Human Autoimmune Diseases - 1086 Words

Abstract—Immune system failure can cause many human autoimmune diseases which make body produce antibodies in the blood which attack human antigens not foreign antigens and it can cause many serious and chronic illnesses. This phenomenon results in an auto-immune response which generate the auto-antibodies (ANAs) during this response. This auto-antibodies (ANAs) may be identified through the indirect immunofluorescence test (IIF). But unfortunately, today the IIF is still a subjective method as well as time and labor intensive. Thus, to address these problems, computer Aided Diagnostic (CAD) systems have been developed which automatically classify a human epithelial cells type-2 (HEp-2) cell images into one of its known patterns. This†¦show more content†¦Then, check them under a fluorescence microscope after adding a fluorescence tag which binds to the antibodies according to the type of present antibodies. Hep-2 cells take one of six different patterns which are: ho mogeneous, fine speckled and coarse speckled, centromere, nuclear, cytoplasmic [6]. However, IIF is a subjective method in discovering immune diseases, it depends too seriously on the experience of physicians and unfortunately the accuracy of inter-laboratories agreement drops to 76% for recognition of stained patterns which require more detailed diagnosis [7]. This drops is due to many reasons like the Quantitative information which supplied to physicians are not enough, reading from systems and optics are varying from each other, irradiation occurred through the photo-bleaching effect caused by the light [8] and the reproducibility of the diagnostic protocol is low [9]. In recent years, for these reasons and more there has been increasing interest in employing various image analysis techniques for classification of HEP-2 cells images. Many CAD systems which have been proposed in this field are concerned with shape and morphological features [10-23]. Cordelli et al. [11] consider a heterogeneous set of texture features belonging to different categories, statistical descriptors, spectral measures, local binary pattern (LBP) and morphological descriptors.Show MoreRelatedCoexistence of Autoimmune Disease with Type I Diabetes Mellitus in Libyan Patients2041 Words   |  8 PagesMATERIAL AND METHODS The prospective clinical study was undertaken on 849 patients admitted in endocrine department of Tripoli Medical Center from December 2007 to July 2008. From the patients files, the concomitant disease presence or absence was also recorded; especially with reference thyroid function. The important investigations as prescribed by the physician were also recorded. patient’s serum level of T4, T3, FT4, FT3 and TSH were measured for 748 patients. The venous blood samples wereRead MoreNaturally Occurring T Regulatory Cells, Interleukins 10 and 12 in the Pathogenesis of Idiopathic Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia.3975 Words   |  16 PagesABSTRACT There is now compelling evidence from animal models autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) that naturally occurring regulatory T cells (n-Tregs) play an important role in immunologic tolerance and control of immune-mediated pathology. However their study in human AIHA is still ill defined. Aim: To measure the peripheral blood proportions of n-Treg cells and the levels of IL10 and IL12 in basal and mitogen-induced (Lipopolysaccharide, LPS) cultures of PBMCs in patients with idiopathic warmRead MoreAre Autoimmune Diseases Killing You?803 Words   |  4 PagesAre Autoimmune Diseases Killing You? The innate/adaptive immune systems are supposed to protect you – what happens when they strike back? Autoimmune diseases: The Immune system is provided by the body to keep the human system healthy, and virus/bacteria free. Autoimmune diseases occur when a T lymphocyte cell escapes the lymphoid and mistakes an organ/system/tissue for a virus, this rogue T cell than instructs B lymphocytes cells to develop antibodies. These special antibodies are known as ‘autoantibodies’Read MoreMIF and Autoinmmune Liver Disease1891 Words   |  8 Pagesand Autoimmune Liver Disease MIF is constitutively expressed in low amounts by hepatocytes and has been shown to be weakly expressed within sinusoidal lining cells as well as biliary epithelial cells of the liver [1, 2]. Previous studies have described an increase in MIF levels being associated with inflammatory hepatic disorders such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma [3], however, to date little is known about MIF and its implications in the pathogenesis of autoimmune liver disease. A recentRead MoreAutoimmune Disease : Autoimmune Diseases Essay1315 Words   |  6 Pages Autoimmune diseases are a growing concern in the American population. An estimated 10 million Americans suffer from autoimmune diseases with 75% of these cases being of women. Furthermore, autoimmune diseases have grown to be within the top 10 causes of death among American women. The incidences of these diseases have been shown to increase with financial wealth, industrial development, and the modern progression of life. As such, the occurrence of these conditions is