Analysis on Ordinary People by Judith Guest

Ordinary People by Judith Guest is the story of a dysfunctional family who relate to one another through a series of extensive defense mechanisms, i. e. an unconscious process whereby reality is distorted to reduce or prevent anxiety. The book opens with seventeen year old Conrad, son of upper middle-class Beth and Calvin Jarrett, home after eight months in a psychiatric hospital, there because he had attempted suicide by slashing his wrists. His mother is a meticulously orderly person who, Jared, through projection, feels despises him. She does all the right things; attending to Jared's physical needs, keeping a spotless home, plays olf and bridge with other women in her social circle, but, in her own words â€Å"is an emotional cripple†. Jared's father, raised in an orphanage, seems anxious to please everyone, a commonplace reaction of individuals who, as children, experienced parental indifference or inconsistency. Though a successful tax attorney, he is jumpy around Conrad, and, according to his wife, drinks too many Conrad seems consumed with despair. A return to normalcy, school and home-life, appear to be more than Conrad can handle. Chalk-faced, hair-hacked Conrad seems bent on perpetuating the family myth that all is well in the world. His family, after all, â€Å"are people of good taste. They do not discuss a problem in the face of the problem. And, besides, there is no problem. † Yet, there is not one problem in this family but two – Conrad's suicide and the death by drowning of Conrad's older brother, Buck. Conrad eventually contacts a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger, because he feels the â€Å"air is full of flying glass† and wants to feel in control. Their initial sessions together frustrate the psychiatrist because of Conrad's inability to express his feelings. Berger cajoles him into expressing his emotions by saying, â€Å"That's what appens when you bury this junk, kiddo. It keeps resurfacing. Won't leave you alone. † Conrad's slow but steady journey towards healing seems partially the result of cathartic revelations which purge guilt feelings regarding his brother's death and his family's denial of that death, plus the â€Å"love of a good woman. Jeannine, who sings soprano to Conrad's tenor†¦ There is no doubt that Conrad is consumed with guilt, â€Å"the feeling one has when one acts contrary to a role he has assumed while interacting with a significant person in his life,† This guilt engenders in Conrad feelings of low self esteem. Survivors of horrible tragedies, such as the Holocaust, frequently express similar feelings of worthlessness. In his book, â€Å"Against All Odds†, William Helmreich relates how one survivor articulates a feeling of abandonment. â€Å"Did I abandon them, or did they abandon me? † Conrad expresses a similar thought in remembering the sequence of events when the sailboat they were on turned over. Buck soothes Conrad saying, â€Å"Okay, okay. They'll be looking now, for sure, just hang on, don't get tired, promise? In an imagined conversation with his dead brother, Conrad asks, â€Å"‘Man, why'd you let go? ‘ ‘Because I got tired. ‘The hell! You never get tired, not before me, you don't! You tell me not to get tired, you tell me to hang on, and then you let go! ‘ ‘I couldn't help it. Well, screw you, then! ‘† Conrad feels terrible anger with his brother, but cannot comfortably express that anger. His psychiatrist, after needling Conrad, asks, â€Å"Are you mad? When Conrad responds that he is not mad, the psychiatrist says, â€Å"Now that is a lie. You are mad as hell. † Conrad asserts that, â€Å"When you let yourself feel, all you feel is lousy. † When his psychiatrist questions him about his relationship with his mother, Calvin says, â€Å"My mother and I do not connect. Why should it bother me? My mother is a very private person. † This sort of response is called, in psychological literature, â€Å"rationalization†. We see Conrad's anger and aggression is displaced, i. e. vented on another, as when he physically attacked a schoolmate. Yet, he also turns his anger on himself and expresses in extreme and dangerous depression and guilt. â€Å"Guilt is a normal emotion felt by most people, but among survivors it takes on special meaning. Most feel guilty about the death of loved ones whom they feel they could have, or should have, saved. Some feel guilty about situations in which they behaved selfishly (Conrad held on to the boat even after his brother let go), even if there was no other way to survive. In answer to a query from his psychiatrist on when he last got really mad, Conrad responds, â€Å"When it comes, there's always too much of it. I don't know how to handle it. † When Conrad is finally able to express his anger, Berger, the psychiatrist says to Calvin, â€Å"Razoring is anger; self-mutilation is anger. So this is a good sign; turning his anger outward at Because his family, and especially his mother, frowns upon ublic displays of emotion, Conrad keeps his feelings bottled up, which further contributes to depression. Encyclopedia Britannica, in explicating the dynamics of depression states, â€Å"Upon close study, the attacks on the self are revealed to be unconscious expressions of disappointment and anger toward another person, or even a circumstance†¦ deflected from their real direction onto the self. The aggression, therefore, directed toward the outside world is turned against the self. † The article further asserts that, â€Å"There are three cardinal psychodynamic considerations in epression: (1) a deep sense of loss of what is loved or valued, which may be a person, a thing or even liberty; (2) a conflict of mixed feelings of love and hatred toward what is loved or highly valued; (3) a heightened overcritical concern with the self. † Conrad's parents are also busily engaged in the business of denial. Calvin, Conrad's father, says, â€Å"Don't worry. Everything is all right. By his own admission, he drinks too much, â€Å"because drinking helps†¦ , deadening the pain†. Calvin cannot tolerate conflict. Things must go smoothly. â€Å"Everything is jello and pudding with you, Dad. Calvin, the orphan says, â€Å"Grief is ugly. It is something to be afraid of, to get rid of†. â€Å"Safety and order. Definitely the priorities of his life. He constantly questions himself as to whether or not he is a good father. â€Å"What Beth, Conrad's mother, is very self-possessed. She appears to have a highly developed super-ego, that part of an individual's personality which is â€Å"moralistic†¦ , meeting the demands of social convention, which can be irrational in requiring certain behaviors in spite of reason, convenience and common sense†. She is furthermore, a perfectionist. â€Å"Everything had to be perfect, never ind the impossible hardship it worked on her, on them all. † Conrad is not unlike his mother. He is an overachiever, an â€Å"A† student, on the swim team and a list-maker. His father tells the psychiatrist, â€Å"I see her not being able to forgive him. For surviving, maybe. No, that's not it, for being too much like her. † A psychoanalyst might call her anal retentive. Someone who is â€Å"fixated symbolically in orderliness and a tendency toward perfectionism†. â€Å"Excessive self-control, not expressing feelings, guards against anxiety by controlling any expression of emotion and denying emotional investment in a thing or person. She had not cried at the funeral†¦. She and Conrad had been The message of the book is contained in Berger's glib saying that, â€Å"People who keep stiff upper lips find that it's damn hard to smile†. We see Conrad moving toward recovery and the successful management of his stage of development, as articulated by Erikson, â€Å"intimacy vs. isolation†. At story end, his father is more open with Conrad, moving closer to him, while his mother goes off on her own to work out her issues. Both trying to realize congruence in their development stage (Erikson), â€Å"ego integrity vs. despair†.

Gardenia and Pepsi Cola in Laguna

We visited the plant of Gardenia and Pepsi Cola in Laguna. We arrived at Pepsi Cola’s plant first, in which they explain the process of production of their products then had a chance to tour the plant. From Pepsi Cola’s plant, we had a stop over at SM Sta. Rosa for a few hours then to Gardenia’s plant. There, we saw the production of their products by explaining the process first then saw in actual the step-by-step process of manufacturing their bread. In Pepsi Cola’s plant, we only visited the part of the plant in which bottles of their products are located. I found it needless because I expect that we could observe concretely the necessary procedures on how Pepsi products are made or from direct materials to finish goods. But we only saw the bottles and already packed products. I also found their plant unclean for products are unorganized plus lack of ventilation. Similar essay: Gardenia Distribution Strategy I like Gardenia’s plant better. They designed their plant in a way that there is an auditorium to present clearly and comfortably the manufacturing process of their products, which were intended for visitors. Also, there is a place for viewing the actual production procedure. I also like the ambiance and how staffs welcome and entertain visitors at Gardenia’s plant. If I will rank our plant visit as 10 being the highest, it will be 6. Because I didn’t find it much useful in our course except the fact that compared to my previous visit, at least, I was able to relate more with what I saw like some notes posted on their walls. Also, I was able to appreciate the visit more for we already discussed topics relating to manufacturing companies.

