Human and animal interrelationships Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human and animal interrelationships - Essay Example Although highly anthropomorphized in their thinking and approaches, the rabbits are true to the idea of wild rabbits. Most animals in the wild make an effort to avoid humanity and their interactions are often that of hunter versus prey, forced domestication, and protection of crops and property (Grandgeorge, and Hausberger 397-399). They, human beings, are seldom beneficial for the animals in the long run. I find this book to be a realistic manifestation of human and animal interactions in that it provides a realistic relationship of avoidance and inadvertent contact. Chapter Summaries/Analysis PART 1: The Journey Chapter 1: The Notice Board The opening introduces us to the rabbits, and the main characters, of the â€Å"Sandleford† Warren. The rabbits are out grazing when they are forced away from a the â€Å"cowslip† growing in the field by the Warren Owsla, which is the ruling class and pseudo military of the warren, who believe that the best foods are reserved for th em. Fiver, Hazel’s brother, is thought to be a bit psychic believes that something bas is going to happen but he does not know what. He directs attention to a sign posted on the property. The rabbits cannot read it, but it clearly states that human construction is coming to this filed; this means that Fiver’s vision may not be entirely unfounded (Adams 11-160). Human beings, although not there in person, have a very important role in the opening of this story; in fact, they are the motivating factor in Five’s fears. The sign represents the human presence and intentions for the area presently being occupied by the rabbit warren. This could be perceived as an example for human shortsightedness and disregard for the consequences of their actions where other species are concerned and the threat they present to other living things homes. The relationship between the animals and man is one of negative cause and effect, without interaction at all. Chapter 2: The Chief Rabbit Fiver's concerns and dreams about the â€Å"bad† things that are coming are getting worse. He wakes Hazel in the night because he believes that they all must leave the warren before it is too late. The next morning Hazel takes his brother to speak to the Chief Rabbit, ruler of the warren, about fiver’s fears. They have to convince BigWig, Owsla guard, that the issue was important enough to disturb the Chief. He relays his vision to the Chief who ultimately dismisses them without really believing them. Hazel defended his brother’s â€Å"gift† but to no avail. BigWig receives an unpleasant admonishment for letting them in the first place (Adams 17-21). The interaction of humans in this chapter is nonexistent. Other than the reference made to Fiver’s vision and the posting in the field. However, no direct or indirect human interaction occurs. This chapter is used to show readers those daily goings-on within the warren. Chapter 3: Hazel’s Decision Hazel decides that he, his brother, and any other warren members that want to will be leaving the Warren. Dandelion and Blackberry explain that life for the bucks, male rabbits, in the warren that were not members of the Owsla life was not very promising. BigWig, also, wants to go. However, Captain Holly, in particular is an Owsla that may mean trouble for them (Adams 22-25). Again the human presence in this chapter is essentially irrelevant. They do not appear in this chapter in any way, shape or form. Chapter 4: The Departure This point in the

Social work research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Social work research - Essay Example Early diagnosis and interference in toddlers with learning disorders makes a considerable development in self-confidence and communal capability, which facilitates them in opening doors of chances in school and in the field of work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perin (1990) has shown in his work that the students with learning disabilities have above average or high intellectual capability. If they are provided with suitable support and instructions, then they can succeed in college academic programs. The community care has been provided to the students with learning disabilities in New York. The faculties of City University of New York (CUNY) and State University of New York (SUNY) have emphasized on the need of the students with learning disabilities (Perin, 1990, p. 2). Adams, Dominelli and Payne (1998) have debated that the communal worker’s main concern is ensuring that the public can handle or deal sufficiently with their lives. Under this approach, the community workers do not approve a theraupetic-helping role. Their involvements are much more practical –generally passing on information about sources and potentials (Adams, Dominelli and Payne, 1998, p. 4). The stress on effects in the present competency –based strategies to social work is reliable to an ethical point of view that ignores procedures. The practitioners essentially want to avoid this position that follows the anti-oppressive strategies (Adams, Dominelli and Payne, 1998, p. 8). Humphries (2000) portrayed that in a social model, disabilities arise from society’s breakdown to meet the obligations of the disabled individuals. It has been debated that conventional positivist and empirical research examples are repressive and alienating to loads of research subjects. It often deprives people and not leads to any development to their material situations (Humphries, 2000, p. 110). Lowes and Hulatt

New testament paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New testament paper - Essay Example It will be shown that in Luke, Satan is given more dialogue and arguably, more emphasis with regard to a number of elements. Conversely, in Matthew, Jesus is provided with more dialogue, more personality, and thus, greater emphasis as a figure. By no means can it therefore said that Satan is more important, both are uniformly championing the realm of spirit against the realm of matter or material. Rather, the difference in emphasis will be examined in regard to the respective impact for the very significance of this duality or contrast. The difference of emphasis between Satan and Jesus, can be discerned at a number of junctures with regard to dialogue. Literally, one can quantify the amount of words provided by each and discern a measurable difference that represents a further distinction in emphasis. For instance, in line 4 both books articulate the idea that â€Å"Man shall not live on bread alone†, but Mathew