expected to grow as time passesRead More Eliminating Obesity and Autoimmune Disease Essay example1691 Words   |  7 Pagesfoods we consider healthy actually that? What is the diet that will alleviate the problems of obesity and autoimmune disease? Each has a very simple and sensible answer. Obesity and autoimmune disease may be considered the scourge of the modern western world. It is very interesting however, that other cultures with different diets, either do not have our obesity and autoimmune diseases, or are slowly following our trend (meaning the problems we have had since the invention of agriculture, otherRead MoreEssay about The Hygiene Hypothesis1083 Words   |  5 Pagesstates that although we have shifted rapidly into a clean, modern and civilized state, our bodies have not yet adapted, and our immune system is responding inappropriately with an increased susceptibility to allergies and autoimmune diseases. The main premise is that humans are mismatched to modernity. (Stearns, 2009) Our civilization has changed rapidly and we now readily have access to modern hygiene, clean water, and antibiotics but our bodies have not yet evolved to adapt with its new environmentRead MoreThe Way the Immune System Works Essay1507 Words   |  7 PagesTHE IMMUNE SYSTEM Definition of the Immune System The human immune system is a collective network of tissues, glands, and organs that work in a coordinated effort with each other to guard our bodies from foreign antigens such as viruses, bacteria, and infection causing microorganisms. For the immune system to work properly, two things must happen: first, the body must recognize that it has been invaded, either by pathogens or toxins or by some other threat. Second, the immune response must beRead MoreAutoimmune Disease By Vitamin D. D ) Case Study1070 Words   |  5 PagesThis important molecule is naturally occurs in all human cells12. Production of this cell is through the conversion of the amino acid tryptophan or vitamin B3, although it turns out vitamin B3 has one significant drawback12. And as we age, the metabolic activity in human body gets slow down. As due to less production of this molecule in the human body, there will be the less production of fuel energy production and immune system regulation as well12. Many years back, researchers observed NAD+ isRead MoreCase Study of Graves Disease Essay1639 Words   |  7 Pages Introduction The case study selected focused on Grave’s disease an autoimmune disorder involving over production of thyroid hormones triidiothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). In the United States it is the most common form of hyperthyroidism. The over taxed organ then becomes enlarged (goiter). This case study report will discuss the clinical progression and presentation of this disease, define and describe what an autoimmune disorder is, outline what clinical testing is performed for proper diagnosis

The Writ of Habeas Corpus and War on Terror in the United...

Habeas Corpus Context War Terror 1. The general meaning of the right of habeas corpus in the U.S. Constitution and its relationship to the protection of other civil liberties. Blackstone said that the writ of habeas corpus is the most celebrated and venerated of the English law. The US constitution therefore carried this important aspect and thus federal courts were authorized to issue writs of habeas corpus in all cases where a person may be restrained of his or her liberty in violation of the constitution, or any treaty or law of the United States. Chemerinsky (1987) in a detailed study of the operation of the writ of Habeas Corpus says that there are four major considerations in the issue related to the writ. There is the need to consider the separation of powers--the operation of the criminal justice system, the national litigations involved, and the scope of federalism. All these are affected by the changes in the abrogation of the fundamental right, and rule of law. (Chemerinsky, 1987) It is stated that conservatives view the writ as a means of escaping confinements by the guilty. It is noteworthy that the habeas corpus as a remedy existed in the former colonies even before the US was born. When the drafters of the constitution included the provision they fully well knew that the constitutional rights would have no meaning unless there was a provision of seeking relief from unjust detention. The congress must therefore be restricted in abridging the provision ofShow MoreRelatedThe Right of Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror1321 Words   |  6 PagesThe Right of Habeas Corpus and the War on Terror Introduction September 11, 2001 changed the United States forever. This disastrous attack on the Pentagon and the twin towers at the World Trade Center destroyed the lives of thousands of people. Over 3,000 people were killed, including hundreds or firefighters and policemen, many of which were never found. The attackers were Islamic terrorists from Arab nations. The war on terror declared by the Bush Administration, had become one of the mostRead MoreThe Right Of Habeas Corpus1531 Words   |  7 Pages The war on terror seems to be a never ending story, especially with the current