Sunday, November 10, 2019
Why We Write
Have you ever stopped in the middle of what you were doing and just asked yourself: ââ¬Å"What am I doing?â⬠This isn't a philosophical or existential question. While trying to write this essay, I find myself asking ââ¬Å"What exactly am I doing?â⬠The obvious answer would be writing, or struggling to. But as my mind, like an insatiably curious child, started asking an endless stream of ââ¬Å"Whysâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Howsâ⬠I became more aware of this act that seems to be taken for granted. Writing is so ingrained in our human society and our lives that we barely even notice it or care to think about its significance. Yet it would be almost impossible for us to live without it. That is because writing is a physical and visual representation of language; it is a form of communication. Writing is a practical necessity that allows us to connect with each other and share our thoughts, and it is also a means for cultural and artistic expression. Through writing we can pass down and communicate knowledge from one generation to the next, which is a fundamental factor in the progress of human society. How did it all start? Oral language developed tens of thousands of years ago when our early ancestors began living in communities and the need for coordination and communication arose. Written language, however, was created much later in the cradle of human civilization known as Mesopotamia. The existence of civilization entails the appearance of cities and long-distance trade, and finding a way to communicate over great distance became necessary for humans. As evidenced by discovered pieces of clay with pictographs on them, the traders and merchants of the city-states of Sumer discovered writing to coordinate their trade. As with oral language, written language may have developed out of a practical necessity, and has since proven to be useful and important in our human society. Even in our contemporary times we still use writing for pragmatic purposes when we want to communicate information to others. We have been doing it for the greater part of our lives, and even something as simple as texting a friend constitutes writing. Texting is an example which shows that through a visual manifestation of language we can communicate with others and overcome the limitations of time and space. But we don't communicate through writing for practical reasons alone. We also communicate to share the unique inner workings of our creativity. Literature is a prime example of that. It can reflect our innermost passions, ideas and values as well as those of a particular culture. Through literature, writing is intricately woven into our lives as a form of personal, artistic and cultural expression which has the capacity to change and influence society. We read and analyze written works created hundreds of years ago to observe the impact that they've had on societies of different times and places. Take for example the writings of the ancient Greek poet Homer, the author of the now classic epic poems The Iliad and The Odyssey. It does not take an in-depth literary analysis to understand that the cultural values of the ancient Greeks were high reverence to their gods and the divine laws. In both works it is repeatedly shown what befalls those who disrespect and disobey any of the gods. For instance, when King Agamemnon refuses to release the captured Chrysies, the daughter of a priest of Apollo, the sun god descends from Mount Olympus to rain pestilence on the Greek army. It is thanks to writing that these epic poems, formerly passed down through oral tradition, have reached us and allowed us to better understand the society and values of the ancient Greek civilization. However, there is no rule that an author's writing should necessarily reflect their culture. There are works of writing that are the personal expression of the author and can serve as critiques of the current societal values and as innovations in literature. Many writers are actually pioneers in this sense, inventing new genres or challenging the status quo. Mary Shelley, at just 19 years of age, had created one of the world's first science fiction novels, Frankenstein, and pioneered a genre. Emily Brontà «, on the other hand, challenged the social norms of her time with Wuthering Heights. These examples illustrate that writing is not only a means of cultural or self-expression but an act of constant innovation. The authors' works do not only show the beliefs of their society during those times, but also criticize those beliefs and serve as a push during the transition between time periods. And even today these are relevant and popular works of art which allow us to analyze the values and norms of the past and to see how the ideas of these writers have influenced and changed our world. These cultural and personal expressions have withstood the test of time and reached all the way to our present day world. It is thanks to the development of writing that we now have a practical way to communicate our thoughts and our creative ideas to each other. And as we saw with the literary examples, communication through writing transcends the boundaries of space and time. Innovations and discoveries that were made hundreds of years ago and far away from us are now within our reach because writing has been an essential factor in the preservation and communication of human knowledge over the centuries. Writing has been crucial for the accumulation and innovation of human knowledge. By preserving and communicating information over the generations we learn from the discoveries and inventions made in the past and strive to improve upon them to better our world and future. We enjoy the luxuries of today thanks to the pioneering and innovating work of the great minds that came before us. Our world is shaped by the ideas and discoveries of the past which are woven into our society thanks to the development of writing. As I draw to the end of this essay, I find writing even more fascinating than ever before. In essence, writing is like a river that carries human experience, knowledge and wisdom forward in time, but it also allows us to look back to our past. Thanks to it we have experienced and learned about ideas, sciences and arts which have existed hundreds of years ago and far away from us. Writing has allowed us to express ourselves and share our beliefs about the world. It has given us the opportunity to gaze upon the reflection of our world, and to strive to make it better than what it was. Right now we stand in the middle of a vast infinity. What the generations of the future will learn about us and our legacy will greatly depend on our writing now.
