A poem which depicts a violent incident Essay

TASK: Choose a poem in which there is a dramatic or violent incident. Show how the poet conveys the incident using various poetic techniques. ‘Glasgow 5 March 1971’ by Scottish poet Edwin Morgan effectively conveys a violent incident which occurs on a busy street in Glasgow. The incident captured in this instamatic poem involves a violent attack on a young couple who are pushed through a shop window by thieving youths. The incident is shown vividly through various techniques such as imagery, word choice and structure. Through this poem, Morgan effectively criticises society and our reluctance to help others in need. One of the ways in which Morgan helps us understand the incident is through the use of imagery. The poem begins with a striking metaphor to describe the â€Å"ragged diamond of shattered plate-glass†. The broken glass is being compared to a diamond to help us picture the sharp, glinting edges of the window. This immediately shows how violent the incident is. He goes on to describe the man’s face as â€Å"bristling with fragments of glass†. This metaphor compared the numerous shards of glass on his face to a beard. This again highlights the pain and damage caused to the innocent â€Å"young man†. The serious nature of the injuries is also conveyed by the words â€Å"spurts of arterial blood† which creates the image of blood gushing out of the girl. Her â€Å"wet-look white coat† emphasises the amount of blood and the contrast of red blood on white which creates a strong visual image. The poem then moves on to describe the attackers using effective word choice to convey the lack of compassion shown to the victims. The incident is described as the â€Å"operation† which suggests that this is a purely business-like transaction for these people. There is no emotion. The word â€Å"loot† suggests that the youths’ only care is to grab as many valuables as possible and do it â€Å"smartly†. This highlights the impersonal, business-like manner again, showing a lack of humanity. Again this is done with â€Å"no expression† which shows no concern or care for the couple whose faces show â€Å"surprise† and â€Å"shock†. The word choice used here effectively shows the selfishness of the youths whose only care is to steal with no concern for who gets hurt in this violent incident. . Morgan achieves this by using the present tense, â€Å"a young man and his girl are falling†, â€Å"their arms are starfished†. This creates the effect of seeing the event as a picture rather than an ongoing event. The writer emphasises this with the words â€Å"sharp clear night† which relates to a camera image again. This helps the reader stand back and look at the event objectively without be involved. Morgan is trying to make the point that this is what we do in society when we see violence occurring – stand back and not get involved. This theme of society’s reluctance to help others is shown through the deliberate reference â€Å"in Sauchiehall Street†. This makes it clear that this violent incident took place on a busy street in Glasgow where lots of people would be. He goes on to refer to drivers â€Å"in the background† which again highlights the fact that people do not come forward to help the victims; they â€Å"keep their eyes on the road†. This final line effectively conveys Morgan’s attitude that people turn a blind eye to violence, most likely from fear or lack of compassion. Through presenting this ‘snapshot’ of the incident in â€Å"sharp clear† detail, it makes the reader think about what we would have done in this situation and why people failed to act. In conclusion this poem effectively conveys a violent incident on a busy Glasgow street. Edwin Morgan successfully highlights the lack of concern in our society for others. He achieved this through his instamatic technique, vivid imagery and effective word choice. These techniques helped me visualise the incident well and understand the writer’s message. The poem really made me think about how we treat one another in society as this incident is set in Glasgow in a busy street. It made me wonder if this would actually happen and if people would help or turn a blind eye.

Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation Essay

Abstract CBSE has introduced Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) in standard IX and X from 2009. CCE refers to system of school based evaluation of a student that covers all aspects of a student development. It emphasizes continuity in evaluation and assessment of broad based learning and behavioural outcomes on the other. Effectiveness of CCE depends on teachers positive attitudes towards it. Hence, this paper studies the attitude of social science teachers towards CCE at secondary level in relation to their gender, area and teaching experience. The study was descriptive in nature. An Attitude Scale towards CCE developed by Investigator, having forty items was administered to the respondents to determine the subjects’ attitude towards CCE. All the social science teachers, teaching at secondary level in West District of Sikkim constituted the population of the study. Fifty social science teacher comprising male and female, rural and urban and less than and above eight years o f experience were selected as a sample of the study. Two to four social science teachers were selected at random from the sampled institutions. Mean, Standard Deviation, t-test, Quartile Deviation were applied to measure and compare the attitude of social science teachers towards CCE. The analysis of the data revealed that the majority of the social science teachers possess positive attitude towards CCE. It was found that there was no significant difference in attitude towards CCE between the female and male social science teachers. Teacher working in rural secondary schools were found same attitude towards CCE as compared to the teachers working in urban schools. It uncovered the fact that the teachers having less than eight years of experience are equally committed and possess positive attitude towards CCE as compared to the teachers having more than  eight years of experience. The in- depth qualitative study should be conducted to investigate variable affecting attitude of social science teachers at secondary level. Key words: Attitude, social science teachers, continuous and comprehensive evaluation, secondary level. INTRODUCTION The main aim of education is to bring holistic development in the learner. Through education all individuals can achieve greatness and become responsible and productive citizens. Since time immemorial lots of efforts have been given to impart quality education to the younger generation considering them as nation assets but outcomes were always remain questionable. System gave more impetus for transmitting the information but less importance on understanding the need of learner. System emphasizes more on cognitive development of the learner, but for any student to fulfil his her potential, timely and proper assessment is even more imperative as only after this is done can proper guidance be given on how to move forward, improve, develop different facets of personality, polish rough edges, till the finished product emerges like crystals. Comprehensive, proper and timely assessment is lacking in today’s system which values and indeed glorifies learning by rote. Keeping in view of need of quality education, recently new initiative has been done in the field of evaluation, focussing to decrease the accumulated stress of board exams on the students and to introduce a more uniform and comprehensive pattern in education for the children all over the nation. Concept of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation is a process of determining the extent to which the objectives are achieved. It is not only concerned with the appraisal of achievement, but also with its improvement. As testing, evaluation is also concerned with identification of learning experiences and educative environment to produce changes in the learner’s behaviour. It involves information gathering, information processing, judgment forming, and decision-making. Effective implementation of Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation is depending on teachers’ attitudes as they are the key person in the transmission and implementation of the system. Teacher is instrumental for better assessment of the students. He is required to have a higher degree of interest to accept the innovation in education because of changing circumstances. A good teacher is expected to be committed to his work and have the ability to take the initiative (Sparks, 1979). The teachers did not know anything about the preparation of the blue print; they were also ignorant about the objectives of unit wise teaching (Tewari 1975) shows their unfavourable attitude towards teaching and evaluation. As Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation is the new initiatives in education substantial majority of the teachers seemed to think that it promoted creativity, analytical ability, regularity and command over the subjects by students, teachers responded positively to the continuous evaluation system (.Rao and Bharathi, 1989). Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation enable teacher and students to make judgments about the work undertaken; to identify their knowledge, attitudes and skills, and to understand the changes that have occurred in these; and to increase their ability to assess their learning and performance. CCE not only helps in awarding grades and certificates but also helps teachers to diagnosis learning difficulty of the learner. Continuous evaluation would help the subject teachers to diagnose the deficiencies in their students so that they could adopt appropriate corrective measures at the appropriate time (Rao, 1982). CCE helps to teacher to ascertain the learning difficulties among the learner but it depends on their ability and attitude to use different types of tools and techniques. (Thangamani, 1989) found the teachers working in Madurai city higher secondary schools positive attitude towards oral examination as a diagnostic device. Continuity of assessment from the first day of school is the prime motive of CCE rather than sole depend on summative evaluation. Conventional evaluation system was emphasized on summative evaluation only. Traditional evaluation system facilitates more rote learning, classify of pupils based on division and marks rather than creativity, social and emotional development. Whereas, CCE (Pareek, P.L. 1986) scheme does not like examination; seek to classify  the pupils into classes or divisions but aims essentially at their all-round improvement or development. Assessment is done from time to time with the aim of discovering the extent of their progress, their strengths and weaknesses and then to take on that basis necessary steps to bring about the desired growth. This scheme promotes healthy student teacher parent relationship by giving them continuous and necessary feedback at frequent intervals to both teachers and parents. People’s attitudes towards new approach have an effect on implementation. It is also valid for new approach of evaluation system i.e., Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation. The quality of education is directly related to quality of evaluation. Teacher is expected to not only to master the subject and various methods of teaching but also to show that he is capable of selecting the various study materials according to the teaching goals and varied group of pupils. He also possesses the potentials to create a learning environment for the students (Vermont and Verschaffel, 2000. The success of a curriculum depends on its transactional strategies and the skills of teachers in reading to students (Pandey, 2000). They have to plan how to arrange remedial teaching for low and slow achievers to bring them on an equal footing with their peers. The teachers are required to use the educational technology to the maximum and continuous and comprehensive evaluation frequently. CCE implies not only a change in evaluation practices in the classroom but also a paradigm shift in the autonomy and responsibility of teachers. Teachers are supposed to update him/ her with the latest knowledge to cope up with the need of the time. Teachers’ lack of sense of responsibility and unfavourable attitude cannot bring any changes in evaluation system which was found (Rao Manjula, 1998; 2001; 2002) that Evaluation practices carried out in schools are still conventional in their nature and purposes. The personal and social qualities are totally ignored due to lack of awareness of what to be evaluated and how to evaluate. Assessment of wrong things or the same range of things too often is carried out. One doesnâ €™t get a fair and realistic picture of what students have actually mastered. (Smita, 2002) CCE demands that the teacher should change her strategies on the basis of the outcomes continuously and tailor them to the needs of individual children. The principal and the teachers should develop an action plan indicating the scheme of evaluation, identifying the task and role of  different activities and their time schedule, mode of implementation and feedback mechanism along with remediation strategies (Rajput and Kumar, 2003). Unfavourable attitude of teachers towards Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation can make the effect of scheme more badly than the conventional evaluation system. (Rao and Rao, 2008) the teachers were found to be recording mechanically by simply putting tick against each student to satisfy the supervising and inspecting authorities. Without the dedication and positive attitude towards the CCE the aim of the scheme can not be accomplished. NEED OF THE STUDY Continuous and comprehensive evaluation necessitates the use of multiple evaluation techniques and tools in addition to certain conventional ones. This is required because different specific areas of pupil growth need different types of evaluation through certain techniques. The teacher has to select the most appropriate technique for a situation and develop the necessary tools for the same, and decide upon the periodicity and timing of evaluation. As a social science teacher, he/she should have Knowledge and ability to construct assessment tools that are criterion based appropriate for assessing the competencies. Social science teacher at secondary level are dealing with the adolescence learner so they are expected to require knowledge, skills of evaluation, commitment, and assistance to provide remedial teaching. Teacher should have favourable attitude to use new innovation in evaluation system. This study therefore seeks to provide some insight into the attitude of social science teachers from some randomly selected secondary and senior secondary schools in West District of Sikkim towards Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation. The study was delimited to West District and only Government schools of Sikkim. Objectives The objectives of the study were: 1. To study the attitude of Secondary Social Science Teachers towards the CCE, 2. To study the difference between male and female Secondary Social Science teachers attitude towards CCE, 3. To study the difference between rural and urban Secondary Social Science teachers attitude towards CCE and 4. To study the difference in teachers attitude towards CCE between the teachers having more than and less than 8 years of teaching experience. Research Questions /Hypothesis The research question and hypotheses were: 1. Whether there is any attitudinal variation among the secondary social science school teachers towards CCE? 2. There exists no significant difference in attitudinal score between male and female teachers towards CCE. 3. There exists no significant difference in attitudinal between urban and rural social science teachers towards CCE 4. There exists no significant difference in attitudinal score between social science teachers having less than and above eight years of experience towards CCE. METHOD The present study was undertaken using the survey method. SAMPLE The investigator selected about 50 secondary social science teachers from the secondary and senior secondary schools of west district, Sikkim on random selection basis as the target group of the study. The distribution of the sample selected for the study were twenty seven female and twenty three male social science teachers of which only twelve were from urban schools and thirty eight were from rural school again from the same sample twenty three teachers were having less than eight years and twenty seven were having above eight years of teaching experience. TOOLS In the study of attitude, the investigator constructed the attitude scale for assessing the attitudes of social science teachers towards CCE at secondary level. There were forty statements in the scale having thirty three positive and seven negative statements. It was constructed in five point scale ranging from Strongly Agree, Agree, Undecided, Disagree and Strongly Disagree. Maximum weightage to each statement was five. So, the maximum score of the scale was 200 and minimum was 40. DATA COLLECTION Researcher personally contacted all the respondents and administered attitude scale to collect the data. Clear instructions were prepared for the respondents. They were requested to go through the general instructions first and then to respond. The respondents were asked to decide about their agreement with the statements and mark the relevant response honestly on the given space. Attitude scale and personal information sheet were distributed to subjects with the request to complete and return it as soon as possible. The measurement of attitudes of these groups and the comparisons therefore were undertaken to find out the differences in the attitude of different groups. The comparison were aimed at locating the differences in the attitude towards CCE affected by the variable a) gender, b) the area of residence rural and urban , and c) teaching experience- less than and more than eight years of teaching experience. STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES AND PROCEDURE OF ANALYSIS The investigator used Quartile Deviation to find out the total attitude score of the subjects and t test to make comparisons between the variable like male: female, urban: rural and below eight years: above eight years of teaching experience. Research Question-1 Whether there is any attitudinal variation among the secondary social science school teachers towards CCE? For the analysis of Research Question 1 Investigator categorized the score with quartile deviation. Categorizations are as follows: Score up to 145 = Marginal attitude, 145-159 = moderate attitude and above 159 = highly favourable attitude. Result found that 24% fall under marginal attitude, 52% moderate attitude and 24% highly favourable attitude. Hypothesis-2 There exists no significant difference in attitudinal score between male and female teachers towards CCE. To establish if teachers’ gender has influence  on their attitude towards CCE at secondary level the t-test statistics was utilized to test the hypothesis as shown Table II below. Table 1 show that the calculated t’value 0.62 is less than the critical value 2.01 at 0.05 level of significance. This indicates that the difference in the attitudes of Male and Female Teachers towards CCE is not significant hence Ho is accepted. It revealed that male and female social science teachers are having equally positive attitude towards continuous and comprehensive evaluation. There is no influence of sex on the attitude of social science teachers towards CCE. Hpothesis-3 There exists no significant difference in attitudinal score between urban and rural social science teachers towards CCE. Table 2 shows that the calculated t’value 0.77 is less than the critical value 2.01 at 0.05 alpha level of significance. This indicates that the difference in the attitudes of Urban and Rural Teachers towards CCE is not significant hence Ho is accepted. It revealed that social science teachers from urban schools are having same attitudes towards CCE as rural school social science teachers possess. Further, it can be said that on the basis of location of school attitudes of teachers can not be influence and make differences towards continuous and comprehensive evaluation. Hypothesis-4 There exists no significant difference in attitudinal score between social science teachers having less than and above eight years of experience towards CCE. Table 3: Shows that the calculated t’value 0.63 is less than the critical value 2.01 at 0.05 alpha level of significance. This indicates that the difference in the attitudes of social science teachers having less than and above eight years of teaching experience towards CCE is not significant hence Ho is accepted. It revealed that experience is not the factor to make attitudinal difference towards continuous and comprehensive evaluation but teacher’s enthusiasm, interest may make the difference. Further, it can be said that experienced teachers and fresh teachers are equally capable to make CCE successful and should be given equal responsibility to carry out the task. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS The result of the study revealed that the proportion of Social Science teachers who had scored above 159 out of 200 points was 24%, 145-159 was 52 % and 120-144 was 24%. . This indicates that 24% social science teacher’s attitude were highly favourable attitude, 52% teachers’ moderate positive and 24 % teachers’ marginal positive. Teachers’ attitudes have important implication for effective implementation of CCE in the school. In the area of CCE plenty of researches are not available in general and attitude of secondary social science teachers towards in CCE in particular. Few research like Rao and Bharati (1989) found positive attitude of teachers towards continuous evaluation system. It was observed that majority of teachers seemed to think that it promoted creativity, analytical ability, regularity  and command over the subjects by students. Similarly, in the study of Thangamani (1989) teachers showed positive attitude towards oral examination as a di agnostic device, this also comes under the purview of present CCE but it was not launched at that time. The effectiveness of CCE implementation depends on teachers’ positive attitude and awareness towards it. Rajput and Kumar (2003) also opined the need of orientation for teachers in the conceptual and practical aspects of scheme to give them clear understanding as to how to go about the CCE. Present study reveals that, teachers possess positive attitudes towards CCE. It was found by Rao and Rao (2008) that primary school teachers were not doing continuous assessment systematically, not identifying the learning difficulties and remedial instruction was not provided. It also revealed that teachers were recording against the each student’s performance and activities just to satisfy the supervising and inspecting authority. Such findings about the teachers were probably due to lack of awareness about CCE among the teachers as it was not implemented in all areas. Rao Manjula (2002) also found evaluation practices carried out in schools were still conventional in their nature and purposes in those schools were teachers are not trained in in-service programmes. In concluding, it would seem that positive attitude of social teachers towards Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation was probably due to proper in-service training. In some of the studies it was found that attitude was not positive due to lack of training, awareness and significance about CCE. Present study also found social science teachers’ attitude not influenced by gender, area and teaching experience, which probably due to large scale awareness programme in Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation and in-service training to all the teachers without any criteria of gender, experience and area of school. Further, in-depth qualitative study on teachers’ attitude towards CCE and its effect on effective implementation are essential to unveil the truth. References 1. Agrawal, M. (2000) Towards Quality school through Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation. Journal of Indian Education xxvi, 2, 1-12 August. 2. Bhattacharjee, A. & Sharma, N. (2010). Status of co-scholastic activities in the school programme of the elementary schools. Journal of all India association for educational research 22, 1, 61-65, June. 3. Government of India (1986): National Policy on Education, MHRD, Department of Education, New Delhi. 4. Green, L. W. & Kreuter, M. M. (1991). Health promotional planning: an educational and environmental approach, 2nd ed. Mountain view, Mayfield’s 5. Lord, D. (1998). ICT supported multimedia learning materials: Catering for individual learner differences. Paper presented at the British Educational Research Association Conference, Belfast, United Kingdom. 6. Mandal, P.K. (2010) Towards Positing a Paradigm for Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation in Social Science. Journal of Indian Education XXXVI, 3, Nov. 7. Mangal, S. K. & Mangal, S. (2011). An emotionally intelligent teacher at the heart of successful CCE. Edutracks 10, 8, 6-8, April. 8. Mukherjee, R. (2007). Impact of continuous and comprehensive evaluation in improving school community symbiosis. Master thesis, Regional Institute of Education, Bhubaneswar, Orissa. 9. NCERT (2005): National Curriculum Framework for School Education, Published at the Publication Department, Secretary, NCERT, New Delhi. 10. NCERT (1988): National Curriculum for Elementary and Secondary Education – A Framework (Revised Version), Published at the Publication Department, Secretary, NCERT, New Delhi. 11. Rajput, S. et. al. (2003). Concept of continuous and comprehensive evaluation. Continuous and comprehensive evaluation (Teacher’s handbook for primary stage), NCERT, New Delhi. 12. Rao, K. S. (1989). Influence of continuous evaluation on learning in school. Indian educational review 22, 50. 13. Rao, R. S., & Bharathi, M. (1989). Evaluation of continuous evaluation system of examination system in Kendriya Vidyalaya. Fifth survey of educational research, 2, 1992. 14. Rao, Manjula et al. (1998): Impact of SOPT Training Programme on the Classroom Practices of Teachers – A Study in Southern States, RIE (NCERT), Mysore. 15. Rao Manjula P. (2001). Effectiveness of the Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation Training Programme over the Evaluation Practices of Primary School Teachers. A DPEP Research Study in Tamil Nadu, RIE, Mysore. 16. Rao Manjula P. and S.P. Kulkarni (2002). Development and Implementation of a School Based Evaluation System at Primary Stage in Demonstration School, RIE, Mysore. 17. Rossi, P.H.; Lipsey, M.W., & Freeman, H.E. (2004). Evaluation: A systematic approach (7th Ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage. 18. Smita. (2002). Continuous and comprehensive evaluation, shift in learner evaluation; A synthesis of case studies. Technical support group. District primary education programme, Educational consultant India limited, New Delhi. 19. Ved Prakash, et al. (2000): Grading in Schools, Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, NCERT, New Delhi.

