General Psychology Essay

Taking Psychology has taught me a lot more than I already knew about the human mind and human body. I have actually enjoyed taking Psychology this semester. what I have learned from Psychology class will be carried with me throughout my college and professional career. In Psychology I learned the science of behavior and processes. The â€Å"ABC’s† of Psychology which are, A- stands for affect, which are feelings, emotions or moods. B- stands for behaviors, which are the actions or reactions of an organism. Lastly is C, which stands for cognition, which are mental events such as perceptions, thoughts and ideas. Psychology originated in many disciplines and countries. It was, until the 1920’s, defined as the science of mental life. Some goals of psychology are to observe and describe the human mind and behavioral system. Also, to understand, explain and predict. More of the goals are influence and control. These are the four main goals of psychology. Sometimes the fifth goal of observing in order to understand a problem further is added, but the first four are usually those that are recognized as the main goals of psychology. To observe and describe sometimes are placed in the same goal. Some people still consider the goal of improving to be added to this as well. However, it is very possible to understand the basics of psychology by examining and understanding its four main goals. The first of the goals of psychology is to observe and describe behavior. Differentiating between normal, healthy and unhealthy behaviors is the cornerstone of psychology. This is why psychologist has to have a great sense of observation. Psychologist not only has to observe actions, but also someone’s attitudes, feelings, goals, motivations, reactions and thoughts to the best of their abilities. The second goal of psychology is basically explaining the same as the first. The attempt to explain behavior based on observations is actually rather difficult due to many factors. Both the first and second goals are simply examined. Predicting behavior is the third goal of psychology. By predicting behavior, psychologists try to determine if a person is likely to make healthy or unhealthy decisions when confronted with certain situations. Most psychologist use experiments to make predictions. Part of what I learned in psychology is about Psychological science and when it was â€Å"born†. Also, some of psychology’s  first graduate students studied the â€Å"atoms of the mind† by conducting experiments in Leipzig, Germany in 1879. American philosopher William James wrote an important 1890 psychology textbook. Mary Calkins, James’s student, became the APA’s first female president. Psychology has taught me other ways to look at science. It has taught me that science is a discipline that demonstrates an organized body of knowledge. The scientific method is observing phenomena, formulating hypothesis. A hypothesis is a tentative explanation that can be tested and then accepted or rejected. Psychology has taught me other ways to look at science and different ways to define the terms. What does a psychologist do? A psychologist is basically a scientist conducting research and testing hypotheses. Science practitioners are clinical or counseling psychologists. Psychology’s past and present include French philosopher Rene Decartes( 1596-1650 ). Also, john Locke(1632-1704), who was a British scientist who, with his followers, developed the doctrine of Empiricism. Charles Darwin(1809-1882) confirmed that humans were part of the animal kingdom. Gustav Frenchner(1801-1887), a physicist who applied physics method to psychological processes of sensation. Lastly, Hermann Van Helmholtz(1821-1984) was a physicist who tested effects of stimuli on the nervous system. Learning new terms based on the human body helped me understand psychology better. It gave me a completely different outlook about it. I learned many things that I was completely unaware of before and it brightened my horizons to the psychological world. The brainstem is the brains older and innermost region. The brainstem is located where the spinal cord swells slightly after entering the skull. The slight swelling is called the medulla. The thalamus sits at the top of the brain. This joined pair of egg shaped structures acts as the brain’s sensory switchboard . This reticular formation is located inside the brainstem, between your ears. It’s a finger shaped network of neurons that extends from the spinal cord. Right up through the thalamus. The cerebellum extends from the rear of the brainstem and is baseball sized. This term also means â€Å"little brain†. It enables one type of nonverbal learning and memory. The limbic system is two halves of the brain. One limbic system component is the hippocampus: process memory. Amygdala is a lima bean sized neural clusters which influence aggression and fear. The hypothalamus is located just below the thalamus. It is an important link in the chain of command governing bodily  maintenance. Cerebral cortex is a thin surface layer of interconnected neural cells. This is your brain’s thinking crown, your body’s ultimate control and information processing center. I learned from the Modules that we have read in class. Some of them talked about developmental issues and parental issues. As well as issues with these two involving a newborn. Any survey of developmental psychology must consider three pervasive issues. The first is how development is steered by the int eraction of nature (our genes) and nurture (our experiences). Then consider the second issue, whether development is a gradual, continuous process or a series of discrete stages, and the third, whether development is characterized over time more by stability or by change. I also learned more about conception, with humans. The process starts when a woman’s ovaries release a mature egg. Two hundred million or more deposited sperm begin their race upstream, approaching a cell 85,000 times their own size. The few that actually reach the egg release digestive enzymes that eat away its protective coating. Piaget’s stages of cognitive development states that from birth to two years of age, there’s what is called sensor motor that takes effect. This is basically experiencing the world through senses and actions: object performance, stranger anxiety. From ages two to seven years old preoperational, which was the representation with words and images; using intuitive rathe r than logical reasoning: pretend play, egocentrism. Sensation and perception blend into one continuous process. Sensation is the process by which our sensory receptors and nervous system receive and represent stimulus energies from our environment. Perception is the process of organizing and interpreting sensory information, enabling us to recognize meaningful objects and events. Psychologist refers to sensory analysis that starts at the entry level as bottom up processing. Bottom up processing is an analysis that begins with the sensory receptors and works up to the brain’s integration of sensory information. We construct perceptions drawing both on sensations coming bottom up to the brain and on our experience and expectations, which psychologist call top-down processing. Top-down processing is information processing guided by higher level mental processes, as when we construct perceptions drawing on our experiences and expectations. I also learned that psychophysics is the study of relationships between the physical characteristics of stimuli, such as their  intensity and our psychological experience of them. Also, that absolute threshold is the minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus fifty percent of the time. Subliminal is defined as below one’s absolute threshold for conscious awareness. Priming is the activation, often unconsciously, of certain associations, thus predisposing one’s perception, memory, or response. Lastly, I learned that difference threshold is the minimum difference between two stimuli required for detection fifty percent of the ti me. We experience the difference threshold as just a noticeable difference. I have learned a lot in psychology this semester. It has been a pleasure having this class. I learned a lot about the human mind and body. I have learned how the mind works and its functions. Also about the different changes that we as human beings go through, stage by stage. My grade may not reflect it but I certainly did learn a lot in Psychology. I feel that I had to work harder this semester to earn the appropriate grade that I felt I deserved. I studied for hours for my exams. I am the type of person that can study all day and night for an exam but my work performance may not reflect the actual work I put into my studies. I do not believe that a test score can determine what a person knows about a subject. I do believe that it can be a reflection of some of what the person may know about the subject or topic, but it does not determine exactly what they know.