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Compare and contrast St Johns proposal to Jane with that of Rochesters and the effect they have on Jane Essays
Compare and contrast St Johns proposal to Jane with that of Rochesters and the effect they have on Jane Essays Compare and contrast St Johns proposal to Jane with that of Rochesters and the effect they have on Jane Paper Compare and contrast St Johns proposal to Jane with that of Rochesters and the effect they have on Jane Paper In the novel Jane Eyre the main character Jane gets involved in some bizarre circumstances. Two not so different men propose to her even though the proposals are very different and elite. St Johns proposal can be characterized as unromantic and oppressing since he practically forces Jane to marry him. From the other hand Rochesters proposal is quite romantic and witty. With a clever way and games Rochester manages to propose to Jane and to get the answer he wanted to hear. In St Johns proposal Jane reacts negatively. She refuses and keeps refusing since St John doesnt take no for an answer and he keeps on dragging the proposal. In Rochesters proposal Jane is very passionate. She wants to cry and feels tortured by Rochesters mind games. She also tortures Rochester but at the end she falls in his arms. From the very beginning St Johns proposal seemed oppressing. St John as he starts his proposal he is being presumptuous. He asks Jane what does her heart tells her and when Jane says her heart is mute. St John responds to that by telling her will speak for her heart. That answer is presumptuous and selfish. How can he expect to win a womans heart with that behavior? . Throughout his proposal St John is passionate and talks with great zeal for God, heaven etc. This behavior suffocates Jane bringing her to the point of asking for mercy. St John tells her that God needs her and he is testing her faith to God. St John talks to Jane like she doesnt have a mind of her own. He bases his whole proposal on the fact that Jane is the right person for a missionarys wife. St John is self-interested and pressures Jane. He says he claims her. For every negative answer by Jane, St John seems to have planned what to say next. He is calculative. He logically counterbalances Janes arguments. St John is cunning and persistent. He doesnt give up with Jane. St John supports his answers and points by using the Bible and generally God. He uses God also to test Janes faith and obedience to Him. He is cruel and pushes Jane knowing Janes belief in God. St John has been observing and studying Jane to see if she is right for the job. St John planned everything from the very beginning. As St John keeps going on with his proposal, he is pushing Jane against a wall and she cant escape. Jane feels powerless and weak. She feels she cant fight him. St John is very unromantic. He doesnt have a husbands heart and Jane acknowledges that making her mote not wanting to follow him to India. Jane keeps thinking the whole matter in her head and comes to the decision of going with St John as his sister. But St John refuses and says their union must be concealed by marriage or it cant exist. St John uses emotional blackmail that tortures Jane mentally. He wants to marry Jane so he can influence her life till her death. The whole thing is a matter of control. The more he speaks the more Jane feels his influence on her. She feels like she cant do anything to escape. St John is arrogant. He strongly believes Jane should become a part of him. This is what he wants and this is how he wants it. Jane reacts to all these in a passionate and outspoken way. She is not prepared to be controlled or oppressed by anyone. This incident brings up to the surface the character of Jane. She scorns St Johns idea of love and she scorns St John himself. She is direct and unconventional and opinionated. St John wants to marry Jane not on the idea of love but on the idea that he has to because of obedience to God. Certainly a woman wouldnt want to get married under those ideas and motives. St John uses no logic and he doesnt make sense. Mr. Rochesters proposal was indeed different from St Johns and Janes reactions are different. Rochester is romantic, he proposes to Jane in a romantic environment. He teases and plays with her telling her she must leave soon so he can get married. That was quite a blow for Jane but she didnt let that get to her. She remained calm. Rochester continued his teasing and tells Jane she could go work in Ireland taking care the five daughters of