Slavery in “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain Essay

Mark Twain had direct experience with the slavery that he described in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. When Mark Twain in 1884 / 1885 wrote his Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, describing a series of Mississippi river-town adventures experienced by a white boy, he created his novel in slavery time Missouri. During his writing, many influences prompted the author to examine the contemporary conditions of the black (Champion 54). From the novel the reader gathers a deep understanding of the meaning of living in a slave society in the period when slave trade was brisk. The person who reads Adventures of Huckleberry Finn does not come upon the discussion of slavery until Chapter Two, when Mark Twain describes how Huck and Tom spend their lives in a slaveholding society. The opening chapters contain what can be described as Tom Sawyer’s total experiences that make up his life. In these chapters the reader is led to see these circumstances and society as Tom Sawyer does. As a result, the slave Jim is illustrated mainly as a character to laugh at and play jokes and tricks on, and slavery is introduced as a normal and logical phenomenon. From this perspective, Jim is naive and disposed to believe in superstition – a humorous story character rather than a human being with ability to feel deeply and have thoughts and ideas. As Huck and Jim go beyond the social world of Tom Sawyer and have a good time alone together on the bank of the river, Jim begins to cast off the comic characteristics. It is as if Mark Twain begins portraying Jim through Huck’s observation rather than Tom’s observation. As Huck increasingly considers Jim as a more and more complex person with ideas and the conscious mind, Jim is described to the reader as less of a person who is comic. Jim’s deep human world is described in particular in his harrowing sense of deep regret over striking his deaf daughter, his statement that Huck is his only true friend, his feeling of happiness at discovering Huck alive after the loss in the fog, and the preaching he gives Huck for playing the last joke on him.  When Tom Sawyer once more appears in the scene in the Phelps situations, however, Jim again is pictured as if reflection of the powerful consciousness of Tom Sawyer; in the end Jim is again a character to laugh at, an o bject used for humorous purposes. The circumstances that lead up to describe Jim in slavery continue to be set in Chapter Four, as Huck, being an outsider in this system of human organizations almost like Jim, goes to Jim for advice about his future when he has suspicion that Pap may have come back. In contrast to the views having a high state of culture and social development that Tom Sawyer gets from books, Huck and Jim are alike in depending on folk knowledge, irrational beliefs that are given little credibility in this cultured civilization. The decisive scene that sets the stage for an escape from slavery is Pap’s long angry speech against the political authority and black folk in Chapter Six. Pap, in all his lack of knowledge and meanness, rails against free black human beings who are courageous enough to try to dress in a white shirt, can communicate in several languages, and are teachers in a college. This statement, uttered by a man who is extremely unpleasant, sadistic, overwhelmed by strong negative emotion, proud of his ignorance, and decided that his son will remain unable to read and write, is the reader’s first hint that Mark Twain’s sympathies are not with the slaveholding civilized classes. The signs that the reader’s sympathy is directed to Jim rather than to the society that enslaved him come into view early in the novel in the common characteristics between Jim and Huck. The reader observes here a parallel thematic progress in the destiny of the white boy and the black man, both of whom are casting off shackles that restrict their freedom. As Jim, the black man presented as possession by a human society, breaks free from confinements of slavery, so Huck, the white boy who has always been a vagabond, breaks free from confinements of his own enslavement in the roughly built hut. Moreover, both Huck and Jim are escaping from the same woman, Miss Watson. And both make their escape simultaneously. The emotional  attachment between the runaway boy and the runaway slave is born instantly as they join their forces for common freedom. The scene when they meet with each other on Jackson’s Island gives rise to uneasiness that comes again and again to the mind of Huck throughout the story, one he never resolves in his thoughts: tension between the values of civilization instilled by forceful and insistent repetition – the law, the legalized moral standards of the slaveholding social organizations (the fairness of which he never puts to question) – and his natural intuition to communicate with Jim kindly as with a close friend. The voice that says him to do what societal norms require, more exactly, to turn Jim in, is the voice he calls his sense of right that governs his thoughts and actions. To the end of the novel, he sees his desire to defend Jim from trouble as his own state of being weak – the attitude that makes him make decision, at last, that he can never be well-mannered and civilized. This inner conflict is seed when Jim and Huck first meet with each other on Jackson’s Island. When Jim, in all likelihood for his own safety, somewhat in hesitation explains that he has escaped from the control of Miss Watson, Huck really experiences surprise that Jim has broken the rules of society. But Huck, who has already earlier broken the law himself, has assured Jim that he would not tell anyone, even, he said, if â€Å"people would call me a low down Abolitionist† (50). Every family with which Huck is familiar seems to possess slaves. Not only Miss Watson had slaves, but the Grangerfords, the Wilkses, and the Phelpses too. Well, you see, it ‘uz dis way. Ole missus – dat’s Miss Watson – she pecks on me all de time, en treats me pooty rough, but she awluz said she wouldn’ sell me down to Orleans. But I noticed dey wuz a nigger trader roun’ de place considable lately, en I begin to git oneasy. Well, one night I creeps to de do’ pooty late, en de do’ warn’t quite shet, en I hear old missus tell de widder she gwyne to sell me down to Orleans, but she didn’ want to, but she could git eight hund’d dollars for me, en it ‘uz sich a big stack o’ money she couldn’ resis’. De widder she try to git her to say she wouldn’t do it, but I never waited to hear de res’. I lit out mighty quick, I tell  you (50). Jim’s statement that explains why he ran away, as well as Huck’s discussion about the abolitionists puts the novel in the historical developments of its time. At that time people had the view of the slave as property; accidentally separated members of slave families; slave traders did not consider slaves as human beings. The slave owners often had uncertain financial situation, which often led them to treat their â€Å"property† brutally. Slave feared to be sold further south – to New Orleans – to become a property of a new master and work on a large plantation. Abolitionists who made efforts to end slavery were disliked intensely by citizens in general. Slaves had the unceasing hope that he or she would some day be able to run away and make money sufficient to redeem the members of his or her family. All these historical elements became the driving themes of the novel. Being familiar with the episodes of life in slavery, Mark Twain shows that Jim’s desire to run away has three factors: he is separated from his family; he becomes aware of Miss Watson’s intentions to sell him down south; and he is full of resolution to buy the separated members of his family and make them free. In the case if masters of his family members refuse to sell them , then , Jim claims , he will ask for the help of abolitionists The clash between morality, legality and region, especially as it about slavery and property, is seen throughout all of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The idea that one person can really own another, human body and spirit, is given strength to not only by the legal rules governing society and the state, but by the practices and doctrines of the church as well. Slavery became a firm way of life and had a substantive effect on the fundamental values, manners, and a way of living of the nation. WORKS CITED _The Critical Response to Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn_, Ed. Laurie Champion (New York: Greenwood Press, 1991),65. _The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_, Mark Twain. P. F. Collier & Son Company: New York, 1918.

THIS IS NOT AN ESSAY Write a RESEARCH DESIGN for a study on a topic of

THIS IS NOT AN Write a RESEARCH DESIGN for a study on a topic of Why some of the civil war (conflicts) last for a very long time (on the example of Gaza Strip, Afghanistan and Iraq ) - Essay Example The resources will be distributed fairly and not directed to fighting their adversaries. The people in of Afghanistan have for nearly three decades experienced nothing but war and this has also led to the dilapidation of infrastructures in the place. The ending of this conflict between them and Pakistan will help in improving the economy as the resources will be assigned to other important sectors in the country rather than the world. The end of these conflicts will also reduce humanitarian crisis that faces the people in these regions and this will improve the health standards of people around (Conference paper 2005). According to the existing literature, if states are caught up in a trap of endless low-intensity warfare, it is due to poverty, ancient ethnic trends or greed from the neighbors for the precious resources in the country. In Never-ending Wars, Hironaka (2008) sets the record straight by pointing at the responsibility of the international community. Using statistical evidence, Ann looks at the causes of long durations of war by examining how the natural environment contributes to transform local grievances into long-term civil wars. There is continued unaccountability of the continuing civil wars and this helps to fuel the existing wars in the present country. Lack of organization in the said country, lack of resources, poor bureaucratic mechanism and the inability of the countries to enforce law and order are among the issues that are continuously eliciting more and more crisis as there are no mechanisms to help them control their borders. State weakness has also been seen to contrib ute to the long-term civil wars as they are often underdeveloped in terms of economic and political institutions. Their weakness dwarfs their ability to counter the attacks and hence makes them vulnerable to the states with superior military weapons. As Al-Jazeera (2007) puts it, the

Broadcasting of Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Broadcasting of Science - Essay Example In essence, the information given only exists in a temporary media hence the audience cannot go back on the content once aired. When viewed from the scientific point of view, Britain is the third largest research contributor globally after the U.S and Japan. In addition, the United Kingdom’s economy has technology and science contribute a third to it. Overtime, broadcasting of science related issues has proven to be a tricky affair, but reporters have tremendously stridden towards the achievement of the same. Essentially, this paper will examine the differing positions regarding the creation of a balance in being effective in the reporting of science related events with a major focus on BBC news channel. Mainly, many newsreaders and reporters tend to shy away from the broadcast of science, as it requires critical research and extensive munching of figures. A science related story is factual and not fictional therefore; it is not easy to cook figures or distort the facts. Therefore, a slight misrepresentation of the facts may lead to critic from the science fraternity, which may not be advantageous to the broadcasting company leave alone the reporter. However, if society does not get plenty of science information it becomes a scientific illiterate society. This proves highly detrimental, as the society may be unable to tackle the easiest of science related challenges due to its ill-informed state. Arguably, many scientists tend to view mass media as a not so powerful tool for conveying science related information. On the contrary, BBC stood out in Britain as its science related content was above that of the other channels. On average, it broadcasted 4.6% of science items while BBC rad io had the most number of shows doing coverage on these issues. In addition, the technology aspect got most coverage by the BBC News Channel, which had more science content. In contrast, the time allocated for science issues in daytime shows was relatively lower as compared to those broadcasted during the late hours. On the other hand, the BBC internet site displayed relatively similar proportions of science aspects just like the other tools of broadcasting. The News Front page of their site gave at least five percent linkages to science items. Additionally, a hundred and thirty out of the six hundred and forty queer items found were also science related in this site and a further forty-one to science-affiliated topics. Moreover, the length of the internet articles was up to 520 words, with the ones with origin to environmental science being longer with an average of five hundred and eighty three words (Mellor et al 12). In comparison, the science coverage given by BBC news is almos t equivalent to that given to other news channels. This was as per the year 2010. However, this would mean that there has been either an improvement or plunge in the coverage of the same since then. In essence, the days of the week also draw the amount of time allocated to the reporting of science and its affiliates. The weekends do not give coverage of such as dedication on these days goes to human-interest stories. However, for BBC broadcast of science was high on Friday and relatively low on Mondays. This scenario was due to the weekly Thursday journal with which with its release gave topics to which coverage could base upon. On the other hand, two percent of the BBC airtime went to broadcast of programs on the non-news schedule. In essence, radio

Process Analysis Essay on Falling Down is Part of Growing

Process Analysis on Falling Down is Part of Growing - Essay Example This paper explores some of the achievements that have been made by Petroski, in this case, it places biases on his famous writing, â€Å"Falling Down is Part of Growing.† The literal work that provides an examination of how the engineering field has been successful in achieving some important milestones as far as human life is concerned amidst various social and economic challenges among others. Petroski explains that before the world ushered in the new millennium, there was a need to look back and reflect on the path engineering had taken, this was in order to find out some of the important achievements that have been attained (Petroski para 1-2). This concern promoted the National Academy of Engineering to convene a meeting to brainstorm and deliberate on this agenda. It is during this meeting that it was discovered that many achievements have been made, some of the important achievements included, improved electrification programs in the country and beyond, the automobile and airplane sectors among many others The rural electrification program in the United States at this time had led to many other achievements because of the efficiency that was being experienced in many other industrial processes. Many people who took a lot at how the process was done under carefully planned coordination and collaborative process by engineers and physicians can ascertain that it was one of the best achievements to usher in the new millennium.