events such as the beheading of two Americans by the terrorist group ISIS. These are barbaric people,whom have no regards for human life, and they need to be stopped.Which brings me to the issue of habeas corpus, and the rights or civil liberties of detainees who have been deemed enemy combatants. To understand the right of habeas corpus in the context of the war on terror, you must first understand the historical evolutionRead MoreHabeas Corpus And The War On Terror1072 Words   |  5 PagesTo understand Habeas Corpus and how it has played its part in the war on terror, a look at what it is and how it started should be looked at. Habeas Corpus, (â€Å"you should have the body†), is an old legal procedure that protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment. It is issued by a judge and does not determine whether the individual is guilty or innocent, but whether they are illegally impriso ned. If the charges are considered valid, the individual will go to trial, if not, the personRead MoreThe United States1941 Words   |  8 Pagesshows good will in changing this situation. In the United States, habeas corpus became a legal act after the country established its independence. The request for the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus is made before a judge and, if granted, a prisoner must be brought before the judge. For instance, it is known that Abraham Lincoln detained people known for being Confederate spies without proving their guilt. The concept of the writ of habeas corpus will be a bridge between the study of the ConstitutionalRead MoreLife Changing Events Happened From New York City2030 Words   |  9 Pagesand debris. The news reporters told of the gripping story of how terror had struck the very hearts of the American people. Our President, George W. Bush gave clear and concise demands to the events within a few days following the horrible attacks on the Twin Towers. The demands that later led to new ACT’s being passed by Congress, would have a drastic change to what we call Civil Liberties. By definition Civil Liberties is the state of being subjected only to laws that are established for the goodRead MoreHow Should We Treat Non American Prisoners1274 Words   |  6 PagesNon-American Prisoners in American Prisons The war on terror has changed how our country sees many things from travel, privacy rights, security levels and a person’s right to due process. The rights of accused terrorists have been stripped due to the need for intelligence on future attacks as well as locations and persons involved in the larger group. How does this loss of personal rights reflect on our country and the fundamentals it was founded on? Habeas corpus refers to the right to get direct accessRead MoreThe Habeas Corpus Law in the US1416 Words   |  6 Pages Habeas Corpus U.S. Introduction Many may not know this but following his inauguration, President Obama did put in some orders to basically just shut down the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay within one year. However, about two years later, nevertheless, Obamas plan to close Guantanamo is in disasters. In excess of 180 prisoners that still remain at Guantanamo, and new legislation is making it tremendously problematic to transfer extra prisoners from the naval base. Defense Secretary Robert GatesRead MorePOL 201 Week 5 Final Paper Civil Liberties, Habeas Corpus, and the War on Terror36705 Words   |  147 PagesLiberties, Habeas Corpus, and the War on Terror http://homeworkmonster.com/downloads/pol-201-week-5-final-paper-civil-liberties-habeas-corpus-war-terror/ POL 201 Week 5 Final Paper Civil Liberties, Habeas Corpus, and the War on Terror The final assignment for this course is a Final Paper. The purpose of the Final Paper is to give you an opportunity to apply much of what you have learned about American national government to an examination of civil liberties in the context of the war on terror. The FinalRead MoreTaking a Look at Writs of Habeas Corpus 1615 Words   |  7 Pagesidentity. The response of the Bush Administration was to launch a full-scale military operation against terrorist entities, in particular Al Qaeda and their foreign supporters. This series of operations, became what was to be known as the â€Å"Global War on Terror†. Subsequently, the invasion of Afghanistan and other military operations resulted in the capture of high value targets with known connections to terrorist organizations. While these events this had dramatic ramifications on geo-political landscapeRead MoreCivil Liberties, Habeas Corpus, and the War on Terror979 Words   |  4 PagesCivil Liberties, Habeas Corpus, and the War on Terror Pol 201 American National Government Instructor: Gregory Di Cerbo September 20, 2012 Civil Liberties, Habeas Corpus, and the War on Terror 2 Since September 11, 2001, and the United States invaded Afghanistan

The Gap Model in the Hotel Industry free essay sample