Mrs. Dionysious OGall of Bittermatt Lodge. It is quite humorous for the reader but torturous to Jane. Jane is severely wounded by the teasing. Jane wants to sob but she doesnt. She remains strong. Rochester makes his proposal challenging and provoking for Jane. He deliberately provokes Jane to encourage her to confide in him what she really feels. Rochester is intelligent. He soon changes his attitude and says to Jane if she leaves hell bleed from the inside and die. Jane is passionate and vehement in this proposal. She is honest to Rochester and tells him why she is so sorry to leave Thornfield. She was never undermined in Thornfield and she felt equal there. Also she is frightened to leave Rochester. Jane in a way explodes here after Rochester teases her. Janes passionate character is revealed. She points out to Rochester that she is not an automaton a machine. She has feelings too even if she is poor. Mr. Rochester after he debates with Jane to tell her how much she means to him he finally pops the question. Jane then mocks and tortures Mr. Rochester too by telling him she doesnt trust him at all. Rochesters proposal has passion and lots of romance. This is how a proposal should be but also it is an original one like St Johns. Both proposals have unique and elite characteristics. St John bases his whole proposal not on love but God and Rochester teases painfully Jane. Janes reactions are similar in the two proposals. She is passionate, outspoken and direct in both proposals.
Tuesday, November 5, 2019
7 Common Mistakes to Avoid You Make When You Meet New People
7 Common Mistakes to Avoid You Make When You Meet New People First impressions are incredibly important. Donââ¬â¢t botch yours by making silly mistakes that undermine your chances of being taken seriously. Wondering whether you might be making any of these totally avoidable errors? Double check your meeting-new-people routine and make sure you arenââ¬â¢t falling victim to any of these faux pas.1. Me me me me meâ⬠¦Talking too much about yourself can be veryà off-putting. Youââ¬â¢ve been in that situation- suffering a seemingly endless monologue from some contact whose hand youââ¬â¢ve only just shaken. Itââ¬â¢s an easy trap to fall into, particularly when youââ¬â¢re meant to be networking and selling yourself.Remember to take a step back every now and then and ask some questions about the person you are speaking with. And keep in mind that dominance is not the same as confidence. You can let the conversation be more equal and still project the confidence and control youââ¬â¢ve been working so hard to cultivate.2. Notà Talking About YourselfAlmost as bad as droning on and on about yourself is not talking about yourself enough. Donââ¬â¢t make the other person do all of the conversational heavy-lifting. Donââ¬â¢t give one word answers to thoughtful questions. Donââ¬â¢t be evasive, etc.3. Complaining All the TimeIf youââ¬â¢re just meeting someone, the last thing you want is to give the impression that youââ¬â¢re a moaner. Try to keep it positive, at least for the first half an hour of your acquaintance. You can complain to your family and friends all you like. Keep professional settings positive.4. Buying the First RoundYou may think that youââ¬â¢re ingratiating yourself to a group youââ¬â¢ve just met by offering to bring drinks for everyone back from the bar. But it can actually be more beneficial to a new connection for them to feel like they are doing you a favor. Let someone else grab your drink, then thank them warmly. No need to be the waitress or the star. Just focus on the impression you most want to make.5. Not Being Up-FrontSometimes you meet someone youââ¬â¢ve been following online. Itââ¬â¢s awkward and problematic to pretend you donââ¬â¢t know things that you do. Be open about how youââ¬â¢ve made their Internet acquaintance- this will give you something extra to chat about more naturally. And the same goes for not pretending you know more about someone youââ¬â¢ve been introduced to than you do. In these, as in so many cases, honesty is best.6. Over-ComplimentingYou may want to impress someone, but being too complimentary can actually freak people out. And will definitely make you look like youââ¬â¢re just sucking up. Try to keep it as genuine as possible.7. Getting Too PersonalThink of a networking event or opportunity as a first date. Keep things on a somewhat even and considered keel. There will be time for oversharing if you develop a real friendship or connection. Try not to overwhelm your new connection right off the bat .