Dollar General Case

Dollar General: Case Study #1 Timothy Mayer Professor Perreira 02/01/2010 Executive Summary: Dollar General Corporation is a leader in the discount retail industry, but clearly could use new information systems to further establish its presence and dominate the industry. The ability of Dollar General to set up new stores quickly, at a low cost, and efficiently has enabled them to maximize their revenue, while keeping costs minimal. Dollar General is very dependent on the ability of the management they place in charge of each store opening, known as the setter, to coordinate the process and make sure the opening runs as smoothly as possible. The setter must be able to train the store manager to run the Dollar General store to the exact specifications presented by the upper management of the company. Dollar General does depend on some information systems to help open and establish its stores. They have contracts with companies, like IBM and Spacenet, which set up most of the technological requirements for their stores. These relationships allow for Dollar General to monitor and accelerate the creation of new stores in a way that is familiar and comfortable for them. However, once the stores are up and running information systems are not utilized to their fullest extent. This has lead to numerous inventory and employee issues that are costing the stores and company money. With the economy in the USA at one of the lowest points it has been in history, Dollar General is in a perfect position to increase sales and establish a greater industry presence. They must adapt and embrace though technology that can help establish this growth in order to continue to be successful. Case Study Dollar General’s use of information systems is a far from perfect system. They have the technology in place for the most part, but do not fully utilize its potential. They clearly do not fully embrace technology. They use a satellite system over a higher speed options and do not use networks to enhance their operations. Their reasoning for this is to keep the overhead costs down, but this increasing the overall deficiencies of their business. The main process that suffers from the lack of information systems s their inventory process. When inventory arrives at a store, it is not scanned nor is the amount of goods verified or noted. This had lead to the shrink rate, the amount of loses in sales a store writes off, to increase and develop a distrust between corporate management and the employees at the stores. Dollar General uses inventory information systems at their distribution centers already. By adapting this technology on the store level, Dollar General will be able to sol ve one of the biggest problems they face. Dollar General clearly has found a niche in their industry that has worked for them for years. In order to keep their status and grow further they need to increase the budget they provide to each store for technology systems. The economy of the United States is at a perfect place for discount stores to flourish. The limitations and issues created by the lack of advanced systems will eventually catch up to them and cause more losses of revenue. The initial costs might be greater, but over the long term Dollar General will position itself in a better place.

Introduction of the independant & independant variables Research Paper

Introduction of the independant & independant variables - Research Paper Example Findings revealed that there are large and significant race/ethnic and nativity differences in lung function, grip strength, and gait speed, and that childhood and current adult health and SES reduces race/ethnic differences in physical performance but does not eliminate them entirely (Haas, Krueger, & Rohlfsen, 2012). The systematic review of the data of 7,833 English consulters aged 50 years and above, and 6,846 Dutch consulters aged 18 years selected using cross-sectional health surveys assessed physical health status as it links to age. Findings revealed that of the 78 consulting morbidities, 43% was attributed to increasing age, 40% to morbidity severity and 17% to deprivation for English consulters; the figures were 21%, 42% and 31%, respectively for Dutch consulters (Kadam et al., 2009). The systematic analysis of data from the 2003 National Survey of Children’s Health of 102,353 telephone surveys of parents of children aged 0 to 17 years assessed the effects of multipl e social risks on children’s health. Findings revealed that the percentage of children in poorer health increased with the number of social risk factors across and more than half of children had >2 risk factors, and 24% had >4 (Larson et al., 2008). The quantitative questionnaire-based survey administered to 8,206 individuals aged 50 and above through non-probability sampling assessed the health status, quality of life, and well-being of older people in rural Tanzania. Findings revealed that among people aged 50 and over, having good quality of life and health status was significantly associated with being male, married and not being among the oldest old, and that increase in age increased the difficulty in performing routine activities, particularly in women (odds ratio 1.31; P >.001, 95% CI 1.15-1.50) (Mwanyangala et al, 2010). The cohort study of 2,631

Effect of the Berlin Airlift on the future of the U.S. Air Force Term Paper

Effect of the Berlin Airlift on the future of the U.S. Air Force - Term Paper Example Berlin, being the capital city of Germany, it was located in Soviet Zones therefore they handed over a great deal of the administrative responsibility for running Bizonia to the Germans-in particular to an designated economic council of fifty-two Germans who, under Allied regulation, shouldered the task of economic rebuilding. On July 1 Britain and America freely devoted themselves to the support of the West Berliners. Six months earlier, the Soviets had placed a blockage around the West Berlin that no supplies could come into the city by road, water or even rail. Therefore the U.S Airlift and British planes made round the clock flights into the city, carrying medical supplies, food and other goods. This combined Air-Lift task force was an Anglo-American act. The Berlin Airlift: Breaking the Soviet Blockade By Michael Burgan Capstone, Jan 1, 2008 At some point, Biliners saw their city rise, and for this reason, they gained confidence to the officers running the airlift. The winter ea sed somewhat and improved technology was making it easier to direct the planes. They had guiding principles in order to conduct airlift and it was observed by all the aircrews and airfields. Berlin Airlifts had some certain precautions. The first rule was that the aircraft would fly at three minutes interval whilst the next rule was that the plane may perhaps not land in Berlin at its first try. In Berlin Airlift, pilots would fly under the similar set of rules at all moment in time. To Save a City: The Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949 Roger G. Miller, R Miller, Pro Texas A&M University Press, 2008 Contrary to these, U.S Airforce is a military service that provided air support to the United Nation troops as well as protecting people in other parts of the world by preventing the fight between countries using pilots who were deployed to patrol in the sky. By early 1947, the Air Force became an self-regulating service, tension between the United States Air force and the Berlin airlift led to the change in foreign policy. It was declared that the United States must aid any nations struggling to prevent a Communist takeover. This policy was known as the Truman Doctrine which justified the use of the forces to prevent the spread of Communism. The U.S Air force supported the countries which are trying to recover from the war by providing supportive troops. The U.S. Air Force By Sandra Donovan Lerner Publications, Sep 1, 2004 Effects of Berlin Airlift on the future of the U.S Air force However, the study of crisis is approximately as old as the study of international relations because it has never been systematic. The majority of the commercial aircraft in Berlin, however, flew nonscheduled routes between to the United States. There are several effects that Berlin caused on the U.S Air force that caused debate in the United States economic status therefore coming up with a National Security Act which was established by the security of defense on the air force. To start with, Berlin Airlifts began to detain U.S troop trains bound for their respective trains. This became a threat to the country which led to the call upon the independent U.S Air Force so that it can organize a massive emergency airlift to keep Berlin Airlift away. Berlin Airlift also made the United States Air force officially lifted the blockade that made the Berlin Airlift with a rationale of scarce supplies because troops were no longer sent to Berlin. Blockade of Berlin was one of the most serious immediate problem. As far as the appropriate method for holding Berlin was concerned, airlift was the right choice for the U.S Air force to deploy. The U.S. Air force sent its military forces to Berlin several times thus

Egonomics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Egonomics - Assignment Example The nature and pattern of human consumption has evolved significantly over the years with a significant move away from goods produced under mass production (initiated by the car maker Henry Ford) towards specialized production and finally customized production. It is not surprising that the focus of many companies today is no longer just the provision of an exceptional quality product or service but one which caters to niches and has the capability of being adapted as per individual requirements of the customer. In other words, personalization and the creation of unique customer experiences has become the new source of gaining competitive advantage in the midst of largely undifferentiated products and services. To set themselves apart from the crowd, consumers are increasingly flocking towards products that others do not have. This is because, as humans, our behavior is more often â€Å"irrational† than rational and that various purchases cannot be explained in the light of ae sthetics, utility of performance. In other words, the fact that most of engage in building and sustaining our self-esteem and self-confidence means that we often pay a price much higher than the actual worth of the product just for the sake of its exclusivity or limited availability. One such example is that of the recent launch of limited number of exclusive Apple iPhone 24 carat gold handsets that cost a fortune ($2853) to consumers (Trivedi).The pricing reflects the exclusivity of the product which, most consumers may find as a cushion to their self-image. Similarly, the LeBron James Limited Edition watch by Audemars Pigue is designed to cater to enthusiasts who would like to own this $51,500 watch (Adams) as a status symbol and to set them apart from the crowd. The high price reflects the (monetary) worth of the owner/consumer which is consistent with psychology that suggests that human beings are prone to engaging in impression management or casting favorable impressions of one self in the society. Furthermore, considering that humans have imperfect knowledge about themselves, they constantly strive for feedback from others (through praise of appreciation) to boost their perception of themselves. An example is of a customer who is praised by his friend for wearing a $51,500 watch and who receives increased attention from others by virtue of this valuable possession. This can be referred to as â€Å"personal branding† or differentiating yourself from other brands or individuals. In other cases, the same may be considered as a â€Å"requirement† as per social benchmarks (Benabou and Tirole). For instance, an individual attending high profile dinner of delegates may consider it as a disgrace to his self-worth to wear anything less than a custom-made designer outfit or designer shoes. Keeping these trends in view, it is no wonder that companies are looking towards the personalization of their service offerings as well. This is commonly known as o ne-on-one marketing or micro-targeting whereby promotional tools such as the e-mail, internet, direct mail, special events and others are used to target customers with specific psychographic profiles or lifestyles. For instance, HSBC posted banner ads on its websites that were highly personalized meaning that the bank offered special â€Å"offers† depending on the account balance of the customer and the content

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 13

Strategic Management - Essay Example This essay presents a discussion about a strategy for competing against Apple Inc, a well-established and successful firm with an established brand and a capability for in-house VLSI design. Apple Inc, which first incorporated on January 3, 1997, is a company built on ability in electronic design and a capacity for taking an entrepreneurial risk at a time when the market suggested a future for personal computers and electronic gadgetry (Linzmayer, 2004, Pp. 1 – 10). Its founders Stephen Gary Wozniak and Steven Paul Jobs had an interest in electronic design and they were able to impress Armas Clifford, a retired software designer with connections and capital, who stepped in to help them with US$ 92,000 of his own funds and a secured credit line worth US$ 250,000 from Bank of America. The capital meant a lot to the backyard operation that Jobs and Wozniak had been operating to make electronic gadgets for some time. With continued success, Apple Computers went public in 1980 when Job’s initial 45 % stake translated into 7.5 million shares, worth US$ 82.35 million when Apple Stock was at an all time low in 1982 or US$ 2255.85 million in the year 2000 when the company stock record high. Within the relatively recent past, Apple Inc recorded net sales of US$ 32, 479 million in the year 2008, with a net income of US$ 4, 834 million (Apple Inc, 2009, â€Å"Annual Report for 2008†). This result is an improvement on the result for the year 2007, when Apple recorded net sales of US$ 24,006 million and earnings of US$ 3,496 million. However, despite the fact that Apple has enjoyed success, it is important for this computer company to remain vigilant in difficult economic times when competition amongst computer manufacturers is intense and efforts to exploit its weaknesses are possible. Thus, it makes sense to examine the present market environment for Apple and to reflect on a