Introduction Due to the fact that the customers are continuously changing and become more sophisticated, marketers have to adapt and keep up with the change. The demand for higher standards of services makes it difficult for the service providers to determine and control their services efficiently. The key is to understand the importance of the services provided and to allocate more attention in the attributes and dimensions that improves the quality of the service and gives the company a competitive advantage. Quality in services Competitive advantage can be achieved through service quality. Quality differentiates between strong and weak competitors (Sachdev, 2004). In service more than in manufacturing quality plays an important role. Service quality is seen in light of customer service management. Companies in the service sector are focusing more and more on service quality due to the increase competition coming from the constant emerging private sector, latest technological improvements and higher customer emancipation and requirements (Sachedev, 2004). We will write a custom essay sample on The Gap Model in the Hotel Industry or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In order to adapt to the current market situation private players make extensive use of technology in form of websites, e-mails, on line advertisements and call centers. This helps them have a more direct and easily access to the customer, thus decreasing the respond time. However, the down turn of this is that customers start becoming more demanding by making quick comparison between companies (Sharma, 2002). Customers demand higher quality standards and immediate access (Mittal, et al. , 2004). This puts high pressure on companies to maintain and continuously improve the service quality. Service quality can be explained in light of validity and reliability, response time, empathy with customers, and communication skills. High standard of service quality leads to lower costs, higher customer satisfaction, higher customer loyalty, and overall organizational profitability (Nalini and Samuel, 2011). Service quality measurement Quality measurement is divided into two approaches: internal and external. Each perspective has a different assumption and measure. The internal perspective defines quality as zero defects. In other words, the service has to be defect free and excellent from the start (Russell and Taylor, 2009). On the other hand the external perspective on service quality is defined in terms of customer perception, expectation, and satisfaction. Customer plays an important dictating the level of service quality. Moreover, customers have different needs, thus different expectations. This leads to the concept of ‘fitness for use’. In other words, the service needs to be according to what the customer expects it to be (Russell and Taylor, 2009). This level of quality should not be mistaken with the notion of perfect service. Services should be designed with varying quality levels in order to accommodate the expectations of different customer’s expectations. Evans and Lindsay (1996 as cited in Russell and Taylor, 2009) identified seven dimensions that should be taken into account when looking at service quality: time, completeness, courtesy, consistency, convenience, accuracy, and responsiveness. Timeliness is pivotal factor in service quality. It refers to the amount of time customer has to wait for a service. The aim here is to shrink as much of possible this amount of time. Completeness refers to the final service and if this is in line with the customer expectation. Courtesy refers to the way the customers are being treated. For example if the voice of a phone operator is pleasant and if he/she has a pleasant attitude. Consistency refers to similar services offered to all customers. Accessibility and convenience refers to the easiness of achieving the desired service. Accuracy refers to the correct nature of the service. For example, if a bank provides correct statements all the month to all customers. Responsiveness emphasizes on the ability of the employee to cope and efficiently resolve unexpected or difficult situations. For example, how fast can an employee answer a customer’s question that is not in the manual(1996 as cited in Russell and Taylor, 2009). The best way to improve quality is to identify and prevent future possible problems. Luckily, literature presents a large number of tools to use in quality improvement. This includes but is not limited to process flow charts, fishbone diagrams, check sheets and statistical analysis ( Kheng, et al. , 2010). Customer satisfaction As mentioned earlier the main aim of service quality is to achieve customer satisfaction. The reason behind it is that satisfied customers are less likely change services. High customer satisfaction creates an emotional bond between customer and service provider. Studies regarding customer satisfaction in services and the need of the companies to improve their offerings based on consumer’s expectations begun in the early 1980 ( Lien, et al. , 2008). It was discovered that by improving the quality of the services provided, a company can achieve easier customer satisfaction and possibly in the long run customer loyalty. Customer service and communication is extremely important when trying to form relationship and ultimately to create loyalty. It can also bring positive word of mouth, improve profitability, and influence the buying decision (Bailor, 2006). Due