Sunday, November 3, 2019
My First Day In College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
My First Day In College - Essay Example The essay "My First Day In College" talks about the experience we can get from our first day in college. The author by his example tells what good experience the college gives a person to be successful in his life. I gladly anticipated the day because of the social title that I would gain for joining the university because most of my peers derived little pleasure from academic achievements and rarely qualified for and attained university education. I would be one of the few youths in the locality to join the university, the highest recognized academic institution. My feelings were however mixed with the anxiety of freedom from parental control and separation from my friends, people that had become very close to my life and with whom I had shared my weakness for social support. My younger sister, then in elementary school, particularly noted my unstable state and teased me for behaving like a little child. It was finally my reporting day and I had to take the step into my new life. I had packed all my belongings the previous night and was ready to bid my family goodbye. Leaving home was, however, a painful experience and I broke into tears, of pain and isolation, for fear of never seeing my family again. Even my motherââ¬â¢s consolation that they would occasionally visit me or that I was free to visit them over the weekends would not ease my overwhelming pain. She then drove me to college, in her favorite car, and I could feel the transition in my life as we passed the city center into the collegeââ¬â¢s main campus.
Friday, November 1, 2019
Media Concentration and Control Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Media Concentration and Control - Assignment Example à In the when corporations are aiming to paint themselves as good corporate citizens, one cannot avoid questioning the extent to which the information fed to the general public is censored. Consequently, it would be rational for the government to limit the level of concentration of media ownership for the best interest of the public. This paper explores the reasons why the government should limit the concentration of media ownership, incorporating the views of various researchers. Concentrated media ownership kills social justice and democracy. Freedman (2014) stated that the Mexican students protested against two major TV channels that had the most influence in the media. Kawashima (2011) argues that the concentrated media ownership is anti-democratic as it restricts cultural diversity and does not allow citizens to make informed decisions and exchange ideas that are important to their public life. Furthermore, Hasmondhalgh (2012) and Baker (2007) argue that media is a cultural industry. Thus, if the power is intensified in few groups, it will transform the cultural industries to capital accumulation firms. This, in turn, can exploit creative labour. Freedman (2014) asserted that the government should not make any extra arrangements to protect the media ownership. Murdoch (2009) argued that media are like any other organisation where if the public does not like the service or the product, it fails. Therefore, the special protection of media services or the me dia concentration is against the basic principles of free market. Baker (2009) supported the argument of media diversity through a normative theory of democracy that suggests the authority should be controlled by public opinion. The media concentration process controls the public opinion. Thus, Baker (2009) suggests that not only the media should diversify in terms of the number of media channels but also the sources of media. Diverse media would push for the overall benefit of the entire society unlike concentration, which works in the best interest of a few individuals pursuing similar goals.Ã
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Homework Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Homework - Research Paper Example The usability of a system also determines its effectiveness, satisfaction, and efficiency. The effectiveness of a system refers to the accuracy with which specific objectives can be achieved. The efficiency of a system refers to various resources and their accuracy for the system. The satisfaction of a system includes characteristics of users, tasks, and the overall organization. The context of use is also an important characteristic of the system. The context of the system determines the characteristics of the users, tasks, and physical environment (Sauro & Kindlund, 2005). The second important quality characteristic of ISO 9126 System is reliability. The reliability of a system determines the perceptions of users regarding the reliability. The reliability of a system is ensured through various measures (Sauro & Kindlund, 2005). Some of these measures include frequency of system failure, presence of bugs, faults, and other errors. When developing a system, it is important to ensure that it possesses fault tolerance. The specific level of performance is also developed for systemââ¬â¢s reliability. The recoverability is the sub characteristic of reliability. This characteristic allows users to take corrective actions whenever an error occurs. The reliable system is one, which can quickly recover from a failure and resume working (Sauro & Kindlund, 2005). Reliability is viewed as an important quality attribute, which appears in all quality models. The users want a system that they can rely. The reliability can be defined as the capability of a system to maintain a specific performance level. The sub characteristics of reliability include maturity, fault tolerance, recoverability, and reliability conformance. Maturity of an ISO 9126 system can be comprehended as its capability to avoid failures. The fault tolerance of a system is the capability of a system to deliver specified performance (Phang, Kankanhalli &