The Development of Arabic Scripts

1. Pre – Islamic Era Arabic script is probably one of the oldest in the world, having been widely spread across cultures as this was the language used to spread Islam in major territories. Its influence can be seen in various languages which adopted Arabic script to develop their own way of recording, like Persian, Pashto, Urdu and more. But Arab scripts have evolved with major historical events of these nations (AncientScripts. com). Various accounts of the history of Arabia, the ‘island of the Arabs’, give the impression that Arabic scripts started to take form at the height of Islamization or during the time of Prophet Mohammed.It is said to have originated from the fourth century, CE but there is evidence – an ancient document – that shows Arabic script was already a medium for recording even as early as 512 CE. Long before the Prophet Mohammed was born (some authors say even 700 years before Mohammed), the Arabs already had established a form of written language which originally was used by the Nabateans who once inhabited a territory which is now the kingdom of Jordan. This was called the Nabatean script, which evolved from the Aramaic language.The Nabataean script was an off – shoot of the Aramaic alphabet which developed in the first century CE on the Sinai Peninsula and in North Arabia. It differs conspicuously from other Aramaic varieties by making extensive use of ligatures. Stone inscriptions in the Nabataean script are found from Petra, the capital of the Nabataean Kingdon (c. 150 CE to 100 CE), to Damascus and Medina. The script is not attested in manuscripts, although its cursive character with letters frequently joined together indicates common use.The language of the inscriptions is Nabataean, a close cognate of Aramaic – other authors claim it s Aramaic and that the Nabataeans had dual language styles for communication: written in Aramaic, verbal in Arabic. Spread over a wide area, the script exh ibits considerable variation with highly diverse letter shapes. Its significance for the history of writing lies in its being the immediate forebear of the Arabic script. Certain features of the Arabic character, such as the existence of separate final forms for certain letters, are already foreshadowed in Nabataean writing.Its transformation into the Arabic script took place in the fourth and fifth centuries CE (Calmous 350). In the North of the Syrian Desert, the Arabs were involved in world politics very much earlier. Even under the Assyrian king Tiglath – Pileser III (745 – 728BC), there was an Arabi kingdom there with its capital in the Jawf, which was ruled by queens and remained one of the vassal states of Assyria until the time of Essarhaddon (689 – 669 BC). The Babylonian King Nabunaid (556 – 539 BC) had his residence for some time in the oasis of Tayma, which was the base of his expeditions against the west.An Aramaic inscription from the Persia n era found there indicates the organization of the city cult, with its priests and temple gods. Then as early as the period of the last Achaemenians, the Nabataean state sprang up (in a territory of modern day Jordan). This state controlled the caravan trade from South Africa to Medina and remained significantly independent since Alexander the Great’s plan of conquering Arabia by sea from east and west simultaneously was not resumed by his successors.At first, Petra’s commerce was drawn to Bostra, where caravans then proceeded to Chalcis, below Lebanon and Emesa, Edessa, and Hatra toward the north and east. The Nabataeans adopted the titles of their officials and military leaders from neighboring Hellenistic states. The Nabataean capital was Petra, a mountain fortress lying about halfway between the Dead Sea and the tip of the Arabian gulf (Brockelman 6).Numerous inscriptions and ruins found in the rock – cut tombs bear witness to the flourishing civilization o f the Nabataeans but in these inscriptions, Aramaic was used for it was then the official language dating as far back as the time of the Achaemenians. There are also accounts of other historians that Arabic was the spoken language of the Nabataeans but they write using Aramaic. Initially, they were considered by the Romans as allies until the time of Trajan but due to doubts over their ambiguity during the Jewish insurrection under Titus, the Nabataean Kingdom was absorbed as Provincia Arabia in 106 BC.The civilized areas – or the major cities where trades occur – were marked off from the deset by a chain of fortifications which were far from being strong as the Limes on the Rhine and on the Danube frontier (Brockelman 6). But in another Arab state, Palmyra, the Nabataeans found a more fortunate heir. In the wars between Rome and the Parthians, Palmyra was prudently neutral and by the time of Augustus, was able to extend its trade connections to Rome, Dacia, Gaul and S pain. The Severian Dynasty, also half – Semitic, showed favor on Palmyra.From 260 onwards King Odenat extended his rule over the entire Syria and was even acknowledged by the weak Roman Emperor, Gallienus, as co – emperor for the Orient. After his death in 268, his wife Zenobia maintained his power for a time but Aurelianus destroyed Palmyra in 273. This tragedy would be retold through generations even until the first centuries of Islam. (Brockelmann 7). Palmyra represented the last stance of Arab independence pre – Islam and its fall marked a loss of Arab independence.No other Arab state in the north remained free after this and they were used as vassals by the Romans and Byzantines to ward off incursions of the nomads (Bedouins, or Arabs) into the settled regions. This is probably why the Nabataeans retained their scripts even under Roman rule – because they continued with their trades and were also vassals to ward off their own kind from coming into ma jor cities of commerce (Brockelmann 7). In the 6th century, however, the Ghassanid dynasty ruled at Damascus, east of the Jordan.He was designated by Justinian in 529 as patricius and phylarch with supreme authority over all the Arabs in the northern Syria. But this power again dissolved into fragmentary principalities after his death and when they won over the Persians, the Roman Emperor let their officials rule until a Muslim onslaught brought another Ghassanid ruler of the Syrian Arabs (Brockelmann 8). Before and during these periods, the Arabs had been exposed to Christianity (Yah-weh / Judaism) at one time or another.First, from the Roman Empire Christianity exercising great power over them, down to the Lakhmid Dynasty in Hirah who once served the Persians and had finally gone to the Christian faith of their urban subjects, even the Bedouins in the north were in intimate contact with the indigenous Aramean population, who had long since been swallowed up by Christianity. Inner Arabia also due to their trading cities of the Hijaz must have also been permeated by a knowledge of Christian teachings and customs, however superficial, as a result of the steady traffic with related tribes in the north.The anchorites, whose cells must have spread from Palestine and Sinai Peninsula far into the desert, no doubt also made a great many contributions. In addition, the desert was an asylum from some sects persecuted by the established church, and precisely these may have spread their doctrines with more success than the Orthodox Church. During these times, however, the Aramaic language still remained the official and principal administrative language.Thus, most of the inscriptions on the Petra were in Aramaic but there have been evidence showing that the Nabataeans before used their own language for their local transactions and in oral exchange, but retained Aramaic for recording due to its value in trading with other countries. Other authors propose that some Arab na tions or states were actually oral