to the fact that services are intangible, promotion becomes more difficult. Customers cannot easily express their requirements and a gap between what customers expect from services and what they actually receive can be easily created. Based on this, there are three scenarios that can take place: service quality less than satisfactory, service quality more than satisfactory and service quality being satisfactory. The first situation occurs when the provided service is less than what was expected. This will move towards a totally intolerable quality having a huge inconsistency between the expected and the offering. The second scenario takes place when the provided service over exceeds the expected. This will shift towards an ideal service with an increased positive attitude. Moreover, the third setting occur arise when the perceived service is equal with the one provided (Naik, et al. , 2010). A service conducted by the British Quality Foundation (2006) found that it is more costly to attract new customers than to retain the existing ones. A high percentage of unsatisfied customers (98%) decided not to make formal complaints out of which 91% do not use the specific company’s services again. However, from the customers that do complain a high majority will use the services again if the complaints are answered promptly and with a good attitude provided by the staff. An important aspect in customer satisfaction is the measures used to quantify it. It is difficult to improve something and to acknowledge its problems if you do not know how to measure it. An initial way of measuring customer satisfaction is to give customer a voice (Joseph, et al. 2003). Most of the time identifying ways of measuring customer satisfaction is easier in theory than in practice. The company needs to have a well deigned measurement scheme, either in terms of surveys and questionnaires, structured interviews, focus groups or a mixed model approach (Mont and Plepys, 2003 ). Similar to all measurements the data needs to be collected from the customers, analyzed by the specific marketing department and be used for the improvement of the service quality. A large amount of companies choose to use external consulting companies to gather such data. For example, Motorola has an annual contract with a private company to conduct surveys of their customers around the world (Russell and Taylor, 2009). The largest used index in the United States in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The measurement gathers information from both manufacture and service sector from 39 industries using more than 200 companies annually. The company’s score is translated in a number on a scale from 1 to 100, with 1 having some very unsatisfied customers and 100 being the companies with the most satisfied customers in the world. In 2006 Amazon received a score of 37, which was the highest score ever received in the service industry (ACSI, 2011). This leads us to believe that a perfect score of 100 is an abstract concept quantifying perfection that until now was not achieved by any company in the service sector. Customer Loyalty One of the most erroneous ideas in marketing is that customer satisfaction directly leads to customer loyalty (Griffin, 2002). Managers wrongly assume that customer satisfaction creates a bond between the service provider and client that intern translates into loyalty. For example, in a study conducted by a software company, the authors found that even though their customer satisfaction was high, a high majority of satisfied customers moved to a competitor due to the grater value for money. However, a possible explanation of the gap between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty could be the measure used to asses’ customer satisfaction. A qualitative approach that is widely used in marketing research comes with a set of limitations given by the subjective interpretation of the interviews, the interviewer’s experience and expectations, as well as the perceived expectations of the customers. Thus, it could be argued that the gap between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is not as big in reality as it appears (Griffin, 2002). Another misconception that the companies make is that they lack understanding of what constitutes customer retention and customer loyalty. Customer retention is simply put, a customer who made use of the service a number of times. Such clients can easily from one service provider to another. On the other hand, customer loyalty refers to the tight relation between service provider and the client. This can explain why market share expansion does not translate into more customer loyalty. When a company expands it tends to diversify its practices and thus it’s a high possibility that you will lose the close relationship with its customers (Thompson, 2005). The GAP Model In order for the companies to quantify better their services the gap model was developed. This model implies finding out the actual or perceived gaps between what customers are expecting and their perception of the services offered. Another use of the gaps is for the management to improve the services offered and become more aware of what