adds: â€Å"but on every word that comes from the mouth of godà ¢â‚¬ (Mathew 4:4 and Luke 4). Further, in the line that follows the temptation presented to Jesus from Satan from the mountain top – that is, where he takes him to the top of the mountain and offers him everything in the earthly realm, Jesus is also given more dialogue. ... He is issuing a forceful command. Similarly, Jesus is actually â€Å"fasting† (Mathew 4:1) in Mathew whereas in Luke he merely â€Å"ate nothing† (Luke 4:1). There are religious overtones to fasting, whereas not eating does not carry the same weight. Jesus piety, reverence and humility finds greater emphasis with the idea of fasting especially when we consider what he says about it later: â€Å"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting† (Mathew 6:16). Fasting carries with it, connotations like sincere humility, and this emphasized in Mathew over and against Luke. As mentioned, the converse is true in Luke. That is, Satan is given more dialogue and more emphasis in a number of significant passages. Most notably, Satan's personality is more prominent in the line about taking Jesus to the mountain top. Consider the difference of emphasis in Luke: â€Å"I will give you all their authority a nd splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.† (Luke 4:6-7). Not only is this a more flourished emphasis, the usage of personal pronouns is quite astounding for such a small passage or phrase. The usage of 'I' occurs three times, and the usage of 'me' occurs twice. This is quantitatively different than the emphasis in Mathew, but also qualitatively succinct too with regard to the impact. By emphasizing the individuality of the figure, Satan is isolated and made a more succinct figure. The duality between the kingdom of god and that of Satan becomes glaringly contrasted as a result. By contrast, in Mathew he merely asks Jesus to bow down and worship him. In Luke, his power is emphasized become of the articulation

Discuss the Controversies of federalism that have arisen in America Essay

Discuss the Controversies of federalism that have arisen in America throughout its history - Essay Example The ruling denied the African people right to have the citizenship of the USA. The Dred Scott Decision intensified the causal factors of the Civil War in the USA (Cozzens). Slavery in the USA could not be stopped without the commencement of the Civil War. In the years between 1861 and 1865, more than six lac Americans lost their lives to achieve different objectives including preservation of the Union, defense of the rights of the states and the end of slavery. One of the controversies of federalism in the contemporary USA is the constitutional system in which, the state governments and the national government share power. When the presidential elections take place, voters are registered and elections are conducted by the states whereas the date for the national elections is set by the congress. The electoral votes are organizes by the national government while the ballots are counted by the states. The president is ultimately determined by the electoral votes organized by the national

New testament paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New testament paper - Essay Example It will be shown that in Luke, Satan is given more dialogue and arguably, more emphasis with regard to a number of elements. Conversely, in Matthew, Jesus is provided with more dialogue, more personality, and thus, greater emphasis as a figure. By no means can it therefore said that Satan is more important, both are uniformly championing the realm of spirit against the realm of matter or material. Rather, the difference in emphasis will be examined in regard to the respective impact for the very significance of this duality or contrast. The difference of emphasis between Satan and Jesus, can be discerned at a number of junctures with regard to dialogue. Literally, one can quantify the amount of words provided by each and discern a measurable difference that represents a further distinction in emphasis. For instance, in line 4 both books articulate the idea that â€Å"Man shall not live on bread alone†, but Mathew adds: â€Å"but on every word that comes from the mouth of godà ¢â‚¬ (Mathew 4:4 and Luke 4). Further, in the line that follows the temptation presented to Jesus from Satan from the mountain top – that is, where he takes him to the top of the mountain and offers him everything in the earthly realm, Jesus is also given more dialogue. ... He is issuing a forceful command. Similarly, Jesus is actually â€Å"fasting† (Mathew 4:1) in Mathew whereas in Luke he merely â€Å"ate nothing† (Luke 4:1). There are religious overtones to fasting, whereas not eating does not carry the same weight. Jesus piety, reverence and humility finds greater emphasis with the idea of fasting especially when we consider what he says about it later: â€Å"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting† (Mathew 6:16). Fasting carries with it, connotations like sincere humility, and this emphasized in Mathew over and against Luke. As mentioned, the converse is true in Luke. That is, Satan is given more dialogue and more emphasis in a number of significant passages. Most notably, Satan's personality is more prominent in the line about taking Jesus to the mountain top. Consider the difference of emphasis in Luke: â€Å"I will give you all their authority a nd splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.† (Luke 4:6-7). Not only is this a more flourished emphasis, the usage of personal pronouns is quite astounding for such a small passage or phrase. The usage of 'I' occurs three times, and the usage of 'me' occurs twice. This is quantitatively different than the emphasis in Mathew, but also qualitatively succinct too with regard to the impact. By emphasizing the individuality of the figure, Satan is isolated and made a more succinct figure. The duality between the kingdom of god and that of Satan becomes glaringly contrasted as a result. By contrast, in Mathew he merely asks Jesus to bow down and worship him. In Luke, his power is emphasized become of the articulation

Country blues Essay Example for Free