groups; meaning, they hand down their stories by telling and re – telling it and still could keep it fresh in their memories but there are also groups who were visual, or those which could not keep a mental record of events thus, keep records in tablet form.Nomads, for instance, or Bedouins, often recite poetry in their gatherings inside their tents wherever they are in the dessert. But those engaged in trades, in the major cities, often would chose to write to keep a record of their transactions. Many believe that the ancient Arabs’ exposure to Christians / those practicing Judaism probably justifies the influence or traces of Sumerian, Greek, Akkadian or Aramaic system to an otherwise Semitic heritage in the Arabic scripts or written as well as spoken languages.But others argue that though there appear some points for seeming similarities, these actually represent the observed or practiced systems used by different countries at the time. While some authors attribute the variations to assimilation, others believe the language and therefore, the scripts, evolved following events in Arab history. But in the case of the Nabataeans from the former territory now called Jordan, they were able to keep both, Arab language and Aramaic scripts.This is perhaps because all Arabs, including the Nabataeans who were under Roman rule for many years, were used as vassals against their own Arab brothers. Thus they kept their language to communicate with each other, and for trading purposes, maintained Aramaic. The duality could perhaps be due to the fact that two somewhat differing entities formed their society then: the urban people and the nomads (whom they had to ward off from the center of civilization, as was their task as vassals for the Roman Empire).The former relied so much on writing for keeping records, while the latter, used word of mouth to communicate information, even recite poetry. Other authors though, believe t hat the Aramaic inscriptions on the Petra were in fact the written or Arabic script at the time. Prior to Mohammed’s birth, some Arabs were Christians, others primitive in their exercise of faith, as was their political life. Like they believed that their surroundings had forces superior to those of man.These forces were believed to be like the human soul but with dangerous powers that could turn them into demons. They, Semites, regarded trees, stones, caves, springs and large stones are inhabited by spirits. The Black Stone of Islam in a corner of the KaBah, Mecca, in Petra and other places in Arabia stones were venerated also. Every tribe has its own god but also recognized the power of other tribal gods in their own sphere. Individual clans sometimes named themselves after other gods than those of the tribe, and the same divinity was worshipped by various tribes.The gods had fixed abodes, after the tribe has departed, they enjoyed the worship of its successors; the tribes returned once or twice a year to worship (Brockelmann 9). Contrary to claims of the Jews and Christians, the Arabs already did believe in a God, creator of the world, in addition to the gods and goddesses – even before the birth of Islam. 2. The Prophet Mohammed The Prophet Mohammed, ergo, the birth of Islam has also brought about changes in the Arabic scripts. He has touched a cord in Arab history and left an influence that would govern every aspect of Arabian nations long after he had gone.The Arab ruling group began to identify its new order with a revelation by God to Mohammed, then a citizen of Mecca, in the form of a Holy Book, the Qur’an. This was a revelation which completed those given to earlier prophets or messengers of God and created a new religion, Islam, distinct and separate from Judaism and Christianity (Hourani 15). The most obscure part of his life was the early one. It is said he was born in Mecca, a town in Western Arabia, near or in the year 570. His family belonged to the tribe of Quraysh, although not to its powerful part.This tribe was composed of traders who had contacts with the pastoral tribes around Mecca, relations with Syria and south – western Arabia. He worked for – and later married – a widow and managed her business for her. One day he received a message from an ‘angel, seen in the form of a man on the horizon’ who called him to become a messenger of God. Affirmed by his wife, he them began relaying messages which he believed were revealed to him by an angel of God: that the world would end, that God would judge all men and the pains of Hell and delights of Heaven were vividly described.Gradually he had a following, including young members of the influential families of their tribe, Quraysh, members of minor families and clients of other tribes who had placed themselves under the protection of Quraysh, and some craftsmen and slaves. As his teachings developed, its difference fro m the teachings of the time became apparent and placed him more explicitly in the line of prophets of the Jews and Christian tradition (Hourani 1991). Mohammed demanded of his followers’ profession of belief in the One God and the surrender to God’s will, islam, after which his religion took its name.Probably very early he also levied a poor – tax for the maintenance of needgy members of the community but it was only later in Medina that it assumed greater significance. The chief duty of the faithful, by virtue of which they professed membership in the community, was praying at first twice, then three times, and only later five times a day. Mohammed’s teachings were not accepted by some of the Arabs, in fact, he and his followers were locked up in a ravine. When his wife and uncle died, he had to move to Mecca after his brother, a strong opponent of his religion, took his uncle’s place.But he was not accepted there as well and driven away by stonin g that he never returned to the place until he received assurance from a relative that he will be protected. Within his lifetime, Mohammed started his mission of religious and political unification of Arabia. He abolished the foothold of paganism in Mecca and later in all Arab states. Then after his death, he was succeeded by his father –in – law and started the caliphate. The caliphate succeeded in subduing and conquering neighboring places and spread Islam with it.There were oppositions to it, like people willing to follow the religion or Allah’s will but not pay taxes. In the long run, however, they were either driven by force, fear or respect for the Allah so that the religion flourished in almost all of Asia, the Mediterranean as well as some parts of Europe (Hourani 6). It was after the conquest of Mesopotamia that a school for the study of Islam and its development was built in the city of Kufa. Kufa is the place where the kufic script was developed / ori ginated, hence the name.Due to variations in the languages of peoples – converts – under Islamic rule, they felt the need to provide uniformity of religious concepts and practices so that scholars created some form of a dictionary which was later discarded. But that, to some analysts, was actually the first helpful step in Arab history for establishing the common literary standard of Islamic scholars (Brockelmann 15) The extent to which the intellectual life of the epoch was still dominated by Arabic and by the great past of the Arabs is also attested to by the two major focus of interest of the educated world: philology and history.The former had risen in connection with the Qur’an. It was necessary that the numerous new converts, born in communities of different speech, develop and perfect an understanding of the diving word and its proper application in effective prayer. It was just an urgent need to enable them to acieve a complete mastery of the nuances of Arabic and its excessively rich vocabulary (Brockelmann 119). It was in the city of Kufa and Basra where classes on history