Definition and Description Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Definition and Description - Essay Example This paper provides a detailed technical description regarding this gadget, alongwith visual illustrations, to help layman understand how it actually works. (http://asset2.cbsistatic.com/cnwk.1d/sc/32934833-2-300-SS16.jpg) External Dynamics Modern GPS devices installed have wide variety of features and fancy designs matching car interiors. With sleek and stylish dimensions, these systems add to the overall functionality and suavity of trendy vehicles. Normally, this navigation system uses multiple satellites spread across the sky and calculates variables from different points of references to estimate as close as possible the position of user. This is illustrated by diagram given below. This system is based on one-way time of arrival ranging phenomenon, whereby high atomic frequency signals are sent by satellites to synchronize with GPS time base. It is pivotal that the receiver and satellite both have powerful atomic clocks with synchronization capabilities up to nanoseconds. These electromagnetic radio waves have a traveling speed equivalent to speed of light, traveling at frequencies of L1 C/A and L2 P/Y and rate of 50 bits per second. Thus, time taken for one cycle of transmission and processing of one complete message is only 750 seconds. Signals are encoded through CDMA technology (Code Division Multiple Access) so that GPS deciphers the information and identifies one satellite from another due to unique encoding techniques. However, it is of utmost importance that vehicle has a clear view of the sky with no obstructions blocking the satellite transmissions. The functionality of GPS relies on three sectors. Space segment comprises the entire satellite orbital system being funded and managed by spatial authorities. Second segment is represented by control segment which carries out maintenance and monitoring of functionality of entire global positioning system through master control stations. Last segment is the user segment, which constitutes the usage of GPS system in consumer applications, military instruments and various day-to-day commonly used devices. (Kohli & Chen, 2000) Internal Mechanism GPS is based on a basic mathematical principle of trilateration: GPS must have information regarding location from three different satellite points and the distance of these satellites from current location. There are mainly three broad categories or components that form a car GPS mechanism. Inside the GPS, there is an inbuilt antenna receiver which receives the radio signals sent by satellites which contain information about timing to enable the GPS to compute the position as accurate as possible. The transmitted information has multiple sub-frames. The first sub-frame encodes time-based information like week number, day and time as well as information indicating the satellite’s health and signal strength. The second and third sub-frames feed data about the precise orbit of satellite. The fourth and fifth sub-frames carry status info rmation of the entire satellites network. The antenna demodulates the message to extract maximum accurate information from these frames and identifies each satellite through designated exclusive binary codes for each. The decoded information is transferred to the next division then for processing (Bajaj et al, 92-94). The cycle begins when the satellite and receiver simultaneously

Sociology - analysis on social class Research Paper

Sociology - analysis on social class - Research Paper Example The upper class consist of the elite and aristocratic people , an upper middle class consist of highly educated and wealthy professional, a lower- middle class are those doing white collar jobs , working class are those with clerical jobs and poor are the underprivileged and unemployed lot. The life style of people drastically deviates according to their status and power. Their spending power and habits are enormously different and a comparison is less possible. It can be seen that upper class people find enough time for leisure activities and pastimes whereas the poor class hardly have means to survive. People of the upper class have the habit of reading as they are well educated but the poor are not of the habit of reading much. Even though reading materials are at large which cater to the rich and the poor? The magazines and books which the elite read are more parallel with their life style and activities. The business men and women are more loyal to magazines which elaborate on business news and political scenario of the globe. Business people are all time indulged in their profession and when find time they are interested in flipping through the pages of magazines which give a glimpse about business activities and financial updates. Forbes is one of such magazine which has acclaimed to be at the top list for its quality and high demand among the elite class. â€Å"Forbes has some of the best financial articles Ive ever read. The articles are deep, academic, and extremely well thought out†(Schlimmer ,2007). This magazine covers very well the financial and business news and that attracts the men in the upper class. The magazine also gives latest update on the rich list and powerful people in the society which is a big concern of the elite class. Forbes magazine gives a great insight to the industrialist with relate to the investment and stock market. It is a very trusted

Choosing a Small Business Computer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Choosing a Small Business Computer - Assignment Example One of the first considerations is compatibility. The small office PC needs to able to access and run the bulk of the programs available. This will mandate that the computer will be able to run programs that are written for Microsoft Windows. While moving to specialized platforms such as Linux or UNIX may provide greater security, the widespread application of Windows will have a greater benefit. Having decided on a Windows operating system, the next consideration is hardware. With a real estate business, there will be applications that will require multiple images of houses that will consume a large amount of disk space. Most desktop computers are available with a 320 Gbyte hard drive for less that $1000. They also have 2GB main memory and ample video memory to reproduce photo quality images without loss of speed. For a Dell computer model 1501 Inspiron with a 2.2 GHz Intel processor the price will be about $900 (Inspiron 1501 details, 2007). Hewlett Packard makes a similar computer, HP Compaq 5750, with slightly less storage (250 GByte) and an AMD processor for $920 (HP United States, 2007). However, the Dell comes with a 20-inch flat screen monitor that is an extra cost with the HP. All other things, such as brand and warranty, are equal and the selection would be the Dell. With a real estate business, there will be situations where you may need to go to a client's home or office. These scenarios will require you to take your computer with you which will necessitate using a laptop. A Dell laptop Insperon 1720 has all the features of the desktop (with a slightly reduced processor speed of 1.56 GHz) and sells for $1049 (Inspiron 1702/1721 Notebook, 2007). This has a WI FI card for wireless connection to the Internet. HP sells a similar laptop that has slightly less storage and a smaller screen for $949(HP Pavilion tx1000z series, 2007). Both have a long-term service contract available. The additional storage and the larger screen makes the Dell the better buy. With a real estate business there will be a lot of printing and document processing. One of the key concerns will be laser or inkjet For the real estate office it would be recommended to have a multi-function printer that prints, copies, and faxes. This will be a laser device that is black and white. The office will also need to do photo quality printing of homes and rooms that is best done by an inkjet printer. The real estate office will have to have 2 separate printers. However, with the wide choices available today, the cost is minimal in comparison to the features received. Do not purchase an all in one inkjet because the cost of printing the day to day documents would be unreasonable. Laser printers print and scan documents for about 2 cents a copy compared to 10 cents a copy for inkjet. The main consideration for a laser printer is features and cost. A few major companies manufacture most laser printers so quality is generally the same no matter who has put their name on it. Obviously we would expect better customer service from Hewlett Packard than we would from Podunk Printers, but the printer may in fact be the same hardware. Don't spend a lot of money on a laser printer. The HP 6310 will service all your office needs at only $132.00. For the office you will also need a high resolution color printer for photo quality work. These printers are inexpensive, but must be dedicated to printing photos. The ink cartridges are

Medicare corruption in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Medicare corruption in the United States - Essay Example receiving red lights from various media like the New York Times and the Federal agents searching for illegal documents that might have translated to fraud. Eventually, Columbia/HCA confessed to committing criminal and civil fraud that amounted to fines of $1.7 billion. The company was forced to change its name to HCA Incorporation in 1999. In 2009, 94 people were charged with cases of fraudulent Medicare claims by the Medicare Fraud Strike Task force. It was the largest number ever charged by the Agency and a total of $251 million was involved in the fraud (WEISER, 2013). In 2011, the same agency charged 91 defendants for taking part in Medicare fraud schemes which involved $259million in false billing. In 2012, the same agency convicted two people for participating in Medicare fraud schemes which involved $1.9 million. Last year, the same agency charged 89 people which included the doctor’s nurses and other medical professions for involving themselves in Medicare Fraud scheme s which totaled to $223 million. Apart from this single cases other drug agencies like GlaxoSmithKline. In June 2nd 2012, the company was on the spotlight again and was forced to pay a fine of $3 billion after it emerged that the company was selling unfit drugs. This is also the largest drug scandal in the world. Just recently, four GSK staff in China was detained after it emerged that the four were engaged in fraud. According to the BBC News, the four had been channeling the money to a traveling agency to influence and bribe doctors to prescribe their company’s drugs. It is imperative to hear this and although you cannot control how doctors prescribe these drugs it became a big scandal when it was discovered (Tom Holland, 2013). It is argued that increased government participation into the Medicare services is leading to massive corruption. This paper therefore recommends that the government of US privatize Medicare services to avoid cases of corruption. Various changes to the

Short Response # 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Short Response # 4 - Essay Example When he met Gina Desander, a mature, independent woman in her thirties, everything changed. Gina saw in him a potentially vibrant and handsome young man. In the short time they spent together Gina taught Trip everything he needed to know about women and about his own virility. The "mantle of a lover" has been conveyed on to Trip. (71) He has begun his journey as a great lover, drawing women to his person as if he were a magnet. After his trysts with Gina, Trip changed from the person his friends once knew. He seemed to have transformed from a chubby boy to a muscular and striking young man. Trip has now changed his manner of dress. He deviated from "school boy shirts and pants" to "western outfits" which resembled the outfits worn by admirers of Gina, his first love. His voice deepened both owing to his physical development and the confidence that comes from being loved and initiated by an adept older woman. His scent also changed from a boyish freshness to the musky scent of a confident young man who knows what he wants and how to get it. Eugenides alluded to the fact that Trip was a responsible A student before his Gina experience.