customers are expecting to be delivered. For this matter, four gaps were exposed. The first gap is also known as the knowledge gap and its represent the differences in managing knowledge and their real expectations. This gap is caused by erroneous information in the marketing research, lack of feedback between the company and the customers, too many layers in the management, unsatisfactory relationship focus and inadequate service recovery. The second gap is also known for the lack in selecting designs and standards. This is the result of poor service design, nonexistence of customer driven standards, bad management planning and lack of clearly setting goals in the organization. The third gap involves not delivering to the right services standard. It implies deficiencies in human resource police, problems with service mediators, failure to match supply and demand and customers who negatively impact each other. Finally, the fourth gap is the communication gap that arises when there is a difference between the service delivered and the one excepted. The gap is the result of overpromising services, ineffective management of customer’s expectations, absence of strong internal marketing program and lack of coordination between traditional marketing and procedures (see appendix 1). Identification of GAPS in Marriott Hotels Marriott Hotel was chosen in order to apply the gap model for the hotel industry. Customer reviews about the hotel were examined in order to identify the gaps in the service. After secondary research it was discovered that this particular hotel experiences all the four gaps. Te first Gap was encountered when a customer was complaining about the poor service the hotel has. Firstly, the client suggested that special care was necessary due to a 14 months old child that was accommodated in the room. However, dangerous objects were left in the room and also a space that as in construction was disturbing the family on the entire accommodation period. Even though complains were made, the management did not pay attention to the customer’s needs (see appendix 2). This clearly suggests that the company fails in making amends when things go wrong and that the service recovery it is inadequate. The second Gap was met when a customer’s priva cy was dishonored by the staff in the hotel. After placing a ‘Do not disturb’ sign on the door, the client suggested that after the cleaning services staff entered the room some cosmetic products disappeared (see appendix 3). This implies the fact that there is an absence of process management to focus on customer requirements and also that there is a lack of customer driven service standards. The third Gap in Marriott services was encountered when an employee was complaining about the inappropriate working conditions offered (see appendix 4). This suggests the fact that there is an unsuitable evolution and compensation systems, lack of empowerment and perceived control over teamwork. The fourth Gap was met due to the over promising services regarding a special support for people with disabilities. Regardless of the fact that Marriott established a foundation for people with disabilities (CSR, 2008), a customer was complaining about the fact that he was asking for a special room that was not provided for him (see appendix 5). Solutions for closing the GAPS Since there were encountered so many problems in delivering the services in Marriott hotels, the upper management should take into consideration the complaints done by the customers in order to improve their overall activity. First of all, in order to close the first Gap as much as possible they should try to pay more attention to the customer’s wants and needs. They have to be ready to find an immediate solution for the problems that arise in order to satisfy them. A deeper relationship has to be created in order to improve the communication between the company and the clientele. The closing of the second Gap can be possible only by designing a better service and customer-driven standards. They should pay more attention to respecting the customers and also their privacy. New rules and regulations for the staff have to be clearly settled from the upper management. The third gap can be reduced by setting some normal standards of working environment that keep the employees safe. The human resource policies have to be redesigned. By keeping the employees happy, the level of customer satisfaction grows, due to the better service delivering. Since customers appreciate all the time honesty and openness, the company should pay more attention to keeping their promises when delivering their services. In this particular case the fact that the company has a foundation, makes it more important to support their promises. Discussion After this study was conducted some very important issues regarding the delivering of services in Marriott Hotels were encountered. However, the secondary research conducted based on forums and chartrooms is not very reliable. All the people that uttered their experiences can be seen as very subjective due to the fact that the reviews are not academicals. Moreover, one can think of the fact that the answers came from the competition