Effects of website attributes on customer satisfaction in e-commerce - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 25 Words: 7610 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? ABSTRACT This study investigates the important attributes of online web stores in e-commerce by examining the possible website elements that determine different aspects of the association between customers satisfaction and e-commerce website attributes. A questionnaire consisting of 24 items was completed by 60 respondents. The instrument for this study was developed on the basis of SERVQUAL using a 5 point Likert scale. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Effects of website attributes on customer satisfaction in e-commerce" essay for you Create order There were five independent variables used in the study out of which two were included as a result of stepwise multiple regression model which are: websResponse (accounting for 26.3% of the total variance); and webCustomization (accounting for 5.1% of the total variance). Results of a stepwise regression indicated that two website attributes significantly predict customer satisfaction (31.4% of the combined explained variance). Within the five website attributes in E-commerce website dimension, website response correlated highly with customer satisfaction (26.3% of the explained variance). The results of the study indicate that the two website attributes of e-commerce (website response and website customization) impact the customers satisfaction and other three do not have a significant influence. The study concludes with related implications and design guidelines to enhancing customer satisfaction of e-commerce. Effects of website attributes on customer satisfaction in E-commerce SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION The Internet is no longer a niche technology it is mass media and an utterly integral part of modern life. As our lives become more fractured and cluttered, it isnt surprising that consumers turn to the unrivalled convenience of the Internet when it comes to searching and buying product. 1.1 INTROduction to E-COMMERCE The rise of the WWW gives birth to new phenomena in our daily lives, one of which is e-commerce. The internet has played a vital and important part to encourage selling products and services online which makes life convenient for the audiences, which in an inter-connected world, is well, the whole world. E-Commerce is a subset of an overall e-business strategy consists of the buying and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet. E-commerce seeks to add revenue streams using the World Wide Web or the Internet to build and enhance relationships with clients and partners and to improve efficiency. E-commerce has given rise to the concept of completely online shops selling products and services, efficiently catalogued and available for the shoppers convenience. There are several websites that stock everything from lifestyle items, collectibles, books, electronic appliances etc. The level of e-commerce use can be measured by using an e-commerce capability indicator. E-commerce capability indicator by Molla Licker: No e-commerce indicates a company without e-mail or an Internet connection. Connected e-commerce represents a company that has an Internet connection and e-mail. Informational e-commerce indicates a company using a Web site to publish basic information about the company and its products/services in a static manner. Interactive e-commerce refers to the ability of users to search the companys product catalogue, make queries, and enter orders. Transactional e-commerce allows online selling and purchasing of products or services including online payment and customer service. E-business applications can be divided into three categories. First is an internal business system in which customer relationship management (CRM), Enterprise resource planning (ERP), and Human Resource management (HRM) type of systems are involved. Second is enterprise communication and collaboration such as content management system (CMS), business process management (BPM) and web conferencing etc. Third is e-commerce that includes Business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce and Business-to-customer (B2C) e-commerce. Online shopping comes under this category on which this study is conducted. Several e-commerce service providers are available on web that provides professional customized web designing services that suit their clients needs. Some common applications related to electronic commerce are the following: Online Shopping (Web Shop) Online Banking Online Marketing CRM etc 1.1.1 Online Shopping Online shopping is the process consumers go through to purchase products or services over the services over the web. Online shopping is a type of business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions. The term web shop also refers to a place of business where web development, web hosting and other types of web related activities take place (Web refers to the World Wide Web and shop has a idiomatic meaning used to describe the place). 1.2 service quality The level of service received on a web site. Dependent on reliability, responsiveness and availability of staff and the web site service. Service quality is comprised of five dimensions. These are: Tangibles: appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and written materials (Zeithaml, Bitner Gremler, 2006). Reliability: ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Assurance: employees knowledge and courtesy and their ability to inspire trust and confidence. Responsiveness: willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. Empathy: caring, individualized attention given to customers. 1.2.1 Service quality dimensions in e-commerce systems Lets examine how customers judge the five dimensions of service quality in perspective of e-commerce systems. Tangibles refer to the physical appearance of an e-commerce website, its structure, layout, theme etc and referred as website structure. Reliability represented as website adequacy which provides the relevant and needed information provided by an e-commerce system when customer clicked or requested for. Assurance termed as website security refers as the trustworthy service provider that could include a well reputable website, reliable payments methods etc. Responsiveness is the prompt and relevant response to the specific request of users described by website response. Empathy knows internal customers as individual; understanding individual needs and concerns such as by providing recommendations that matches the customers needs which is termed as website customization in world of web. 1.2.2 service quality framework (SERVQUAL) SERVQUAL was originally measured on 10 aspects of service quality: reliability, responsiveness, competence, access, courtesy, communication, credibility, security, understanding or knowing the customer and tangibles. By the early nineties the authors had refined the model to the useful acronym RATER. Reliability Assurance Tangibles Empathy, and Responsiveness SERVQUAL has its detractors and is considered overly complex, subjective and statistically unreliable. The simplified RATER model however is a simple and useful model for qualitatively exploring and assessing customers service experiences and has been used widely by service delivery organizations. 1.2.3 customer satisfaction Customer satisfaction refers to the extent to which customers are happy with the products and services provided by a business. Customer satisfaction levels can be measured using survey techniques and questionnaires. Gaining high levels of customer satisfaction is very important to a business because satisfied customers are most likely to be loyal and to make repeated orders and to use a wide range of services offered by a business. The basic definition of customer satisfaction says that Customer satisfaction is a term, is a measure of how products and services supplied by a company meet or surpass customer expectation. Customer satisfaction is an abstract concept and the actual manifestation of the state of satisfaction will vary from person to person and product/service to product or service. The level of satisfaction can also vary depending on other options the customer may have and other products against which the customer can compare the organizations products or services. 1.3 Customer Satisfaction Based on Perceived service quality of e-commerce systems The overall satisfaction of e-commerce customers can be attained by providing the level of service quality that customers perceive in that system. The five dimensions of service quality are tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy. The website structure of an e-commerce websites is all about the tangibility dimension. The reliability dimension in this study is measured by the attribute called website adequacy. The website response variable indicates the responsiveness dimension. Website security as another attribute of an e-commerce system refers to the assurance dimension and the empathy dimension described by the website customization The overall customer satisfaction is based on the five service quality dimensions representing various service attributes: tangibility, reliability, assurance, responsiveness and empathy. The detailed model used in this study is presented in figure A. The website design elements are characterized into five different types which are supposed to influence the five service quality dimensions. This study hypothesizes that some website attributes that are based on service quality dimensions has an impact on an online customer satisfaction. In other words, customers satisfaction level will increase if the e-commerce system provides a higher level of service quality through different website attributes. 1.4 Increased trend of Online surfing and shopping in Pakistan The trend of an online surfing is increasing rapidly due to the increased benefits by the use of e-commerce business environment. People visit e-commerce web sites not only for buying but for several other reasons and the smart retailer just should not only focus on boosting online browse-to-buy conversion rates, but should also try to grab the attention of an online visitors who came in for review so as they could become a customer later. Many people feel it comfortable to review the products through an extensive knowledge provided over the internet before actually buying a particular product. For this purpose, e-commerce website provides an interface to the buyers to write their reviews and share their after-purchase experiences. Thus, the e-commerce systems reduce the time and efforts required for the first step of information search in consumer decision making process. That is, by just few clicks a consumer can have a concise analysis for what matches his/her needs. There are some factors emerged as a results of the changes in lifestyle and habits of consumer which has promoted the trend of online searching and shopping in Pakistan. Some of these factors are lack of time, need of convenience and easy access to the desired object. Moreover, e-commerce websites facilitates the visitor in many ways to boost up online browse-to-buy conversion rate. Whenever a new customer lands on an e-commerce website, he/she must be having many questions in their minds regarding the products and services. A well-framed ecommerce site has an enquiry page for their customers. This gives the chance to the visitor to post an enquiry with your site. Main aim of this page is to gather all relevant and necessary information from the customers so that they can be given response in an apt manner. Within the past decade, e-commerce has matured and grown exponentially. The result: now there are many types of e-commerce payment methods available online. If your credit is bad and you cannot afford a merchant account, there are alternative methods of payments on e-commerce websites which can help you. The e-commerce systems give customers controlled access to the data they need. In other words, not only are you managing your relationship with your customers, you are giving your customers the tools to manage their relationship with you. THESIS STRUCTURE This thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 discusses the problem about which the research was carried out and in general about the trends of online shopping in Pakistan. Chapter 2 is about the literature review and the theoretical background is developed. In Chapter 3, researcher describes the methodology adopted including sources of information and data collection procedure is discussed. In chapter 4, the empirical data collected through questionnaire is analyzed and results are concluded on the basis of a survey. In Chapter 5, Conclusions are drawn and necessary recommendations are suggested. 