Recycling Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Recycling - Annotated Bibliography Example In chapter five: Engineering and Construction for the Infrastructure Life Cycle, Neil recounts that the recycling is not a simple one. It is a ‘sophisticated process that should be done by embracing modern high technologies’ (97). The main contribution of this source is that it emphasizes that the concerned environmentalists and conservation agencies should be ready to adopt the latest trends in technologies. We used it to solve the problem of water wastage and contamination of the environment. This book can be quite important when conducting a research on recycling. The information it contains were found out in a research that was conducted by this scholar. By emphasizing that the recycling process should be done using the latest technologies, it becomes quite clear that such information should be included in the research. The book is similar to Zaman, A. and Lehmann’s "Challenges and opportunities in transforming a city into a "Zero Waste City" because they both emphasize the need of cleaning the environment of wastes. However, their difference is that it includes a comprehensive discussion on the use of highly developed infrastructure in the recycling of wastes. For this reason, the book will be a very resourceful material. In chapter two: Waste Not Want Not, Jenkins begins the discussion by clarifying that wastes are not useless. They can be reused and made useful to human beings. As the author examines, human beings have an uncontrollable culture of consumption. This has led to the overuse and subsequently the wastage of the available resources. To solve this problem, the writer suggests that the used materials should be recycled. The author says that ‘it is by the recycling process that the used materials can be changed to become harmless materials that can again be used by people’ (111). In chapter six: Composting Toilets and Systems, the author says that ‘human wastes, if not properly managed can be so harmful to the human beings’ (104).

A number of issues that relate to health promotion Essay

A number of issues that relate to health promotion - Essay Example It occurs after the situation usually demanding time commitment which is often a challenge. The two types of practices differ in terms of when they occur. There are several models that have been developed to describe the reflective practice; among these is the Gibbs model (1988) where an individual describes what happened after an experience and looks into the feelings involved in the situation. After which, one evaluates whether the experience was good or bad and makes an analysis of the sense of the situation before concluding on the varied actions they could have taken. Following this, an individual develops an action plan by considering what they will do if the same situation came up again. This model differs slightly to the Atkins and Murphy’s model (1994) where an individual is aware of a situation which they try to describe including thoughts and feelings. They then engage in an analysis of the thoughts and feelings that relate to the situation by identifying the challe nges and exploring alternatives. An evaluation of the relevance of the knowledge by asking if resolving the problem would help and the completeness of the use of knowledge follows. After which an individual identifies the lessons learnt from the experience. I would opt for the Atkins and Murphy model because, it offers a prior evaluation to a situation where one analyses a new experience and indulges their thoughts and feelings by considering the challenges that relate to the situation and exploring alternatives before engaging in the resolution of the problem. It also provides for the identification of lessons learnt from the experience. Task 2 There are a number of areas that have been identified as successful in... This paper focuses on a number of issues that relate to health promotion. The World Health Organization refers to health promotion as the process of increasing health control by an individual. According to the Lalonde Report from Canada, health promotion is a science of helping people change their lifestyles to move toward optimal health. This concept focuses not only on individuals but also on a wide range of ecological and social interventions. Deteriorating health seems to be a worldwide concern. Majority of individuals tend to neglect their health until it is late to make amends. Few people go for screening services to enable them detect chronic diseases in their early stages, ignoring the idea that prevention is better than cure. This could be partly because of high charges or inaccessibility of the services. A number of scholars have attempted to find ways of promoting health. In Australia, schools are being advised to adapt a vegetable and fruit policy, nurses are requested to take up a responsibility in advising individuals on tobacco smoking. Various approaches have been designed to explain adaptation processes by individuals like the Gibbs and Atkins & Murphy models as well as campaigns are being identified to help promote health. Health promotion projects like the Cervical screen Singapore connotes a cervical cancer screen usually conducted nationwide to women aged 25 once every three years.

Mental space compared with physical space Essay

Mental space compared with physical space - Essay Example Physical space can be objective as it remains and exists regardless of the thought process of that of the recipient. Mental space ties perception with the physical world. Ones thought process and perception of events may vary depending on the individual. What one may see another may interpret differently. For example, if two people see the exact same car accident, one may have a different story as to how the entire event unfolded compared to that of some one else. There are also various externalities that may affect the perception process leaving ones interpretation to differ from the other. However, citing the example, what was factual is that an accident took place. The physical space that incurred the accident is actual and the car accident is tangible as it can be touched and it exists. Regardless of perception the fact the accident occurred remains and is virtually true. The difference between mental space and physical space can impact ones perception on social, political and culture issues. The mental space encumbers ones immediate experiences, imagination, perceptions and past circumstances that helped mold them into the current person of today. Linking these characteristics to the physical space determines ones view of reality. What may be deemed reality by that person doesnt make that perception true. For instance, using the aforementioned example of the car accident, the bystander who viewed that accident may give testimony to the police about the surrounding events of the car accident. The bystander reports what they believe to be reality when in fact it is only their view of reality. The fact the accident happened is true, however what the bystander reports seeing may not be true however it is their reality. This happens in court testimonies and when it is time to identify the perpetrator. Countless people have been released from prison only after DNA testing proved their innocence. The victims have picked out the

Market target paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Market target - Research Paper Example Trademark is therefore a name that is much cherished and is given importance by the people who believe in high quality watches, which signify their rich taste and superior class – all represented duly by Trademark. The watch industry has been specifically catered to by giving the audience a taste of supreme class and rich elegance, which are some of the most renowned and sought after attributes that one looks in a watch. Fortunately for Trademark, the owners have always believed in all these finer aspects, and hence the reason that Trademark has been able to manifest its due role within the related scheme of things. The demographics for Trademark include the people who belong to different age segments. These have comprised of the middle class segments within the socio-economic realms as well as the elite class which believes staunchly in class and exuberance more than anything else. This is the reason why Trademark has been instrumental at creating a niche of its own, and is m uch renowned within the market. The brand is a hit within the people from these socio-economic domains, and is easily looked after by both the genders – males and females. It has been able to target people from the age of 18 years up to 75 years. Such is the diversity within the watches of Trademark that it has been able to represent high quality and rich taste amongst all concerned. Trademark’s owners know that they are selling on the quality tangent more than any other factor. This is the reason why Trademark is known to be a ‘killer’ watch amongst the competitors, because it is able to garner quite a lot of fame and recognition due to its sophistication and the value which it brings for its buyers. The people who wear the Trademark brand look famous in their own entirety, and are hailed by people who are near and dear to them. The brand signifies that the person believes in quality and wants to look good within the people where he hangs out or goes (Swe nson 1990). As far as the showroom of Trademark is concerned, it should be opened at such a place where the target audience has ease of visiting the same. They should feel pride in visiting a showroom which is close to their affinity levels. It must represent their likeliness for the area and should most definitely be a suburb within the upscale localities of the city. There must be a proper parking spot dedicated for the people who visit this showroom because the Trademark brand means quality for its buyers, and this can only be manifested by giving them a complete 360 degree package more than anything else. Trademark’s showroom should be at such a location where there is ample room for other showrooms and shops as well. However this could be a bit of an advantage if these showrooms and shops are not selling watches just like the Trademark brand. The exclusivity must come with a price, which indeed Trademark is charging through its customers. The brand has been able to give the best value to its buyers through unique selling models and packages which are tailored to look after the needs and aspirations of the people who wish to buy Trademark for their own selves, family members and friends. It is very important to ascertain what the customer really wants. He requires that the brand should give him the confidence that when he wants to go