Country blues Essay Blues evolved from an unaccompanied vocal music and oral tradition of African-American slaves and rural blacks in to a wide variety of styles and subgenres with regional variations across United States and later Europe and Africa. The musical forms and styles arose in the same region during the nineteenth century in the southern United States The country blues has been given several names such as folk blues, rural blues, backwoods blues, or down home blues. Blues is a choral and instrumental form of composition which is based on the use of the blue notes. This style originated in the Africa – American (Black Americans) communities of the United States. This kind of music transverse wide range of emotions and musical style . feeling blue is expressed in songs whose verses laments injustice or express longing for better life lost loves, jobs, and money. The central concept of blues performance is to be able to enable one to overcome sadness and lose the blues. Historically, the blues’ popularity coincides with the rise of the commercial recording industry, the introduction of race records aimed at black record –buyers after the year 1920, and the emigration of the black- Americans from the rural south to the modern urban North. (Philip, 1999) The country blues is usually considered to be an earlier form of the genre was first record in the mid-1920s . to day, there are several regional styles of country blues, which includes delta blues from the Mississippi delta. Texas blues and piedmont blues from the southeast . originally, country blues was usually recorded by a single singer, accompanied on the guitar or piano, with perhaps an accompanying harmonica, simple percussion. Starting year of 1930s, blues musicians fell under the influence of the urban cultures thus including the music and jazz. After the Second World War, the instruments were improvised hence electrified one were now in use . these included saxophones and amplified harmonicas. Especially in Chicago which is a prominent centre of blues recording Country blues were constructed from a much more diverse fluid musical field participated in by black and some white people. The use of blue notes and the performance of call-and response pattern in the music and lyrics art h indicators of African influences. The blues influenced the Americans and westerns popular music and then become integrated n to the genre of jazz, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, hip- hop and other popular music form. There are a few characteristics common to all blues due to the integration of other forms of music . some of the characteristic that were present long before the creation of the modern blues are cal –and response shouts which were functional expression. This was heard in slave fields shout sand holler, expanded into simple solo song laden with emotional content. The blues is nowadays known and seen musical style for both Europeans harmonic structure and the West Africa. Call-and responds tradition, transformed into interplay of voice and guitar. (Philip, 1999) The diddled bow ,which is a homemade one- stringed instrument was found in parts of America south in the early twenties century and Are African derived instrument that has assisted in the transferring of African performance techniques into the early blues instrumental vocabulary. also in the continued development of the blues music ,they adopted elements from Ethiopian and negro, including instrumental and harmonic accompaniment . he blues were loosely relate to ragtime but they preserved better the original melodic pattern of African music. ’ blues songs nowadays show many different structures which are based on tonic dominant chords and subdominant chords. These are all common in music the standard 12-bars is now recognized and documented form of blues from oral history and sheet music in African American communities through region along the lower Mississippi river. Original lyric form if blues was a single line repeated four times. The current most common structure is the repetition off one line once and this is followed by a single line conclusion. Early blues often were in the form of lose narrative where the singer expressed his or her personal woes in a world of harsh reality like a lost love, the cruelty of police officers, oppression at the hands of white folk, and hard times therefore the most oldest blues are records of gritty realistic information’s as it is in contrast with much popular music recorded at the time. Studies shows that the origin of blues spirituals was inside the exposure of slaves to their whites hence gospels origination. (Tony, 2004) The development of the blues was also triggered by the acculturation of the ex-slave population there was however ,essential africannesss in many aspects of the blues expression the social economic reasons for the appearance of the blues is that there was a transition from the slavery to sharecropping ,small-scale agricultural production and the blues have acted as a source of encouragement to them through the relief of third burdens through the interest that other communities have development, they get encourage to be the pioneers of impacting and framed kid f music thus they used in themes way in advertisements. The early 1900s development from group performance to more individualized style was associated with the newly acquired freedom of the enslaved people and again there was, according to Lawrence, there was a direct relationship between the national ideological emphases upon the individual teaching. Such developments were increased due to high perfumers had brought African-American music to new audiences both within the u. s and abroad. Great performers’ in19960s like John Lee Hooker continued to perform at enthusiastic audiences thus inspiring new artists in the traditional blues. Many compilations of classical prewar blues were published and together with music festivals, these brought blues to new audiences. White audiences’ interest in the blues also increased due to Chicago based movement in 1980s, blues to The resent both traditional and new genres are still being popular blue styles forms ,melodies and the blues scale have given a profound impact to the black community and the world ethnic groups as whole . First, these blue musical styles, forms and melodies have influenced many other genres of music. their scale has been everywhere in the popular music forms and informs many modal frames especially the ladder of the thirds used in the music . blues are also used by the community to pass their message to oppressors which I believed has lead the release of slave and the total banning of slavery and racism in the United State. (Davis, 1995) The most important direct predecessor of the blues was the spiritual, a form of religious song with its roots in the camp meeting of the great awakening of the early 19th century. So blues songs Spirituals were passionate song forms, which convey to listeners the same feeling of rootless ness and misery as the blues. This acts as a reminder of there