1.5 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Effects of website attributes on customer satisfaction in e-commerce. The main purpose of this research is to find out the different attributes which encourage consumers to visit, search and shop on a particular website. 1.6 OBJECTIVE The purposes of this study are as follows: To identify the most important website element of e-commerce with respect to the customer satisfaction. To examine what is important to the customer regarding website attributes in e-commerce with perspective of website builders. 1.6.1 Possible Research Findings The research will also provide the following significances. Help the organization to better understand what customers expect in e-commerce and how those expectations impact customer attitude. The study will examine what the customer views as major attributes of website in e-commerce. Able to investigate the major customer attitudes associated with website structure in e-commerce. The study will indicate the link between the website attributes and the customer attitudes. 1.7 HYPOTHESES H1: Website structure has a significant association with customer satisfaction. H2: Website adequacy has a significant association with customer satisfaction. H3: Website security has a significant association with customer satisfaction. H4: Website response has a significant association with customer satisfaction. H5: Website customization has a significant association with customer satisfaction. SECTION 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction to e-commerce: The propagation of WWW has originated few facts in our daily lives, one of which is e-commerce. A transaction between two or more participants through an electronic medium is defines as e-commerce (Kalacota and Whinston 1997). As an e-commerce is rapidly raising field, therefore for accomplishing success in this market, a top quality information system is necessary (Margherio et al. 1998). An e-commerce system is designed by selectively integrating many technical (e.g. search system) or managerial (e.g. the level of information related to product) design elements (Lohse and Spiller 1998). It is still very difficult, if not impossible; to make use of all the design factors presently available for the e-commerce system although many design factors have been suggested to improve the overall quality of e-commerce system (Selz and Schubert 1997, Lohse and Spiller 1998). This is because of the recent arrival of new design factors resulted by an increase in the interest of Internet (Selz and Schubert 1997). The main goal of this paper is to explore important design elements that have significant influence on the customer satisfaction regarding the performance of e-commerce systems. In this paper, the study presents a conceptual model of e-commerce websites that includes concrete design elements, perceived level of website quality and the customer satisfaction (JINWOO KIM and JUNGWON LEE 2002). There is remarkable potential for e-commerce in developing countries. Online shopping makes it easy to find things, merchants and best offerings and thus economical in terms of time and effort offerings (Balasubramanian, 1997). According to the Malone et al (1989) communicating a same piece of information through communication networks results in decreased cost and improved speed. There is tremendous potential for e-commerce in developing countries because the use of an e-commerce can potentially reduce transaction costs. As per Malone et al (1989) observation, the search costs such as cost of identifying a market (from where to buy a product) and /or a product or service are likely to reduce with the use of e-commerce systems and can be defined as potential e-commerce cost savings. From an organizations perspective, e-commerce systems provide the organization with the better market reach and an ability to provide their customer a customized service that suits their individual needs and preferences. For example the exchange between richness and reach can be minimized by e-commerce (Evans Wurster, 2000). Richness refers to the quality and quantity of information in terms of accuracy, relevance, customization, etc. and reach measures the number of people who can be got in touch with that information. 2.2 Service quality dimensions: The overall customer satisfaction can be measured by the level of service quality of an e-commerce system that customer perceives. Some researchers (Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry 1988) stated that consumer satisfaction or dissatisfaction is as an ancestor of service quality. Conversely, modern evidence recommends that it is an outcome of service quality (Woodside, Frey and Daly 1989; Cronin and Taylor 1992). Service quality attributes are the most important factors for the success of an e-commerce systems For example Liu and Arnett (2000) found that organizations that involve in e-commerce can only ensure the success of their system by keenly looking for the ways to improve their service quality. The customers decision whether to continue using a particular e-commerce system is based on the perceived quality of service (Bhattacherjee 2001) as the service quality impacts the overall satisfaction of a customer. Tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy are the five dimensions of service quality. (Parasuraman et al. 1985, 1991, Pit et al. 1995). The tool that is being used in this study to measure the dimensions of service quality is SERVQUAL According to Brown et al. this instrument has been proved valid and reliable and hence used in various domains. (Brown et al.1993, Fisk et al. 1993, Parasuraman et al. 1985, 1993). On the basis of previous researches, service quality despite being a main interesting field in services marketing for the past two decades (Zeithaml et al., 2000); electronic service quality is still in its early stages in research area. Reil el al in 2001concluded that there has been no theoretical conceptualization emerged for customer evaluation of electronic services that could have been accepted generally. Cox and Dale (2001) has supported this conception by the fact that most out of the dominant research on service quality cannot even be valid to e-business environment. By the year 2002, the existing studies on the determinants of electronic service quality were based on measuring B2C interactions (Gilbert, 2000; Barnes and Vidgens 2000, 2001 and 2002) and few exploratory researches on website quality and e-service quality by Zeithaml et al. In early stages of service quality research, researcher were required to find out what is service quality from customers perspective (Sasser et al.,1979; Lehtinen and Lehtinen,1982; Gronroos,1982). It was normally approved that the judgment of service quality came from comparisons between what customers feel a service provider should offer (expectations) and the actual service performance of the company (perceptions) (Zeithaml et al., 2000). This view was reinforced by Parasuraman Zeithaml (2000) and Berry (1985) in their study of service quality in different service industries with which they discussed the concept of service quality as a function of expectations-perception gap. Parasuraman et als, identified the 10 dimensions that customer uses in their assessment of service quality. These 10 service quality dimensions then shaped the source for the development of a scale (SERVQUAL) to measure service quality in direct service interactions. Research extended in other context and as a result refined the scale and reduced it to 5 dimensions (reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and tangibles) Since the SERVQUAL scale has been widely used to measure service quality in many studies across a range of settings (IS Departments; Airlines; Universities; Ocean Freight Shipping; Professional Services; Health Providers; International Markets; Purchasing; Advertising; Banking; E-commerce). Initially the concept of services were created to capture the nature of service encounters (Meuter et al., 2000) which may not be sufficient to capture the characteristics of customer interactions with self-service technologies such as e-services (Dabholkar et al.,1996). Later on, many approaches have been proposed to study online service. (Gilbert, 2000; Gronroos et al., 2000; Parasuraman and Grewel, 2000; Kaynama and Black, 2000; Zeithaml, et al., 2000; ONeill, et al., 2001) proposed the use of existing service theory as a first type. The second type utilizes generated new categories for self-service technologies such as e-services (Szymanski and Hise, 2000; van Riel, et al., 2001; Wang and Tang, 2001; Ruyter et al., 2001). Third type develops information systems and web quality theory (Barnes and Vidgen, 2000; 2001; 2002; Aladwani and Palvia, 2001). These researches have centered on customer interactions with a variety of self-service technologies such as automated call centre technology, ATMs and Web sites and touch screen technologies. A redefined SERVQUAL instrument to measure the service expectations and perceptions of customers of Internet businesses was used by Gilbert in 2000 in which he concluded that to measure online service quality, the altered SERVQUAL scale was a practical instrument. The features that are useful, accurate, relevant and comprehensive information reflect the reliability of quality information (Bailey and Pearson 1983). Bailey and Pearson (1983) also identified that website reliability depends on to what level the information provided on the website about the product or service is true, precise and also depend to what level a customer can rely on a particular website that it provides enough amount of information available regarding each product. (Luedi 1997) stated that website personalization based on the ability of website to deliver individualized interface for a specific user which generated dynamically as per users needs. This may involve making purchase recommendations and /or providing the list of other relevant products that matchs the customer needs. This can be extracted through the previous data available regarding an individual user such as buying behavior, cart items and the current session contents. Providing customized services is the best way to create a loyal customer and make repeat visits on a website Luedi (1997). The concern over security continues to plague the online world. Variables like perceived security, reputation were included in this study to examine the customer attitude towards buying process. Even though the understanding of credit card transactions perceived secure like a waiters and waitresses, still security is the top concern of people who shop online (Salisbury et at. 2001, Luo 2002. Wilson and Abel 2002). Likewise security is the reason why people do not shop online (Luo 2002). The research variable of Security reflects trust in the online system and the variable reputation reflects trust in the specific vendor. Discovering whether vendors receive repeat business reflects the overall buying attitude of consumers. Overall customer satisfaction at online shopping measures which attributes helps the website meets expectations. 