Human Resource Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Essay The paper would revolve around the discussion done over the concern regarding the rising wages of labor along with the decline in the supply of labor from China, which was previously considered to be the hub of labors from where the labor was supplied to other countries at a cheaper cost. Let’s discuss this issue in detail along with the explanation regarding the measures being taken by the organizations to change their human resource strategies. Answer – 1  Competing on the basis of labor costs can generate both positive and as well as negative outcomes for a company, or country. Talking about the brighter side, companies these days strive to achieve the optimum profitability level in order to stay in the competition. Therefore, what they do is to hire employees on part-time basis where employees would be paid on the basis of work they would do along with the working hours. This usually happens when the companies start a new venture such as, product development, its launching, or promotion. It does save huge costs for the company, but the turnover rate rises drastically. Talking about the negative side of the picture, either it is the company or country; it would result in a high turnover rate that often increases the costs such as, training costs. It is because when employees are hired by the companies, they must be trained about the job description that they are held responsible of. Therefore, investments are made by either sending them abroad or arranging workshops or training sessions. Obviously, when employees don’t get enough pay, they would leave their jobs; moreover, the supply of labor within the country would get minimized because workers might leave their country and go abroad to work for MNCs. Answer – 2 There is absolutely no doubt that many organizations consider their workforce as a main asset since the utilization of resources depend on their skills and abilities. Employees often demand the companies to value them, give them some autonomy, and involve them in the key managerial decisions where they can suggest new ideas. Companies, in order to keep their employees satisfied, introduce certain compensation packages and training sessions so that the employees think of themselves as part of the organization and get motivated. When managers invest over the training sessions and involve their subordinates in the key decisions, it becomes necessary for them to retain them at any cost or else they would leave their jobs. This would result in the loss of intellectual capital and loss of investment that was made to groom them by polishing their skills. As compared to the costs that incur for training the employees, the cost of labor force is much more than that. The reason is that when employees are trained and are retained by the company, it benefits the company not only in the short-run, but also in the long-run. Whereas on the flipside, when those skillful employees leave the company the labor costs take a domino effect because the firm would lose those employees, the investment made on them, and would have to recruit others, and then train them again. Consequently, these companies must focus on retention of employees, and that can be done by offering them attractive compensation packages, further training, giving autonomy, and promotion. Answer – 3 Companies these days are really focusing on reshaping their human resource strategies and forming them in such a way that not only keeps the employees contented, but also benefit the overall organization. There are several ways adopted by the firms these days and are explained below. Organizations these days encourage and support the presence of collectivist attitude. Collectivists define themselves by their group membership, give group goals priority over their personal goals, put more emphasis on harmonious relationships and experience more socially based emotions† (Robbins Judge, 2007) Moreover, individual rights is are also emphasized, that is to ensure the freedom of movement, physical security, and freedom of speech. Emphases are laid on the presence of health and safety and ensure the condemnation of actions or choices that are not safe for people, actions that violate law and ethical principles. Equal employment opportunities are ensured where they hire individuals based on their intellect, creativity, enthusiasm and the presence of Emotional Intelligence. In working structure, they value team relationship, team work, and team achievements; moreover, their employees value the importance of effective communication and employee involvement while making certain decisions and delegating the tasks. There ratio of discrimination seems to be getting lessened; everyone is given equal opportunities and there is no glass ceiling for females or people from different backgrounds. When it comes to improving and retaining the skills of employees, many organizations rely on the concept of Employability, i. e. – to continuously improve the employee’s working skills by the time to meet the requirements – (Daft, 1997). Answer – 4 Since the competition for workers in China is heating up where high wages are demanded by them and at the same time, companies seek to cut their redundant costs, especially from payrolls; therefore, employers would definitely shape some of the terms and conditions regarding the working conditions, job type, compensation, working hours, and job security. First of all, since the supply of well-educated and skillful workers is less in China, so firms would have to recruit those who are available even if they are demanding high wages. Of Among these workers, many of them come from abroad to find best possible job opportunity. Another change that can be made is in the working hours, where companies can decide the job type, job status, and working hours of a worker before recruiting him or her. In this case, a contract would be signed between the worker and the company in which all the responsibilities and liabilities of both of them would be outlined, along with the penalties that either party would have to pay in case of violating the contract. A very enticing strategy that can be brought on is to introduce the Performance-based compensation play, where the employees whether they are contractual or regular, would be paid on the basis of their performance and productivity level. Moreover, chances of promotion would only be for those who perform well and benefit the organization. This would result in provoking the motivation among the employees to gain more knowledge and skills, perform better, and abide by the rules and regulations. Not only this, the turnover rate that China is currently facing, would decline to a great extent and would attract the best available talent, which would be beneficial for both the employees and the business.