past historical events hence their pasts grieves, . i. e. , Spirituals, however, were less specifically concerning the performer, instead about the general loneliness of mankind, and were more figurative than direct in their lyrics. Despite the earlier differences of the African- Americans and the Americans races have been brought together to interact by the interesting blues music. Blues have played important role of bring unity between the two enemies. The blues form styles acts as way of maintaining the vulture of Africans. This is evidence from the past records which still are much thrilling to many musicians. Though the different forms of blues are similar enough that they can not be easily separated many spirituals would probably have been called blues had that word been in wide use at the time. The social and economic reasons for the appearance of the blues are also important factors. This is because they brought a change in the economic development through the emergence of publishing industry. Blues has evolved from an unaccompanied vocal. Music of poor black laborers into a wide variety of styles and subgenres, with regional variations across the United States and this has been commercialized. (Davis, 1995) References Davis, F. (1995): the History of the Blues. New York: Hyperion Garofalo, R. (1997): Rockin Out: Popular Music in the USA. Allyn Bacon Lawrence W. L. (1977): Black Culture and Black Consciousness: Afro-American Folk Thought from Slavery to Freedom, Oxford University Press Philip, V. B. (1999): Immigrant, folk, and regional music in the twentieth century, in The Cambridge History of American Music, ed. David Nicholls Cambridge University Press Tony, B. (2004): Afro-Blue: Improvisations in African American Poetry and Culture University of Illinois Press

E-Commerce Analysis: Online Ticket Purchasing

E-Commerce Analysis: Online Ticket Purchasing CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter presents the background of the research study. It starts by providing an overview of Electronic Commerce, customer satisfaction and service quality, followed by an outline of the current situation concerning â€Å"Online Ticket Purchasing† in Kuwait. The problem of the study is then defined, highlighting the research the study seeks to investigate and its significance alongside the research objectives, questions and methodology used to achieve these desired objectives. The research limitations are then explored and the chapter concludes with an outline of the thesis structure. 1.2 OVERVIEW Unprecedented advances in Information Technology in recent decades, alongside evolving business environments have seen the emergence of Electronic Commerce (E-commerce) as a major economic force. With the increasing number of Internet users and rapid development of network technologies, e-commerce is perceived as an essential application of the computer and communication technologies (Manvi and Venkataram, 2005 cited by Zhang and Tang, 2006). As observed by Gunasekaran and Ngai (2005) e-commerce enhances communication channels and provides a virtual interactive environment where the suppliers and customers can exchange information and products. Moreover, it improves the communications between partners along the value chain and offers an integrated business model by which companies can be more responsive and flexible to the changing markets and customers requirements (Zhang and Tang, 2006). E- commerce therefore replaces or enhances the traditional market channels by opening web-based storefronts, which is known as â€Å"business to customer e-commerce†. Firms present their products and services on the web and generate revenue from the sales of those products and services to their customers (Molla and Licker, 2001). According to Khalifa and Liu (2003) there has been considerable growth of internet based services, both from internet businesses and from traditional companies developing online services. The technology of e-commerce identifies what can be offered to customers, but only customers determine which of those technologies will be accepted (Lin, 2003). As Jamal (2004) has argued, in the last forty years the issue of customer satisfaction has been one of the most important theoretical as well as practical issues for most marketers and customer research. Satisfaction is significant in the success or failure of any business depending on the performance of the perceived service, if the perceived performance is less than customer expectation the customer will be dissatisfied; whereas, if the perceived performance exceeds their expectations then customers will be satisfied. Many researchers agree satisfaction is an attitude or evaluation that is formed by the customer comparing their pre-purchase expectations of what they would receive from the product to their subjective perceptions of the performance they actually experience (Oliver, 1980). Numerous studies on service quality and customer satisfaction present service quality and customer satisfaction as conceptually distinct, but closely related constructs. Satisfaction is defined as the degree of discrepancy between customers normative expectations for the service and their perception of the service performance (Parasuraman et al., 1994; Dabholkar, 1996). Different researchers such as Gronroos (1983) and Parasuraman et al. (1985) have tried to identify features of service more related to quality assessments. The most common measure reveals ten dimensions of service quality: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, communication, credibility, security, competence, courtesy, understanding the customer and access. These were then filtered to 5 dimensions and based on these 5 items a measurement tool for service quality was devised known as SERVQUAL (PUT SOURCE HERE!!!). While Yang (2001) highlighted the rapid growth of online retailing with broadening experiences of consumers online shopping, Santos (2003) believes that e-service quality can increase attractiveness, hit rate, customer retention, stickiness and positive word of mouth. It can also maximize competitive advantages of e-commerce. Numerous researchers have the discussed the dimensions of e-service quality including Cox and Dale (2001), Madu and Madu (2002), Parasuraman (2002), Yang et al. (2003), Parasuraman et al. (2004) and Lee and Lin (2005), yet online retailers appear to fail due to poor quality services provided to their customers. For that reason online service quality is significant for two reasons: (1) it influences customers satisfactions and intentions to shop online and (2) e-service quality plays a major role in attracting potential customers (Cai and Jun, 2003). Zeithaml (2002) points out online companies should focus on all elements of e-service quality before, during and a fter the transaction, as e-service quality is the extent to which a website facilitates efficient and effective shopping, purchase and delivery. 