2.3 Website elements: The first phase of consumer decision making process that is the information search starts the minute customers look at the interface of e-commerce website and ends until they decide whether to place the purchase order or not (Schmid 1995). The role of website structure remains important during the phase of information search process such as site maps, navigation, content settings and layout of website etc. The content, structure and website elements should be portrayed explicitly on the e-commerce interface. Website structure that includes the presentation of design elements determines how the information is actually displayed on the screen to acquire the customer attention (Morris and Hinrich 1996). Convenient website structure defined as to what extent a customer feels that the e-commerce website is user friendly, simple and instinctive. (Ki-Han and Shin, 2008) Website adequacy describes the quality and quantity of the information provided in the e-commerce system. Content based on usefulness and comprehensiveness involves the type and scope of information to be included in the system (Morris and Hinrich 1996, Kim et al 1997). After the collection of appropriate information regarding the identified products or services, the contents must be placed in a well organized manner so that the customer can understand the interface easily (Gronroos 1982, Rosenfeld and Morville 1998). A well-defined and properly placed content is a feature of website which indicates the ability to made information easily available to visitors (Ki-Han and Shin, 2008). When adequate and reliable information has been properly dispersed across different web pages within the structure of the e-commerce website, an efficient interaction system must be provided to enable the customer to switch between different pages easily (Kim and Yoo 2000, Park and Kim 2000). Ballantine (2005) has found the impact of interactivity and product related information on customer satisfaction in an online trade setting. He argued in his study that the amount of product-related information affected consumer satisfaction of online shopping. An important design element that relates to the interaction system includes the involvement of website response and website customization ability. Website Customization is referred as the extent to which an e-commerce website can identify a customer and then modify the choice of products and shopping experience for that customer (Srinivasan et al., 2002). Cook and Coupey (2001) in their research argued that the improved accessibility of information on internet is likely to result in informed customers. And educated customers are able to make better quality decisions and will then experience more satisfaction with the visits and purchases they make. The connection between all of the five individual variables describes the basic architecture of web pages (Steinmetz and Nahrsted, 1995). The overall satisfaction of e-commerce customers can be attained by providing the level of service quality that customers perceive in that system. Satisfied customers have more potential to spread positive word-of-mouth (Gremler and Brown, 1999), and they avail further services (Zeithaml et al., 1996). The five dimensions of service quality are tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy (Parasuraman et al. 1985, 1991, Pit et al. 1995). Attributes related to the website structure such as physical appearance of e-commerce websites are represented by tangibility dimension. For example, the tangibility measures the appeal of the website design of e-commerce system presents to their customers. The ability of the website to provide the dependable, accurate service is represented by reliability dimension. (Pit et al. 1995). For example, the reliability dimension measures how often an e-commerce system provides useful and comprehensive information regarding the relevant products or services. The responsiveness dimension indicates how prepared the website is to promptly response the customer with the clicked option. (Parasuraman et al. 1991). For example, the responsiveness dimension measures how often an ecommerce system voluntarily provides services that are important to its customers such as less loading time. Or it can be measured by how often a website provides accurate and rich information after a user clicked a particular product. The trust and confidence encouraged in the customer by the information provided on e-commerce system refers to the assurance dimension (Parasuraman et al. 1991). For example, the assurance dimension can be measured by extent to which a website is able to give a secure feeling to an online buyer. The empathy dimension described as the individual attention to the customer that is being provided by the dynamic e-commerce website (Pit et al. 1995). For example this dimension measures how often an ecommerce system voluntarily offers recommendations that match to its customers needs in order to provide the individual customers benefit. In summary, the overall quality of an e-commerce system can be measured by the service quality level perceived by its customers and ultimately leads to the customer satisfaction (JINWOO KIM and JUNGWON LEE, 2002). Parasuraman, Zeithaml et al. (1988, 1991) in study on SERVQUAL found that the interactive elements of e-commerce systems are e-business features that help in building relationships with customer and are fall into five main sets that are tangibles, reliability, assurance, responsiveness and empathy. Due to the consistency of research findings stated in literature, it become easy to propose that the five main determinants of e-commerce include website structure, website adequacy, website security, website response and website customization (D. HORN, R. FEINBERG and G. SALVENDY, 2005). In an e-business structure, the customer interaction with the business is through the e-commerce website. Therefore, several original SERVQUAL items were modified to focus on e-commerce website. The definition of an empathy dimension was extended to include personalization or customization, which is the concept of web gurus as they believe the emotional connection between customer and web business (Peppers et al. 1999). The overall appearance and structure of e-commerce website shows its tangibility. The performance of promised services and adequacy of information explains the reliability of an e-commerce website. Responsiveness is the ability of e-commerce system to help and provide prompt response to the website user. The individualized attention and customized service provided by the e-commerce system to an individual customer is described as empathy. Security is the trust on an e-commerce system in protecting personal and financial information (D. HORN, R. FEINBERG and G. SALVENDY, 2005). The major factors that impact the customer attitude are the five main attributes of e-commerce system. The model in Figure 1 describes how these attributes of e-commerce system work together to achieve customer satisfaction. The satisfaction/dissatisfaction of customer is defined as an emotional response to a specific consumption experience (Swan and Oliver 1989). It is determined by to what extent a consumer perceives that the service fulfills his/her needs, wants or desires. Satisfaction is a state inconsistent in that a consumer can be very dissatisfied or very satisfied (Tse, Nicosia and Wilton 1990). SECTION 3: METHODOLOGY 3.1 Survey: 3.1.1 SOURCES OF DATA COLLECTION: According to experts, the best approach and way of building an e-commerce site is by using services of website development providers. A professional team of web developers would take care and work for your ecommerce designing project and give regular feedback about the proceedings therefore for conducting this research, professionals from web development area was selected from five different firms. A survey was conducted by going to the software organizations that are involved in business of web development. Out of the five selected firms, few were chosen from the list of organizations registered on PASHA website and few were preferred on the authentic source of information about the adequate web development experience of these firms. The respondents were web developers, web architects and project managers, 3.1.2 QUESTIONNAIRE The instrument comprised of 24 structured questions was used to collect data (primary) from the targeted respondents. Majority of the questions were anchored using a 5 point Likert scale where 1 means Strongly Disagree and 5 means Strongly Agree and some used a rating scale as 1-for Low impact, 5- for High impact Customer satisfaction items from five SERQUAL dimensions: tangibility, reliability, assurance, responsiveness and empathy are included in this instrument. 3.2 Sample: There are total 1082 IT firms in Pakistan which are doing web development activities as part of their businesses. Out of which 384 are in Karachi. These statistics has been collected from the website of PASHA. On the basis of above information, five companies were selected as a sample in this study, and around ten respondents from each company were requested to fill up the survey form. As a result, total 60 responses were collected, which were divided in gender distribution. Males accounted for 83% of the respondents, and 17% were females. Besides the web development experience, all of the respondents have reasonable web browsing and online buying experience. The majority of the respondents used to purchase items on the web. Of the 60 completed subjects, two interviews were disregarded because of missing responses. Thus, the study used data from the remaining 58 subjects (96.6% of the original sample). This is actually a multi-cluster sampling technique that was adopted as selecting five companies as five clusters and then ten to fifteen respondents from each company. 3.3 METHOD: Analysis and testing of the hypothesis in this research is done on Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Statistics 17.0) throughout. Before going into the process of actual testing of hypothesis, it was required to check the reliability of data that has been collected to draw the results. In reliability test, we check the internal consistency of a set of variables in what it is intended to measure. In this study, a principle of testing is based on the measurement of Cronbach Alpha. The high value of the Cronbach alpha coefficients in Table 1 indicates that the website attributes measures are reliable enough to proceed to further analysis. Table 1: Test of Reliability Reliability Statistics Cronbachs Alpha N of Items .700 24 There are several attributes defining each independent variable in a questionnaire. Each independent variable was measured by computing an average of all attributes related to the particular variable and thus resulting in five new computed independent variables. Similarly, the dependent variable satisfaction was also computed by an average of all customer satisfaction attributes in a data set. The second step was to apply the log on these five independent variables which resulted in a set of again five new variables that behaved as final independent variables to be used in a regression model. This step was required to ensure the linearity of independent variables. Same was done with the dependent variable. Since all of the hypotheses are related to association questions, therefore further analysis is done be the use of Linear Regression statistical technique. Using stepwise regression, the study was further investigated by examining the Multiple Regression Model between the dependent variable that is the customer satisfaction termed as satisfaction in testing process and the five independent variables termed as webStructure, webAdequacy, webSecurity, webResponse and webCustomization. SECTION 4: DATA ANALYSIS 4.1 ResultS: Table 2: Test of Regression Variables Entered/Removeda Model Variables Entered Variables Removed Method 1 webResponse . Stepwise (Criteria: F-to-enter = 3.840, F-to-remove = 2.710). 