Microbiota and Cancer Treatment

Microbiota and Cancer Treatment Chloe Duffy Abstract microflora in humans regulates numerous bodily processes and cellular functions metabolism, inflammation, immunity, and now has been found to play a role in cancer treatments efficacy, side effects, after effects. talk about the body of the paper. In conclusion, the gut and potentially oral, etc microbiota can be modulated to protect the body from effects of treatment, or even enhance the effectiveness of the treatment. Introduction The human body contains numerous microorganisms that inhabit many parts of the body such as the skin, oral mucosa, and gastrointestinal tracts, known as the human microbiota. These microorganisms aid in metabolism, local and systemic immune system responses, regulation of inflammation, nutrient absorption, and even prevention of infection and diseases. Some of the most common bacteria within the gut microbiome are Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Bifidobacteria, Proteobacteria, Verrumicrobia, Actinobacteria, Fusobacteria, and Cyanobacteria; other types of bacteria such as Actinomyces or Lactobacillus are also common in other areas of the body. All of these types of bacteria play a role in different processes that are beneficial to maintaining health. Although these microorganisms are commonly found in most individuals, each hosts microbiota is unique. Genetics, antibiotic use, diet, type of birth delivery, lifestyle, and incidence of disease can all contribute to the composition of gut mic robiota.12   Although this means that the gut microbiome is variable and certain conditions can result in dysbiosis, it is also beneficial to have the capabilities to modulate and control the gut microbiota in order to maintain healthy bodily functions and immune responses to infection. Recently, there have been studies establishing a relationship between microbiota and cancer treatment. Particularly the gut microbiota that influences metabolic functions and inflammation and adaptive immunity play a major role in the initiation, proliferation, and response to anticancer treatment.12 In the majority of studies, the microbiota have been shown to enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatments and prolong the anticancer immune response. One way this has been demonstrated is by the transfer of faecal microbiota from mice that respond well to cancer therapy into unresponsive germ-free mice, resulting in improved anticancer reactions to treatment. Research has also shown that predictions can be made based on the patients gut microbiome whether or not they will have an efficient reaction to the cancer treatment or if they will exhibit negative side effects from the method of therapy.8 In addition to using the microbiome to predict patient reactions to therapy, studies have shown that it is possible to modulate the gut microbiota in order to either prevent or treat adverse effects that usually coincide with different therapies.19 These new developments are crucial for the progression of cancer therapies, especially immunotherapies. Many patients still do not respond to anticancer treatments that others do and with this promising research new opportunities for personalized therapy become an option for these individuals. Immunotherapies and modifying the microbiota of patients can offer more tailored treatment plans that can provide more promising results. In addition, these new methods can enable a more aggressive treatment plan for certain types of cancer without the fear of negative side effects or lasting damage to healthy tissue. With modulation of the microbiota, these adverse effects can be prevented and treated, using the microorganisms to protect against injury. The composition of the human microbiota plays an integral role in regulating the efficacy of anticancer treatment and development of adverse effects. (Should I include that targeting the microbiota can improve the efficacy and reduce adverse ef fects? Human Microbiome and Cancer Treatments       There are many different categories of anticancer therapies, the three main types are chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. However, there is interindividual variation in the gut microbiota that can determine whether the immune system is competent enough and if the patient will respond to therapy positively or negatively.19 The targeting of gut microbiota can improve the efficacy of all of these treatment plans. The figure below shows some of the processes that gut microbiota can regulate anticancer therapies. Figure 1 12 This figure is an overview of a selection of anticancer treatments that the gut microbiota can mediate or perhaps enhanceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ add more descriptionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is the use of drugs, usually cytotoxic, to treat cancer. These cytotoxic drugs are typically classified according to their mechanism of action, alkylating agents, heavy metals, cytotoxic antibiotics, and spindle poisons.12 These drugs cause significant damage to any rapidly dividing cells including healthy tissues, and can therefore have varying effects on individual patients. Gastrointestinal toxicity is a common adverse effect from anticancer drugs and can be so severe that the treatment has to be postponed or the dose is limited; this reduces the efficacy of the therapy. Targeting and modifying gut microbiota can be used to protect the intestinal epithelium and prevent the toxicity of these compounds. One mechanism of microbiota that can be exploited is its role in drug metabolism and microbial enzymatic degradation. An example of this is with the drug Irinotecan. Irinotecan is a chemotherapy drug that commonly causes severe gastrointestinal distress by increasing caecal Clostridium cluster XI and Enterobacteriaceae and cannot be used long term for treatment. SN-38, the drugs active metabolite is converted to glucuronide which is typically cleaved by bacterial beta-glucuronidases, commonly found in the Firmicutes phylum, for a carbon source; however, this releases the active SN-38 back into the intestinal lumen leading to diarrhea.19 In this study, however, it was discovered that the bacterial enzyme has a specific loop not present in the human enzyme; this is beneficial in developing drugs to target the bacterial enzyme specifically in order to prevent the adverse effects to continue anticancer treatment. Ciprofloxacin and amoxapine were two drugs that exhibited inhibition of the bacterial enzyme, suppressing the severe diarrhea.19 The microbiota enzymatic functions can also have a role in modifying the toxic profile of chemotherapy drugs. This can cause difficulty in creating custom chemotherapy treatment plans utilizing the modulation of microbiota because some of the bacteria can have multiple effects on different targets using the same enzyme. An example of this is the bacterium Mycoplasma hyorhinis, it contains a phosphorylase that can restrict the ability to inhibit cell growth and division by drugs containing pyrimidine nucleoside. Additionally, Mycoplasmas phosphorylase negates the efficacy of the drug gemcitabine. However, this same enzyme can improve the effectiveness of drugs containing the metabolite 5-fluoro-5-deoxyuridine.19 This proves the difficulty in modifying each patients gut microbiota to improve their chemotherapeutic efficacy. Although, it can be useful and can allow the treatment plans to continue without termination due to adverse e ffects, it will require much more research for each individual drugs reaction with gut microbiota enzymes. The gut microbiota can also indirectly affect the metabolism of chemo drugs through modifying gene expression and the physiology of the mucosal barrier in the intestines and liver. In one study, germ-free mice were compared with conventionally raised mice and mice given a probiotic. The germ-free mice exhibited altered gene expression to increase the rate of metabolism of many xenobiotics, whereas even after recolonization of the germ-free mice and administration of a probiotic, not all of the altered genes returned to normal gene expression.12 This raises the observation that not only does the differences in composition of microbiota and their enzyme function play a role in drug metabolism, the activity and lifestyle between individuals matters as well. Immunomodulation and affecting the tumor-microenvironment are two additional ways that the gut microbiota have been found to modulate chemotherapeutics. Cyclophosphamide is a drug that works through many different immunological pathways, stimulating the antitumor immune response.This drug alters the composition of the microbiota in the small intestine and induces the translocation of certain gram-positive bacteria into secondary lymphoid organs.16 Once the bacteria are translocated into the lymphoid organs, they can stimulate an immune response of T helper17 cells and memory TH1 cells. The translocation of the bacteria, typically Lactobacillus johnsonii, Lactobacillus murinus, and Enterococcus hirae, takes place because cyclophosphamide causes discontinuity of the intestinal barrier allowing these microorganisms to relocate to the secondary lymphoid organs. A gram-negative bacteria, Barnesiella intestinhominis is also involved in this chemotherapy drug; it   was shown to incre ase the systemic levels of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and TH1 cell responses. This bacteria was also proven to activate IFNgamma-producing lymphocytes that are tumor-inflitrating.1 The role gut microbiota plays in the efficacy of cyclophosphamide treatment and immunomodulation was demonstrated by the use of germ-free mice and mice that were treated with antibiotics. The mice that were pre-conditioned with antibiotics proved to inhibit the anticancer effects of the chemotherapy drug and no reduction in the tumor size. Similarly, the germ-free mice had less pTH17 responses and their tumors were unchanged by cyclophosphamide. However, transfer of pTH17 cells restored the efficacy of the anticancer drug.1 These results show that the gut microbiota not only play a role enzymatically and through drug metabolism, but that the microbiome is used to activate the anticancer immune response. This is critical knowledge for the progression of immunomodulation with chemotherapeutics, and gives insight as to why not all patients may react the same to this type of treatment. However, modification of the gut microbiota can enhance the efficacy and response in the patients that typically do not show change in the tumor size. Gut microbiota can also affect the tumor microenvironment in correspondence (à ¯Ã†â€™Ã… ¸is that the right word?) with chemotherapeutics. Oxaliplatin and cistplatin treatments cause tumor cytotoxicity by forming intra-strand platinum-DNA adducts that lead to DNA double stranded breaks; reactive oxygen species is also involved in the damage of DNA. Although these methods are effective for creating an antitumor environment, it also causes severe damage to intestinal mucosal cells which can cause septicemia and systemic infection.12, 10 In germ-free mice the drug oxaliplatin did not induce as great of an inflammation response and consequently the antitumor efficacy was reduced, showing that inflammation is important in the drugs antitumor response. The induced DNA damage within the tumor cells was also reduced, however oxaliplatin was still able to enter into the tumor to form fewer of the platinum-DNA adducts.16 Another effect the microbiota have on these chemo drug antitumor mechanis ms was shown in germ-free mice, the production of ROS was inhibited without gut microbiota. This was previously thought to come from the cancerous cells, however the microbes prevented ROS production through tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells via NADPH oxidase 2.12 This is important to note because this shows that oxaliplatin will not be effective without gut microbiota or depleted myeloid cells. Oxaliplatin also works by inducing immunogenic cancer cell death, this can be achieved by exposing the cell surface- associated immunostimulatory signals, activating antigen-presenting cells which create and antitumor response.With a combination of activation of TLR4, DAMPs from the dying cells, and NLRP3 inflammasome, these can mediate the adaptive T cell-mediated response against the treated tumors.10 When mice are depleted of their microbiota, these cytotoxic and immunogenic effects are decreased, along with the efficacy of tumor reduction. These results demonstrate that gut microbiota can play a role in the cytotoxic effects of DNA damage and inflammation, but also can affect the adaptive immune response to cancer. Gut microbiota has an influential role in the efficacy, toxicity, and outcome of chemotherapeutics. Radiation Therapy Radiotherapy can consist of cancer patients receiving ionizing radiation therapy (RTX) that is typically for localized cancers, or total body irradiation (TBI) that is usually used in preparation for bone marrow transplants or adoptive T cell transfer immunotherapy. These can be effective treatment routes, however, there is a bystander effect on nearby cells that can cause inflammation, immune reactivity, and genome instability.12 These effects do not necessarily occur directly from the DNA damage caused by radiation, these typically are a result from disruption of gap junctions, and release of ROS, NO, cytokines, exosomes, and DAMP stress signals. There are just now beginning to be more studies done about how exactly microbiota can regulate the hosts response to ionizing radiation therapy. It is difficult to study because the effects from radiation can cause a myriad of reactions within the body; some of these effects can be immunostimulating while others can be immunosuppressive. When a patient receives radiotherapy, the antitumor signals are not just contained to the localized area of the tumor; there are antitumor responses that occur that are immune mediated and activate antigen-presenting dendritic cells and T cells. Therefore, because microbiota have been shown to mediate and affect the immunogenic responses in chemotherapy and immunotherapy, it is reasonable to believe microbiota play a role in the immune system responses due to radiation. One of the major limitations to radiotherapy is the safety concern for the patient while balancing the antitumor effectiveness of receiving ionizing radiation therapy. Different cance r types will have different radiation sensitivities as well as the local and systemic toxicity and stress responses that have potential to cause significant injury or impair the antitumor immunity.12 Receiving ionizing radiation therapy is associated with damage to rapidly proliferating tissues such as epithelia, like the digestive tract mucosa, and bone marrow. These adverse effects can cause oral mucositis, diarrhea, and inflammation in the gut and can create gut microbial dysbiosis.12 A recent study investigated whether or not a faecal microbiota transplantation would protect against radiation-induced toxicity.They were able to come to the conclusion that faecal microbiota transplantation did in fact increase the survival rate of mice; in addition, the faecal microbiota transplant increased the peripheral white blood cell counts, maintained the intestinal epithelial integrity, and preserved the gut microbiota composition in mice that had been irradiated.7 Using the strategy of faecal microbiota transplantation could greatly improve the outlook for   radiotherapy patients, it can reduce injury to healthy