and literature were conducted.Kufa was also chosen as the major place for studying Islam and mastering the Qur’an. Due to the various languages of the newly converted Islams, the kufic script was developed mainly as the medium to copy Qur’an and to create a vast collection of commentaries on the Qur’anic verses. This was done in order for converts of different languages to understand one common version of the Qu’ran. Angular, which was most likely a product of inscribing on hard surfaces such as wood or stone, kufic soon became the principal script for copying the Qu’ran.For the same reason (having a principal script for copying the Qur’an), the nakshi script, also known as the ‘Mecca – Medina’ script came about. It is thought to have been developed by Abu Ali Muhammad Ibn Muqlah (died 940) and intro duced in Baghdad, once the seat of literature in Arabia. The nakshi is one of the earliest book hands and is more cursive than the angular kufic script. Because of its elegance and legibility, the nakshi script as of the eleventh century gradually superseded kufic as the principal script for writing the Qur’an.Nakshi has also been widely used for languages other than Arabic, like Persian, Turkish, Malay, Kiswahili, Hausa, and Serbo – Croatian, among others. And from this script, other styles have also developed, the most popular of which are the riqa, diwani, and the thuluth (Calmous 351). Another off – shoot of the nakshi script is the nastaliq script, which was first seen in the thirteenth century CE, developed by Mir Ali, a calligrapher from Tabriz. It evolved as a combination of nakshi and taliq, hence the name nastaliq.While nakshi was primarily used for copying the Qur’an, the nastaliq, on the other hand, was widely used for manuscripts and architec tural monuments, particularly in Persia (Calmous 353). With the invasion of Persia came another development in language and scripts. Farsi, actually a combination of Arabic and European languages, was used by the Persians and Arab residents in that area. Other authors claim that Abu Ali Muhammad Ibn Muglah, a vizier in Baghdad, invented the sitta, a canon of six cursive scripts which include the thuluth, nakshi, rihani, muhaqqaq, tauqi and riqa.This was later augmented to include four more scripts, ghubar, tumar, taliq and nastaliq, which came to be used in the whole Islamic world. While these cursive scripts were popular with calligraphers and illuminators, they never replaced the kufic althogether, except for the nakshi – other writers claim it superseded the kufic by the eleventh century. Today, in many religious writings, kufic headings are still used, in combination with the main body of the text written in cursive script (Calmous 66). One cannot study the Arabic scripts without touching on Arabic calligraphy.Since the Prophet Mohammad stated God’s message in his native tongue, Arabic (scholars think he was actually using a combination of Aramaic and Nabataean languages, otherwise now known and indiscriminately described as Arabic), the Qur’an hence was also written in this language. Arabic, has therefore, been revered as God’s language and every letter of the Arabic alphabet is regarded as a manifestation of God (Calmous 64). Thus, for many Muslims the Qur’an should not be rendered in any other language.As the written version of the revelation, it must always be copied in Arabic. Since, in the wake of the Islamic conquest Islam as a religion was carried to regions of many different tongues, written Arabic acquired an important function as a unifying bond of the various Islamic peoples. Writing itself came to be regarded as an expression of faith. In this spirit it developed into a religious inspired art with a special s tatus that no other forms of aesthetic expression was able to attain – calligraphy (Calmous 64).A great variety of materials was used to receive calligraphic writing: stone, glass, ceramics, metalwork, woodwork, carpets and other textiles, as well as parchment paper and other surfaces of manuscript writing. The adaptability of Arabic scripts and their ability to be modified is attributed to the early use of such a variety of surfaces (Calmous 64). Because of its religious significance, great importance is attached to the literal contents of Islamic calligraphy. Yet, sometimes the verbal message is pushed into the background by the decorative function.As many students of Islamic calligraphy pointed out, there are a great number of inscriptions which defy easy reading. Orthographic mistakes and peculiarities as well as typographic idiosyncrasies render inscriptions on such sanctuaries as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (seventh century), the Qutab Minar in Delhi (eleventh cen tury) and the Masjid-i-Shah Mosque in Isfahan (seventeenth century) virtually impossible to decipher. This suggests that the viewer of these works was not always expected to read the text.In many instances of decorative writing, the symbolic message was conveyed by other means. For instance, an inscription on a tomb or the wall of a mosque would be recognized as a holy phrase, no matter whether it could actually be read or not (Calmous 66). History shows that the development of Arabic scripts, as opposed to Arabic calligraphy, was purely for a functional rather than decorative purpose. However, for many who find it impossible to decipher scripts or calligraphic art in Arabic, they would have to look deeper into the history of Arabic nations, with focus on the history of Islam.Those who wish to decipher and understand the numerous transitions the Arabic scripts have gone through across the centuries would better grasp, and maybe even be guided by the annals of history. For instance, while others think nakshi has superseded kufic being the principal language or medium of communication or transmitting the Qur’an, it would help them understand better or find out more if such is the fact by assessing the current or be updated with the present print media being used by Islam.On the other hand, as is occurring amongst Christians all over the world, with all the versions and different languages or Arabic scripts used to print the Qur’an, is there any chance that there may be issues of misinterpretations considering that there is not an exact equivalent of one word across the different scripts or languages? Or is it safe to assume that the later scripts developed (nakshi, kufic, thuluth) found exactly the same words from Arabic translated to these scripts in exact precision?It may not be humanly possible to decipher each and every variation of the Qur’an copied in the different scripts like nakshi and kufic to see if precisely the same words have t he same meaning in the original Arabic version. But if for the interest of curiosity one should start to do an inquest, maybe it would save him time to reflect on the following observations and then make his own inferences:First of all, in spite of the variations or the versions of Arabic scripts by which the Qur’an is written, it is amazing how there is only one version of Islam the religion and all things corollary to Allah’s orders are the same things every Muslim believes. Comparing the Islam faith with Christianity, there are thousands of types of Christians all over the world – some of which were formed on the basis of their understanding of some verses in the Holy Bible.Though both the Holy Bible and the Holy Qur’an have been translated or transliterated or written in different scripts, the uniformity of treatment and application of the religious concepts practiced by Islams all over the world is simply amazing. It therefore becomes easy to infer t hat the kufic and nakshi scripts, used in copying Qur’an, may have therefore been religiously developed. And the purpose therefore, of developing such scripts to help other Islamic converts understand it, was achieved.