2 webCustomization . Stepwise (Criteria: F-to-enter = 3.840, F-to-remove = 2.710). a. Dependent Variable: satisfaction Only two variable webResponse and webCustomization out of five independent variables are added to the model as a result of stepwise linear regression test. In step-1, webResponse and in step-2 webCustomization was added as shown in Table 2. Table 3: Test of Regression Model Summary Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the Estimate Change Statistics R Square Change F Change df1 df2 Sig. F Change 1 .513a .263 .249 .13556 .263 19.949 1 56 .000 2 .560b .314 .289 .13197 .051 4.094 1 55 .048 a. Predictors: (Constant), webResponse b. Predictors: (Constant), webResponse, webCustomization In general, the value of R can range from -1 to +1 with +1 indicating perfect positive relationship, 0 indicating no relationship and -1 indicating perfect reverse relationship. Therefore, as per the values of R in Table 3, both selected variables shows positive relationship with satisfaction. Moreover, according to the Table 3, values are R=0.513 and R=0.560 for webResponse and webCustomization respectively. Keeping in mind the highest value of R, this relationship is neither weak nor quite strong. From the values of R square in Table 3, the combined variance explained by both variables is 31.4% out of which 26.3% variance of satisfaction is explained individually by webResponse and only 5.1% variance in satisfaction explained by webCustomization. Rest of the 68.6% unknown variance is due to other factors. This is a very less percentage of explained variance so the model is not a very good model. Table 4: Test of Regression Coefficientsa Model Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig. Correlations Collinearity Statistics B Std. Error Beta Zero-order Partial Part Tolerance VIF 1 (Constant) .511 .172 2.973 .004 webResponse .575 .129 .513 4.466 .000 .513 .513 .513 1.000 1.000 2 (Constant) .441 .171 2.578 .013 webResponse .461 .137 .411 3.359 .001 .513 .413 .375 .833 1.201 webCustomization .180 .089 .248 2.023 .048 .416 .263 .226 .833 1.201 a. Dependent Variable: satisfaction The following regression model is derived from Table 4: Satisfaction = -0.441 + 0.461 webResponse + 0.180 webCustomization The Tolerance shown is 0.833 in Table 4 which is quite close to 1 which indicates minimal collinearity among independent variables. This means that the selected two independent variables are not highly correlated with each other which is generally considered as a positive sign for a good model, though the model is not very strong in terms of the variance explained by independent variables. Table 5: Test of Regression Excluded Variablesc Model Beta In t Sig. Partial Correlation Collinearity Statistics Tolerance VIF Minimum Tolerance 1 webStructure .056a .472 .639 .063 .963 1.039 .963 webAdequacy .081a .688 .494 .092 .951 1.051 .951 webSecurity .176a 1.548 .127 .204 .999 1.001 .999 webCustomization .248a 2.023 .048 .263 .833 1.201 .833 2 webStructure .024b .203 .840 .028 .944 1.060 .816 webAdequacy .074b .638 .526 .087 .950 1.052 .803 webSecurity .141b 1.246 .218 .167 .969 1.032 .808 a. Predictors in the Model: (Constant), webResponse b. Predictors in the Model: (Constant), webResponse, webCustomization c. Dependent Variable: satisfaction The step 2 results indicate the final rejected variables in Table 5 which shows that two variables are selected and 3 are rejected. The key to accept and reject the hypotheses is the value of significance. If sig. value is less than 0.05 we reject H0 and accept the hypothesis otherwise we accept Ho. On the basis of Sig. values belong to each of the three variables shown in step 2 of Table 5; three hypotheses (H1, H2 and H3) have been rejected while two hypotheses (H4 and H5) stand not accepted. SECTION 5: CONCLUSION 5.1 DISCUSSION: After visiting five web development companies in Karachi and getting 60 questionnaires filled to determine the important website elements of e-commerce that influence customer to visit and shop from e-commerce websites. For this research work, many of the website attributes were taken based on five SERQUAL dimensions. These attributes were re-labeled to more comprehensively cater for the uniqueness of e-commerce websites. Then, the information about all these variables was collected through a questionnaire, which consists of structured questions using a 5 point Likert scale. Based on the Cronbach Alphas value 0.700 in Table 1, the date set has been considered reliable for the further testing an processing. Then the Multiple Regression Model was applied on the data set to check the significance level of all the selected variables, it was found that two variables webResponse and webCustomization has a significant association with customer satisfaction. Hypotheses have been tested on the basis of Table 5 which shows that two variables are selected and 3 are rejected. Therefore two hypotheses (H4 and H5) stand out accepted while three hypotheses (H1, H2 and H3) have been rejected. The result of study shows the weak relationship among the selected hypotheses as well. The value of R square can vary between 0 and 1. Higher value of R square implies the greater explanatory power and better predict the dependent variable. The value of R square for both independent variables in Table 3 implies positive but weak association. Finally, the results of the study have shown a positive response from customers in terms of satisfaction only with the responsiveness and empathy dimensions of service quality. During the study, it was found that respondents believed that the other three website attributes are not appealing with the perspective of customer satisfaction. Although these attributes are important service quality dimensions which leads to the customers satisfaction and are essential part of e-commerce websites. Therefore, it can be stated that a large sample of data might have drawn some other results. 5.2 implications: The identification of major website attributes in e-commerce provides a solid structure to guide further e-commerce research. By understanding that customers view website response and website customization as two main components of website in e-commerce systems, researchers as well as website builders are better able to develop e-commerce websites. The connection between these relationship attributes of e-commerce and customer satisfaction that was shown in this study implies the importance of including relational type characteristics in customer-e-commerce interaction research. A major contribution of this research is that it defines areas on which web development professionals need to focus in design and development of an e-commerce system in order to get their customers satisfied with the service quality of the system and develop more successful e-commerce systems. Insight to what the customer expects from an interaction with an e-commerce website assist designer/developers/architects to better understand how to facilitate customer relationships through the development of proficient e-commerce website. By developing features to meet and exceed customer expectations, the e-commerce enhances both customer satisfaction and customer relationships. This research has recognized two website attributes as important attributes the customer expects while interacting with an e-commerce website. REFERENCES Aladwani, AM and Palvia, PC (2002) Developing and validating an instrument for measuring user-perceived web quality Information and Management, 39 pp. 457-476. Athiyaman A., ODonnell B. Antecedents and Consequences of Educational Service Quality. BAH.FY, J, E. and PEARSON. S. W. (1983) Development of a tool for measuring and analyzing computer user satisfaction, Management Science, 29, 530-545. Balasubramanian, S. (1997) Two Essays in Direct Marketing, Ph. D. Dissertation, Yale University, and New Haven, CT. Ballantine, P. W. (2005) Effects of interactivity and product information on consumer satisfaction in an online retail setting. International Journal of Retail Distribution Management 33(6) 461-471. Barnes, S.J. and Vidgen, R.T. (2000) WebQual: An Exploration of Web Site Quality Proceedings of the Eighth European Conference on Information Systems, Vol. 1: 298-305, Vienna, July. Barnes, S.J. and Vidgen, R.T. (2001) An Evaluation of Cyber-Bookshops: The WebQual Method International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Vol. 6: 6-25. Barnes, S.J. and Vidgen, R.T. (2002) An integrative approach to the assessment of e-commerce quality Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, Vol. 3, No. 3. BHATTACHERJEE , A. (2001) An empirical analysis of the antecedents of electronic commerce service continuance. Decision Support System, 32, 201 214. BROWN, T. J., CHURCHILL, G. A. and PETER, J. P. (1993) Improving the measurement of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 69, 127 139. Burgess, L. A Conceptual Framework for Understanding and Measuring Perceived Service Quality in Net-based Customer Support Systems. University of Wollongong NSW Australia. Chung K., Shin J. (2008) The Relationship among e-Retailing Attributes, e- Satisfaction and e-Loyalty. Management Review, 3, 23-45 Coupey, E. (2001) Marketing and the Internet. Prentice-Hall, New Jersey. Cox, J. and Dale, B.G. (2001) Service Quality and e-commerce: an exploratory analysis Managing Service Quality, Vol. 11, No.2, pp. 121-131. Cronin, JJ and Taylor, SA (1992) Measuring Service Quality: A Reexamination and Extension. Journal of Marketing, vol. 56, 55-68. Dabholkar, P. A., Thorpe, D.I. and Rentz, J.O. (1996) A measure of service quality for retail stores: scale development and validation Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 24, No. 1, pp. 3-16. Evans, P., and Wurster, T. S. (2000) Blown to bits: How the new economics of information transforms strategy. Boston: Harvard Business School. Gilbert, A. L (2000) Online Service Quality Resolving the Paradox Unpublished paper. Gremler, D. D. and Brown, S. W. (1999) The loyalty ripple effect: appreciating the full value of customers. 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(1998) Quantifying the effect of user interface design features on cyber store traffic and sales. Proceedings of the CHI98 Human Factors in Computing Systems, 211 218. Luo, X. (2002) Trust production and privacy concerns on the Internet: a framework based on relationship marketing and social exchange theory. Industrial Marketing Management, 31, 111-118, Malone, T., Yates, J., and Benjamin, R. (1989) The logic of electronic markets. Harvard Business Review: 166-172. MARGHERIO, L., HENRY, D., COOKE, S. and MONTES, S. (1998) The Emerging Digital Economy . Washington, DC: US Dept. of Commerce. Meuter, M.L., Ostrom, A.L., Roundtree, R.I., and Bitner, M (2000) Self Service Technologies: Understanding Customer Satisfaction with Technology-based Service Encounters. Journal of Marketing, 64 (July), 50-65. Molla, A., Heeks, R. (2007) Exploring E-Commerce Benefits for Businesses in a Developing Country. The Information Society, 23, 95-108. Molla, A., Licker, P. 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Sleep Apnea Energy Essay example - 840 Words

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder affecting millions of Americans today. It is basically a disruption in ones sleep pattern. Research states that †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Sleep apnea affects an estimated 5% to 10% of Americans and is undiagnosed in most of them† (Weintraub, 2013, p. 1) Sleep apnea contributes too numerous health issues within the human body or worse death. For these reasons, further research and treatments should be funded. The USA Today article entitled â€Å"Sleep Apnea Booming; New Treatments Offer Alternatives† (Weintraub, 2013, p. 1)brings to light the growing numbers of Americans that are undiagnosed and untreated for sleep apnea. And worse how most doctors fail to even diagnose patients with sleep apnea. Sleep apnea use to be seen just as an†¦show more content†¦Oxygen is one of the key nutritional inputs to the process of life specifically energy. Sleep apnea disrupts your breathing while you sleep. This disruption limits the oxygen that gets into the body which limits the body’s ability to produce energy. This course also provides background information that helps one to understand the article and the larger issue surrounding it in several ways. From the molecule of life, to cell structure, to how the body captures and releases energy all provides the basic foundation for understanding the inns and outs of biology (The study of life). Just like most cells have similar pieces and parts; it is fair to hypothesis that through research, the rote cause for sleep apnea may be similar to other health issues. This article caught my attention due to myself being diagnosed with sleep apnea. I have always been told that I snored. My snoring has been compared to having a running diesel lawnmower in the bed room. I never thought much of this criticism. Reading this article made realized that I have always had but had been totally unaware of the symptoms for sleep apnea. 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Bloodsucking Fiends A Love Story Chapter 7 Free Essays