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Reviewing Waiting Time and Customer Satisfaction in a Service Process
Reviewing Waiting Time and Customer Satisfaction in a Service Process Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a literature review that highlights major findings from empirical research examining the impact of waiting time on customer satisfaction within various service settings. Design/Methodology/Approach The paper examines the results of past studies that have manipulated specific service settings (layout, fillers, surroundings, resources) and attempts to identify variables that cause less dissatisfaction in a service process. Findings A large number of studies reveal negative influence of waiting time on customer satisfaction. Future research proposals seek to identify the degree of satisfaction in a service delivery process. Originality/Value The review highlights a range of implications drawn from the studies that will be of value to service organization managers who face high customer dissatisfaction and low repeat customers. Keywords Service delivery process, Customer service quality, Customer satisfaction, Waiting time Paper type Literature review Introduction The performance of a service delivery system is inversely proportional to the degree of customers contact (Chase, 1982). The more the customer close to the service system, the longer the customer waiting times in the service delivery system. This cost of longer waiting times in the system can be attributed to (i) the customer walking away from the system and join somewhere else(ii) the customers decision not to come back again in the future and(iii) the customer passing negative experiences to near and dear ones like family and friends. Many studies emphasize the relationship between customer satisfaction in a service process and their loyalty (Anderson, 1994; Dick and Basu, 1994; Fornell et al., 1996; Selness, 2001; Mittal and Kamakura, 2001; Olsen, 2002). The cost of these behaviors by the customer is very difficult to calculate but definitely the sales will go down with each unhappy customer as the cost of retaining a satisfied customer is less than a newly acquired customer (Reic hheld, 1996). According to Lovelock and Gummesson (2004) time plays the central role in most of the services processes and they recommend giving more attention to improving the customers understanding of how they perceive, budget, consume and value time. Many studies focus on the relationship between waiting time and customer satisfaction in a service process (Hui and Tse, 1996; Pruyn and Smidts, 1998). Thus the customers satisfaction can be regarded as the bridge between operational performance of the service firm and subsequent impact on the behavior of the customer towards the service firm. In this study we are trying to understand the factors responsible for dissatisfied customer in a service environment and how it can be minimized through proper and timely allocation of resources in the service process system. Literature Review Waiting Time Time has commonly been regarded as a significant component of the total cost of a transaction, making customers aware that their time is most valuable (Anderson and Shugan, 1991; Jacoby et al., 1976; Kellaris and Kent, 1992). Past research has suggested various dimensions of time that include: pace, urgency, sequencing, separation, scheduling, duration, punctuality, flexibility, linearity, synchronization and present and future time perspectives (Ballard and Seibold, 2004; Owen, 1991; Moore, 1963, Lauer, 1981). The waiting time problem has become an important part of service providers priorities as todays customers are becoming intolerance to waiting time in a service process. Further, consumers do not evaluate service quality solely on the outcome of service, but they evaluate it on the basis of service delivery process and time is the most important factor for evaluating customer satisfaction in a service process (Davis and Vollmann, 1990; Friedman and Friedman, 1997). Additionally waiting tine is the deciding factor for service evaluations for many consumers as they value time more than ever. It is also important to notice in which stage the customer is feeling dissatisfaction in a service encounter. According to Dube-Rioux et al. (1989), the service encounter has three phases: pre- process, in- process and post- process. Research has shown that there is causal effect of service stage, as mentioned by Dube-Rioux (1989), and service delays on consumers reaction to waiting (Hui et al., 199 8; Dube et al., 1991; Dube-Rioux et al., 1989). Dube-Rioux et al. (1989) argue that service delays were less unpleasant than service entry or service exit waits as Hansen and Danaher (1999) showed that service exit exerts a significant effect on consumers perception of service quality and post purchase behavior. Waiting is considered