Thursday, October 31, 2019
The True Face of Jordan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
The True Face of Jordan - Essay Example When these factions have become dissatisfied with their economic situation, their expanded access to political participation has been designed to steer them away from a demand for regime change. Further complicating the regime's balancing act has been Jordan's relationship with the U.S., which has benefited the country from a global economic standpoint but has been domestically swept under the proverbial rug. The potential for close cooperation with the U.S. such as in the areas of trade and military cooperation to upset the populace within Jordan and cause political upheaval is substantial. Ultimately, the true face of Jordan has been that of a politically precarious regime that has been teetering on the brink of popular unrest due to economic and political policies of the government that have been necessary to ensure its survival. Jordan's emergence onto the ... The process, known as "managed liberalization," was geared toward creating "an environment amenable to economic reform" (Cunningham, para 21). These steps included a revival of Parliament and restoration of national elections. "Jordan's political liberalization process has included a variety of elements including: the holding of regular and generally free parliamentary elections in 1989, 1993, and 1997; the institutionalization of the National Charter in 1991 which was authored by a broad-based coalition of societal and official actors; and the elimination of martial law by the early 1990s and the legalization of political parties" (par. 22). Other measures included more freedom of the press, increased freedom of expression, and greater freedom for Jordanians to engage in political activities" (Greenwood, par. 21). The tumultuous atmosphere of popular dissent in the country, brought on by the poor economy and the end of government subsidies on certain staples such as bread and fuel, required the government to ease the unrest by making such a serious attempt at political reform (Brand 5). Thus, the decision to pursue a more liberal system in Jordan was driven by a shrewd political calculation that popular discontent with the state of affairs in the country would be channeled away from the regime by taking such steps. The evolution of this liberalization process, marked by periodic tightening and loosening of the monarchy's grip, would continue to be governed more by these calculations focused on how best to preserve the king's hold on power rather than on any real dedication to the merits of political reform and democracy. "The Jordanian government's
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Journal # 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Journal # 2 - Essay Example She is also involved in in hiring new staff, grant writing and policy making for these programs. During our meeting on Thursday, My preceptor shared that she just received a message from her boss and the director from the IT department asking her to inform the her department staff members not to send email with clientââ¬â¢s names because of security issues that they were currently resolving. So she informed everyone concerned and then later during the day they collectively decided to communicate on paper with regards to anything that involved client information temporarily. Then by 2pm the IT people called to tell her it was okay to send information relate to client through email again. I fould the situation quite confusing but still managed to learn a great deal from the experience. We also discussed the project and she request that I review EPDS score for old discharge clients from the family case management program to see how the case managers follow-up with the mothers who hav e a high depression score. And then I could research the literature on EPDS screening and present it the staff members. Focus on role development: A reflection upon the MSN role your preceptor is modeling and how you see yourself transitioning to a MSN role, based on your observations. What would you do differently than your preceptor? What strengths do you observe in your preceptor that you fell you need to develop? I observed my preceptor playing a important role as a go between for upper management and the front line managers. I noticed how she kept a neutral position in communicating with her subordinate leaders and how she dupported all the staff members as they expressed their frustrations relating to being unable to send emails with client information. Without having the experience as my preceptor has in leadership and in the
Sunday, October 27, 2019
History of the Gun
History of the Gun The gun is a very unique piece of work that has all kinds of uses. The Chinese invented the gun many years ago. Since the gun has been invented it has improved tremendously and is still advancing this day. When was the gun invented? The first gun was invented in the year 1232. This invention was introduced after the invention of black powder was discovered. ââ¬Å"Gunpowder is an explosive mixture of 15% charcoal, 10% sulfur, and 75% potassium nitrate, or saltpeter.â⬠1 Gunpowder was used for fireworks that was fired out of bamboo sticks during the ninth century. The bamboo stick was also used as the first gun, they were not very productive because they were so brittle, but they were used to try to stop the Mongol invaders. ââ¬Å"Europeans obtained gunpowder in the thirteenth century.â⬠2 The Europeans took the recipe to this mixture and was going to enhance the gun severely. The first type of firearm invented by the Europeans was the cannon; the cannon was used to siege the defenders in the castle walls. The cannonballs fired from the cannons would crumble the castle walls leading to the end of feudalism. The first siege that the Europeans conquered was the siege of Metz in the year 1324. ââ¬Å"Cannons were very effective weapons in a siege, but soldiers soon wanted guns they could carry. At first, simple ââ¬Å"hand gonnesâ⬠were used side-by-side with traditional weapons such as crossbows, pikes, and lances. The development of small arms quickly changed how military battles were fought.