Contemporary Healthcare Specific Management and Leadership Practice Essay Example for Free

Contemporary Healthcare Specific Management and Leadership Practice Essay If there is one word which describes the American health care environment during the last decade, that word is change. Professionals joining the health care industry during the 1990s will find little resemblance to the work environment their predecessors found a mere 10 years earlier. Physical therapy practice during the 1960s and 1970s was largely limited to three settings: the hospital, private practice and extended care institutions. Private practice followed the medical practice model and served primarily ambulatory outpatients. Hospital-based practice accounted for the majority of practice opportunities. Along with some limitations on professional autonomy, employment in hospital-based practice generally offered the greatest opportunities for variety in clinical practice. Literature Review Change is constant and usually affects an entire organization. Change sometimes can cause chaos and stress, but which must be acknowledged and dealt with in order to make an organization effective. Improving high-quality patient care is the most important issue for everyone in a physical health institution, and this improvement needs to remain a central focus of and the main reason for the change. Discussions with hospital executives reveal: There is a need for an action plan to meet the needs of a more culturally diversed population. Adverse patient care incidents are under-reported because there are different interpretations about what should be reported. The hospital has not been able to invest in training hospital staff on reporting requirements. There are no systematic report mechanisms in place. Further study on the case reveals that the peer review processes of the hospital are weak if not minimally compliant. The number of patient complaints about hospital care has been rising. Complaints are often complex, and may involve the hospital’s other health care facilities, and health professionals, as well. Medication errors have been a major concern for the hospital this lately. Though deficiencies were cited, the potential for patient harm was not clearly identified. Still, it has important influences on the quality of care for the medical facility. Faith also noted that their premium cost are decreasing, and is becoming a significant concern for the hospital. The lack of clear and concise ethics guidelines for medical personnel, especially on issues requiring ethical decisions. Each group of stakeholders has somewhat different concerns. That is, each cares more about some aspects of an organization’s activities and less about others. Customers. Many organizations say that they put the concerns of their customers or clients first. For U.S. companies, that often means improving the quality of the service while keeping costs in check. Interviews with the customers reveal that the health care organization’s Teamwork Competency account illustrates that using teams to improve quality is one approach that organizations can use to address the concerns of customers. Employees. Many of the concerns that employees have today reflect changes in the structure of organizations and the fact that work is a major activity in their lives. How a company treats employees during times of change is a key issue raised by this company. Pay is another area of concern to employees. The desire to receive equal pay for equal work is among the most important of workplace issues, according to a national survey of 40,000 women. Owners and Shareholders. For many organizations, the concerns of owners—that is, taxpayers and contributors—often are essentially those of society at large. But for privately owned companies, and those whose shares are publicly traded, the concerns of owners—that is, shareholders—may be quite different from those of society in general. Most shareholders invest their money in companies for financial reasons. At a minimum, they want to preserve their capital for later use. Because the job of institutional investors is to make money by choosing which companies to put their investment in, their perspective on corporate issues is to make profit generation the firm’s top priority. As professional investors, these shareholders have considerable power to influence management’s decisions. Physical therapy health care service product is a bundle of tangible and intangible benefits that satisfy patient’s needs. Factors as job design, role clarity, and autonomy affect employee attitudes, which in turn affect patient experience in the institution. These observations emphasize the need to look beyond the immediate and obvious aspects of satisfaction and to consider other aspects, which affect patient perception of their experience. In dealing with the hospital’s problems with respect to organizational processes, ethics and communication issues, it must be considered from three perspectives: structure, process and outcome. To assure that the hospital services are being appropriately provided, each dimension of hospital care provision must be considered. Quality of Life has different meanings as compared to the other health-related subject matters. It is used to describe a patient’s health status, a description of how he perceives himself and his point of view about his life.   But Quality of Life Concept encompasses more than the health status or one’s perception about self and life.   This concept analysis nursing paper serves to provide the most comprehensive definition about this concept and how it is used in medical terms at present. Quality of Life Concept has become an â€Å"impressive ‘explosive’ trend† talked about by medical field professionals, published in journals, books and various quality life articles for the last 10 years now.   Within this period, its concept continues to evolve and has reached three phases. In the first phase, there is the formal assessment made and classified as ‘physician’s judgment of the patient’s health’. In the second phase, the points of view of the patients were given focus and the tools used in the study were those applied from psycho-social fields. In the third phase, multi-dimensional questionnaires were adopted and the concept of Quality of Life and health status begin to have different meanings (Apolone and Mosconi, p.66, 1998). Today, the trend continues to evolve as patient-oriented measures are applied and studied from functional disability scales to spiritual quality of life and economic measures. It is also a lot of other possible factors that have effects on a patient’s perception about what quality of life is in relation to his health.   The patient’s point of view in quality and effectiveness is taken into consideration and is treated as a more comprehensive humanistic approach that determines what to him is quality of life (Apolone and Mosconi, p. 68, 1998). Definition of Quality of Life When we speak about quality of life in layman’s terms, it literally pertains to a number of definitions. It connotes with standard of living, available resources or conditions that tell about either the comforts or discomforts of life and such other identifiable meaning and perception about an ideal life.   There are many indicators about what quality of life a patient can perceive and most of these indicators depend variably on one’s cultural values. Defining Quality of Life for the purpose of this nursing concept paper is variable because it pertains to a â€Å"subjective experience†. Hence, it can not be measured with â€Å"object indicators.†Ã‚   Being the case, according to Skevington, studies show that the â€Å"best person to assess quality of life is arguably the individual himself† (Skevington, par. 4, 1999). When questions are asked to a patient and he, in turn, answers the questions, the medical professional likely gets a limited clinical success in the study of the patient’s history because of limited information.   He is unable to get the necessary data that may be of help in assessing the health condition of the patient.   Hence, there is a need to come up with a good quality-of-life measure that will enable health and interventions to be properly evaluated. The World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, in collaboration with the WHOQOL Group, designed an instrument called WHOQOL-100 that is used in â€Å"multinational clinical trials for the evaluation of quality-of-life outcomes during all types of health care interventions like surgery, counseling and medication.† (Skevington, par.1, 1999).  Ã‚   It is useful also for making cross-cultural function about perceived quality of life relating to health and at a one-to-one level, in improving communications between doctors and their patients in the consulting room (Skevington, par. 1, 1999). The WHOQOL has up come with such instrument and made it as comprehensive as possible to reach out to various global dimensions that are workable internationally. Moreover, it is intended for use by persons with chronic diseases, informal caregivers and people living in highly stressful situations. WHO defines health as a â€Å"state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity†.   On the other hand, the WHOQOL Group defines Quality of Life as â€Å"an individual’s perception of their position in life, in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live, and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns (Sousa).   It is so broad a concept that it affects the patient’s physical health, psychological state, level of independence, and social relationships with his environment in a very complex way.   In addition to this definition, WHOQOL Group has added the sixth domain to the list, which is â€Å"spirituality, religion, and personal beliefs.† (Skevington, par 5, 1999). Furthermore, the WHOQOL 100 is an instrument that is applied to heterogeneous cross-section of sick and well people in order to examine its internal consistency reliability, construct validity , and discriminant power (Skevington, par. 1999).. Concept of Quality of Life in Health Care The Quality of Life came about when the disciplines of sociology and psychology became an issue related to health care. It has emerged into a larger issue when technological advances were aimed at increasing life span. Quality of Life has become a means to guide a patient in deciding on whether to pursue a treatment or not for his or her ailment.   According to clinicians, Health-related Quality of Life is an appropriate focus for a patient who has a disease or who is ill, and whose aspects in life become health-related (Haas, p. 730, 1999). A)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Defining Attributes of Quality of Life. The Walker and Avant’s 1995 method of concept analysis of Quality of Life took note of the various characteristics or critical attributes recurring in the process of their studies and they are grouped according to four recurring themes.   The first theme is the â€Å"multi-dimensional and dynamic nature of the QOL.   Authors have stressed that QOL is a multi-dimensional concept considering that it is â€Å"based on values; is dynamic, ever changing and depends largely on the context in which it is measured† (Haas, p. 733, 1999). The second theme is that QOL includes an assessment.   In this case, the authors include words such as response, appraisal, measure, experience and assessment in defining and using QOL (Haas, p. 733, 1999).   The third theme is centered on the subjective nature of QOL. Grouped within this theme are words like perception, well-being, and satisfaction. (Haas, p. 733, 1999). The fourth and final theme recognizes the objective nature of QOL, with authors using â€Å"behavior, functioning, and environment as measures of QOL.† (Haas, p. 733, 1999). These defining attributes were sourced from the definitions and use of QOL. It mainly shows that QOL is indeed an individual’s current life circumstance. It further shows that it is multi-dimensional in nature and in being so, is based on values and is dynamic. It is also composed of both subjective and/or objective indicators. Finally QOL is subjectively measured by persons capable of self-evaluation.   (Haas, p. 733, 1999) (B) Congruence of the Concept with the Assumptions and Other Concepts within the Model/Theory. The QOL Model was formulated to provide a measure that takes into consideration both the components and determinants of health and well being that are consistent with the concept of Quality of Life. The QOL Model or Profile emphasizes on the person’s physical, psychological and spiritual functioning and his connections with his environments as well as opportunities for maintaining and enhancing skills (The Quality of Life Model, par 3, 2005). The Conceptual framework of the Quality of Life has three life domains which are aimed at providing a person to enjoy the more essential potentials of his life. (The Quality of Life Model, par 4, 2005) Each of the three domains has three sub-domains and they are as follows: (a)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Being pertains to who one is.   Its three sub-domains are: (1) Physical Being, which relates to a person’s or patient’s physical health, personal hygiene, nutrition, exercise, grooming and clothing, and general physical appearance; (2) Psychological Being, which relates to his psychological health adjustment, cognitions, feelings, self-esteem, self-concept and self-control; (3) Spiritual Being, which relates to his personal values, personal standards of conduct and spiritual beliefs. (The Quality of Life Model, par. 5, 2005) (b)  Ã‚   Belonging pertains to the person’s connections with his environment. Its three sub-domains are: (1) Physical Belonging, which relates to his connections with his home, work place/school, neighborhood and community; (2) Social Belonging, which relates to his connections with his intimate others, family, friends, co-workers, neighborhood and community; (3) Community Belonging, which relates to his connections with matters pertaining to adequate income, health and social services, employment, educational programs, recreational programs or community events and activities. (The Quality of Life Model, par 5. 2005) (c)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Becoming pertains to achieving personal goals, hopes and aspirations. Its three sub-domains are: (1) Practical Becoming, which relates to achieving personal goals in domestic activities, in work, in school or volunteer activities or seeing to health and social needs; (2) Leisure Becoming, relates to activities that promote relaxation and stress reduction; (3) Growth Becoming, relates to activities that promote the maintenance or improvement of knowledge and skill and adapting to change. (The Quality of Life Model, par. 5, 2005) Ferrans Conceptual Model of Quality of Life. Ferrans has developed a model based on the adoption of the individualistic ideology, which recognizes that quality of life depends on the unique experience of individuals. He maintains that the individual person is the only accurate judge of his quality of life because people differ in their perceptions and values. (Ferrans, par. 1, 1996)   This model uses qualitative methodology and has identified four domains of quality of life: health and functioning as psychological/spiritual, social and economic, and family. (Ferrans, par 1, 1996)   Patient data are analyzed in relation to these domains of quality of life. Researchers, physicians, policy makers adopt the Quality of Life concept as an instrument that tests the validity, reliability and effectiveness of different and relevant sub-domains for the purpose of evaluating the impact of medical interventions on the population (Apolone and Mosconi, p. 68, 1998). Since the concept is considered non-medical determinant, it is treated as confounder, a complementary way for effectiveness of care to a patient. This is because medicine still plays the major role in determining the final health outcome of a patient. (Apolone and Mosconi, p. 68, 1998) Since patients are the proper judge of their quality of life, there are ways to enhance the well-being of patients who may have a poor quality of life.   Studies show that the presence of positive feelings in patients is the most important feature of the kind of quality of life he has. Patients, with positive feelings most likely enjoy a pleasant quality of life than those who are in-patients and sick. A person has control of his emotions which can generally affect his state of mental being.   It is a matter of developing the positive attitude and containing oneself into thinking of a positive outlook in life.

