mainstream Society Essay -- essays rese

When one hears of a cult, one thinks of organizations such as the Church of Scientology, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and small fanatical groups such as the Assembly of God. According to Robert J. Lofton, author of Letters to an Elder, there are two kinds of cults; those that use mind-control, and those that do not. Lofton describes eight characteristics of destructive mind-control cults, saying, â€Å"If any group exercises all eight of these control elements, they are, in fact a destructive mind control cult†. Lofton’s characteristics are ‘Environmental Control’, ‘Mystical Manipulation’, ‘Demand for Purity’, ‘Cult of Confession’, ‘Sacred Science’, ‘Loading the Language’, ‘Doctrine over Person’, and ‘Dispensing of Existence’. These eight characteristics are found not only in the organizations mentioned earlier, but also in more mainstream organizations. The Roman Catholic Church exhibits all eight characteristics very strongly, making it fit the profile of a destructive mind-control cult. Lofton’s first characteristic, ‘Environmental Control’, refers to the manner in which the cult keeps its members from becoming disillusioned about the cult though outside sources or ex-members. Members â€Å"can be physically separated from society or they can be warned to stay away from media that might provoke critical thinking.† In 1934, the Catholic Church formed â€Å"The Legion of Decency†¦to combat immoral movies†. The Legion of Decency rated movies, periodicals, and other such materials and set the standard for Catholics across the world. The Legion condemned such movies as â€Å"Jesus Christ† for blasphemy and heresy, as well as recommending against many other movies of questionable nature. The Legion controlled the environment of Catholics and isolated them from media that was critical of the Church or was deemed inappropriate for viewing by Catholics. The second characteristic of destructive mind-control cults is ‘Mystical Manipulation’. â€Å"Leaders [of the cult] become mediators for God†¦ the cult and its beliefs become the only true path to salvation†. By providing the only way for members to reach salvation, the cult becomes a necessary and inescapable part of the member’s life. In the Catholic Church, the Pope is said to be in contact with God, and to have a greater measure of communication with him than the other members of the Church. On a local level, each priest is the congregati... ...he American Religious Scene. Doubleday: New York, 1971 Karson, Jill. Cults. Greenhaven Press: CA, 2000. Kavanaugh, Father James. A Modern Priest Looks at His Outdated Church. Trident: New York, 1967. Kephart, Rick. A Brief History of the Legion of Decency. 4 Nov 2000 . McCabe, Joseph. â€Å"Catholics The Most Priest-Ridden Of All People.† The Tyranny of the Clerical Gestapo. 4 Nov. 2000. . Miller, MaryAnn. Coping With Cults. Rosen Publishing Group: New York, 1990. Noll, Richard. When Catholics Die: Eternal Life or Eternal Damnation? The Olive Press: SC, 1999. O’Neill, James M. Catholicism and American Freedom. Harper: New York, 1952. â€Å"Science and the Church.† New Advend Catholic Encyclopedia. 4 Nov. 2000 . Shields, Currin. Democracy and Catholicism in America. McGraw-Hill: New York, 1958. Sikorski, R. J. Letters to an Elder. 4 Nov. 2000 . Wells, H.G. Crux Ansata: An indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. American Atheist Press: TX, 1981.

Power and Influence in the Workplace Essay

This case study is based upon the conceptual article by Glenys M. Drew titled; ‘Enabling or Real power and influence in leadership’, in which â€Å"aims to provoke thought about power and influence in leadership.† Simply stated, power is our desire to have influence upon others, placing us within a particular social status. According to Lewicki, Barry, and Saunders (2010, p. 199), â€Å"people have power when they have the ability to bring about outcomes they desire or the ability to get things done the way they want them to be done.† Influence is â€Å"the actual strategies and messages that individuals deploy to bring about desired attitudinal or behavioral change,† (Lewicki et al 2010, p. 220). In most relationships there is power imbalances, including an organization structured to flow in a top-down direction. This is known as formal power and influence such as between a boss and his or her subordinate. â€Å"The power imbalance in these relationships stems from the asymmetry in dependence between the parties, which contributes to an asymmetry in influence between the parties,† (Emerson, 1962, p. 37). Problems Specified in the Case â€Å"What constitutes real power and influence in leadership† is addressed and whether â€Å"coercive tactics of wielding power over others† is even necessary. It is contended that the opposite is true in that â€Å"demonstrating real power and influence in leadership† holds back â€Å"usurping power to work with and  enable others to achieve worthwhile ends,† (Drew, 2010, p. 1). Possible solutions presented by the Authors The author explores three suggested solutions of enabling or real power and influence in leadership, each solution is accompanied by an element of paradox. The first suggests that â€Å"enabling or real power and influence does not usurp but serves.† The second is that an instinctual impulse of self-interest is diverted into a more socially acceptable interest for others and the intended goal. The third is that it fosters true engagement in leadership while positioning for growth for the self and others, (Drew, 2010). SWOT Analysis _Strengths_ In diverse coalitions, power and influence can be used to build a consensus. Real power is the ‘power to empower’. _Weaknesses_ In diverse coalitions, power without influence can bring about negative results. â€Å"Usurping power† and self-interest â€Å"tends to stultify and deny useful result,† (p. 7). _Opportunities_ Opportunities exist for leaders to use power to influence guided thinking, not so much to solve problems for people but to engage people in solving problems. _Threats_ Nothing is more important to building vital trust the prevalent state of leadership than that of credibility. A leader can lose credibility when power is misused and when strong professional will and humility are not found to be so effectual. Author’s recommended solution I agree with the author’s recommended solution that â€Å"genuine power and influence reverses the power paradigm, where the leader focuses primarily on the vision ahead more than (demonstrably) on self and partners with and enables others to reach shared goals,† (Drew, 2010, p. 2). Paradoxically, by enabling and empowering others with altruistic use of power and influence is a sign of â€Å"strength, rigor, and potentially rich outcomes† while wielding power just because one can, or for selfish reasons may on the surface seem â€Å"powerful† but could be displayed as weakness, stultification, and acquiring compromised outcomes. The paradox that â€Å"the only power is no power† assists an argument that may be inferred that â€Å"self aggrandizing power, in its bid to grab power, ultimately reduces the self, while resisting the exercise of usurping power expands the self and increases one’s potential for productive influence and authority,† (Drew, 2010, p. 3). â€Å"Self-interest for the interests of the goal† are sublimated by real power and influence within the â€Å"paradoxical proposition that genuine power results from giving rather than taking,† (Drew, 2010, p. 5). Real power and influence displays strength, not weakness within the paradox proposed is that real power and influence â€Å"eschews ‘soft’, uncritical approaches in favor of rigor, building a ‘culture of discipline’,† (Drew, 2010, p. 8). References Emerson, R. M. (1962). â€Å"Power-Dependence Relations,† American Sociological Review 27, 31-40. Drew, G. M. (2010). Enabling or â€Å"real† power and influence in leadership. Journal of Leadership Studies, 4(1), 47-58. doi:10.1002/jls.20154. Lewicki, R.J., Barry, B., & Saunders, D.M. (2010). Negotiation (6th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.