Chapter 7 Suitors After enduring a reasonable amount of bitterness from the crew over using his position to make a move on the girl in the parking lot, Tommy was able to persuade them to get back to work. Simon, Drew, and Jeff performed some mechanical magic on the meat case with a hammer, some jumper cables, and a can of Bondo, and by morning everything was running as if greased by the gods. Tommy met the manager at the front door with a smile and a report that his first night had gone great. We will write a custom essay sample on Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 7 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The best crew he had ever seen, he said. He rode to Chinatown with Troy Lee. They found a parking place a few blocks from Tommy’s room and walked the rest of the way. The sun was up only an hour, but already the merchants were open and the sidewalks crowded. Delivery trucks blocked the streets as they dropped off their loads of fresh fish, meat, and vegetables. Walking through Chinatown with Troy Lee at his side, Tommy felt as if he were carrying a secret weapon. â€Å"What’s that stuff?† Tommy asked, pointing to a stack of celerylike stuff on a produce table. â€Å"Bok choy – Chinese cabbage.† â€Å"And that?† â€Å"Ginseng root. They say it’s good for the wood.† Tommy stopped and pointed in the window of a herbalist. â€Å"That looks like hunks of deer antler.† â€Å"It is,† Troy said. â€Å"It’s used to make medicine.† As they passed the fish market Tommy pointed to the huge spiny turtles trying to escape their milk crates. â€Å"Do people eat those?† â€Å"Sure, people who can afford them.† â€Å"This is like a foreign country.† â€Å"It is,† Troy said. â€Å"Chinatown is a very closed community. I can’t believe you live here. I’m Chinese and I’ve never even lived here.† â€Å"This is it,† Tommy said, stopping at the door. â€Å"So you want me to ask them about the flowers, and what else?† â€Å"Well, about vampires.† â€Å"Give me a break.† â€Å"No, this guy I met, the Emperor, he said it could be vampires.† Tommy led the way up the steps. â€Å"He’s bullshitting you, Tommy.† â€Å"He was the one that told me about the job at your store, and that turned out to be true.† Tommy opened the door and the five Wongs looked up from their bunks. â€Å"Bye-bye,† they said. â€Å"Bye-bye,† Tommy said. â€Å"Nice place,† Troy said. â€Å"I’ll bet the rent is a killer.† â€Å"Fifty bucks a week,† Tommy said. â€Å"Fifty bucks,† the five Wongs said. Troy motioned Tommy out of the room. â€Å"Give me a minute here.† Troy closed the door. Tommy waited in the hall, listening to the nasal, banjo sounds of the conversation between Troy and the five Wongs. After a few minutes Troy emerged from the room and motioned for Tommy to follow him back down to the street. â€Å"What goes?† Tommy asked when they reached the sidewalk. Troy turned to him; he seemed as if he was trying to keep from laughing. â€Å"These guys are just off the boat, man. It was kind of hard to understand them, they speak some regional dialect.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"So, they’re here illegally, smuggled over by pirates. They owe the pirates like thirty grand for the trip, and if they get caught and sent back to China, they still owe the money. That’s like twenty years’ wages in the provinces.† â€Å"So?† Tommy asked. â€Å"What’s that got to do with the flowers?† Troy snickered. â€Å"I’m getting to that. You see, they want to be citizens. If they become citizens, they can get better jobs and pay off the pirates faster. And they can’t be sent back.† â€Å"And the flowers?† â€Å"The Wongs are leaving the flowers. They’re courting you.† â€Å"What!† â€Å"They heard somewhere that in San Francisco men marry men. They figure that if they can get you to marry them, then they can be citizens and stay here. You’ve got secret admirers, dude.† Tommy was indignant. â€Å"They think I’m gay?† â€Å"They don’t know. I really don’t think they care. They asked me to ask you for your hand in marriage.† Troy finally lost control and started laughing. â€Å"What did you tell them?† â€Å"I told them I’d ask.† â€Å"You fucker.† â€Å"Well, I didn’t want to tell them no without asking you. They said that they’d take good care of you.† â€Å"Go tell them I said no.† â€Å"You got something against Asians? Too good for us?† â€Å"No, it’s not that. I – â€Å" â€Å"I’ll tell them that you’ll think about it. Look, I’ve got to get home and get some sleep. I’ll see you at work tonight.† Troy walked away. â€Å"You’re cleaning garbage cans tonight, Troy. I’m in charge, you know? You better not tell Simon and the guys.† â€Å"Whatever you say, Fearless Leader,† Troy called over his shoulder. Tommy stood on the sidewalk trying to think of a better threat. A half block away Troy turned and yelled, â€Å"Hey, Tommy!† â€Å"What?† â€Å"You’ll make a lovely bride.† Tommy, murder in his eyes, broke into a run after Troy Lee. Sunset. Consciousness hit Jody like a bucket of cold water. She thought, I miss waking up groggy and waiting for the coffee to brew. Waking up with your worries already in full stride just sucks. What was I thinking? Giving myself only a half hour to get ready for a date? I have nothing to wear. I can’t show up in a sweatshirt and jeans and ask this guy to move in with me. I don’t even know anything about him. What if he’s a drunk, or a woman beater, or a psycho killer? Don’t those guys always work nights in grocery stores? The neighbors always say that: â€Å"He worked nights and kept to himself. Who would have thought that he stir-fried the paperboy?† He did say I was beautiful, though, and everybody has their faults. Who am I to judge? I’m a†¦ She didn’t want to think about what she was. Jody had thrown on her jeans and was furiously trying to put on what little make-up she had with her. She thought, I can read small print in the dark, I can see heat coming off a hiding rat from a hundred yards, and I still can’t put on mascara without poking myself in the eye. She stepped back from the mirror and tried to fight the self-criticism – tried to look at herself objectively. I look like a late-night TV plea for the fashion-impaired, she thought. This won’t work. She broke away from the mirror, then took one last look and primped her hair, then started out the door, then took one last look, then started out the door, then paused for a last look†¦ â€Å"No!† she said aloud. She ran out the door, down the steps, and to the bus stop on the corner, where she bounced from foot to foot as if waiting for the bathroom at a beer-drinking contest. Tommy had spent the day trying to avoid the five Wongs. He watched the room until he was sure they had all left, then he sneaked in and grabbed some clean clothes, showered, dressed, and sneaked out. He took a bus to Levis Plaza, where he napped on a park bench while pigeons and seagulls scavenged around him. Late afternoon brought a cold wind off the bay that chilled him awake. He walked up Sansome toward North Beach, trying to rub the crease out of the back of his head left by the bench slats. As he passed a group of teenagers who were posturing and panhandling at the curb, one pudgy boy shouted, â€Å"Sir, can you spare a quarter for some eyeliner?† Tommy dug in the pocket of his jeans and handed the kid all of his change. No one had ever called him ;sir; before. â€Å"Oh, thank you, sir!† the kid gushed in a high feminine voice. He held the fistful of change up to the others as if he had just been handed the cure for cancer. Tommy smiled and walked on. He figured that panhandlers had cost him about ten dollars a day since he had come to the City – ten dollars that he really couldn’t afford. He didn’t seem to be able to look away and walk on like everyone else. Maybe it was something you developed after a while. Maybe the constant assault of despair callused your compassion. A plea for money for food always made his stomach growl, and a quarter was a small price to pay to quiet it. The plea for eyeliner appealed to the writer part of him, the part that believed that creative thought was worth something. Yesterday he had heard a tourist tell a homeless man to get a job. â€Å"Pushing a shopping cart up and down these hills is a fucking job,† the homeless guy had said. Tommy gave him a buck. It was still light when Tommy reached Enrico’s on Broadway. He paused momentarily and looked over the few customers who were eating on the patio by the street. Jody wasn’t there. He stopped at the host’s station and reserved a table outside for a half hour later. â€Å"Is there a bookstore around here?† he asked. The host, a thin, bearded man in his forties, with perfect anchorman-gray hair, raised an eyebrow, and with that small gesture made Tommy feel like scum. â€Å"City Lights is one block up on the corner of Columbus,† the host said. â€Å"Oh, that’s right,† Tommy said, batting himself on the forehead as if he’d just remembered. â€Å"I’ll be back.† â€Å"We are giddy with anticipation,† the host said. He spun curtly on one heel and walked away. Tommy turned and started up Broadway until he was accosted by a barker outside a strip joint, a man in a red tailcoat with a top hat. â€Å"Tits, slits, and clits. Come on in, sir. The show starts in five minutes.† â€Å"No, thanks. I have a dinner date in a few minutes.† â€Å"Bring the little lady back with you. This show can turn a maybe into a sure thing, son. We’ll have her sitting in a puddle before you leave.† Tommy squirmed. â€Å"Maybe,† he said. He hurried along until the barker two doors up, this one a buxom woman wearing leather and a ring in her nose, stopped him. â€Å"The most beautiful girls in town, sir. All nude. All hot. Come on in.† â€Å"No, thanks. I have a dinner date in a few minutes.† â€Å"Bring her – â€Å" â€Å"Maybe,† Tommy said, walking on. He was stopped three more times before he reached the end of the block, and each time he declined politely. He noticed that he was the only one who stopped. The other pedestrians just walked on, ignoring the barkers. Back home, he thought, it’s impolite to ignore someone who is speaking to you, especially if they call you â€Å"sir.† I guess I’m going to have to learn City manners. She had fifteen minutes before she was supposed to meet Tommy at Enrico’s. Allowing for another bus ride and a short walk, she had about seven minutes to find an outfit. She walked into the Gap on the corner of Van Ness and Vallejo with a stack of hundred-dollar bills in her hand and announced, â€Å"I need help. Now!† Ten salespeople, all young, all dressed in generic cotton casual, looked up from their conversations, spotted the money in her hand, and simultaneously stopped breathing – their brains shutting down bodily functions and rerouting the needed energy to calculate the projected commissions contained in Jody’s cash. One by one they resumed breathing and marched toward her, a look of dazed hunger in their eyes: a pack of zombies from the perky, youthful version of The Night of the Living Dead. â€Å"I wear a size four and I’ve got a date in fifteen minutes,† Jody said. â€Å"Dress me.