1.2.1 E-Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is a critical element in the success or failure of any business. Web customer satisfaction has been emphasized as crucial by the rising demand for long-term profitability of dotcom companies and traditional companies that are â€Å"Net enhanced† (Pather, Erwin and Remenyi, 2002). An understanding of the factors that influence web customer satisfaction is vital for e-commerce. Satisfaction is a result of an effective evaluation, where some comparison standard is compared to the actually perceived performance. If the perceived performance is less than expected, customers will be dissatisfied. In contrast, if the perceived performance exceeds expectations, customer will be satisfied (Lin, 2003). A broad idea of traditional service quality might not be enough to build the e-service quality dimension, hence amending several variables is important. Santos (2003) discussed the e-service quality dimensions of, ease of use, web-appearance, linkage, structure and layout, content as the incubative dimensions; reliability, efficiency, support, communication, security, and incentive as active dimensions. This paper focuses on achieving a measurement of the service quality of the Jazeera Airways Website as perceived by their passengers, using a conceptual model of e-service quality developed by Santos (2003). 1.3 ONLINE TICKETING Electronic ticketing over the Internet facilitates the buying or reservation of tickets online, by making the process more easily accessible and convenient. Through these services tickets may be purchased from any location and at any time, provided an Internet connection exists. The tickets are ordered from a web site that provides both ticket information and the purchasing or reservation service. Internet booking or online ticketing concentrates on providing a helpful and efficient service to clients. Firms who sell travel tickets, performing arts, game tickets, concerts, movies and many other activities have notably embraced the online ticketing system according to Burford (1998). Convenience is a main advantage of buying tickets via the internet as the service is available at any geographical location, including ones home via laptop and cellular phone and at any time or day. Electronic ticket services have a further advantage by providing relevant information along with the service. This can help purchasing decisions and may encourage future usage (Burford, 1998). Another feature is that apart from maintenance and data updates, no manpower is necessary to offer the service once it has been established. The process of recording the transactions is more automated and overheads are reduced. An essential point is that ticket providers while providing a convenient service are thereby improving their public image and encouraging return customers (Burford, 1998). A number of countries across the globe are already benefiting from electronic ticketing including the U.S.A., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and France. In fact the U.S.A. it has 80% market p enetration, while in Europe it is approximately 40% and in the U.S.A. more than $350 million dollars in event tickets were sold online during 2000 increasing to $3.9 billion in 2004 (Bhatia, 2004). 1.3.1 Online Services and E-Ticketing in Kuwait The internet is a technology with many properties with the potential to transform the competitive landscape in many industries while at the same time creating completely new industries (Afuah and Tucci, 2003). The revolution of the internet continues to excel leading to rapid changes in many fields, at an overwhelming speed. In Kuwait, prior to 1990 internet usage was limited to electronic mail and minor services, however in 1992 a decision was made by the Ministry of Communication to facilitate the public data network. In the same year the National Science Foundation agreed to extend the Internet to Kuwait at a time when it was only available for US institutions and some selected institutions overseas. In recent years with the support of the Kuwaiti government for IT plans, practical steps have been taken in this field with the possibility of payment for mobiles and traffic tickets via the internet and the sale of online airlines tickets for the first time. These advances indicate the growth and development in the IT field in Kuwait as a whole. In 1943, the oil boom opened a new chapter in the modern history of Kuwait as The Kuwait Oil Company Limited (KOC) was founded. By 1947-1948 KOC developed the new Al-Nugra (Al-Mayass) Airport, located in the Nuzha district, operating in daylight only, with airlines opening offices in Kuwait City to handle ticketing and cargo operations for the Arab expatriate community. By 1954, the Kuwaiti National Airlines Company celebrated the arrival of the first airplane, which was called â€Å"Kazma† (http://www.da.gov.kw). The worldwide revolution of low-cost carriers (LCCs) started successfully with Pacific Southwest Airlinesin the United States, which pioneered the concept in 1949. Notable successes which have followed are Irelands Ryanair, which began low-fares operations in 1990, and EasyJet, formed in 1995. These low cost carriers then developed in Asia and Oceania from 2000 led by operators such as Malaysias AirAsia, Indias Air Deccanand Australias Virgin Blue. The low-cost carrier model is applicable worldwide, although deregulated markets are most suited for its rapid spread. In 2006, new LCCs were announced in Saudi Arabia and Mexico (http://www.absoluteastronomy.com). On September 12, 2005 Jazeera Airways owned by Marwan Boodai, Chairman and CEO, announced its first flights were open for booking. Jazeera Airways is the first privately owned airline in the Middle East, established in Kuwait. It offers passengers ticketless flights to Dubai, Lebanon, Damascus, Amman and Bahrain via the web, by phone, SMS or through travel agents (www.jazeeraairways.com). Breaking away from out-dated business models by developing a new model tasked with raising operational efficiency requires incorporating the latest revenue management procedures into the company and installing state-of-the-art technologies. This will ultimately enable travelers to become more independent in their bookings and payment. With tickets sold through a website as