Analysis of Eco-Friendly Bricks

Analysis of Eco-Friendly Bricks SMART MATERIAL IN CONSTRUCTION: DEFINITION : Smart materials are reactive materials. Their properties can be changed by exposure to stimuli, such as electric and magnetic fields, stress, moisture and temperature.(BBC UK) The smart material can of Wood Metal Ceramics Polymers Metals etc In construction these sort of materials are used to achieve the desired strength, they should be economical and prove beneficial to the environment and to the stakeholders. A large number of innovations are seen in this modern world e.g. self healing concrete ,green cement ,carbon neutral cements etc. The materials , which have been recently invented by two MIT students and Professor Carmen Trudall are eco blac brick and Breathe bricks respectively. The detailed analysis of such an inventions are discussed below ECO FRIENDLY BRICKs: INTRODUCTION : Brick is mostly considered as a major component of a building. It is found generally in a rectangular shape with different dimensions. They are famous for their strength at low cost. These bricks when introduced to high temperature during their manufacturing. These kilns are mainly operated by coal and diesel resulting in harmful waste affecting both the environment and the people working in these kilns. NEED OF ECO FRIENDLY BRICKS: Currently the modern world is facing some serious environmental issues , which is resulting in global warming . the fuel used for these kilns are the major contributors to the pollution and the environment is exposed directly to them. In todays day ,the think tanks of the industry and the environmental agencies are trying to make building more greener and at least carbon neutral. Moreover, recently a Chinese artist made a brick from the pollutants entrapped in the air. This shocked the whole country and then the authorities came into action and started to take the environmental issues seriously. For the purposes mentioned above ,it is important to use these sort of bricks to make the environment more greener. ECO BLAC BRICK: The idea of these bricks was first introduced by the students of MIT with the aim that how to manufacture bricks without using kilns. Fig :showing a typical blac brick These bricks are mainly made from boiler ash. Boiler ash is an ash produced by the burning of various materials, mainly paper ,wood etc in the factories or anywhere else. Boiler ash is mainly dumped in the land ,resulting in clogging . The boiler ash is combined with the alkali activation technology .This technology utilizes the boiler ash as an alumino-silicate,fusing it with an alkaline activator solution. When they are combined, the ash dissolves, followed by the construction of a geo-polymer gel, a solid 3D network that gives the bricks strength and durability. This solution reuses industrial waste (70% in the current model) rather than topsoil, and is low-cost and low energy. By using a chemical reaction rather than firing, the bricks gain strength at ambient temperatures, not requiring the massive consumption of coal (roughly 24 million tons annually) in traditional clay-fired brick production. This process also produces no emissions, unlike the traditional kiln technology, which produces carbon dioxide (roughly 76 million tons CO2/ year), carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, black carbon, and particulate matter.(arch daily) These bricks when subjected to different test , had more durability, showed more water resistance and had more compressive strength then the normal clay brick. SALIENT FEATURES: Some features of these bricks are: better for human health than an ordinary brick. better for the environment . better in resource . Less CO2 emissions. Waste consumption. BREATHE BRICKS: Breathe bricks are invented by a Carmen Trudell, an assistant professor at Cal Poly San Luis Obispos school of architecture . Fig :showing a breathe brick Fig showing Breathe brick section The Breathe Brick is designed on an idea to form a part of a buildings regular ventilation system, with a double-layered facade ,exterior of the building is made of these special bricks , accompanied by a standard internal layer providing insulation. At the mid , the breathe bricks function is cyclone filtration, an idea inspired from modern vacuum cleaners, which separates out the heavy pollutant particles from the air and drops them into a removable hopper at the base of the wall. Fig showing : structural gravity and lateral loading system of a breathe brick The system is composed of two key parts: concrete bricks, and a recycled plastic coupler, which both helps to align bricks and creates a route from the outside into the bricks hollow centre. The concrete bricks themselves feature a faceted surface which helps to direct airflow into the system, and a separate cavity for inserting steel structure. The Breathe Brick can perform multiple functions i.e. mechanical and passive ventilation systems, as the brick simply transports strained air into the walls general assembly, this air can then be sent to the buildings interior through mechanical equipment or through filter vents driven by passive systems such as stack ventilation In wind tunnel tests, the system was found more efficient filtering 30% of fine particles (such as airborne pollutants) and 100% of coarse particles such as dust. As the entire system is relatively inexpensive, the Trudell posits the Breathe Brick as a way to lower pollution levels in developing countries, where rapid expansion of industry and less stringent environmental regulations often cause problems. ADVANTAGES OF ECOFRIENDLY BRICKS: Cost efficient High strength Water resistant Eco friendly Carbon neutral Top soil preserved Low amount of mortar used Less labour affected No use of kilns No use of fuels Helping agriculture Conclusion: To conclude, the bricks made of clay has strength but are major contributors to the pollution as on other hand the eco bricks which are made from wastes is useful for the environment as well as the people. With equivalent stent as the ordinary bricks these brisk can take over the future and has the ability to replace these bricks in the near future. REFERENCING https://www.google.co.uk/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instantion=1espv=2ie=UTF-8

Cytomegalovirus History, Biology and Treatment

Cytomegalovirus History, Biology and Treatment Historical Aspect Human CMV (HCMV) is a very common human DNA virus. Since the beginning of human life; it has co-evolved with its host (McGeoch et al., 1995). Although being a part of humankind, not everybody is infected (Alford et al., 1990). It was first isolated in 1956 by Smith where two strains were isolated from the salivary gland and kidney of two dying infants. Cytomegalic inclusion bodies had been found in both tissues. In 1957, Weller and colleagues isolated three strains of CMV from adenoid tissues of three asymptomatic children after surgical removal. Also in 1970, they isolated three other strains from liver biopsy and urine of three congenitally infected infants with CMV (Ho, 2008). In 1881, Ribbert was the first who observed the characteristic cells in the kidney of a stillborn infant but without interpretation of these observations and that was the first description of histologic features of infection (Naraqi, 1991). The first histopathological evidenve of CMV infection was identified in 1904 by Ribbert in tissues from a congenitally infected infant. Mistakenly the large inclusion-bearing cells observed at autopsy was assumed to be from protozoa. As a result, these cells were called protozoa like cells and many workers thought that they were protozoa. After that, the similiraties between these cells and those infected by Varicella-Zoster virus and Herpes simplex virus raised the suspicion of a viral cause. In 1920, Good pasture hypothesized the viral cause of such inclusions (Ho, 2008). The first name proposed for CMV was salivary gland virus or salivary gland inclusion disease virus. In 1921, Good pasture and Talbot used the word cytomegalia to describe the huge enlargement and alterations of infected cells. Such word was the origin of the term cytomegalovirus initially proposed by Weller and colleagues in 1960 (Weller and Hanshaw, 1962). The role of the virus as an important pathogen with different clinical manifestations was significantly identified during the 1970s and 1980s. The molecular biology, immunology, and antiviral therapeutic agents had been characterized. However, establishment of preventive strategies of CMV infection and determining the role of certain genes in viral pathogenesis still need more efforts (Sung and Schleiss, 2010). Classification Human CMV, designated as HHV5, is a member of the Herpesviridae family of viruses. It is one of the 8 human herpesviruses (HHV) (Schleiss, 2009). The Herpesviridae family is divided into three subfamilies designated ÃŽÂ ±, ÃŽÂ ², and ÃŽÂ ³. The classification into these subfamilies is based on the features of host range, duration of reproductive cycle, cytopathology and characteristics of latent infection. DNA sequence analysis, guanine and cytosine (G + C) content snd serologic reactivity of gene products are the main criteria for subdivision of each subfamily into genera (Hanley and Bollard, 2014). The ÃŽÂ ± subfamily includes herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV); the ÃŽÂ ² subfamily includes cytomegalovirus (CMV) and the roseolaviruses, human herpes viruses 6 and 7, which are responsible for the clinical syndrome of exanthem subitum (roseola infantum) in young children, and the ÃŽÂ ³ subfamily includes Epstein-Barr vir us and human herpes virus 8. All of these viruses share similarities in virion morphology and genome organization (Schleiss, 2009). Human herpesvirus classification is represented in table ( ) (Ryan and Ray, 2004). Table (1): Humah haerpesvirus (HHV) classificstion Type Synonym Subfamily Primary Target Cell Pathophysiology Site of Latency Means of Spread HHV-1 Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) ÃŽÂ ± (Alpha) Mucoepithelial Oral and/or genital herpes (predominantly orofacial), as well as other herpes simplex infections Neuron Close contact (oral or sexually transmitted infection) HHV-2 Herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) ÃŽÂ ± Mucoepithelial Oral and/or genital herpes (predominantly genital), as well as other herpes simplex infections Neuron Close contact (sexually transmitted disease) HHV-3 Varicella zoster virus (VZV) ÃŽÂ ± Mucoepithelial Chickenpox and shingles Neuron Respiratory and close contact HHV-4 Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), lymphocryptovirus ÃŽÂ ³ (Gamma) B cells and epithelial cells Infectious mononucleosis, Burkitt lymphoma, CNS lymphoma in AIDS patients, post-transplant lymphoproliferative syndrome (PTLD), nasopharyngeal carcinoma, HIV-associated hairy leucoplakia B cell Close contact, transfusions, tissue transplant, and congenital HHV-5 Cytomegalovirus (CMV) ÃŽÂ ²(Beta) Monocyte, lymphocyte, and epithelial cells Infectious mononucleosis-like syndrome, retinitis, etc. Monocyte, lymphocyte, and? Saliva, urine, breast milk, etc HHV-6A and 6B Roseolavirus, Herpes lymphotropic virus ÃŽÂ ² T cells and ? Sixth disease (roseola infantum or exanthema subitum) T cell and ? Respiratory and close contact HHV-7 Pityriasis Rosea ÃŽÂ ² T cells and ? ? (roseola infantum or exanthema subitum) T cell and ? ? HHV-8 Kaposis sarcoma -associated herpesvirus (KSHV), a type of rhadinovirus ÃŽÂ ³ Lymphocyte, and other cells Kaposisarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, some types of multicentric Castlemans disease B cell Close contact (sexual), saliva? Quoted from (Ryan and Ray , 2004). Biology of Cytomegalovirus Morphology: Cytomegalovirus is an enveloped virus with a double-stranded DNA genome. The three distinct regions of the CMV virus particle include: an icosahedral capsid; the tegument layer; and an outer lipid envelope. The morphology of CMV is demonstrated in the electron microscopy (EM) studies shown in Fig. (). The capsid, which comprises 162 capsomere subunits arranged in an icosahedral symmetry, houses the viral genome, and is classically highly electron-dense when imaged by EM (Schleiss, 2011). In the virus particle, the capsid is surrounded by the tegument, a protein-rich layer containing several of the dominant targets of the T-lymphocyte response to infection, including a 65-kilodalton (kDa) phosphoprotein (pp) referred to as pp65 (Kern etal., 2002). Surrounding the tegument is the envelope layer which contains several virally-encoded glycoproteins (g), including protein complexes designated as the gB complex, the gM/gN complex, and the gH/gL/gO complex. CMV-seropositive individuals mount an immune response characterized by neutralizing antibodies that target these glycoproteins (Bernstein, 2011). In addition to serving as targets of the humoral immune response, these glycoproteins also play a central role in the binding and entry of CMV into cells (Ryckman etal., 2006). Â   Â   As a result of the variability in the thickness of the tegument, the complete virion varies in size from 150 to 200 nm in diameter. The genome is about 64 nm in diameter with a molecular weight of 100 x 106 to 150 x 106. The capsid is 110 nm in diameter (Subhendu et al., 2007). During the process of viral replication, a variety of types of CMV particles are generated. In cell culture, CMV infection leads to the assembly and release of, in addition to infectious virions, non-infectious defective particles termed dense bodies (DB), so designated because of their characteristic highly electron-dense appearance when imaged by EM. Another type of body, designated as a noninfectious enveloped particle (NIEP), is also generated during viral replication as designated in Fig. () (Pepperl etal., 2000). The structure and protein composition of NIEPs are comparable to those of virions, but they lack DNA and are therefore not infectious (Schleiss, 2011). DBs are enveloped spherical structures that lack capsid proteins and DNA (Pepperl etal., 2000). They consist mainly of viral tegument proteins and glycoproteins. In cell culture, the biology of DBs mimics that of infectious virus, since DBs enter cells efficiently and deliver their protein components intracellularly (Me rsseman etal., 2008). In principle, DBs could induce a broad range of humoral and cellular immune responses (Schleiss, 2011). Cytomegalovirus particles exhibit additional levels of complexity. Using CMV gene array technology, a class of viral RNA transcripts, termed virion RNAs, has been identified in infectious virions (Bresnahan and Shenk, 2000). These RNAs, which are packaged during virion assembly, are delivered to the host cell immediately on infection, potentially allowing viral gene products to be expressed in an infected cell before any viral transcription or host immune response occurs. The role of virion