tissues and improve patients prognosis after radiotherapy. The component that regulates irradiation-mediated intestinal toxicity is the TLR3 for double-stranded RNA. Knockout mice without Tlr3 are actually protected from TLR3-dependent cell death post radiotherapy, despite being sensitive to p53 dependent radiation-induced apoptosis. These knockout mice also survive longer and have less damaging effects on their intestines than wild-type mice. These results would suggest that blocking the TLR3 signaling could reduce the radiation-mediated gastrointestinal damage.12 In this study they also demonstrated that the DNA double stranded breaks, induced from radiation anticancer treatment, also activate a DNA receptor that is not present in melanoma 2 inflammasome; this would result in tissue damage and cell death. However, the bacterium Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, a probiotic, has demonstrated  protection of the intestinal mucosa from radiation therapy-induced toxicity. This probiotic does this by using a TLR2/MyD88 signaling mechanism to reposit ion cyclooxygenase 2- expressing cells from the villi to the base of the intestinal crypts which induces reactive oxygen series, leading to activation of the NRF2 system; this system is cycloprotective.6 Therefore probiotics have some capabilities to prevent radiation-induced enteropathy. The probiotic composition that studies have found to be most beneficial are Lactobacillus acidophilus, B. bifidum, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus and Streptococcus spp.5 For clinical purposes, these probiotics can be used as a prophylactic strategy to limit the intestinal injury. All of these microorganisms have been proven to protect against gut toxicity from radiation anticancer treatments; this is greatly beneficial to the patients so they do not have to endure adverse effects, such as severe diarrhea, and can continue the treatments to increase their antitumor effectiveness. In contrast, some studies suggest that it is possible to predict whether or not a patient is going to have adverse effects to radiotherapy based off the presence of gut microbial dysbiosis or a well-balanced gut microbiome. They used pyrosequencing analysis of 16S rRNA gene to reveal the microbial diversity in the hosts gut microbiome. The individuals that had a significantly altered Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio before the radiation cancer treatment, later developed diarrhea as an adverse effect from treatment. These results indicated that gut microbial dysbiosis before radiation antitumor therapy can be utilized to predict if the patient will develop adverse effects from treatment such as diarrhea.18 This knowledge could guide treatment plans to be tailored for the individual and could allow for preventative treatment options. Total body irradiation is usually used as a preparatory process for another type of anticancer treatment such as a bone marrow transplantation or adoptive T cell transfer immunotherapy. Contrary, to the logic of many of the studies in this review, germ-free mice were shown to survive longer than conventionally raised mice after total body irradiation, and actually required a higher dosage of radiation to induce intestinal disease and mortality.7 The germ free mice were reported to have less apoptotic cells of the intestinal mucosa and even less lymphocyte infiltration than the mice with regular gut microbiota.7 They hypothesized that this could be due to the germ-free mice having no gut microorganisms that could trigger mucosal inflammation or create damage from the radiation insult. One mechanism they were able to identify that contributed to the germ-free mice resistance to total body irradiation was the production of angiopoietin-like 4. This is a protein inhibitor of lipoprotein lipase that is normally suppressed by normal gut microbiota in the conventionally raised mice.12 This angiopoietin-like 4 protein, when knocked out of germ-free mice, causes the mice to be susceptible to the same intestinal damage as conventionally raised mice that block angiopoietin-like 4 protein. Interestingly, the transcription of angiopoietin-like 4 gene is regulated in response to certain gut bacteria; however, these same bacteria that induce angiopoietin-like 4 expression include Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Streptococcus spp. that also mediate the protection against the localized received ionizing radiation therapy.12 This can provide an explanation for although most studies have shown that mice treated with probiotics and have a healthy microbiome are resistant to radiotherapy toxicity, germ-free mice can provide some resistance as well. Although most of these studies focus on the gut microbiota, there are studies that reveal how the oral microbiota can effect prediction of enteropathy as well from radiotherapy for  nasopharyngeal carcinomas. Rather than diarrhea as an adverse effect from pelvic radiotherapy, oral and oropharyngeal mucositis are the most common side effects of radiation anticancer therapy for head and neck cancers.20 Similarly to using gut microbial dysbiosis to predict whether the patient would develop adverse effects from treatment, the same can be done with analyzing the oral microbial community and its correlation with radiation-induced mucositis. The results demonstrated that patients with a higher percentage of Actinobacillus exhibited severe mucositis later on after treatment.20 Their findings also showed, similarly, that they can predict future incidence of mucositis during radiotherapy based on the oral microbiota prior to treatment. This is significant because not only can this applicatio n be applied with gut microbiota, it can be applied with the oral microbial community and many others throughout the body corresponding to different types of cancer. Immunotherapy Immunotherapy approaches are currently a popular topic to study and these immunological therapies have shown great potential in long-lasting responses. The efficacy of this type of treatment, however, is limited more than radiation therapy or chemotherapy because of the vast difference in immune responses of individual patients and the susceptibility of different tumor types. However, with new information about the ability of gut microbiota to modulate the hosts response to immunotherapy, it is possible to further study the possibility of improving immunotherapy efficacy by targeting these microbiota. One of the first examples of gut microbiota maintaining the anticancer effect of immunotherapy, was the demonstration that the efficacy of adoptive transfer of tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells following total body irradiation was reduced in mice treated with antibiotics.12 After the total body irradiation causes the translocation of microbiota into the secondary lymph nodes, the prolife ration of the transferred T cells in the tumor and their antitumor activity was enhanced. CpG- oligodeoxynucleotide intratumor therapy is an immunotherapy that uses the TLR9 agonist CpG- oligodeoxynucleotide to induce an antitumor effect. The antitumor effect is then increased when the immunosuppressive effect of IL-10 is prevented by using the IL-10 receptor antibodies. This method induces the secretion from myeloid cells of tumor necrosis factor and IL-12 that in turn cause hemorrhagic necrosis and can redirect tumor-infiltrating macrophages and dendritic cells from and anti-inflammatory to a pro-inflammatory state.12 There is an antigen-specific T cell antitumor that is elicited within this pro-inflammatory environment which results in the clearance of tumors in conventionally raised mice.12 This is not the case in germ-free mice or mice that have been treated with antibiotics. In these mice the tumors treated with CpG-ODNs and anti-IL-10R progress and the immunotherapy is inefficient. Finally, if the mice have a low amount of microbes, the myeloid cells do not produce pro-inflammatory cytokines and the TNF-dependent hemorrhagic necrosis and antitumor immunity are not induced.12 In these tumors, of microbiota-depleted mice, the amount of infiltrating inflammatory monocytes before treatment were unchanged but the number of Ly6C+ major histocompatibility complex class II+ were reduced. This suggests that the differentiation of infiltrating inflammatory monocytes into macrophages and dendritic cells is impaired. After CpG-oligodeoxynucleotide treatment, there are major differences in the gene expression of TNF and IL-12 in tumor-infiltrating myeloid cell  subsets between microbe-depleted and conventionally raised mice.12 There is another reduction in the response to this treatment from TLR4 -deficient mice, however, treatment with the TLR4 agonist LPS to the microbe-depleted mice reinstitutes the responsiveness of the myeloid cells.12 The results from this study demonstrate that the gut microbiota primes the myeloid cells for sensitivity to TLR9. Another study using CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides showed that the CpG-ODNs correlates with the frequency of different genera in the faecal microbiome of mice at the time of treatment.12 Allistipes and Ruminococcus are positively correlated with TNF production, however, Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus murinum, and Lactobacillus intestinalis are negatively correlated, meaning when one of the bacteria from the genera Lactobacillus were administered, there was an impairment of TNF production.12 This indicates that different types of bacterial species can have opposite effects; therefore, using antibiotics, prebiotics, or probiotics, can change the gut microbiota composition or frequency resulting in mediating the hosts response to immunotherapies. The use of immune checkpoint inhibitors is a final immunotherapy method that has been greatly studied and researched. In the majority of patients, the antitumor immune response is suppressed but can be reactivated by the release of certain signal factors. The immune checkpoint inhibitors, which are antibodies against the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 and programmed cell death protein 1 or its ligand PD1 ligand, exhibit strong antitumor activity in animal models and even long lasting clinical efficacy in cancer patients.12 Although this is a promising therapy, there is always the concern of variation of response between patients and between different types of cancers. These checkpoint inhibitors can also induce adverse effects such as colitis and inflammation of the pituitary gland in response to the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 antibodies, and thyroid dysfunction and pneumonitis after the blockade of the PDL1-PDL1 interaction.14, 15 Two recent studies investigated the influence gut microbiota has on this type of immunotherapy, specifically how anticytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen blockade requires Bacteroides spp. and how Bifidobacterium spp. enhances the effectiveness of antiprogrammed cell death ligand 1 therapy.14, 15 In the first study, in mice and patients the T cell responses specific for B. thetaiotaomicron or B. fragilis correlated with the effectiveness of CTLA-4 blockade. This was confirmed because the tumors in the germ-free mice did not respond to the CTLA blockade, but when the mice were treated with B. fragilis, this defect was overcome.15 The second study compared melanoma growth in mice with particular commensal microbiota and then observed the differences in antitumor immunity. They then sequenced the 16S ribosomal RNA which identified Bifidobacterium as associated with the antitumor effects. The administration of Bifidobacterium improved the tumor control as much as the programmed cell death prot ein 1 ligand 1- specific antibody treatment, and combination treatment almost ceased tumor growth.14 The results from these studies demonstrate that the mechanism of how anti-PDL1 treatment improves the antitumor immune response does not have to include microbiota inflammation and immune activation, like what is induced by anti-CTLA4. Anti-CTLA4 may alter the composition of the gut microbiota that favors its own antitumor activity. Yet, the effectiveness of the anti-PDL1 therapy is aided in hosts with a pre-existing antitumor immune response if Bifidobacterium spp. are within the gut microbiota.12 Microbiota and Lasting Effects from Treatment After the use of cancer treatments, many times there can be lasting effects even into adulthood from childhood cancer therapies. This study demonstrated that restoring the microbial diversity in patients suffering from immune dysregulation, as a result from childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, could reduce chronic inflammation and reduce development of late adverse effects.4 They observed that adult survivors of childhood ALL all had microbial dysbiosis or lack of microbial diversity. The composition of host microbiota is crucial to immune activation, for example T cell activation and increased levels of IL-6 and CRP. Therefore, they hypothesized that the microbial dysbiosis was related to the background chronic inflammation in adult survivors. Additional studies would have to be performed to determine causation, but this study creates the possibility that therapeutic interventions that restore microbial diversity to the ALL survivors could help to reduce the long-term negative ef fects. Further research would need to be done to determine the proper mechanism to restore healthy microbial diversity to humans.   Ã‚   Figure 2 1 References 1. Alexander JL, Wilson ID, Teare J, Marchesi JR, Nicholson JK, Kinross JM. Gut microbiota modulation of chemotherapy efficacy and toxicity. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology Hepatology. August 2017. doi:10.1038/nrgastro.2017.20. paper 10 2.Bultman SJ. Emerging roles of the microbiome in cancer. Carcinogenesis. 2013;35(2):249-255. doi:10.1093/carcin/bgt392. paper 17 3. Champer M, Wong AM, Champer J, et al. The role of the vaginal microbiome in gynecological cancer: a review. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics Gynaecology. 2017. doi:10.1111/1471-0528.14631. paper 9 4. Chua LL, Rajasuriar R, Azanan MS, et al. Reduced microbial diversity in adult survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and microbial associations with increased immune activation. Microbiome. 2017;5(1). doi:10.1186/s40168-017-0250-1. paper 7 5. Ciorba MA, Riehl TE, Rao MS, et al. Lactobacillus probiotic protects intestinal epithelium from radiation injury in a TLR-2/cyclo-oxygenase-2-dependent manner. Gut. 2011;61(6):829-838. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2011-300367. paper 24 6. Ciorba MA, Stenson WF. Probiotic Therapy in Radiation-Induced Intestinal Injury and Repair. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 2009;1165(1):190-194. doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04029.x. paper 23 7. Cui M, Xiao H, Zhou L, et al. Faecal microbiota transplantation protects against radiation induced toxicity. EMBOpress. 2017. doi: 10.15252/emmm.201606932. paper 2 8. Dubin K, Callahan MK, Ren B, et al. Intestinal microbiome analyses identify melanoma patients at risk for checkpoint-blockade-induced colitis. Nature Communications. 2016;7:10391. doi:10.1038/ncomms10391. paper 5 9. Galloway-Pena JR, Jenq RR, Shelburne SA. Can Consideration of the Microbiome Improve Antimicrobial Utilization and Treatment Outcomes in the Oncology Patient? Clinical Cancer Research. 2017. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-16-3173. paper 8 10. Iida N, Dzutsev A, S