the main distribution channel, online booking is a very efficient distribution method for airlines. It reduces the number of back office staff and reduces the payment cycle. Jazeera Airways has worked hard to entice travelers to book through its website by making it the cheapest method to purchase tickets. Many promotional offers made by the company are available only to travelers who book online, therefore Jazeera Airways strategy is rewarding travelers who book online (www.jazerraairways.com) 1.4 PROBLEM DEFINITION Understanding customers requirements is vital to any business enterprise in order for it to remain competitive. Customer satisfaction is of great interest since it has a direct effect on customer retention, loyalty and the prospect of new customers. Retention is a major challenge, as customers can easily switch from one service provider to another considering the internet can facilitate easy access to a wide variety of choices with lesser cost. Acquiring new customers may involve significant cost on the part of the company in terms of marketing, advertising and promotion. Hence it is important to understand the determinants of customer satisfaction and assess the current experience of the customer in order to improve services. Customer satisfaction is a major issue of Jazeera Airways and good online service quality is a key factor that will determine in the long term, whether it will succeed or fail in retaining existing customers and attracting new ones. Due to rapid technological advancements in the marketplace Jazeera Airways maintains a close relationship with their customers, as their expectations and perceptions of online service quality may change. This research will therefore be conducted on Jazeera Airways, the first low cost airline in Kuwait. Jazeera Airways offers online ticketing in its website as the main distribution channel. Therefore it is important to take into account the quality of its website and to pay more attention to customer evaluation of the service given. Customers want to make their own bookings in their own time without depending on middlemen; as a result it is necessary that online service quality determinants lead to satisfaction. Dissatisfied travelers may perceive one of the following: Web sites do not seem to have many of the very basic features that experts consider important in forming relationship with customers. Service providers undervalue the attributes that customers use to judge service quality that should be monitored and enhanced to help the service performance. There are other variables of the online service quality that affect the overall travelers satisfaction. Therefore this research aims to address such problematic issues by researching the relevant factors including current opinion of the airline users. 1.5 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES As this research study aims to examine the customer satisfaction of the service of Jazeera Airways in online ticketing through the quality delivered through its website, its main objectives are as follows: To assess the perception of each service of Jazeeras e-service Quality dimensions. To evaluate consumer satisfaction towards e-service quality for online service quality within Jazeera. To determine the important dimensions leading to satisfaction when purchasing online tickets within Jazeera. 1.6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS In order to fulfill the objectives of this study, the following questions need to be addressed: What key incubative dimensions do online customers perceive as important for their e-service quality? What key active dimensions do online customers perceive as important for their e-service quality? What are the most influential online service quality dimensions of the website as perceived by respondents with a high level of customers satisfaction in the Jazeera Airways website? What are the most influential online service quality dimensions of Jazeera Airways contributing to customer satisfaction when examining the Jazeera Airways website? Are the different socio-demographic variables involved perceiving e-service quality and satisfaction in the same way or differently? 1.7 Research Methodology This research is considered deductive, quantitative, descriptive, explanatory, and exploratory to some extent type of study. The research follows the survey strategy approach and consists of 67 questions composed of a two page questionnaire distributed to the target sample in Kuwait. Data was collected using Arabic and English questionnaires, from a sample size of X passengers who booked online through Jazeeras website. The questionnaire consists of four sections (A, B, C, D). Section A solicits demographic information. Section B evaluates Jazeeras Airways e-service quality using an adapted Santos (2003) model. Section C measures the level of customer satisfaction. Statements of Section B and C are scaled using a Likert type scale from 1 to 5. Section D collects information added by customers that will add value to the research. 1.8 RESEARCH LIMITATIONS Throughout this research conducted in Kuwait regarding Jazeera Airways website service quality a number of limitations were noted as follows: The thesis investigates the customer satisfaction of Jazeeras Airways website service quality and does not include the companys perspective/point of view; therefore the study is limited in its scope to customers and not employees or managers. The study does not include product quality, price, situational factors, personal factors, and other services provided by Jazeera Airways. Using a quantitative approach only towards addressing the research problems, a qualitative approach is lacking. The research scope is limited as it assesses Jazeera online service â€Å"e-ticketing† excluding airport customer services such as check in, luggage, lounge and on board services. There is limited relevant literature concerning service quality in the airline industry in Kuwait and the region, therefore there are no previous findings or frameworks to consult. 