Essay --

Let me point out a few common misconceptions that you might create while conceptualising your own version of Bigg's ideas. 'Surface' and 'deep' are characteristics of the approaches that students might make, not characteristics of the students themselves. The three learning theories I want to discuss are Constructivist, Humanist and Congnitivism. According to constructivist theorists it is important that students do not have misconceptions before they start to learn a new concept. Teachers should identify the students current understanding and ideas in order to construct new meaning. This can be done, for example, by giving a quiz as an introduction to a new subject, by group discussion, by giving activities after presenting new information or by linking to students previous experiences. When teaching in business I have given students quiz about the economy before discussing and teaching the subject. This way I can asses what level of knowledge and understanding there already is on the subject before the learners begin to construct new meaning. I would then present some infor...

Friendship Essay: Where Would I be Without Friends? -- Friendship Essay

My personal definition of friendship is it is the people you surround yourself with, have an amazing time with and laugh with. There are several qualities that go into a good friendship. There are often times when friends drift as well. My Friendships have played an extremely important role in my life. I do not know where I would be without my friendships. Friends to me are the people you know and enjoy being around and talking to. There are the best friends that are usually closer than the others and you are always with. What I find most important is being able to laugh at anything with them and share common interests in humor. There has been much crazy, fun, maybe embarrassing memories that I have had with my friends. The best is when you can be doing absolutely nothing and just be abl...

Rheumatoid Arthritis :: essays research papers

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease, primarily of the joints, with autoimmune features and a complex genetic component. INHERITANCE Occasional families show a considerable number of cases of this common disorder. A simple Mendelian mechanism could not be proved, however. Indeed, some (Burch et al., 1964) could not demonstrate significant familial aggregation. Lynn et al. (1995) conducted family studies and segregation analyses of RA based on consecutive patients with RA ascertained without regard to family history or known risk factors. Included in the analyses were first-degree relatives from 135 simplex and 30 multiplex families. A highly penetrate recessive major gene, with a mutant allele frequency of 0.005, was identified as the most parsimonious genetic risk factor. Significant evidence for heterogeneity in risk for RA was observed for proband gender but not for proband age at onset. Kaplan-Meier risk analysis demonstrated significant evidence for differences in the distribution of risk among first-degree relatives. Although both proband gender and age at onset were identified as important risk factors, proband gender appeared to be the more important determinant of risk, with relatives of male probands having the greatest cumulative risk for RA. For future genetic analyses, Lynn et al. (1995) suggested that families with an excess of affected males having a young age at onset might be most informative in identifying the putative recessive gene and its modifiers. Hasstedt et al. (1994) studied 28 pedigrees ascertained through pairs of first-degree relatives with RA. RA was confirmed in 77 pedigree members, including probands; the absence of disease was verified in an additional 261 pedigree members. Members of the pedigrees were typed serologically for HLA. Analyses supported the existence of an HLA-linked RA susceptibility locus, estimated the susceptibility allele frequency as 0.0216, and estimated the lifetime penetrance as 41% in male homozygotes and 48% in female homozygotes. Inheritance was recessive in males and was nearly recessive in females. In addition, the analysis attributed 78% of the variants with HLA genotypes to genetic or environmental effects shared by sibs. The genetic model inferred in this analysis was considered consistent with previous association, linkage, and familial aggregation studies of RA. The inferred HLA-linked RA susceptibility locus accounted for approximately one-half of familial RA, although it accounted f or only approximately one-fifth of the RA in the population. PATHOGENESIS In a T-cell receptor transgenic mouse model, an inflammatory arthritis that resembles human RA is initiated by T cells but is sustained by antibodies to GPI (172400).

A Study on the Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty of Furniture Purchaser in on-Line Shop