History Discussion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 9

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Write a report on the environmental activities Coursework

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Wal-mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wal-mart - Essay Example China is WalMart’s largest supplier, but in terms of sales WalMart ranks 24th in China after the local stores, while French retail giant Carrefour ranks fourth. The WalMart model of everyday low prices, coupled with supplier and cost controls has been successful in some countries such as Mexico, Canada and Britain. In Germany, the company has not done well due to existing competition, high labour costs and zoning laws. Altho0ugh China has the kind of market size comparable to domestic markets, thereby presenting an opportunity to duplicate domestic success, this has not occurred, as stated above. The Company has been losing money since its arrival in the country. Some of the other foreign retail chains operating in the country include UK’s Tesco, Thailand’s Lotus and Germany’s Metro. The local Chinese retail chain, Bailan, was most successful because of localised demand, supply base and distribution. Due to the wide disparities in income among Chinese customers, Walmart could not operate its national model, because purchasing patterns and good demanded were different at different locations and a standardised model was n ot successful. Local protectionism was also a barrier. The poor infrastructure in the country also added to the logistical and supply costs, thereby increasing costs. Firstly, Walmart’s attracted customers by its Everyday Low Prices. It maintained a relentless cost control system by allowing few perks for its officers and employees. It was also able to negotiate tough deals with its suppliers, using its ability to place bulk orders to also make other demand such as high quality and low prices, which it then passed on to its customers. It ,maintained several distribution outlets and initiated an electronic data interchange system, allowing suppliers to track sales to deliver new stocks and they were

Choose an international organizationand critically evaluate it in IHR Essay

Choose an international organizationand critically evaluate it in IHR as requirement - Essay Example The company stocks are listed in London Stock Exchange and are a major constituent of FTSE 100 index. The company was responsible for UK’s first mobile call on 01 January 1985 and within 15 years it became the Europe’s largest telecom company (Vodafone, 2013a). The Vodafone analogue is the first mobile phone network to be launched in UK. Vodafone Group Plc has a strong presence in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and United States through subsidiary networks, joint ventures and associated investment and undertakings (Vodafone, 2013b). The company offers fixed landline, cellular services, email and fixed network services. Apart from individual customers the company also provides telecom services and solutions to corporate clients. The various brands of Vodafone Group Plc are Vodafone Live, Vodafone Mobile Connect USB Modem and Vodafone Connect to friends, Vodafone Freedom Packs, Vodafone Home Amobee Solutions and Vodafone 710. The company also offers several int ernet plans tailor-made for the customers of specific countries. Apart from telecom services, the company services include the applications for mobile and communication technology in health care service sector. The Vodafone foundation provides charity, undertakes supports initiative and projects which utilize mobile technology to benefit the poor and has also worked with several charitable trusts for the betterment of society. Talent and Management Recruiting the right personnel for the right position is an integral task of the human resource manager. The task should be executed efficiently and then it would have a positive impact on the company. Talent management activities include the holistic approach to business planning and human resources, which improves the efficiency of the company and also the employee potential (Shepherd, n.d.). Talent management activities include the integration of different initiatives of the company. Firstly, it includes the organizational assessment a nd focuses on the vacant positions to be filled. This stage involves conducting interviews, psychometric testing which aligns to the competency model of the company. The potential candidate goes through a series of intensive and rigorous set of interviews. In this process the interaction level of the employer and the employee is smooth and there is an in depth analysis about the candidates potentiality. One of the major objectives of the organization would be to attract potential candidates for the suitable position through appropriate methods. Recruitment and Selection The efficiency of the organization depends upon the human resource and this is one of the prime reasons for selecting the right person for the right position. The systematic process of recruiting personnel from a qualified pool of candidates requires an effective human resource planning and determination of organizational needs (Shepherd, n.d.). The process of hiring candidates is a continuous process and is not conf ined to the formative stages of the organization. Recruitment & Selection in Vodafone The workforce at Vodafone Group Plc are recruited through two modes; internal and external sources. The internal sources of recruitment for Vodafone are as follows: Internal Sources a) Job Posting: One of the traditional methods to notify about the job vacancy is to notify through bulletin road but in contemporary management the notifications are sent through electronic mails and intranet

Industrial Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Industrial Law - Essay Example How can a nation with thousands of years of history out of which just a short while ago she ruled the waves draw lessons conclusively from a nation born out of Britain's own bosom only few centuries ago notwithstanding the bloody conception Nonetheless, Britain has good reason to approach and compare her performances with her staunchest ally. Just as in the case of every other issue, on a subject like trade unionism there is nothing so fulfilling as a comparison with the best, even if the lessons learnt turn out to be infeasible. (James J. Brudney) There is a strong universal feeling hitherto unexpressed, especially among business circles that the world could do without trade unions. It is felt that trade unionism, like the socialist form of governance, has been a failure. Britain's tryst with collective bargaining has been particularly phlegmatic and uneventful. It is difficult to prove with any amount of conviction that something good has come out of trade unions. On the contrary, the identity of trade union has been riddled with anti-social activities, strikes, lockouts, go-slow tactics, union rivalries and even mayhem and murders. It may be for these reasons that nobody is really keen to be in the forefront when it comes to formations of trade unions in new corporations. Nonetheless, it must be granted that the presence of trade unions has had a transforming effect on society. Thanks to the principles of collective bargaining, there is more appreciation for the working class, better salaries and working conditions, better living standards, more purchasing power, and recognition and justice for the less privileged and the exploited. Therefore, the two extreme opposites of good and evil have dogged the trade union movement for such a long, disenchanting time that it stigmatized anyone to bring it up until the time was ripe for issue-based confrontations. One cannot but regard with a sense of amusement and awe the manifestation of potentials and capabilities hidden in the portals of trade unions. Come elections and employer-employee agreements, there is a beeline of the unlikeliest visitors humming and buzzing about damp, lackadaisical enclaves of the trade unionists hangouts. The role of trade unions in Europe The activities of trade unions have witnessed sharp decline in Europe. The trade union density is worst hit in France where it is merely 10% now. It is slightly better elsewhere in the continent. The position is much better in Britain where it is 44%. This is proof that in spite of claims of deteriorating working conditions by trade unions, Britain has one of the best employment regulation policies in the world. The fall of the socialist regime in the erstwhile Soviet