1.9 THESIS STRUCTURE This study is composed of five main chapters. Chapter One presents the background details of the selected research area and the experience in Kuwait, followed by the problem definition, the research objectives and questions, the methodology, the studys limitations and the thesis structure. Chapter Two discusses related theories, concepts and models providing a comprehensive review and an insight into the subject area as a whole, followed by an explanation of the research to the country of Kuwait. Chapter Three describes the methodology, research design and techniques used in the collection and analysis of the data. Chapter Four presents the gathered data, their interpretation and analysis. Chapter Five looks at the findings, assessing whether they satisfy the research questions and objectives to draw conclusions from the results. Based on these conclusions, recommendations for management are provided with further suggestions for future research. CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION In this chapter a comprehensive review of available related literature is made concerning website service quality and customer satisfaction. In the process various concepts, models and theories covering customer satisfaction, determinants of customer satisfaction, the relationship between online service quality and satisfaction and online service quality dimensions are presented and explored to give the study a wide ranging theoretical basis. In addition the relevance of the research to the country of Kuwait is also addressed. 2.2 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION 2.2.1 Definition of Customer Satisfaction Oliver (1980) explains satisfaction as the summary of a psychological state resulting when the emotion surrounding disconfirmed expectations is coupled with a consumers prior feelings about the consumer experience. In other words, satisfaction is an attitude or appraisal that is created by the customer comparing their pre-purchase expectations of what they would receive from the product or service to their subjective perceptions of the performance they actually did receive. Customer satisfaction has become a key intermediary objective in service operations, because of the benefits it conveys to organizations (Ranaweera and Prabhu, 2003). The importance of customer satisfaction results from the generally accepted philosophy that for a business to be successful and profitable, it must satisfy customers (Shin and Elliott, 2001). While many authors have described satisfaction using various definitions, Table 2.1 presents a few notable explanations of customer satisfaction. Table 2.1 Definition of Customer Satisfaction Definition Author Customer satisfaction is a collective outcome of perception, evaluation and psychological reactions to the consumption experience with a product/service. Yi (1990) Satisfaction is function of consumers belief that he or she was treated fairly. Hunt (1991) Satisfaction is a persons feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a products perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her expectation. Kotler et al. (2000) Source: Research based From the above table we understand that satisfaction is the consumers evaluation of the product and service that meet their needs and expectations. According to Parker and Mathews (2001) there are two main interpretations of satisfaction; satisfaction as a process and satisfaction as an outcome. Whereas Gustafsson (2005) argues satisfaction has a strong positive effect on customer loyalty intentions across a wide range of product and service categories. 2.2.2 Determinants of Customer Satisfaction Zeithaml et al. (2005) argued that satisfaction, as shown in 2.1, is influenced by service quality perception, product quality, and price as well as situational and personal factors. Economists differentiate between two categories of properties of consumer products; search qualities and experience qualities. With search qualities consumers determine before purchasing a product like color, style, price, fit, feel, hardness and smell. Experience qualities, are hard to determine; as a result it can be evaluated after the purchase and until the service is received like vacations and restaurant meals (Zeithaml et al., 2005). Keaveney (1995)ppp.jpg point out that a main reason leading to customers switching services is price, as customers, based on prior experience with the service provider, sometimes felt cheated and believed that price increases were unfair or even deceptive. According to (Zeithaml et al., 2005) comparing the price relative to value and state, research reveals that customers of services will make trade-offs among different service features such as price level versus quality. A number of customers, for example, view price as an important element for their satisfaction more than quality. Perceived service quality is only one factor of customer satisfaction (Zeithaml et al., 2005). Consequently to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction, most researchers suggest that a high level of service quality should be delivered by the service provider as service quality is normally considered an antecedent of customer satisfaction (Cronin et al. 2000). Zeithaml et al. (2005) described a consumers emotional state as a personal factor. Satisfaction will vary due to customers biographical characteristics such as age, gender, education, ethnicity and income (Gilbert and Veloutsou, 2006;Van Pham and Simpson, 2006). Customers take partial responsibility for outcomes and describe those negative feelings that influence how a consumer responds to services, causing a person to overreact negatively to the slightest problem (Zeithaml et al., 2005). Situational factors can notably influence purchase decisions such as social environment, physical environment of the purchase place, time influence and the previous states (Vysekalovà ¡, 2004; Nagyovà ¡, 2001). 2.3 The Evidence of Service (3Ps) Services are intangible; therefore customers are searching for evidence of service in every interaction they have with the organization. The three major factors of service experienced by customers are: people, process, and physical evidence. Together these elements are considered as an evidence of the service. Each evidence or subset is present in each service 2.2. Firms should essentially manage the service quality that will lead to satisfying their customers (Bitner, 1993). 