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. emeraldinsight. com/1598-2688. htm AJQ 11,2 146 A study on the customer satisfaction and customer loyalty of furniture purchaser in on-line shop Yongju Jeong and Yongsung Lee Department of Business Administration, The University of Incheon, Incheon, South Korea Abstract Purpose – The paper intends to explore the in? uencing factors on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the internet shopping mall through service quality based on the data obtained from furniture purchaser. Design/methodology/approach – The research model and the relevant research hypothesis were set up through the data derived from the existing researches, and then the relevant hypothesis was tested through regression analysis. Findings – As result of analysis, the in? uencing factors on customer satisfaction of furniture purchaser in the internet shopping mall were proved to be product diversity of service quality, tangibles, responsiveness, interaction, stability, and customer satisfaction was found to be a signi? cant in? encing factor on customer loyalty in the internet shopping mall. Research limitations/implications – Although this study was carried out against actual furniture purchaser in selecting the samples, it reached the limit in considering the diversity of internet shopping mall, and sorting into on-line and off-line concurrent shopping mall and internet exclusive shopping mall. Originality/value – The study reviews the service quality measure suggested in the existing literature on service quality, newly applying it to on-line services environment, and then ? ding out the in? uence of service quality in internet shopping mall on customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and repurchase intention as well as in which dimension they are built up. Keywords Internet, Shopping, Customer satisfaction, Customer loyalty, Electronic commerce Paper type Research paper The Asian Journal on Quality Vol. 11 No. 2, 2010 pp. 146-156 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 1598-2688 DOI 10. 1108/15982681011075952 1. Introduction Owing to rapid development of information communication, e-commerce through internet is picking up briskly throughout the world. According to the survey of Korea National Statistical Of? ce, the volume of transaction in domestic cyber shopping mall in Korea steadily grew starting from 2001 when it reached approximately 3,400,000,000,000 won, which is well over 20,000,000,000,000 won in 2009. Like this, internet market is growing in non-negligible scale, and even it is expected to grow more and more in future. Development of various information communication technology including computer has changed the consumption life of the consumers, and especially tons of changes take place in the consumers’ selection through their decision making. Such changes suggest a new environment characterized by global market, collapse of hierarchy, and economy of information era. Internet shopping mall is a business that can be operated at minimum expense with minimum labor force, which allows to ecure price competitiveness by minimizing distribution stages, and further provide better customer service than the existing off-line shopping by providing various information. These days, rapid growth of do-it-yourself furniture stimulates the tendency of purchasing furniture through internet shopping. On-line furniture sales system was attempted by a small-scale ? rm at the beginning, but large furniture suppliers soon after jumped on to the on-line market band wagon without hesitation (The Korea Economic Da ily, 2007, July 16). This study is intended to ? d out the factors of customer satisfaction and customer loyalty by exploring the characteristic of the users regarding customer satisfaction and customer loyalty of the furniture purchasers in the internet shopping mall, and then reviewing the literature on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, conducting empirical research through statistical data obtained from questionnaire survey by establishing model and hypothesis after reviewing the literature on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in order to discover the characteristic that appeared through the user’s purchase of furniture. . Theoretical backgrounds 2. 1 Internet shopping mall Internet shopping allows the purchaser to search and survey the information on service or product by accessing internet shopping site through internet in remote place instead of retail shop as a physical space, and then enables to select or order the goods, and ultimately pay the mone y using credit card to purchase the goods/services (Ruth, 2000). It is de? ed as the collective concept of on-line shops having the products in a variety of lines where advertisement and exhibition of the products for internet shopping is carried out through electronic shopping mall, server is equipped with data like prices, structures, characteristics of various products, webpage provides information on the product together with multi-media information (Hoffman and Novak, 1996). Internet shopping mall is characterized by connecting producer directly with ? al end-user while traditional off-line market comprises four steps from producer through ? nal consumer. In addition, it is rarely restricted by time/space, and easy to acquire information from customer. Traditional commercial transaction requires a large amount of investment to maintain ? xed assets and human resource, while e-commerce requires investment mainly for system installation only. Besides, in terms of advertisement, p romotion, etc. owing to conversion to two-way from the existing one-way, it is changed into the style of one-to-one connection with customer. . 2 Furniture industry The structure of Korea’s furniture industry is driven to domestic demand while Taiwan to export market. Therefore, the industry is very weak in its management foundation owing to extremely ? erce competition within the same industrial circle, generalized phenomenon of design being imitated and the subsequent deterioration of pro? tability, etc. In addition, because of insuf? cient timber source at home, the industry depends on import from Indonesia, etc. for 95 percent of major raw materials such as plywood for furniture production, etc. Domestic furniture industry has structural problems in both design and distribution sectors. Especially, in distribution sector, attacked by aggressive merchants who seek unlawful deals with low-price sale, general tax payers A study on customer satisfaction 147 AJQ 11,2 148 with sincerity tend to lose their competition foundation, and furthermore event companies or representatives hold their own discount sales ruthlessly, disturbing domestic distribution order, resulting in sharp drop of quality and subsequent damage to the consumers. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop our furniture business circle again in such a manner of reinforcing production foundation centered on own specialized product of each while expediting cooperative relationship with professional companies for the other non-specialized products, and thus it is needed to establish production and operation strategy under new system, and then reinforce the competitiveness in price and distribution. 2. 3 Service quality Service means an intangible activity or bene? provided by the services provider to customer, which can be tangible product and something that is added to intangible service, or in an independent form (Kotler, 1991). With regard to the nature of service, there exist some different opinions among the researchers, but service is known to have four properties; being intangible, inseparability of production and consumption, heterogeneity, and perishability (Parasuraman et al. , 1985). The concept of service quality can be represented in different way depending on aspect and approaching method. Especially, service quality has a aspect emphasized by subjective assessment recognized by each individual customer rather than that examined objectively being dif? cult to measure owing to its specialty. Generally, the de? nition of quality varies depending on the methods of approach driven to transcendental experience, product, manufacture, value, and user (Garvin, 1984). Parasuraman et al. 1985, hereinafter â€Å"PZB†) de? ned cognitive service quality, aside from objective quality, is a type of attitude â€Å"that is the comparison between consumer’s recognition of the result of service provided by the corporation and the expectation of consumer that should be provided by the corporation in their opinion†. Accordingly, cognitive service quality was observed through the degree and direction of the difference existing between consumer’s recognit ion and expectation (Woo-seong, 2006). According to PZB, although there exists the difference of relative importance that assess the service quality depending on service types, there exists basically similar assessment criteria, and therefore the service quality observation system developed by them is the decisive factor of service quality that may be generally applied to service industry. Since then, Parasuraman et al. (1988) discovered that there exist correlation among ten decisive factors of service quality that were examined from Parasuraman et al. 1985) conducted against the corporations such as machinery repair and maintenance, bank, long-distance telephone company, credit card company, and security broker. Finally, they named SERVQUAL for it by combining ? ve factors (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy). SERVQUAL can be also measured by gap score between the score of consumer’s performance recognition and score of expectation. Five dimensions comprising SERVQUAL and the descripti on of each dimension is as shown in Table I. As a result of reviewing the precedent research on the service quality of on-line shopping mall, it was found that the study on the satisfaction with loyalty and consumer satisfaction as result of the service quality of on-line shopping mall was conducted in such a manner that the property of on-line shopping mall was re? ected in the existing service quality dimensions to develop the dimension of on-line shopping mall service quality. 2. 4 Customer satisfaction and customer loyalty 2. 4. 1 Customer satisfaction. In the study on customer’s satisfaction/dissatisfaction, there exists inconsistency concerning its concept among the researchers, and a variety of attempts are carried out in its measurement. The de? nition of customer satisfaction can be divided into two; de? nitions driven to outcome and driven to process (Lee, 1995). From the aspect driven to outcome, customer satisfaction is conceptualized as the result of consumption experience such as the recognition felt by customer that the price paid is rewarded in proper or improper manner, emotional reaction against the retail shop or purchasing behavior related with purchased speci? product or service, or emotional reaction against the behavior in wider meaning such as consumer’s behavior or the market on the whole, comprehensive mental state that occurs when the emotion due to inconsistent expectation is combined with the emotion prior to the customer’s experience of purchase. The aspect driven to process is useful i n that it generalizes the whole consumption experience, and it enables to examine an important process that reaches customer satisfaction through the measure of observing unique elements at each stage (Oliver, 1981). Internet shopping mall is a web site in virtual space in the name of internet. Chen and Wells (1999), in measuring the attitude to the web site, suggested three aspects; informativeness that shows the degree of usefulness of information provided by web site to the visitor, entertainment of web site that shows the degree on how it meets emotional necessity and desire of the visitor, and organization of web site that shows the degree on how it provides the visitor’s desired information and product/service in convenient and prompt way. 2. 4. 2 Customer loyalty. Typically, customer loyalty means the property of customer to repeatedly purchasing speci? c subject (brand, product, service, shop, etc. with affection regardless of the change in the circumstance (Jacoby and Chesnut, 1978; Oliver and Swan, 1989). There are the variables for measuring customer loyalty such as devotion into speci? c subject, repurchase intention, and intention to recommend to others, etc. (Reichheld, 1993). Especially, customer loyalty is known to arise from the result of customer sa tisfaction in general. Customer loyalty in on-line can be de? ned the tendency of customer to keep on using speci? c web site with affection (Anderson and Srinivasan, 2003). Customer with high loyalty is supposed to keep a speci? web site with him/her using bookmark function, frequently visit it, and show high site adhesion with high detention time. In addition, Dimension Tangibles Reliability Responsiveness Assurance Empathy De? nition Physical facility, equipment, outlook of employee Ability to perform the committed service in reliable and correct manner Will of assisting the customer and providing quick service to the customer Knowledge, courtesy, ability of the employees that give rise to reliability and assurance Careful concern and individual interest in the customer A study on customer satisfaction 149 Table I. Five types of SERVQUAL AJQ 11,2 they are very friendly with the site, and positively promote or recommend it to the others. The customers of high customer loyalty like this is very possible to purchase the goods from that site, and tends to consistently purchase again from that site in spite of positive marketing activity by other sites (Anderson and Srinivasan, 2003). 