Parable of the soils Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Parable of the soils - Research Paper Example The apostles questioned Jesus why He talks in parables, upon which, Jesus explained that there is deeper meaning in parables, and that it is the apostles’ duty to look for its meaning and understand. Jesus gave them the privilege to understand what he says while the people gathered around him do not. At this point, it would seem Jesus put a line between his apostles and unbelievers because it is not yet their time to know the mystery of God. The parables add up to the knowledge of believers but will not do any good to those who do not believe in God. The unbelievers although they see and hear still do not appreciate and do not accept Jesus so they do not receive any blessing from God. In the parable, Jesus explained to his disciples that the seeds are the Words of God. The seeds that fell on the streets are the Words of God sown on the hearts of people who quickly forgot about them when they were tempted by the devil, and thereupon cannot be saved. The other seeds are sown to the hearts of people who gladly received the words of God, but it stayed on their hearts only for a short time. Soon enough, the seedlings withered and died when they faced trials in life and eventually lost their faith in God. The other seeds that fell on the grass are the people who listened to the Words of God, but later on forgot about it because they fell on the traps of riches and pleasures of life and because of these they forgot their covenant with God. Taken in the context today, the four soils mentioned in the parable refer to the kind of soil of our heart. The first soil is the wayside heart hardened by meaningless day to day problems that even the Word of God cannot penetrate. In this scenario, we see hatred, war, drugs, recklessness and social problems that have no time for religion. The second soil is those hearts deadened by perverse and indifferent attitude. Third, we have a soil that has been hardened by constant

Children Life Essay Example for Free

Children Life Essay 1.1 Mention the characteristics and needs of children that should be taken into account when selecting suitable literature. Emotions: Identification: A child must be able to identify with the story. Enjoyment: They must be able to enjoy the story. Moderate emotion: should show some emotion. Security: Child should feel safe. Intellectual Abilities: The story must be logical (as much as possible) it should also be systematic and consistent. It is more convincing when written from child’s point of view. Normative development: Should be based on natural feeling for values, without any serious and obvious moralizing. 1.2 What is the value of media in telling a story? Mention five (5) points. Can improve the young child’s visual literacy – e.g. – red light means stop. Can improve visual skills – Acquires the skill of Depth perception. Will help achieve a better understanding of new concepts – pictures are a representation of reality; provide a bridge between the real representation of something and its abstract image. Can stimulate children to use creative language – can let them discuss interesting aspects of an illustration. Can advance the reading readiness of the child. – they need to make fine discriminations and to interpret a series of symbols in order to read and spell. 1.3 Explain how a child’s language development can be improved by telling and reading stories. List your points. Expanding vocabulary Improving oral Language Using Creative Language Creating a desire to read Listening skills 1.4 How does poetry foster development in young children? Refer to four (4) instances. Can be used to further the child’s total development Intellectual Conscious Emotional Imaginative 1.5 How does children’s literature promote intellectual development? Mention  five (5) ways. In aiding their discovery and refinement of new concepts. Cultivating their proficiency in a range of thinking processes. Furthering their ability to reason logically. Fostering their critical thinking. Introducing them to problem solving. Question 2 Discuss the characteristics of children in the following age groups and explain how this influences the choice of suitable literature. 2.1 Babies 2.2 Children aged one to three years 2.3 Children aged four to five years 2.4 Children in grade R 2.5 Children in the Foundation Phase 2.6 Babies: 2.7 Characteristics 2.8 Influences of suitable Literature They are busy discovering the world around them. They need continual repetition of what they know and what is familiar. Babies can only give their attention to an activity for a short time. It is vital for them to hear language. Simple pictures of objects so they will recognize them from their immediate environment. Not much details in pictures, only one subject. They should sit on your lap so their need for physical contact can be met. Pages should be strong so they cannot be damaged easily. Children aged one (1) to three (3) years: Characteristics Influences of suitable Literature Rapid language development their vocabulary expands quickly, sentences put together become more correct and complete. Enormously interested in everything that happens around them. Enjoy repetition. Likes bright, cheerful colors and pictures. Becoming more skillful, can pick up something with their fingers. Beginning to take an interest in people, things and animals that is not a part of everyday life. Picture books from baby years still favorites. Picture books can now have themes outside immediate environment. Pictures should be bright, cheerful colors and can include a certain amount of detail. From 2 years, children are able to enjoy simple story books. Enjoy simple stories include a lot of repetition. Children of this age want to look at book themselves – ensure strong pages. Children aged four (4) to five (5) years: Characteristics Influences of suitable Literature Interest has broadened to include more than themselves and environment. Interest in other people. Cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality. 4 year old enjoy comical language, word games and words that represent sound. Enjoy obvious, silly jokes and often behave in rather silly ways themselves. Love exaggeration even when telling it themselves. Children of this age can now sit quietly and can concentrate for longer. Enjoys stories about â€Å"unknown†. Themes outside environment are perfectly appropriate. They enjoy and understand stories about events that â€Å"could† happen, however improbable. Funny stories, silly and full of exaggeration. Stories/books about people, animals and objects how to grow. They can look at a book for a longer period of time, and can listen attentively for longer. Favorite stories of 3 – 4 therefore suitable for this age group – not for long. Children in grade R Characteristics Influences of suitable Literature This age allows for broadening children’s understanding of the word around  them. 5 – 6 year olds can distinguish between fantasy and reality. Very inquisitive and eager to learn. Enjoy new discoveries and adventures. 6 year olds are no longer egocentric, and already have a more objective view of themselves and the world around them. 6 year olds begin to take an interest in no words and letters. 6 year olds with lots of exposure to books are keen and ready to be introduced to reading activities. 5 – 6 enjoys fantasies Like stories and books that convey info in a straight forward way. Simple adventure stories and books are suitable. Themes deal with less familiar, such as children from other countries. Children in the Foundation Phase Characteristics Influences of suitable Literature Children starting school are starting to read and gradually improve their mastering of this skill. When they start school they have a good grasp of the difference between fantasy and reality – of what can happen. Increasing responsible realization of right and wrong, and they begin to express their own judgment of right and wrong. Friends become extremely important and have an enormous influence on what a child wishes to do. Children develop an interest in hobbies – particularly in things they themselves can make or do. Stories with simple text that they can read. Enjoy fantasy tales, particularly those that are exaggeratedly â€Å"marvelous† (Roald Dahl) Books featuring descriptive language are also enjoyable, their stories must contain plenty action. Enjoy stories that teach them how to make things such as cook books. Humorous books.

Guest Satisfaction Essay Example for Free

Guest Satisfaction Essay Guest satisfaction within the Hospitality Industry is very important and essential. Only when a restaurant exhibit satisfactory guest it can be successful for a longer period of time. Guests will only come back and spend more money when the particular establishment supplies their wants and needs. Many aspects can influence the satisfaction of guests. However one main aspect which can influence the satisfaction is the quality of staff members. They represent the restaurant and when they are not good in their job it casts a damning light on the establishment. Guests will not recommend a restaurant which possesses bad staff members who are not polite or motivated. Within the staff quality there are several aspects which should be fulfilled in order to get a guest satisfactory guest. Therefore the main question of this Module Assignment will be â€Å"Which sub dimensions of the staff quality influence the guest satisfaction†. Literature Review In this assignment we will determine the topic staff quality and the different aspects which are linked with it. In the following Literature Review we will take a closer look on the Service time and the Service quality of staff and the stereotypes within the Hospitality industry. Service time of staff The service time has become an extremely important component of service quality within the hospitality industry. There is a complex relationship between the waiting times and the overall customer satisfaction because this will only be negative assessed when the costumer perceived the waiting time to be longer than what they found to be reasonable. Because most restaurants deliver so much quality in tangible offerings, they can distinguish themselves from their competitors by the quality of service (Allen, 1999). A study was developed to examine two factors in relationship to the waiting times. The first part of the study was the impact of waiting times at various stages of the service p rocess on perceived customer satisfaction. And the second part of the study was: What is the impact of company training activity on service time efficiency. For the study 8 of the same casual dining’s of one particular chain were followed. Only in 4 restaurants the managers talked to their staff about the service time issues every day before the shift started. 