2.4 SERVICE QUALITY Numerous researchers have defined service quality their own ways, including Bitner, Booms and Mohr (1994) who described service quality as the consumers overall impression of the relative inferiority / superiority of the organization and its services. Perceived service quality is only one component of customer satisfaction (Zeithaml et al., 2005). According to Parasuraman et al. (1994) service quality is defined as, the degree of discrepancy between customers normative expectations for the service and their perception of the service performance. Gronroos (1982) stated that total service quality is customers perception of difference between expected service and perceived service. Afterward in 1984, he then explained service quality of the service encounter as two different dimensions: one is technical or output quality and the other functional or process quality. Therefore, service quality has become a well-liked area of academic investigation, recognized as a major factor in differentiating service products and gaining competitive advantage (Zeithaml et al., 1996). Table 2.2 presents the concept of service quality from varied authors viewpoints who combined suggest we can understand that meeting the need and requirements and achieving customers expectations depends on delivering the best level of service quality. Notably with time, service quality takes place before and leads to overall customer satisfaction Table 2.2 Definition of Customer Satisfaction Definition Author Service quality as the subjective comparison that customers make between the quality of the service that they want to receive and what they actually get. Gefan (2002) Service quality can be defined as â€Å"the difference between customers expectations for service performance prior to the service encounter and their perceptions of the service received†. Asubonteng et al. (1996) Service quality is determined by the differences between customers expectations of services providers performance and their evaluation of the services they received. Parasuraman et al. (1985,1988) Source: Research based Gilbert and Veloutsou (2006) determined different approaches to measure customer satisfaction, varying between measuring expectations relative to perception or measuring the performance aspect only, without relating it to the desired level of service. Service quality has been found to be an important input to customers satisfaction (Caruana, 2002). 2.4.2 Dimensions of Service Quality Service quality has been the focus of increased study in recent years as many researchers have tried to reveal features of services that significantly relate to quality evaluation in traditional service environments. In 2001 Brady and Cronin presented a model consisting of interaction quality, physical environment quality, and outcome quality. These dimensions draw on, among others, the work of Gronroos (1982) and Rust and Oliver (1994) who suggest that exploring both what is delivered (Gronroos technical quality) and how it is delivered (Gronroos functional quality) are important aspects of service quality. Table 2.3 Dimensions of Service Quality Quality Requirement Description Reliability Reliability Consistency of service/ dependability, i.e. the ability to provide the service on time, accurately and dependably Responsiveness Responsiveness Willingness/readiness of employees, i.e. the ability to deal effectively with complaints and promptness of services Assurance Credibility The extent to which the service is believed and trusted; involves honesty, trustworthiness and believability Courtesy The politeness, respect, consideration and friendliness shown to the customers by the contact personnel Security The freedom from danger, risk and doubt Competence The possession of staff of the necessary skill, knowledge and information to perform the service effectively Empathy Access The ease of approachability and contact Communication Listening to customer and keeping them informed about the service Understanding the customer Trying to understand the customers needs and specific requirements Tangibles Tangibles Appearance of personnel and condition of equipment Source: Parasuraman et al. (1985); Ghobadian et al. (1994); Curry and Herbert (1998) A most widely used and accepted study done on service quality is by Parasuraman et al. (1985). Having developed ten dimensions through focus group studies: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, communication, credibility, security, competence, courtesy, understanding the customer, and access. These ten dimensions were then filtered and extracted to five: tangibles, reliability, responsibility, assurance, and empathy, which constitute the basis of a global measurement for service quality, SERVQUAL (Parasuraman et al., 1988). Based on these five dimensions researchers presented a 22-item service quality scale and on an operational level service quality research has been dominated by the SERVQUAL (Parasuraman et al., 1985; Curry and Herbert, 1998). Table 2.3 presents a description of the service quality dimensions. 2.4.3 Relationship between Customer Satisfaction and Service Quality Service quality has been found to be an important input to customer satisfaction (Caruana and Malta, 2002). Cronin and Taylor (1992) examined the causal relationships between service quality, customer satisfaction, and purchase intention. The results suggested that service quality was an antecedent of consumer satisfaction, service quality had less effect on purchase intentions than did consumer satisfaction, and consumer satisfaction had a significant effect on purchase intentions. Customer satisfaction had a stronger effect on behavioral intentions than service quality did (Dabholkar et al., 2000). As a process in time, service quality takes place before, and leads to overall customer satisfaction. Customers loyalty was affected by product quality, service quality, and retailer image. They also suggested that quality of product and service is directly related to customer satisfaction, and then leads to the loyalty of the customer (Cà ¶ner and Gà ¼ngà ¶r, 2002). Based on empirica l findings in service quality and satisfaction literature, service quality is one of the antecedents of satisfaction (Anderson and Sullivan, 1993; Cronin and Taylor, 1992), and loyalty is one of the consequences of satisfaction. Luarn and Lin (2004) indicated that not only customer satisfaction and perceived value directly affected customer loyalty, but also indirectly affected customer loyalty through commitment. 2.5 THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN SERVING CUSTOMERS According to Parasuraman (2000), delivering excellent customer service is vital in case customers have to serve themselves by technology-based systems. With quick penetration of technology-based customer-company interfaces such as online banking and e-commerce, employee-delivered service is being replaced by self-service, reducing the need for face-to-face encounters between customers and company personnel. However, this fundamental shift does not mean that companies can afford to ignore customer service. Development of self-service technologies need to emphasize customer service to ensure the customer-technology interface is user-friendly, putting in place an excellent customer-service infrastructure (including properly tr