3. Design of research 3. 1 Research model and establishment of research hypothesis This study aims for reviewing service quality measure suggested in the existing literature on service quality, newly applying it to on-line services environment, and then ? nding out the in? ence of service quality in internet shopping mall on customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and repurchase intention as well as in which dimension they are built up. Therefore, research model for empirical analysis was established as Figure 1 based on the result of precedent research. As research model, based on the results of previous studies; Lee and Lin (2005), Lee (2 006), Jeon (2006), etc. the dimension of on-line service quality were suggested to ? nd out its in? uences on customer satisfaction, customer loyalty, and repurchase intention: H1. Product diversity of service quality in on-line shopping mall will have positive (? in? uence. H2. Tangibles of service quality in on-line shopping mall will have positive (? ) in? uence. H3. Responsiveness of service quality in on-line shopping mall will have positive (? ) in? uence. H4. Interaction of service quality in on-line shopping mall will have positive (? ) in? uence. H5. Stable service quality in on-line shopping mall will have positive (? ) in? uence. H6. Customer satisfaction with service quality in on-line shopping mall will have positive (? ) in? uence on customer loyalty. Service quality Product driversity H1 Tangibles H2 H3 H4 Interaction H5 Customer satisfaction H6 Customer loyalty 50 Responsiveness Figure 1. Research model Stability 3. 2 Method of research In this study, the questionnai re survey was targeted against the customers aged from 20s to 50s who had experience of purchasing furniture from on-line shopping mall. To accomplish the purpose of research, questionnaire survey was carried out for approximately ten days from August 6, 2009 to August 15, 2009. Total 140 questionnaire sheets were collected out of 150 distributed to the subject. Among 140 sheets collected, 131 were adopted except nine returned deemed to be answered with insincerity. In this study, survey was targeted to the persons who purchased the products in furniture category 1 made of steel or wood available in on-line shopping mall. 4. Empirical analysis 4. 1 Reliability analysis In this study, in order to measure reliability, Cronbach’s a coef? cient – internal consistency analysis – was used. The reason of adopting Cronbach’s a coef? cient was to enhance variable reliability by sorting out the items affecting reliability and then ruling out those variables when several items were used to measure the same concept. Normally, it proves to be suf? cient when Cronbach’s a coef? cient appears at least 0. 6, and therefore reliability coef? cient on each variable was suggested in Table II to show reliability for each item. 4. 2 Validity analysis In this study, the result of exploratory factor analysis on service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty in deriving the factors that in? uences on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty of furniture purchaser in the case of on-line shopping mall as shown in Table III. As result of factor analysis, product diversity of service quality, tangibles of service quality, responsiveness of service quality, interaction of service quality, stable service quality, customer satisfaction, and customer loyalty were classi? ed to be the factors, and the variable to be excluded being less than 0. 5 in factor loading did not appear. 4. 3 Testing of hypothesis To test the hypothesis, analysis of correlation among variables and multiple regression analysis between antecedent and dependent variables were carried out. Multiple regression analysis normally aims for estimating one dependent variable from the knowledge of several variables. Accordingly, this would enable to ? nd out the In? uencing variable acting on the use of internet shopping mall Product diversity of service quality Tangibles of service quality Responsiveness of service quality Interaction of service quality Stable service quality Customer satisfaction Customer loyalty Cronbach’s a coef? cient 0. 827 0. 773 0. 829 0. 843 0. 758 0. 739 0. 917 A study on customer satisfaction 151 Table II. Result of reliability analysis AJQ 11,2 Factor Product diversity Component Variable Factor 1 Factor 2 Factor 3 Factor 4 Factor 5 Factor 6 Factor 7 sv1 sv2 sv3 st1 st2 st3 st4 sr1 sr2 sr3 sr4 sc1 sc2 sc3 sc4 ss1 ss2 ss3 cs1 cs2 cs3 cr1 cr2 cr3 0. 840 0. 770 0. 791 0. 129 0. 087 0. 028 0. 419 0. 145 0. 161 0. 113 0. 071 0. 264 2 0. 011 0. 189 0. 104 0. 329 0. 170 0. 187 0. 466 0. 363 0. 269 0. 180 0. 180 2 0. 027 0. 066 0. 238 0. 123 0. 820 0. 851 0. 772 0. 667 0. 231 0. 160 0. 104 0. 048 0. 175 0. 166 0. 162 0. 304 0. 019 0. 139 0. 069 0. 111 0. 109 0. 141 0. 019 20. 006 0. 006 0. 138 0. 146 0. 114 0. 113 0. 135 0. 195 0. 045 0. 707 0. 712 0. 801 0. 810 0. 075 0. 157 20. 040 0. 321 0. 299 0. 83 0. 134 20. 001 0. 141 0. 221 0. 213 0. 203 20. 024 0. 103 20. 056 0. 181 0. 052 0. 192 0. 112 0. 153 0. 263 0. 359 0. 086 0. 041 0. 682 0. 780 0. 807 0. 649 0. 315 0. 172 0. 125 0. 197 0. 089 0. 042 0. 035 0. 065 20. 023 0. 011 0. 129 0. 219 0. 225 0. 133 0. 205 0. 026 2 0. 095 2 0. 105 0. 221 0. 198 0. 167 0. 111 0. 168 0. 255 0. 573 0. 838 0. 854 2 0. 042 2 0. 219 2 0. 106 2 0. 154 2 0. 138 2 0. 263 0. 003 0. 172 0. 202 0. 227 0. 134 0. 190 0. 041 20. 059 20. 072 0. 208 0. 172 0. 221 0. 199 0. 261 0. 303 0. 279 0. 169 0. 099 0. 634 0. 751 0. 844 0. 091 0. 120 0. 004 0. 065 0. 109 0. 090 20. 097 0. 068 20. 015 0. 163 0. 05 0. 102 20. 079 20. 288 0. 254 0. 269 0. 233 0. 253 0. 233 20. 031 20. 014 20. 050 20. 024 20. 091 0. 808 0. 834 0. 545 152 Tangibles Responsiveness Interaction Stability Customer satisfaction Customer loyalty Table III. Result of factor analysis Notes: Extraction method: principal component analysis; rotation method: varimax with Kaiser normalization; rotation converged in six iterations strategy of enhancing customer satisfaction and customer loyalty by grasping which factors in? uence on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty of furniture purchaser in on-line shopping mall, and to which degree it has in? uence if so. In carrying out regression analysis, it may produce wrong interpretation if independent variables are not mutually independent or regression coef? cients are estimated incorrectly. In other words, there could exist the problem of multi-collinearity. In order to conduct the test for equal variance and normality that are the premise of multiple regression analysis, testing of multi-collinearity was carried out. Pearson’s correlation was used in the analysis of correlation, which shows there exist no problem of multi-collinearity (Table IV). 4. 3. 1 Testing of hypothesis between customer satisfaction and antecedent variable. As the antecedent factor of customer satisfaction, diversity of service quality, tangibles of service quality, responsiveness of service quality, interaction of service quality, and stable service quality were set up, and then multiple regression analysis was conducted to test the in? uence on customer satisfaction (Table V). Table VI is the result of analysis on the signi? cance for individual variables. Each b coef? cient appeared 0. 361 for diversity of service quality, 0. 526 for tangibles of service quality, 0. 364 for responsiveness of service quality, 0. 486 for interaction of service quality, and 0. 32 for stable service quality. Standardized regression coef? cient (b) that represents Constructive concept Diversity Tangibles Responsiveness Interaction Stability Customer satisfaction Customer loyalty Customer Customer Diversity Tangibles Responsiveness Interaction Stability satisfaction loyally 1 0. 201 * * 0. 125 * 0. 256 * * 0. 534 * * 0. 361 * * 0. 431 * * 1 0. 075 0. 601 * * 0. 512 * * 0. 526 * * 0. 367 * * A study on customer satisfaction 153 1 0. 219 * * 0. 438 * * 0. 364 * * 0. 547 * * 1 0. 608 * * 0. 486 * * 0. 249 * * 1 0. 332 * * 0. 341 * * 1 0. 236 * * 1 Notes: Correlation coef? cient is signi? cance at *0. 05 and * *0. 1 levels, respectiviely, at both sides; n ? 131 Table IV. Correlation matrix of constructive concepts R2 0. 487 Adjusted R 2 0. 476 F-value 50. 647 F-signi? cance 0. 000 Durbin-Watson 2. 016 Table V. ANOVA Independent variable (Constant) Diversity Tangibles Responsiveness Interaction Stability Unstandardized coef? cients b SE 2 0. 005 0. 361 0. 526 0. 364 0. 486 0. 332 0. 041 0. 061 0. 098 0. 057 0. 060 0. 054 Standardized coef? cients b 0. 360 0. 518 0. 375 0. 497 0. 356 T 20. 073 8. 053 12. 438 8. 215 10. 573 7. 663 Signi? cance probability 0. 292 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 0. 000 Note: Dependent variable: customer satisfaction Table VI. Multiple regression analysis between customer satisfaction and antecedent variable importance of regression coef? cient appeared 0. 360 for diversity of service quality, 0. 518 for tangibles of service quality, 0. 375 for responsiveness of service quality, 0. 497 for interaction of service quality, and 0. 356 for stable service quality. In the result of analysis, absolute value of beta coef? cient for tangibles of service quality appeared large and therefore, it is deemed to be the variable of best explanation of all. F-value of regression model was 50. 647 (? 0. 000) proved to be of signi? cance, and Durbin-Watson value was 2. 16 (close to 2) deemed to satisfy the assumption of independence. As result of testing, the coef? cient of determination (R 2) – one of the measures that show the adequacy of regression estimated from sample data to the observed value appeared 0. 476. Therefore, 47. 6 percent of variation on customer satisfaction that was the dependent variabl e as result of regression analysis was well explained by antecedent variables. AJQ 11,2 154 Thus, ? ve factors such as diversity of service quality, tangibles of service quality, responsiveness of service quality, interaction of service quality, and stable service quality were found to directly in? ence on customer satisfaction at a signi? cant level. 4. 3. 2 Testing of hypothesis between customer loyalty and customer satisfaction. F-value of regression model was 38. 763 (? 0. 000) proved to be signi? cant, and Durbin-Watson value was 1. 912 (close to 2). Therefore, it is deemed to satisfy the assumption of independence (Table VII). The coef? cient of determination ( ) was 0. 212, and therefore 21. 2 percent of variation on customer satisfaction that was a dependent variable as a result of regression analysis. That is, customer loyalty is explained by customer satisfaction, and it was found to directly in? ence on customer loyalty at a signi? cant level (Table VIII). 5. Conclusion T his study aimed for analyzing the in? uence on customer loyalty exerted by product diversity, tangibles, responsiveness, interaction, stability, and customer satisfaction that are suggested as service quality factor felt by furniture purchaser in internet shopping mall. The result is as follows. First, as result of exploring the factors in internet shopping mall service quality which in? uence customer satisfaction, it was proved product diversity, tangibles, responsiveness, interaction, and stability have positive in? ence on internet shopping mall customer satisfaction. As on-line shopping mall market reaches maturity, it is thought time-saving is the main reason for the customer to prefer internet shopping, and the shopping malls focus on their service on such needs. Second, as for the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty concerning internet shopping mall service quality, more satisfaction with internet shopping mall appeared to have more positive in? u ence on customer loyalty. In result, it seems that the consumer satis? ed with internet shopping mall can keep consistent relation with internet shopping mall in future. As aforementioned, the result of this study shows that excellent service quality of internet shopping mall operator becomes the factors that can improve the competitiveness of shopping mall, and furthermore the internet shopping mall could R Table VII. ANOVA 0. 216 Adjusted 0. 212 F-value 38. 763 F-signi? cance 0. 000 Durbin-Watson 1. 912 Independent variable Table VIII. Multiple regression analysis on customer loyalty (Constant) Customer loyalty Unstandardized coef? cients b SE 2 0. 002 0. 236 0. 052 0. 051 Standardized coef? cients b 0. 238 T 20. 036 5. 603 Signi? ance probability 0. 962 0. 000 Note: Dependent variable: customer loyalty raise customer loyalty if they would improve service quality consistently to get satisfaction from the customers. 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Woo-seong, L. 2006), â€Å"The effects of service quality on customer loyalty in online shopping mall†, Master’s thesis, Sejong University, Seoul. A study on customer satisfaction 155 AJQ 11,2 Further reading Gefen, D. and Straub, D. W. (2000), â€Å"The relative importance of perceived ease of use in IS adoption: a study of e-commerce adoption†, Journal of the Association for Information Systems, Vol. 1. About the authors Yongju Jeong is graduated from Korea National Open Univ ersity. He is also graduated in MA from University of Incheon and doing PhD in University of Incheon. Yongju Jeong is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: [email  protected] net Yongsung Lee is graduated from the Department of Administration, University of Incheon. He is also graduated in Information and Communication Engineering, University of Incheon. He received his Master of Business Administration from University of Incheon Admission. 156 To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email  protected] com Or visit our web site for further details: www. emeraldinsight. com/reprints