2 of these restaurants also called out the time between the orders were taken and it left the kitchen. The other 4 restaurants didn’t have a meeting or something about waiting times. The various stages of waiting time that were studied were: Arrival greet: time elapsed before guest was greeted at door Seating time: lapsed before guest was greeted at the table Drink Service: wait time after order was taken Order time: amount of time lapsed after order was taken -Check back time: time lapsed after food was received Payment time: how long guest waited for change/Credit Card Slip The results showed that the 4 restaurant that had spoken about the waiting time in all studied stages of waiting were on time and the percentages of the other 4 restaurants were always lower. The two restaurants that also called out the time during the shifts had a table turn (the length of time a guest would occupies a table at the Restaurant) of a very low 40 minutes. The two restaurants that only spoke about it before the shift had a table turn of 48 minutes and the other 4 had a table turn of over 50 minutes! For the study there were also mystery shoppers who went to the restaurant and after the visit had to give there rating. The mystery shoppers were asked about multiple items although the service times were most heavily rated. The 4 restaurants that spoke about waiting time were considered an excellent rating. The 4 that didn’t speak about waiting time were overall considered a below average rating with improvements needed. Service quality of staff Service quality can be seen as a very important factor when it comes to guest satisfaction (Melih Madanoglu, 2004). Service quality is the consumer’s judgment about an overall superiority or excellence. Itcan be crucial in the overall performance of an organization and enable it to differentiate itself from competitors to gain competitive advantage (Jannadi, 2001; Stevens et al.,1995). If the guests experience a good service there is a high chance that they will recommend the restaurant where they have eaten to other people. Everything depends on a good relationship between the customer and the staff. Many researchers carry out surveys about the dimensions of service quality and all had different solutions because like Parasuraman says the dimensions of SQ is generic. So it can be said that every dimension has to be adapted to the different restaurant and to the different target group they want to attract (Parasuraman, 1985). However when you look to the different results the researchers got from their surveys there are always some dimensions which appear every time. These words are reliability, staff behavior and their attitude to guests, timeliness and physical quality of the staff. All of these aspects have to be fulfilled to get a satisfied customer. Guests want to have a staff member who is nice, self-confident and friendly (behavior). Furthermore they want to see waiters/waitresses who like their job and are blessed to have them as guests (attitude). They also appreciate it to get their food and there drinks in an adequate time (timeliness). Finally customers feeling more comfortable when they have employees, who care for personal hygiene, have the right clothes and smell nicely. Stereotypes in the hospitality Customers will form their judgment based on the employee’s personal appearances, the customer’s pre-established expectations, and the environment in which the interaction occurs (Lockwood Jones, 1989). When there isn’t much information about these mentioned aspects, the customers will form impressions of the restaurant by looking to the staff members (observable cues). Race, sex, age, occupations and physical attractiveness are ex amples of these observable cues. These may connote differences in status and competence to observers (Berger et al., 1977). This is all about stereotypes and this plays an important role in human judgment. Stereotyping is the process of ascribing characteristics to people on the basis of their group memberships (Oakes et al., 1994). Selecting the best employees for service encounters is critically important for customer satisfaction and, ultimately, an organization’s success but how to do this when customers base their perceptions on stereotypes? The research of H.-F. Luoh S.-H. Tsaur analyzed the effects of gender stereotypes on the perceived service qualityunder favorable and unfavorable service quality conditions in fine dining restaurants. The results showed that under favorable service quality conditions, the respondents’ perceived service quality with regards to a female server on tangibles, reliability, assurance, and empathy dimensions was better than that of a male server. On the other hand, under unfavorable service quality conditions, there were no statistical differences in the respondent’s perceived service quality on the service rendered by a female server or a male server (H.-F. Luoh S.-H. Tsaur). Another form of stereotyping is the fact that people expect better service from someone of the same sex simply because they feel they might be more comfortable interacting with them (Fisher et al., 1997). Mind-Map Sub questions For specifying the main question of this research paper which is â€Å"Which sub dimensions influence the guest satisfaction†, three sub questions were phrased. These sub questions were phrased after making the mind-map and analyzing the literature review. 1. Does the behavior of staff members influence the guest satisfaction? 2. Does the Appearance of staff influence guest satisfaction? 3. Does the speed of staff have an influence on the guest satisfaction? Methodology This chapter provides information about how the study was carried out. It dealt with the subject from which the data were collected, the tool which was used in collecting the data and how this tool was used for the subject from which the data were collected (sample, instrument and procedure). Sample This research study is carried out by 55 students of the Stenden University Hotel School. To collect the data for the study, the students have visited 16 different restaurants. Two of these restaurants were pizzerias and two were sushi restaurants. 15 of the restaurants are located in the city of Leeuwarden. Only one is located in another city called Sneek. The price range of the restaurants lies between the 8,50 â‚ ¬ and 36,25 â‚ ¬. Some of the restaurants were visited by more than two people at the same time. Because of this fact a table is presented beside the text which shows the different restaurants and how many people have visited each of them. Instrument The instrument which was used for the study was a questionnaire with a Likert-scale from 1-10. The questionnaire focused on different points. Those points are Hygiene, General behavior, attitude, speed of staff service, language, posture, gesture, knowledge, appearance and presentation and general satisfaction. The questionnaire shows also other aspects: The gender of the server, the gender of the student and the average spending per person in the restaurant. Procedure All the 55 students chose a restaurant of their interest. The questionnaire with the Likert-scale from 1-10 was brought to the restaurant. The students filled in the questionnaire during or after the dinner in a discrete manner. It has to happen like this because staff of the restaurant should not get influenced by the fact that they were observed. After every of the 55 students had dinner in the restaurant of his/her choice, all the questionnaires were collected. All the answers of the questionnaires were put in a clear table in excel. Results In the following chapter the results of the quantitative questionnaire for the restaurant visit will be presented. The focus of the questionnaire was laying on the question â€Å"Which sub dimensions of the staff quality influence the guest satisfaction†. For answering this question scatter plots and descriptive statistics were used. With the help of these methods it could be found out which sub dimensions were most equally valued and which variable were the most chosen one. The first method is the mode. It can be seen in it that most of the participants valued the sub dimensions of the staff quality which were given in the questionnaire with a high mark, which means that almost all probands were satisfied with the quality of the staff in the restaurant they have chosen. Hygiene, general behaviour, attitude, speed of staff, language and general satisfaction were valued with an 8 and posture, gesture, knowledge and appearance/presentation with a 7. According to this it can be said that the most participants of the study were more satisfied with the first six sub dimensions which can be seen in the table below than with the 4 sub dimensions which are following (look at table 2). Table 1: Descriptive statistic for the Mode Hygiene| 8| General Behaviour| 8| Attitude| 8| Speed of staff| 8| Language| 8| General Satisfaction| 8| Posture| 7| Gesture| 7| Knowledge| 7| Appearance and presentation| 7| The second method which was used for analyzing the data of the questionnaire was the scatter plot. Therefore the different sub dimensions of the questionnaire were taken in relation with the variable â€Å"General