a negative experience from both the economic as well as psychological perspective. Further waiting time is often used as a substitute for cost. The waiting time is an important component of customers overall evaluation of the service (Peritz, 1993). Also the amount of time they spend while checkout from a store influences the overall satisfaction level of the customer (Katz, Larsen, Blaire and Larsen, 1991). Further, research has shown that long waits have a negative effect on customer satisfaction (Chebat and Filiatrault, 1993). Waiting time is often regarded as a waste of time (Leclerc, Schmitt and Dube, 1995; Schwartz, 1975; Rafaeli, 1989; Hui and Tse, 1996; Sheu et al., 2003) and has been described as frustrating boring and irritating (Hui and Tse, 1996; Katz et al., 1991). According to McDonnell (2007), anger and frustration are more likely to happen at bank branches and financial institutions than many other service contact points. Further, research has shown that many consumers dislike waiting in a queue which results in a negative service quality evaluation (Krentler, 1988; Kumar et al., 1997; Houston et al., 1998; Ho and Zheng, 2004). The consumers waiting experience has the direct influence on the perception of service quality (Soloman, Bamossy and Askeggard, 1999). For, wait is considered as a wait prior to being served. Apart from income and price, time is considered as a constraint in consumer purchasing choice (Becker, 1965; Umesh et al., 1989). Many researchers have tried to solve waiting time by providing various strategies like waiting time fillers such as increase of front line employees, video display, news updates or waiting time guarantees (Kumar, Kalwani and Dada, 1997), but failed to eliminate the waiting time dissatisfaction completely. Music can play an important role in reducing dissatisfaction levels for consumers waiting in line (Steve and Oakes, 2008). A waiting time has four dimensions: Objective, subjective, cognitive and effective: Davis and Vollman, 1990;Katz et al., 1991; Taylor, 1994) advocate that objective waiting time is the elapsed time as measured by a stop watch by the customer before being served. The subjective waiting time is the perceived waiting time by the customer (Hui and Tse, 1996; Pruyn and Smidts, 1998). The cognitive waiting time is the customers evaluation of the wait as short versus long (Pruyn and Smidts, 1998), being (or not being) acceptable, reasonable and tolerable (Durrande- Mpreau, 1999). The affective aspect of the waiting time is the emotional response to waiting like irritation, boredom, frustration, pleasure, stress, happiness etcà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ (Taylor, 1994; Hui and Tse, 1996; Pruyn and Smidts, 1998). However the perceived waiting time is different from objective waiting time (Barnett and Saponaro, 1985; Hirsch, Bilger and Heatherage, 1950; Hornik, 1984). The effect of waiting time on customers perceptions of customer satisfaction relates positively to the wait to the customer and moderated by the reason for the wait (Nicole and Tony, 2006). Also the perception of waiting time is affected by anxiety level and queue length (Hornik, 1984; Maister, 1984). The wait dissatisfaction in a service process can be lowered if the overall service meets the customers expectations. Customers are willing to wait if they anticipate benefits through the consumption of a service (Zeithaml et al., 1993). Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is of utmost importance to the service providers and scholars (Babin and Griffin, 1998; Oliver, 1999) in todays highly competitive business environment. Customer satisfaction is conceived to be part of an overall model of customer behavior (Bearden and Teele, 1983). One such model presented by Oliver (1980) is shown in the figure below (Figure 1). The Role of Satisfaction in a Customer Behavior Model Expectations à ¢Ã¢â¬ ââ¬Å" Performance à ¢Ã¢â¬ ââ¬Å" Disconfirmations à ¢Ã¢â¬ ââ¬Å" SATISFACTION à ¢Ã¢â¬ ââ¬Å" Attitudes à ¢Ã¢â¬ ââ¬Å" Intentions à ¢Ã¢â¬ ââ¬Å" Future Behavior Figure 1 Sasser et al. (1978) identify three different models by which customers evaluate overall satisfaction with a service. These are: One overpowering attribute A single attribute with threshold minimums for other attributes A weighted average of attributes According to the expectancy disconfirmation model, satisfaction/ dissatisfaction is a function of expectations and disconfirmations of the consumer (Oliver, 1980; Oliver and DeSabro, 1988). According to Davis and Heineke (1998), customers reaction to waiting in line can color his/her perception of the service delivery process. Further, customer satisfaction is affected not just by waiting time but also by the customers expectations or attribution or determination of the causes for the waiting(Bitner, 1990; Churchill and Suprenant, 1982; Folkes , 1984; Folkes, Koletsky and Graham, 1987; Maister, 1985; Oliver, 1980; Shostack, 1985; Taylor, 1994; Tom and Lucey, 1995; Tse and Wilton, 1988). Also in a service delays, the stage in which a delay occurs within a service encounter affects customer evaluations of the service quality (Dube et al., 1989;, Hui et al., 1998). The overestimating of waiting time by the consumers (Hornik, 1984; Katz, Larson and Larson, 1991) leads to more dissatisfaction as customers perception of waiting time increases, the satisfaction tends to decrease (Katz et al., 1991). Customer