that was trying to give a bad reputation to the hotel. Nevertheless, this was the only way of finding out what people experienced regarding the services offered at the hotel. Key Points Learned †¢ Understanding of the service industry †¢ Each customer having a unique perspective on the services provided †¢ Application of marketing theory in services †¢ Understanding service quality †¢ An in-depth understanding of customer satisfaction and customer loyalty †¢ Understanding of The Gap Model †¢ Application of this model in real life situations Conclusion Achieving customer satisfaction is one the most important assets that a service company can have. However, this is a very difficult thing to do especially nowadays when the consumers are so demanding. Nonetheless, the marketing tools can be always helpful in trying to see the needs and the wants of the customers. The only most important thing for the companies is to know how to take advantage of this and continuously improve their services. References †¢ ACSI, (2011) About The American Customer Satisfaction Index. [online] available from http://www. theacsi. org/index. php? option=com_contentview=articleid=49Itemid=111 [accessed on 12. 05. 2011]. †¢ Bailor, J. , (2006) Understanding Consumers, Gaining Loyalty in Return. Sales and Marketing Management, 158(2), 30-45. British Quality Foundation, (2006) Back to basics. Quality World, 32(5), 37. †¢ Complaints Official Website, (2011) [online] available from http://www. complaintsboard. com/complaints/treatment-of-employees-c416000. html [accesed on 10. 05. 2011 ] †¢ Consumer Affairs Official Website, (2010) [online] available from http://www. consumeraffairs. com/travel/marriott. html [accessed on 10. 05. 2011] â⠂¬ ¢ CSR Official Website, (2008) Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities names Shelby Hill, Program Director of Washington, D. C. [online] available from http://www. srwire. com/press_releases/25254-Marriott-Foundation-for-People-with-Disabilities-names-Shelby-Hill-Program-Director-of-Washington-D-C- [accessed on 10. 05. 2011] †¢ Griffin, J. , (2002). A closer look at loyalty . In: Bass,J. Customer Loyalty: How to keep it how to earn it. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Wiley. †¢ Joseph, M. , et al. , (2003) Using the Importance Performance Grid to Evaluate International Student Perceptions of Service Quality in Education: an Investigation from an Australian College Perspective. Journal of Advancement of Marketing Education, 3, 11-22. Kheng, L. L. et al. , (2010) The Impact of Service Quality on Customer Loyalty: A study of Banks in Penang, Malaysia. International Journal of Marketing Studies,2(2), 57-65. †¢ Lien, N. H. , et al. , (2008) The Effects of Service Quality Dimensions on Customer Satisfaction Across Different Service Types: Alternative Differentiation As a Moderator. Advances in Consumer Research, 35, 552-560. †¢ Mittal, V. , et al. , (2004) Geographic Patterns in Customer Service and Satisfaction: an Empirical Investigation. Journal of Marketing, 68(7), 48-62. †¢ Mont, O. and Plepys, A. (2003) Customer Satisfaction: Review of Literature and Application to the Product-Service Systems. International Institute for Industrial Environmental Economics, 3(28), 10-23. †¢ Naik, C. N. , et al. , (2010) Service Quality and its Effect on Consumer Satisfaction in Retailing. European Journal of Social Sciences, 16(2), 231-240. †¢ Nalini, H. M. and Samuel, S. , (2011) Importance- Performance Analysis to determine Service Quality of a Restaurant Service- An Empirical Study. Advances in Management, 4(2), 52-57. †¢ Parasuraman, A. , Zeithaml, V. A. Berry, L. L. (1985) A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its Implications for Future Research. Journal of Marketing, 49(4), 41-50. †¢ Russell, A. and Taylor, B. , (2009). Operations Management Along the Supply Chain. 6th ed. Asia: Wiley. 53-70. †¢ Sachdev, S. B. and Verma, H. V. , (2004) Relative Importance of Service Quality Dimensions: A Multisectoral study. Journal of Services Research, 4(1), 94-100. †¢ Sharma, S. , (2002) Changing face of life insurance in India. Insurance Chronical, 12, 24-27. †¢ Thompson, B. , (2005) The Loyalty Connection: Secrets to Customer Retention and Increased Profits. Right Now Technologies, 3, 5-14. Appendix Appendix1- The Gap model (Presurama,1985) [pic] Appendix 2 – The first Gap (Complaints Website, 2011) Poor customer service Complaint Rating: [pic] Company information: Marriott Switzerland Where to start: I have never made a complaint in 35 years of and in the last 15 years of traveling 40% of the time for my job, but I need to do so now. I am currently in the Marriott in Zurich paying 640CHF (642USD) per night for a premium room (not a suite, but slightly larger than the standard room). To start off we came to the hotel and were given the keys and only then were told there would be some construction in the hotel. We asked why we were told just then and not when booking and received no reply. We asked about another room further from construction because we have 14month child and she needs to take naps during the day and they could not come up with a better room. I or my husband make over 30 nights in