† They descended on her like an evil khaki wave. Tommy sat at a patio table with only a low brick planter box between him and the sidewalk. To avoid the titty bar barkers, he had crossed the street eight times in the half block from City Lights Bookstore to Enrico’s and he was a little jangled from dodging traffic. He ordered a cappuccino from a waiter who fawned over him like a mother hen, then stared in amazement when the waiter returned with a cup the size of a large soup bowl and a plate of brown crystalline cubes. â€Å"These are raw sugar cubes, honey. So much better for you than that white poison.† Tommy picked up the soup spoon and reached for a sugar cube. â€Å"No, no, no,† the waiter scolded. â€Å"We use our demitasse spoon for our cappuccino.† He pointed to a tiny spoon that rested in the saucer. â€Å"Demitasse,† Tommy repeated, feeling reckless. In Indiana the use of the word ;demitasse; was tantamount to leaping out of the closet in scandalous flames. San Francisco was a great city! A great place to be a writer! And gay guys seemed like pretty nice people, once you got past their seeming obsession with Barbra Streisand music. Tommy smiled at the waiter. â€Å"Thanks, I may need a little help with the forks.† â€Å"Is she special?† the waiter asked. â€Å"I think she’s going to break my heart.† â€Å"How exciting!† the waiter gushed. â€Å"Then we’ll make you look marvelous. Just remember, use from the outside first on the forks. The big spoon is for winding pasta. Is this your first date?† Tommy nodded. â€Å"Then order the raviolis – bite-size – no muss, no fuss. You’ll look good eating them. And order for her, the rosemary chicken with roasted bell peppers and wild mushrooms in cream sauce – a beautiful dish. Tastes horrid, but on a first date she won’t eat it anyway. You don’t have time to run home and change, do you?† The waiter looked at Tommy’s flannel shirt as if it were a foul, dead animal. â€Å"No, this is all I have clean.† â€Å"Oh well, it does have a certain Mr. Green Jeans charm, I guess.† Tommy caught a flash of red hair out of the corner of his eye and looked up to see Jody walking into the cafe. The waiter followed his gaze. â€Å"Is that her?† â€Å"Yes,† Tommy said, waving to catch her attention. She spotted him, smiled, and approached the table. Jody was dressed in a khaki skirt, a light-blue chambray blouse, light-blue leggings, and tan suede flats. She wore a woven leather belt, a green tartan scarf tied around her shoulders, silver earrings, bracelet, and necklace, and carried a suede backpack in place of her airline flight bag. The waiter, keeping his gaze fixed on Jody, bent and whispered in Tommy’s ear, â€Å"The flannel is fine, honey. I haven’t seen anyone that over-accessorized since Batman.† He stood and pulled the chair out for Jody. â€Å"Hi, we’ve been waiting for you.† Jody sat. â€Å"My name is Frederick,† the waiter said with a slight bow. â€Å"I’ll be serving you this evening.† He pinched the fabric of Jody’s scarf. â€Å"Lovely tartan, dear. Sets off your eyes. I’ll be back with some menus.† â€Å"Hi,† Jody said to Tommy. â€Å"Have you been waiting long?† â€Å"A little while, I wasn’t sure of the time. I brought you something.† He reached under the table and pulled a book out of a City Lights bag. â€Å"It’s an almanac. You said you needed one.† â€Å"That’s very sweet.† Tommy looked down and mimed an â€Å"Aw, shucks, it was nothing.† â€Å"So, do you live around here?† Jody asked. â€Å"I’m sort of looking for a place.† â€Å"Really? Have you been in town long?† â€Å"Less than a week. I came here to write. The grocery store is just a†¦ just a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Job,† Jody finished for him. â€Å"Right, just a job. What do you do?† â€Å"I used to be a claims clerk at Transamerica. I’m looking for something else, now.† Frederick appeared at the table and opened two menus in front of them. â€Å"If you don’t mind me saying,† he said, â€Å"you two are just darling together. There’s a Raggedy-Ann-and-Andy energy going between you two that is simply electric.† Frederick walked away. Jody eyed Tommy over the menu. â€Å"Have we just been insulted?† â€Å"I hear the rosemary chicken breast is wonderful,† Tommy said. How to cite Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 7, Essay examples

Business Decision Making Analysis - Assignment Highlights

Question: Discuss about the Business Decision Making Analysis. Answer: Introduction Business decision analysis for the respective assignment highlights the tools and techniques that can be used for studying the organizational design and structure of Reliance Telecommunications Limited based on the stakeholder interest. Moreover, to evaluate the social and environment costs while evaluating different decisions organization has taken in operational perspective whether in India or Global. Nevertheless, the research methodology accounts for a framework for research that needs to be undertaken in meeting the hypothesis as well as the decision-making attributes of Reliance Telecommunications Limited. Research Methodology In previous assignment, we dealt with problem of business statement nadidentification, selection and analysis of the research methods that could be preferably be advantageous for the collecting and processing of the data from the stakeholders. However, the research methodology will further analyse the decision-making system through the formulation of hypothesis while carrying out different tests in the research process. Research Tool The research onion is a technique that is recognizes on the diverse sheets of the study procedure, which can be assessed over the activities of the exploration. Nevertheless, it outlines a structure for the study proposition embraced to advance information with respect to the exploration question (DePoyGitlin, 2015). Thus, the proper investigation is chosen from the layers in the research opinion to help in studying the organization design and structure of Reliance Telecommunications Limited. Nonetheless, distinctive layers have been talked about under various heads deciding definite procedure that can go about as an arrangement of movement in the authoritative conduct sort of exploration managing in various settings. Figure 1: Research Onion Source:(Johnston, 2014) Research Paradigm The research onion is a device that recognizes the diverse sheets of the study procedure, which can be assessed over the activities of the assessment. Nevertheless, it outlines a structure for the paradigm embraces to answer the thinking as well as practice undertaken in the organization. Thus, the proper exploration is chosen from the layers of the research onion to help with advancing study with different tool used in the paradigm (ZhouNunes, 2015). However, two types of research paradigm are studied. One is ontology in which is thinking based on real facts aligned with the behaviour of the people. However, the other research is epistemology in which the facts are considered with the knowledge and information affiliated with those facts (Goertz Mahoney, 2012). Nonetheless, distinctive layers have been talked about under various heads deciding definite procedure that can go about as an arrangement of movement in the authoritative conduct sort of exploration managing in various settings. Justification for Epistemology Paradigm The epistemology research paradigm has been undertaken to study the facts that are already prevalent in the reports of Reliance Telecommunications Limited and use the same set of ideas to test using the stakeholder interest. However, the study undertaken applies to the organization structure and design of Reliance Telecommunications Limited based on the objective nature of the research. Research Philosophy The first sheet of research onion constitutes to think about the physical positions and in addition philosophes with a watchful eye to define the structure and direction of the study. In any case, the choices of research philosophies are predominant on the breaking down the information and data. There are six philosophical theories that are administered in the exploration. They are objectivism, pragmatism, constructivism, interpretivism,positivism and realism (Gray, 2013). On the off chance, that objectivism manages the law that influences a gathering of people such, that social variables differ from social phenomenon. Although,constructivism is inverse to objectivism where social variables are independent of social phenomenon. The amalgamation of the two is known aspragmatismwhereas realism approach manages the social reality that recognizes two social substances from each other with the end goal that they are autonomous from each other (Bunge, 2012). Then again, positivism as well as realism are quite similar because hypothesisneeds to be generated and using that makes a group of exploration which will being out valid as well as reliable results. Lastly, interpretivism is a qualitative methodology as it includes support of individuals analysing the meaningful ideas the pe ople regarding the research (Goldkuhl, 2012). Justification for Positivism Philosophy The positivism philosophy has been taken because the analysis of the various decisions cannot be based on the subjective knowledge because objective knowledge will help in evaluating the physicalenvironment and the way it has contributed to the internal and external structure and design of Reliance Telecommunication Limited whether through stakeholder interest or the business decisions. Research Approach The second sheet of research onion constitutes to think about undertaking a decision based on the goals that the research has set to evaluate. However, the research approach can be explainedbased on two approaches one is deductive and the other is inductive. Deductive involves setting a level to meet the research using research hypothesis whereas inductive approach devises the explanation of the theory using analysis to subjugate a theory based on research questions (Hitchcock, 2012). Justification for Deductive Approach The deductive approach opts to be suitable for the research, as it will be based on evaluating the hypothesis testing and the way the research had been undertaken in forming departments, various controls, authoritative nature that has helped in undertaking various business decisions in the long run. Research Design The research design is the second sheet of the research onion in which three forms of designs are mapped in the research. They are exploratory, descriptive and causal research. The exploratory design is discovering ideas and insights using the existing knowledge of the research. This research is flexible yet is considered the front end of total research design. On the other hand, the descriptive designcan be based on the characteristics as well as functions of the study. Although, this design is for large sample but is analysed quantitatively used surveys and observation of other data. The third design is causal design in nature as it helps in determining the experiments that can helps in manipulation of one or more independent variables (Younus, 2014). Justification for Descriptive Design The descriptive design is considered because the business decision analysis needs to be evaluated using business decisions undertaken in formulating vertical plan and being operation to customers through telecommunication service. Although, the design of analytical tool taken will be quantitative but new insights can also be drawn for repetitive process of optimizing design that could be acceptable in the market (Brandimarte, 2012). Analytical Tools/ Strategies The analytical tools in the business decision are the mainstay of the analysis that the organizations undertaken in understanding the workflow processes employee efficiency as well as financial management (Camm, et al., 2015). However, the tools that turn to be significant in the study are simulation, decision tree, trend chart, financial projections as well as benchmarking. The tools are performed by the organizations to depict the performance of the organization in relative to its competitors and the different opportunities that are presented in front of the organization. If