Company Comparison of Customer Satisfaction

Company Comparison of Customer Satisfaction CHAPTER FOUR RESEARCH FINDINGS: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 4.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter attempts to analyse questionnaire findings regarding customer satisfaction with the two land transport companies involved in the present study: a publicly-owned company (referred to as Company A) and a privately-owned company (referred to as Company B). Satisfaction rates of customers of both companies are also compared against each other in Chapter Five to illustrate which company provides more satisfactory services to its customers. Seventy questionnaires were distributed to the passengers of Company A and sixty to the passengers of Company B. Fifty questionnaires were completed by passengers of each company and returned to the researcher. This gives response rates of 71.4% and 83.3%, respectively. These return rates are acceptable response rates. Passengers who declined to participates either they claimed that they were not interested in the survey, whereas some other claimed they did not have the time to complete the questionnaire. 4.2 FACTORS MOTIVATING CUSTOMERS TO DEAL WITH THE COMPANY A Responses to the factors that have motivated the customers of this company are presented in Table 4.1 and illustrated in Figures 4.1 to 4.3. Factors motivating customers are divided into three groups: Reliability and Customer Service (RCS) factors (eight factors), Convenience and Accessibility (CA) factors (nine factors) and On-Board Services (OBS) (five factors). Responses to the eighteen statements are illustrated in Table 4.1. To facilitate data analysis, responses to the Strongly Agree and Agree groups were combined and presented in Figures 4.1 to 4.3 as SA/A. Similarly, for the Disagree and Strongly Disagree groups were combined as DA/SDA. The No View responses (NV) were left as it is. Table 4.1 indicates that between 4% and 20.0% of responding passengers declined to express their views. This indicates their indifference to the questionnaire items. Table 4.1. Reasons for choosing to travel with Company A Variables SA A NV DA SDA CA Convenient reservation and ticketing 76.0 16.0 8.0 0.0 0.0 CA Prompt and accurate reservation and ticketing 44.0 40.0 16.0 0.0 0.0 CA Good checking-in service 44.0 44.0 12.0 0.0 0.0 CA Frequent journey programme 40.0 40.0 20.0 0.0 0.0 CA Convenient journey schedule 36.0 48.0 12.0 4.0 0.0 CA Seat allocation 28.0 56.0 16.0 0.0 0.0 RCS Courtesy of employees 28.0 56.0 16.0 0.0 0.0 RCS Employees willingness to help passengers 36.0 48.0 16.0 0.0 0.0 RCS Employees knowledge to answer passengers questions 40.0 48.0 8.0 4.0 0.0 RCS Passengers are given personal attention 44.0 40.0 8.0 4.0 4.0 RCS Neat appearance of employees 40.0 44.0 16.0 0.0 0.0 RCS Safety of Driving 44.0 44.0 8.0 0.0 4.0 RCS Sincere interest in solving problems 36.0 44.0 16.0 4.0 0.0 RCS On-time performance 36.0 48.0 16.0 0.0 0.0 OBS Seat comfort 40.0 40.0 12.0 8.0 0.0 OBS Meal service 48.0 32.0 8.0 12.0 0.0 OBS On-Board entertainment services 40.0 44.0 4.0 4.0 8.0 OBS Up-to-date coach and on-board facility 40.0 44.0 4.0 4.0 8.0 CA = Convenience and Accessibility RCS = Reliability and Customer Service OBS = On-Board Services 4.2.1 SATISFACTION WITH CONVENIENCE AND ACCESSIBILITY FACTORS Passengers (thereafter referred to as respondents) were asked to express their agreement or disagreement with the six items relating to convenience and accessibility factors: Convenient reservation and ticketing (Item No. 1), Prompt and accurate reservation and ticketing (Item No. 2), Good checking-in service ((Item No. 3), Frequent journey programme (Item No. 4), Convenient journey schedule (Item No. 5), and Seat allocation (Item No. 6) (see Table 4.1, Figure 4.1). Patterns of their responses are analysed below. It is noted in Table 4.1 and Figure 4.1 that 92.0% of the respondents were satisfied (strongly agreed/agreed, SA/A) with the reservation and ticketing procedures undertaken by the company (Item No. 1). Only a small minority of respondents showed their indifference to this item, whereas none of them disagreed with it. The majority of the respondents (88.0%) were satisfied (SA/A) with check in service (Item No. 3) (Table 4.1, Figure 4.1), and a minority (12.0%) did not express their views, but none of the respondents were dissatisfied with this service. In terms of prompt and accurate reservation and ticketing (Item No. 2), convenient journey schedule (Item No. 5), and seat allocation (Item No. 6) (Table 4.1, Figure 4.1), 84.0% of the respondents were satisfied with these three items, and only 4.0% of the respondents were dissatisfied with convenient journey schedule (Item No. 5). 4.2.2 SATISFACTION WITH RELIABILITY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE FACTORS Respondents were asked to indicate their rate of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with eight items concerning reliability and customer service factors. The majority of respondents (88% of the sample) indicated that they were satisfied with employees knowledge to answer passengers questions (Item No. 9), and with safety of driving (Item No. 12). Only 4.0% of the respondents were dissatisfied with these services and 8.0% of them indicated their indifference. With regard to courtesy of employees (Item No. 7), employees willingness to help passengers (Item No. 8), passengers are given personal attention (Item No. 10), Neat appearance of employees (Item No. 11) and on-time performance (Item No. 14), the majority of respondents were satisfied (SA/A) with these items. However, between 8.0% and 16.0% of the respondents expressed their indifference to these items, and only 4.0% to 8.0% of them were dissatisfied with some of these items, as indicated in Table 4.1 and Figure 4.2. With regard to the item: sincere interest in solving problems (Item No. 13), 80.0% of the respondents were satisfied with it, and 16.0% of them expressed their indifference, whereas only 40.0% of them disagreed with it. 4.2.3 SATISFACTION WITH ON-BOARD SERVICE FACTORS Respondents were asked to indicate their rate of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with four items concerning on-board service factors. Table 4.2 and Figure 4.4 clearly show that 84.0% of the respondents were satisfied with on-board entertainment service (Item No. 17) and up-to-date coach and on-board facilities. However, 12.0% of them were dissatisfied and 4.0% expressed their indifference. Figure 4.3 also illustrates that 80.0% of the respondents were satisfied with the seat comfort (Item No. 15) and meal service (Item No. 16). However, 8.0% and 12.0% of the respondents were dissatisfied with Items No. 14 and 15, respectively, and 12.0% and 8.0% of them expressed their indifference with these two items, respectively. It can be noted that more respondents were dissatisfied with these four services than with the other items in other two dimensions. 4.3 FACTORS MOTIVATING CUSTOMERS TO DEAL WITH THE COMPANY B Responses to the factors that have motivated the customers of this company are presented in Table 4.21 and illustrated in Figures 4.4 to 4.4. Table 4.1 indicates that between 20% and 40.0% of the responding passengers declined to express their views. This indicates their indifference to the questionnaire items. 4.2.1 SATISFACTION WITH CONVENIENCE AND ACCESSIBILITY FACTORS Data presented in Table 4.2 and illustrated in Figure 4.4 show that 76.0% of the respondents were satisfied (strongly agreed/agreed, SA/A) with the reservation and ticketing procedures undertaken by the company (Item No. 1). However, the remaining 24.0% of the respondents expressed their indifference to this item, whereas none of them disagreed with it. Around two-thirds of the respondents (68.0%) were satisfied (SA/A) with prompt and accurate reservation and ticketing, whereas the remaining 32.0% of the respondents did not express their views, and none of the respondents were dissatisfied with this service (Table 4.2, Figure 4.4). With regard to the remaining four items (good checking-in service, Item No. 3; Frequent journey programme, Item No. 4; Convenient journey schedule, Item No. 5; seat allocation, Item No. 6), 60.0% of the respondents were satisfied with these services. The remaining 40.0% of the respondents either expressed their indifference to these items, or were dissatisfied with them (Table 4.2, Figure 4.4). Table 4.2. Reasons for choosing to travel with Company A Variables SA A NV DA SDA CA Convenient reservation and ticketing 36.0 40.0 24.0 0.0 0.0 CA Prompt and accurate reservation and ticketing 28.0 40.0 32.0 0.0 0.0 CA Good checking-in service 20.0 40.0 40.0 0.0 0.0 CA Frequent journey programme 16.0 44.0 32.0 8.0 0.0 CA Convenient journey schedule 20.0 40.0 32.0 4.0 4.0 CA Seat allocation 24.0 36.0 28.0 4.0 8.0 RCS Courtesy of employees 16.0 46.0 30.0 4.0 4.0 RCS Employees willingness to help passengers 20.0 42.0 26.0 8.0 4.0 RCS Employees knowledge to answer passengers questions 16.0 42.0 32.0 4.0 6.0 RCS Passengers are given personal attention 18.0 34.0 38.0 6.0 4.0 RCS Neat appearance of employees 20.0 44.0 20.0 8.0 8.0 RCS Safety of Driving 10.0 42.0 24.0 12.0 12.0 RCS Sincere interest in solving problems 12.0 40.0 32.0 12.0 4.0 RCS On-time performance 16.0 30.0 36.0 12.0 8.0 OBS Seat comfort 20.0 28.0 32.0 16.0 4.0 OBS Meal service 16.0 12.0 40.0 20.0 12.0 OBS On-Board entertainment services 12.0 24.0 44.0 12.0 8.0 OBS Up-to-date coach and on-board facility 16.0 44.0 24.0 4.0 12.0 CA = Convenience and Accessibility RCS = Reliability and Customer Service OBS = On-Board Services 4.3.2 SATISFACTION WITH RELIABILITY AND CUSTOMER SERVICE FACTORS Respondents were asked to indicate their rate of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with eight items concerning reliability and customer service factors. About two-thirds of the respondents (64.0% of the sample) indicated that they were satisfied with employees neat appearance (Item No. 11) (Table 4.2, Figure 4.5). One-fifth (20.0%) and 16.0% of the respondents expressed their indifference or dissatisfaction with this item. Most respondents (62.0% of the sample) were satisfied with the courtesy of the employees and employees willingness to help passengers. However, many of them either expressed their indifference, or were dissatisfied with these services. Less than three-fifths (58.0%) of the were satisfied with employees knowledge to answer passengers questions (Item No. 9), and 32.0% of them expressed their indifference and 10.0% of them were dissatisfied. Around half of the respondents (52.0% of the sample) were satisfied with passengers are given personal attention (item no. 10), safety of driving (item no. 13), and sincere interest in solving problems (item no. 14). The remaining half either expressed their indifference or, to a lesser extent, was dissatisfied with these items. However, only 46.0% of the respondents were satisfied with on time performance (Item No. 14), and the remaining 54.0% of them either expressed their indifference or were dissatisfied with this item. 4.3.3 SATISFACTION WITH ON-BOARD SERVICE FACTORS Respondents were asked to indicate their rate of satisfaction/dissatisfaction with the four items relating to onboard service factors (Item No. 18) (Table 4.2, Figure 4.6). Figure 4.6 indicated that about two-thirds of the respondents (68.0% of the respondents) were satisfied with up-to-date coaches and on-board facilities, whereas the remaining respondents either did not express their views (16.0% of the sample) or were dissatisfied with this item. Data presented in Table 4.2 and Figure 4.6 clearly indicate that less than half of the respondents were satisfied with seat comfort (Item No. 15) (48.0%), meal service (Item No. 16) (38.0%), and on-board entertainment services (item No. 17) (44.0%). The remaining respondents (62.0% to 52.0% of the sample) either did not express their view or were dissatisfied with these items. On the whole, it can be said that more respondents either showed their indifference to these three items (30.0% to 36.0% of the sample) or were dissatisfied with them (20.0% to 32.0% of the sample). 4.3 DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS The demographic characteristics of the respondents from both companies, Company A, and Company B are analysed and compared in this section. Figure 4.7 clearly demonstrates that the majority of respondents of both companies (88.0%) were young between 21 and 50 year old. This is not surprising given that these ages represent people who are more active and more mobile than in other age groups. Forty-six respondents (92.0% of the sample) of Company A were Libyan nationals and the remaining four (8.0% of the sample) were Arab nationals. As for Company B, all fifty passengers were Libyan nationals. In terms of gender, thirty (60.0% of the sample) of Company A respondents were males, and the remaining twenty (40.0% of the sample) were females. As for Company B, twenty-six respondents (52.0% of the sample) were males and the remaining twenty-four (48.0% of the sample) were females. It can be argued that females represented a high proportion of the total number of respondents. As regards their income, Figure 4.8 clearly demonstrates that the majority of respondents of Company A (72.0% of the sample) and Company B (88.0% of the sample) were on the high salary scale of between Libyan Dinars (LD) 201 and over LD350. People with these high salaries, in the Libyan context, are those who can afford to travel more than lower paid people. With regard to their occupation, the majority of respondents of both companies were managers, employees of a company, or government employees (Figure 4.9). Respondents referring to themselves as professional or students were not represented in Company B sample. Most Company A respondents (60.0% of the sample) have been working for periods of 3 to more than 6 years, and 64.0% of Company B respondents were also working for that period of time. The remaining respondents have been working from less than one year to three years. As for their qualifications, Figure 4.10 indicates that the majority of respondents were highly qualified educationally. Most of the respondents of both companies held Diplomas and Bachelors Degrees. In the following chapter, the rate of satisfaction with the eighteen questionnaire items indicated by the respondents of Company A and Company B will be compared and contrasted against each other. Research conclusions will be drawn out and recommendations for both companies and for future research are also outlined in the following chapter.