Marriott hotels per year because we can get a free night here or there for vacations using the points. Well to begin with the room was very cramped. I went to order room service and the cheapest item on the menu was the 36USD burger. The cheapest item on the kids menu was a small portion of spagetti for 19USD. So to begin with it was a very expensive week say, and the construction was not some construction as described, but it was a jackhammer being used in the room next to our room. The hallway was a mess with construction materials and hotel items like buckets, mops and all sorts of things I didnt want my child touching. I complained the 3rd day after 3 hours of non stop jack hammering and a piercing headache because my child was terrified and cranky since she could not get any sleep so she screamed at the top of her lungs for 3 straight hours. I called Myriam at the at your service desk and she kept repeating that she could not hear me and asked me to repeat myself at least 20times because of all the noise inside my room from the construction, the baby crying and my loud voice from trying to talk over it all. She finally kept repeating that there was a note in my room that neither my husband or I saw that stated that there would be construction until 630 everyday and with no end date. She never acknowledged my pleas for asprin and never offered me another room or an appology. She did after the second call offer free food for lunch at one of their restruants. Finally, I took the baby downstairs and demanded that they move me to another room. Another person helped, but promised asprin and did not deliver it for another 1. 5 hours and the move of the items from one room to the other took several hours and they just threw the bags and boxes of stuff that had been neatly folded in drawers in the room. This after spending 350USD on laundering and drycleaning the day before. Finally to sum it all up the free dinner that was offered was just put on my bill and they never paid for it. It came to another 100USD that I would have never spent in this horrible hotel if I had known that it would be charged to me. Needless to say I am going to put the whole ordeal on utube and let the public decide if they would ever stay in a horrible place like this. Fair warning. Appendix 3- The second Gap (Consumer Affairs, 2010) I wanted to have privacy and left DO NOT DISTURB LABEL on the door of my room before I went out in the city. Unfortunatelly when I came back later this day, the LABLE DO NOT DISTURB was gone, MY PRIVACY WAS VIOLATED,my room was cleaned and MY PERSONAL BELONGINGS (DESIGNER COSMETIC PRODUCTS) were gone as well. These cosmetic products (Clarins Paris Rouge Prodige 130, Clarins Paris Baume Couleur Levres Lip Balm, Clinique Powedr makeup, Lancome Ombre absolue, Clarins Baume Beaute Eclair le Visage, Clarins Capital Lumiere Jour were in other possession for several hours and for hygiene reasons are not possible to be used by me. Not to mention the disappointment of the violation of my privacy. J. of San Francisco, CA Dec. 26, 2010 Appendix 4- The third Gap (Consumer Complaints, 2011) Treatment of Employees Complaint Rating: [pic] Company information: Marriott International Medford, Massachusetts United States My spouse is a Marriott employee and currently works at their new regional sales office called the ONE office in New England. Its currently a blizzard outside and has been since late yesterday afternoon. Although many of the higher up employees have chosen to take paid time off to stay home, they are forcing their employees to go into work in hazardous and extremely dangerous conditions (to give you an idea: there have been over a dozen accidents already this morning on just my spouses route to work). Throughout the day we are supposed to receive more than 24-36 inches of snow and somehow the head of this office believes its safe to send their employees in. This has been a continuous tune this winter since the weather has started to become tumultuous. We are getting hit with multiple feet of snow, ice and hail at least once a week and Marriott has only closed their office but once. They are so concerned with not paying additional costs to shut down the office, they are dying to let their employees take the already banked paid time off. But then, how can their employees matter to them? They are putting their lives at risk as well as the lives of anyone else who is on the road to work today. What about the families of their employees? They claim to be based on family values and a family company but yet they may very well be stealing the life of someone precious from their family today by sheer fate of an accident. My spouse has loved working for Marriott but I have completely jumped off that bandwagon and am encouraging my spouse to wholeheartidly pursue outside the company. Any company that would put their employees lives at risk to save a dime should be sued for negligence and believe me when I saw, I will be the first to bring suit if anything happens to my spouse because of their inhumane need to save a penny. My advice: NEVER work for Marriott! Your life is at risk! Appendix 5. The fourth Gap (Consumer Affair, 2010) GAP 4 disabilities