decision tree on one hand is used to determine the potential outcomes then simulation, on the other hand, records the characteristics of the abstract system as well as physical process. Trend charts is to display data over time and financial projection is to depict how fast investments can be bring in as profit (Bordawekar, BlaineyPuri, 2015). Justification for Decision Tree The justification for choosing decision tree as a tool is because it helps in applying the basic consequences whether outcomes, utility or resource costs. Moreover, to analyse the operations of any organization whether domestic or international, it is important to map out the thought process of the organization. However, in this case, we will analyse the different projects undertaken in to study the growth of organization structure and design of Reliance Telecommunications Limited. Figure 2: Decision Analysis Tree Source:(RokachMaimon, 2014) Research Methods The research onion has fourth sheet as research method which depicts that whether the research undertaken will be qualitative, quantitative or mixed research. This sheet incorporates the model to highlight the real plan in gathering information. Qualitative study depends on individual records, feelings and depictions while quantitativestudy depends on the records and is worried with estimations and amount (Anderson, et al., 2012). Nonetheless, mixed is a blended strategy takes both subjective and quantitative study in consideration. Justification for Quantitative Method The quantitative method in this study is taken for two purposes first is that the business decision tree is quantitative in nature and will help in investigating on the operation decisions in the research. Secondly, the research needs to be evaluated to study whether the decisions taken had been fruitful in growth of organizational structure and design or not based on the stakeholder interest. The stakeholder will be evaluated based on the survey questionnaire using different case studies based on the decisions or could have been taken in case of Reliance Telecommunications Limited. Time Horizons The research onion fifth sheet is the time horizon that studies the time taken to carry out the study. The time taken for the research can be either short or long. However, the two time horizons are cross section study and longitudinal study. The cross sectional study is for short duration and is carried out once and represent of one period of time whereas longitudinal study is repeated over and over again and that is it is of long duration analysing the cause and effect relationship (Mann,2012). Justification for Longitudinal Study The longitudinal study is taken in the case of Reliance Telecommunications Limited because the business decisions needs to be analysed over a period and the questionnaire undertaken for the research is based on the stakeholders. As a result, the organization has evolved and for proper analysis of cause and effect, the duration of the study will be long. Data Collection Methods The data collection technique determines the method thatcan be founded on essential information or secondary information relying upon the reason for the study. The information gathered efficiently characterizes the basic aid in arranging the procedure of the study as well as formulates the decision-making process (Albright Winston, 2014). The essential information is gathered from primary data and is gathered with mixed results, as the researcher cannot be bias. In spite of the fact that, the primary information gathered is unique as well as time taking but it helps inconducting the study for future purposes. On the other hand, when it comes to secondary data collection method it warrants the use of newspaper and magazine articles, books, case studies, decisions taken in past regarding the topic, diaries, books and other sources of material (Hammond Wellington, 2012). The validity and reliability of the examination creates learning in the business decision-making process. Justification for Primary as well Secondary Data Collection Method Both data collection methodhas been considered because when it comes to decision analysis, the research needs to be advocated from the information available from the operations of Reliance Telecommunications Limited. However, when it comes to analysis of those decisions then primary data analysis will be considered on the stakeholders of the organization. Sampling Size and Technique The sampling method is the basis of any research as it helps in analysing the group and the number of respondents and the way they will be selected from the population (Fowler Jr, 2013). Nevertheless, the sampling method is of two types one is probability sampling and the other is non-probability sampling method. In this case, random probability sampling will be considered because the stakeholder (customers, debtors, creditors, suppliers, manufacturers, shareholders as well as owners) need to be of Reliance Telecommunications Limited as they would be the one who would be proper knowledge in regards to the organizations whereabouts. Even more, the sampling method undertaken will accompany the responses of 125-150 sample. The large sample taken will give valid results and the operations as well as business decisions could be evaluated on the business tree. Data Analysis Plan According to the study, the data analysis plan is based on quantitative method based on primary and secondary data collection method. The primary data collection method will be used on questionnaire method where Likert Scale would be followed and will have values from Strongly Agree = 5 to Strongly Disagree = 1 (Zikmund, et al., 2013). The questionnaire will be of case studies from the Reliance Telecommunications Limited analysing the scenario of organizational structure and design. However, this method will gather responses and new insights could be drawn to the business decisions taken until now. On the other hand, the business tree from the business analytical tool will accompany all the decisions undertaken from departments, enterprise services, controls and division of labour undertaken in the organization. The business tree will not only evaluate organizations decisions but also will help in analysing the different practices undertaken by the company representative of model integration and internal quality management (Wiegers Beatty, 2013). The hypothesis generated for the research is given as: H0 (Null Hypothesis): Business decisions taken has no impact on the organization structure and design while maintaining stakeholder interest of Reliance Telecommunications Limited. H1 (Alternate Hypothesis): Business decisions taken have an impact on the organization structure and design while maintaining stakeholder interest of Reliance Telecommunications Limited. The results analysed from both questionnaire and business decision analytical tool will be compared to see the efficiency of organization in maintaining stakeholder interest as well as structure and design of the organization. The quantitative results will be analysed on Excel using regression, descriptive statistics as well as ANOVA to bring uniformity in the results (Evans, 2013). Accessibility and Ethical Issues The accessibility issues highlights the efficiency of facing information on the grounds of the desired sample. The questionnaire will be sent to all stakeholders through direct email by the organization. However, from the population, only 125-150 sample needs to be taken. Conversely, the issues remains that being decision on organizational structure and design, it is important that questionnaire should be send to loyal customers where there is uncertainty that someone else would be solving the questionnaire. Moreover, as the questionnaire is not taken face to face, there is high possibility of risk in running out of time and cost. Nonetheless, all unethical acts like hacking, using illegal means of getting information were avoided such that all the analysis of business decisions were kept unharmed to maintain integrity and truthfulness of the results. Moreover, the direct mail send to stakeholders were not forced to fill the questionnaire rather they were given a choice whether they wish to submit it or not (Weiss, 2014). Research Limitations The research limitations of the research can be highlighted through the following. Firstly, the research can had also followed qualitative method following face-to-face interviews from the top management to get to know the depth of the problem. Other decision-making tools like financial projections as well as trend charts could have been considered to evaluate the profit of the organization over a period of years. Conclusion To conclude, it can be said that the research methodology constitutes to be a significant part of the study to analyse the process. The research methodology is an amalgamation of research techniques used in research as well as analytical tools used in business decision analysis. However, the research carried is on primary as well as secondary data followed on the grounds of quantitative research method. Conversely, all the ethical as well as accessibility issues have been kept in mind while undertaking the research on stakeholders. Moreover, the business decision analysis taken will keep the decisions intact while maintain the integrity of the organization. Hence, hypothesis generated will helps in carrying out the results using the framework of research methodology. References Albright, S., Winston, W. L. (2014). Business Analytics: Data Analysis Decision Making. Nelson Education. Anderson, D., Sweeney, D., Williams, T., Camm, J., Cochran, J. (2012). Quantitative methods for business. Cengage Learning. Bordawekar, R., Blainey, B., Puri, R. (2015). AnalyzingAnalytics.Synthesis Lectures on Computer Architecture,10(4), 1-124. Brandimarte, P. (2012). Quantitative methods: An introduction for business management. John Wiley Sons (this book is available in EBSCO Library). Bunge, M. (2012).Evaluating philosophies(Vol. 295). Springer Science Business Media. Camm, J. D., Cochran, J. J., Fry, M. J., Ohlmann, J. W., Anderson, D. R., Sweeney, D. J., Williams, T. A. (2015). Essentials of Business Analytics. Cengage Learning. DePoy, E., Gitlin, L. N. (2015).Introduction to research: Understanding and applying multiple strategies. Elsevier Health Sciences. Evans, A. N. (2013).Using basic statistics in the behavioral and social sciences. Sage Publications. Fowler Jr, F. J. (2013).Survey research methods. Sage publications. Goertz, G., Mahoney, J. (2012). Concepts and measurement: Ontology and epistemology.Social Science Information,51(2), 205-216. Goldkuhl, G. (2012). Pragmatism vs interpretivism in qualitative information systems research.European Journal of Information Systems,21(2), 135-146. Gray, D. E. (2013).Doing research in the real world. Sage. Hammond, M., Wellington, J. (2012).Research methods: The key concepts. Routledge. Hitchcock, D. (2012). Deductive and inductive: Types of validity, not types of argument.Informal Logic,2(3). Johnston, A. (2014). Rigour in research: theory in the research approach.European Business Review,26(3), 206-217. Mann, C. J. (2012). Observational research methodsCohort studies, cross sectional studies, and casecontrol studies.African Journal of Emergency Medicine,2(1), 38-46. Rokach, L., Maimon, O. (2014).Data mining with decision trees: theory and applications. World scientific. Weiss, J. W. (2014).Business ethics: A stakeholder and issues management approach. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Wiegers, K., Beatty, J. (2013).Software requirements. Pearson Education. Younus, M. A. F. (2014). Research Methodology. InVulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in Bangladesh(pp. 35-76). Springer Netherlands. Zhou, L., Nunes, J. M. B. (2015). Research Paradigm and Methodology. InKnowledge Sharing in Chinese Hospitals(pp. 39-52). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Zikmund, W. G., Babin, B. J., Carr, J. C., Griffin, M. (2013).Business research methods. Cengage Learning.