satisfaction is inversely related to waiting time (Davis and Maggard, 1990); that is the longer a customer waits, the less satisfied or more dissatisfied he/she becomes with the service process. In their study on two stage service process, they found that customer satisfaction is more affected by the initial wait of the customer prior to entering the service process, than it is by subsequent waits in the process. Their study was supported by Sasser, Olsen and Wyckoff (1978) and Maister (1985).Davis and Maggard (1990) suggest management to devote extra time and resources toward initial stage of the wait. This priority is necessary because a dissatisfied restaurant customer tells fifty other people about his/her dissatisfaction (Lyth and Johnson, 1998). Parasuraman et als (1985) study on relationship between waiting time and perceived service quality has been widely accepted by the research and industry communities. The gap between the perception and expectation for waiting experience determines the customer satisfaction with waiting (Maister, 1985). Davis and Vollman(1990) argue that in most of the service operations, customer expectations and satisfaction with respect to waiting time are dependent on many factors including: The customers prior experience, the number of customers in the service facility, criticality of time to the customer and other distractions, intended or otherwise. According to Hornik (1984) consumers often inclined to overestimate time spent on waiting and the delay can influence affective reactions (Dube-Rioux et al., 1989; Hui and Tse, 1996; Taylor, 1994). Prior research suggests that crowding at the service process also affects the customers satisfaction (Eroglu et al., 2005; Michon et al., 2005). That means a perception of extremely un -crowded and extremely crowded environments at the service area lead to lower customer satisfaction. This means the service managers should allocate human resources wisely when the crowd is low. Conversely, more number of service personals should be devoted when the crowd is very high. Taylor (1994) argues that customers anger and their evaluation of punctuality affect the overall performance of a service process. The customers satisfaction with wait is also influenced by customers perception of service providers social justice(Larson, 1987) that is whether the provider is adhering to first come first serve basis or not. Piyush et al. (1997) argue that the customer satisfaction in wait is also influenced by the waiting time guarantee provided by the service providers. Customer satisfaction in a retail setting has been linked to a number of important outcomes, including sales performance, customer retention and loyalty (Darian et al., 2001; Wong and Sohal, 2003; Gomez et al., 2004; Anselsson, 2006; Martenson, 2007). Apart from retail, the customer satisfaction is a prerequisite for other customer service outcomes including customer retention and customer loyalty, sales/profitability and market share for many organizations (Hackl and Westlund, 2000; Reichheld, 1996) as losing a customer result in the cost associated with replacement of that customer (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990). According to Anderson et al. (1994) the customer satisfaction is positively related to the profit of the service provider. Additionally, the role of service satisfaction is believed to directly shape a customers long term relation with the service provider (Gronroos, 1984). The waiting time can be distracted with the help of television sets, newspapers, magazines, wall posters etcà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ as filled time appears to pass more quickly than empty time (McGrath and Kelly, 1986). This can be applied to reduce the waiting dissatisfaction but not to enhance the customer satisfaction as superior waiting experiences will, in turn, enhance customers overall satisfaction with the service provider. Information provided in case of delay (Hui and Tse, 1996; Antonides et al., 2002) and the characteristics of waiting environment (Pruyn and Smidts, 1998) determine the customers waiting time satisfaction. According to Maister (1985) any information regarding delay can reduce the uncertainty of wait and reduce the overall stress level of the customer. As mentioned by Baker and Cameron (1996) the service environment influences the affective aspect of the waiting times. Also Pruyn and Smidts (1998) show that perceived attractiveness of the environment positively influences the affective response to the wait and service satisfaction in addition to the appraisal of the wait. But satisfaction with the information provided in case of delays influence waiting time satisfaction more than waiting environment satisfaction (Frederic and Nathalie, 2007). The customers waiting time can be influenced by making the service environment comfortable as possible (Baker and Cameron, 1996). Future directions for research Since the current study focuses on the influence of waiting time on customer satisfaction at various stages of the service transformation process, the exact degree of satisfaction is unclear from the study. Davis and Maggard (1990) argue that in a two stage service process, stage one requires priority where customer waits before being served. Future research is required to assess the degree of priority in the various stages of service process.
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