Satisfaction. From the nine valued variables which were compared, four of them were most significant. Those four were therefore the variables which had the highest relation to â€Å"General Satisfaction†.2 The first scatter plot in figure one dealt with the relation â€Å"Appearance/presentation† and â€Å"General Satisfaction†. The dots which can be seen in it lie very close to each other and to the regression line as well which means that almost all of the participants of the questionnaire valued both variables almost with the same mark. The next scatter plot which belongs to figure 1 focused on the sub dimensions â€Å"Posture† and â€Å"General Satisfaction†. It is cognizable that the dots of this plot did not lie that close together like they did in the previous relation which means that the participants did not all had the same opinion about both sub dimensions. The ensuing scatter plot showed how similar the probands valued the relation of â€Å"General Behaviour† and â€Å"General Satisfaction†. Here it can be seen that the dots were further apart than in the other two plots. This finding showed that even more participants than in the other scatter plots valued differently and therefore did not have chosen the same mark. The last scatter plot in figure 1 concentrated on the combination â€Å"Language† and â€Å"General Satisfaction†. It pointed out that the dots of this one had the highest spreading of all four scatter plots. The consequence of this is that only a small amount of the probands valued this relation with the same mark. All in all it can be said that the combination â€Å"Appearance/presentation† and â€Å"General Satisfaction† are the relation which the probands of the questionnaire valued most equally. Mostly all of them had the same opinion about this proportion and have experienced it in a similar way. On the other hand â€Å"Language† and â€Å"General Satisfaction† though is the relation which was assessed most differently. The people who filled out the questionnaire had therefore all a different opinion about this combination. Figure 1: Visualization of the four significant variables In the end it can be said that the reason why the sub dimensions â€Å"average spending per person† and the â€Å"gender of sever† were not involved in the analysis is that both criteria didn’t give enough information for a meaningful and helpful conclusion. Discussion In the chapter of â€Å"Discussion† the findings of the literature review, the results of the questionnaire and therefore also the answer of the three sub questions will be discussed in detail. In the end a few limitations and recommendations on the process and procedure of the research will be named. Students of the Stenden hogeschool carried out a research study about staff quality. All of the students had to form groups and visit a restaurant of their choice. During the visit a questionnaire had to be filled out. This questionnaire consisted of several variables which belong to the topic â€Å"staff quality† like â€Å"Hygiene†, â€Å"General Behaviour† or â€Å"knowledge of the staff†. Those sub dimensions had to be assessed with the help of a likert scale from 1 to 10, whereat 10 meant â€Å"excellent†. After all that, each group had to formulate a main and three or four sub questions concerning staff quality and guest satisfaction. With the help of those questions the results of the questionnaire had to be analyzed. The main question of this paper was â€Å"Which sub dimensions of the staff quality influence the guest satisfaction†. For narrowing down this question a bit three sub questions were formulated. Those sub questions are â€Å"Does the behavior of staff members influence the guest satisfaction?†, â€Å"Does the Appearance of staff influence guest satisfaction?† and â€Å"Does the speed of staff has an influence on the guest satisfaction?†. In the result chapter it could be seen that especially five sub dimensions influence the thinking of the guests. One of these sub dimensions is â€Å"General Behaviour†. After it got taken in relation with â€Å"General Satisfaction† it was cognizable that the people who valued â€Å"General Behaviour† also assessed â€Å"General Satisfaction† almost with the same mark. The mode also showed that â€Å"General Behaviour† were valued from almost all of the probands with an 8 which means that all the staff members in the different restaurants behaved in the correct way. This finding expresses therefore that a good behaviour of the staff influences the g uest satisfaction in a positive way. It also reinforces the first sub question whether the behaviour of staff members influence the guest satisfaction. Also different researchers of the text â€Å"Validating Restaurant Service Quality Dimensions† which was edited in the Literature Review say that a friendly and polite behaviour of the staff members is very important for getting happy and satisfactory guest. The next sub question was about the sub dimension â€Å"Appearance and presentation of staff† and in how far it influences the satisfaction of guests. Concerning the results of the questionnaire, it is cognizable that also this variable influences the guest satisfaction. This conclusion was provable by looking at the relation of â€Å"Appearance/presentation† and â€Å"General Satisfaction†. The probands of the questionnaire had mostly the same opinion about the â€Å"Appearance and presentation of staff† as well as about the â€Å"General Satisfaction†. That means that when they have a special opinion about the first sub dimension they transfer it also to their overall satisfaction. In the mode the variable â€Å"Appearance/presentation† was assessed with a â€Å"7† which means that the majority of the participants were satisfied with this sub dimension. Also the â€Å"General Satisfaction† was valued with a high mark so it cou ld be said that the â€Å"Appearance and presentation of staff† influenced the satisfaction of the participants in a positive way too. In the literature review the author of the text â€Å"Gender Stereotypes and Service Quality in Customer – Waitperson Encounters† also said that the guests always pay attention to the appearance of the staff members. When they are not dressed adequate or looking cultivate people might think that the food they serve will also be dirty and contaminated. Because of this a neat outward appearance is important for making the guests feel comfortable and giving the feeling that everything is hygienic. Only when the guests feel comfortable they are satisfied and happy during and the restaurant visit. These findings confirmed therefore the second sub question whether the â€Å"Appearance and presentation of staff† influences the guest satisfaction. The last sub question dealt with the variable â€Å"speed of staff† and in how far it influences the guest satisfaction. In comparison to the other two sub dimensions, this variable showed another outcome. In the results it was cognizable that only a few of the participants of the questionnaire valued â€Å"speed of staff† with the same mark which means that they did not have the same opinion about this sub dimension. Whereas the first two variables were valued almost the same like â€Å"General Satisfaction†, â€Å"speed of staff† was assessed differently. Because of that this variable does not influence their overall satisfaction that much like â€Å"General Behaviour† and â€Å"Appearance and presentation of staff† These findings also answer the last sub question whether â€Å"speed of staff† influences the guest satisfaction. Although the text called â€Å"Validating Restaurant Service Quality Dimensions† which was worked on in the Literature Review had to be expressed that â€Å"speed of staff† is important for getting satisfactory guests, it seemed that this variable is not that relevant for the participants of this questionnaire. During the analysis of the results two limitations concerning the questionnaire appeared. The first limitation would be that it is not possible to find out which sub dimensions are most important for the guest satisfaction which is normally one of the most essential questions for interpreting in how far staff quality influences the overall satisfaction of guests within a restaurant. A recommendation would be to formulate another question at the bottom of the questionnaire concerning the importance of the sub dimens ions. With this question it would be possible to analyze which aspect is the most important one within staff quality. The second limitation is that only a few people were surveyed. The results would be more reliable if more groups would have had to fill out the questionnaire. It is only possible to formulate meaningful theses concerning a specific topic if a bigger group will be asked because only then it can be make sure that it is not a coincidence when a participant assesses a variable with a good or bad mark. When a bigger amount of probands value a variable with the same mark it is more probable that it really deserves this assessment. References Andersson, D., Mossberg. (2004). The dining experience: do restaurants satisfy customer needs?. Food Service Technology. 4, 171-177. Louh, Hsiang-Fei, Tsaur, Sheng-Hshiung. (2007). Gender Stereotypes and Service Quality in Customer – Waitperson Encounters. Total Quality Management. 18 (9), 1035-1054. Madanoglu, M. (2004). Validating Restaurant Service Quality Dimensions. Journal of Foodservice Business research. 7(4), 127-147. Tobin, R., Huffman, M.(?) . Examining the Impact of Service Times on Overall Guest Satisfaction Perception in the Casual Dining Environment. FIU Review. 24 (1), 42-48.