Obstacles in the Society to Accept the Change

Introduction Many societies are changing at a very high rate in the modern world. This has been triggered by the increasing rate of globalization, which has transformed the world into a global village. The changes taking place in the society has also been triggered by the improvement in the level of technology. Due to these developments, different societies have become more integrated hence triggering the change process.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Obstacles in the Society to Accept the Change specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Despite of this integration, there still remain many factors that have been hindering the change process in the society. In Saudi Arabia, change has been taking place at a slow rate due to the obstacles that tends to discourage people from accepting change. Social change significantly depends on the will of individuals to accept change. Although some people accept change easily, it has been discovered that something inside them will always tempt them to reject change. Over the past years, several studies have been conducted on change taking place in the society. However, little attention has been paid as to why people reject change. People tend to oppose change rather than the change process. People may be willing to undergo the change process but they reject change. Discussion The rate at which the society accommodates change is determined by how the people are receptive to change. Since changes in society come along with transformations of the existing systems, members of the society do not easily accept change. People will always be reluctant to leave their original way of life. Over the world history, it has been observed that many changes in the society have taken place through dictates of the government. Majority of people are not always ready to accept change naively. In other words, change in many societies has been faced by a number of obstacles t hat has resulted in an extremely slow rate of change. In some cases, a small group of elites may induce change in the society that comes along with cultural innovation. Gender Factors One of the major obstacles that are posing a significant barrier to change in Saudi is the gender inequality. Gender inequality is one of the major obstacles that have been hindering change in many societies. For instance, majority of the Saudis are still clinging on the misconception that men and women should not work side by side.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Many men in Saudi Arabia, for instance, could not be satisfied by being interviewed by a woman (Butters, 2009). This is because women are looked down upon by a significant section of the society. Many people are still convinced that women are incapable and that they should not be given critical positions in the society. This pose s a major barrier to change in Saudi Arabia. Most of men in Saudi Arabia, for instance, are surprised to see a woman holding a position of authority (Butters, 2009). Such people pose a major barrier to changes in the society because they tend to be conservative. They are irritated by any slight change in the society. Although women are gradually getting to top positions in the society, this is taking place at a very slow pace. The rights of women and men still remain significantly different. For instance, the few women who are managers of Shura do not have equal voting rights with their fellow men (Butters, 2009). Therefore, their chance to make contributions and views is limited. Cultural Factors Naturally, man is suspicious and tends to refrain from adopting new things like technology, beliefs, relationships, methods, systems or behavior (Sharma, 1997). People will therefore tend to conserve their old ways of life, customs, and traditions. They can only accept change if they are a dequately educated on the need for change in order to convince them on the importance of such changes to the society. Although they are sometimes convinced to accept the change process, they may be reluctant to accept change. Culture is one of the strongest forces that direct people’s behavior in the society. People are usually directed by their cultural arrangements in their day to day activities. Cultural aspects are difficult to change especially in the society that is led by ethnocentrism, that is, the society where people believes that their culture is superior to others. The people tend to uphold their values and superiority of their culture. In such a community, it becomes very difficult to facilitate change.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Obstacles in the Society to Accept the Change specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In Saudi Arabia, culture is the major factor that is posing a foremost b arrier to changes in the society. Saudis usually tend to conserve their traditional ways of life. They are determined to retain their existing beliefs and customs. People are also determined to retain their religious beliefs. As a result, significant changes in the society have been blocked. As a result of deep cultural entrenchment, people restrains from trying new things in order to avoid losing their face. Therefore, people are determined to follow the existing arrangements in order to avoid any kind of embarrassment that can result in them losing face. Closely related to cultural factors are people’s values. Most people in the society are usually led by prejudice in judging change. Majority use their already internalized traditions in judging the outcomes. In Saudi, people’s values have posed a major obstacle to the social change. In this case, even when the change is advantageous to the entire society, people are always seeing the negative side of it. For instance , instead of seeing the development contributions that will be achieved by empowering women, men are forced to believe that empowering women is undermining men. In this case, their decisions are led by prejudice rather than fairness. Traditionalism convinces the people to believe that everything that takes place in the society is the will of supernatural powers and that it cannot be changed. This conviction has posed a major barrier to the social change (Tarnate, 2011). Through such convictions, people are forced to believe that the existing arrangements cannot be changed by human effort. This belief has obstructed the change in the Saudi Arabian society. Through traditionalism, many people are forced to believe that they cannot facilitate change in the organisation. For example, many women are convinced that they don’t have the capability to get equal rights with the men. This has undermined the change process in Saudi. Cultural backgrounds pose a major obstruction to change in the Saudi Arabia society. Culture is one of the main factors that have a strong influence in the society. It is a powerful determinant of the social change.Advertising Looking for research paper on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Most Saudi Arabian rulers are using religion as an excuse for the slow pace of the social change in Saudi Arabia (Butters, 2009). For instance, most religious views are denying women the opportunity to attain opportunities equal to those enjoyed by men. This has been a mentality passed from one generation to another. The above discussion has clearly revealed that culture plays a pivotal role in obstructing change in the society. In order for change to take place effectively, society must be ready to renew its cultural aspects. Similarly, there is a need for culture change in Saudi in order to promote social change in the country. However, cultural changes in the society usually take place slowly. According to Sharma (1997), cultural change usually begins by a small fraction of the society realizing that they are unable to meet certain cultural expectations. Change in a certain cultural background can be effected through a number of ways. First, a group or an individual who has been adversely affected by a certain stress builds an idealized image of a culture goal that usually contrasts the existing arrangements (Foley, 2010). The individual then communicates the idea to others especially those who are adversely affected by the situation. For instance, this may be a certain marginalized group in the society where the social arrangements and requirements may be too demanding for them. In Saudi, women are one of the marginalized groups in the society. Women are denied equal opportunities with men. This have put pressure in a certain fraction especially the educated women who has been denied opportunities because of their gender. This has resulted in gender equality movements whose main aim is to promote gender equity. The most affected group has been communicating to others to advocate for change. However, this is taking place at very slow rate in Saudi Arabia (Butters, 2009). Once communication takes place, a group advocating for change in the society organizes itself and attracts the people who are converted to accept the new ideas. In case the organized group gets adequate support from the society, the change is then implemented effectively. However, this is not always the case. When the organized change in culture is rejected significantly, culture transfer takes place instead. In Saudi Arabia, lack of support from the society is the major factor that is undermining change. Although various groups like women movements are organized to promote change in Saudi Arabia, the process usually fails due to lack of adequate support. Therefore, change in Saudi has been taking place at an extremely slow rate. Social Factors In Saudi, the society has been dominated by conservatism. This has characterized many institutions; the fact that has obstructed the change process. Some social arrangements are opposing to the change process. In Saudi, people are grouped into two groups, the ruling class and the working class. This system has to some extent be en denying people democracy. Therefore, these arrangements must be restructured in order to promote change in the society. Political Factors Political barrier is another form of barriers that are hindering change in Saudi. These involve institutions like the forms of state, politics, power, and the nature of government (Haddad and Esposito, 1998). For instance, the Saudi Arabia government has been acting very slowly to the issue of gender inequality. The government has not effectively dealt with the issue of gender inequality. Although women can now access powerful positions, they are denied equal powers with their fellow men in the same level. Some forms of politics are hindering the change process. For the society to experience change, these institutions must be changed. Economic Factors Economic factors are another category of obstacles that pose a major challenge to social change in Saudi Arabia. Unemployment and poverty are the key factors that hinder the change in the society. In Saudi, the rich and the capitalists are a major obstacle to change. In most cases, this group has the fear that any change in the society will undermine their interests. Therefore, such people will always defend the existing systems because they are beneficial to them. In order to eliminate this problem, the government must be in a position to promote equality among the people by promoting equal access to economic resources. The government must also promote education for all the people. This will promote equality among the people. Problems in communication are also another possible factor that hinders change within the society. This has to do with the language. For instance, words or phrases that mean good in one society may have an opposite meaning in another. Difference in perception is also another factor that has hindered change in the Saudi Arabian society. Different people are led by unique perceptions. In this case, it becomes very difficult for such people to reach to a consensus. Differences in perceptions have also led to incompatibility of the domestic values with the foreign values. In Saudi Arabia, people have their unique perceptions that significantly determine their actions. Therefore, the process of change has been very slow. People are not easily receptive to foreign values because they have their own perceptions. For instance, people tend to strictly resist foreign values that oppose their perceptions. Promoting change in Saudi Arabia Despite of the many factors that has been hindering change in Saudi Arabia, several measures has been undertaken in order to promote change in the country. For instance, the government is encouraging change by expanding education availability to both men and women. The government has also been organizing programs to protect the women and children from domestic abuse. The human right activists and feminists in Saudi Arabia are also promoting change although at a very slow rate. In order to promote the necess ary change in Saudi’s society, it is important to educate the society on the need for adopting new arrangements. For instance, people can be advised on the importance of promoting equal gender opportunities in order to optimize on social benefits. Such efforts will promote cultural changes in the Saudi’s society. Conclusion This discussion has clearly revealed the obstacles that face the Saudi’s society to accept change. One of the major factors that are obstructing change in the society is culture. People are not ready to accept the new technologies, customs, and beliefs that tend to go against the existing arrangements. This has significantly undermined change in the Saudi’s society. This discussion has also revealed that the society will always tend to retain the existing traditions and customs. These perceptions in Saudi have significantly undermined changes in the society. Although some changes are taking place gradually in the society, they are taki ng place at a very slow rate. However, change can be promoted by educating the people on the need for change in the society. This will help them to realize the importance of replacing the new systems, traditions, and other cultural aspects with the new ones. Reference List Butters, A. (2009). Saudi’s Small Steps. The International South Pacific Edition, 174 (15), 22. Foley, S. (2010). Gender and Social Change in the Twenty-First Century Gulf. Web. Haddad, Y. and Esposito, J. (1998). Islam, Gender, Social Change. New York: Oxford University Press. Sharma, R.K. (1997). Social Changes and Social Control. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers Dist. Tarnate, J.L. (2011). Stimulants and Barriers of Social Change. Web. This research paper on Obstacles in the Society to Accept the Change was written and submitted by user Sonia Whitney to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.