â⬠3 The knights that fought on the front line of the military were soon defeated when the gun was invented. The armor could withstand swords, spears and lances, but when a bullet was shot it pierced through the armor making it defenseless against the gun. When the full armor body suits were put away the helmets and the breastplates were introduced. The breastplates were made out of very hard steel and could withstand a straight shot from a bullet. This invention gave each side a chance to survive from a gunshot. Starting around the 1400s blacksmiths began inventing more and easier ways to operate a gun. The first invention that simplified the gun was the matchlock gun. A wick was attached to a clamp that released into a chamber full of gunpowder. This cut reload time down a little but not much. During the 15th and 16th century the only thing that changed on the gun was the way they produced a spark to fire. The 18th century rolled around and a percussion cap gun was invented. The percussion cap gun was invented by a man named Reverend John Forsyth. ââ¬Å"firing mechanism no longer uses flash pan, a tube lead straight into the gun barrel, the tube had an exposed cap on it that exploded when struckâ⬠4 During the 18th century there were all sorts of guns invented. Guns ranging from revolvers and center firing guns all the way to shotguns and rifles. The automatic gun was even invented in the 18th century. During the 19th century a new gun was invented: the new gun was an automatic and it was a Winchester. The Winchester automatic rifle was invented during the year 1903. More rifles were invented during the 19th century and the more they were invented the more sophisticated and enhanced they became. Guns anywhere from the Tommy gun to the Assault rifle. When these guns were invented they were able to kill lots of people in a short period of time. The time it takes to reload a gun today verses the time it took 3 centuries ago has changed dramatically. Centuries ago it took almost two minutes to reload and fire a gun. Today you can shoot up to a thousand rounds a minute. Mankind has invented guns so that they can be used to kill people in mass numbers. When ships were introduced to guns they took advantage of opportunity to use them. Sailors could use guns to rob other boats and take over villages and tribes. Even though the people that lived in the tribe would outnumber the people on the boat, they could be conquered by something that they have never seen before in their life. Why were guns invented? ââ¬Å"Guns were invented not for protection against the elements or for sport or for hunting but with the simple purpose to fight other men.â⬠5 There was a man named Samuel Colt that quoted the phrase: ââ¬Å"God made man. Samuel Colt made them equalâ⬠6,this is said to be true because of what Samuel Colt invented. Samuel Colt invented the revolver, which is still used in todays society in some countries. With the idea that the gun was invented to fight other men the world has turned into a war. Everywhere that you turn and look you will see someone with a gun or is being robbed by someone with a gun. Some people that own guns dont think before they act. This is why there are so many murders with guns. Everyone in the military has a gun issued to them. Most of the military carry machine guns with them into combat for the simple reason that the machine gun can fire rapid fire for a long period of time. All you have to do with a machine gun is keep it cool and keep the gun lo aded at all times and shooting will never stop. The man who invented the machine gun is Doctor Richard Gatling. ââ¬Å"Doctor Richard Gatling patented his design of the ââ¬Å"Gatling Gunâ⬠, a six-barreled weapon capable of firing a (then) phenomenal 200 rounds per minute.â⬠7 The Gatling gun was invented in the year 1861. During the year 1885 The Maxim Machine Gun was invented. Years later the Tommy gun was invented. ââ¬Å"The Thompson submachine gun or Tommy gun was invented by General John T. Thompson, it was the first hand held machine gun. Thompson was driven with the thought of creating a hand held machine gun that would help end the First World War, However, ââ¬Å"the first shipment of prototype guns destined for Europe arrived at the docks in New York city on November 11, 1918, the day the war ended.â⬠8 New and Improved Guns The guns of the 20th century are amazing. They have guns that can see around corners and guns that tell you how far your target is away from you. The equipment that mankind has come up with is far more advanced than anyone has ever thought. We now have radars that can see where you are at night. The infrared radar system has let us see things at night. This helps the military find the enemy in tough weather such as rain or snow, but the infrared radar has one downfall. The radar system cannot see anything submerged in water. Next we have the smart bullet, the smart bullet can follow your every turn, and you cant hide from it. The distance that the bullet can travel depends on where the target is. ââ¬Å"According to recently declassified research by the Department of Defense, the new bullets will allow snipers to hit targets several kilometers away.â⬠9 The smart bullet travels at Mach 3. The reason that this bullet can maneuver like it does is because it have a ball joint that c onnects the nose of the bullet to the casing. ââ¬Å"The nose can move by up to 0.1 degrees in any direction.â⬠10 The gun that this bullet comes out of has to be very powerful to make this bullet travel the distance it does. The military is going from guns to chemical warfare now. Chemical warfare is very dangerous to use because it spreads and doesnt stop and is hard to control. ââ¬Å"Chemical warfare is warfare (and associated military operations) using the toxic properties of chemical substances to kill, injure, or incapacitate an enemy.â⬠11 Chemical weapons are and can be very dangerous and have been used since the 1900s. The way that you use to tell how chemicals were surrounding you was by smell, by the time u smelled the gas you were dead, you had no chance of living. The chemical warfare today has improved its detection. The way that you can tell the chemicals are around you now are by chemical strips, laser detection, alarms, and blister agent detectors. There ar e three schedules of chemical weapons that can be used for warfare. The first schedule has little use. This schedule is mainly for medical research and pharmaceutical use. ââ¬Å"Examples include nerve agents, ricin, lewisite, and mustard gas.â⬠12 The second schedule has no big industrial uses but is used legitimately for small uses. ââ¬Å"Examples include dimethyl methylphosphonate, a precursor to sarin but also used as a flame retardant and thiodiglycol, a precursor in the manufacture of mustard gas but also widely used as a solvent in inks.â⬠13 The last scheduled substance has large-scale industrial uses. ââ¬Å"Examples include phosgene and chloropicrin.â⬠14 Both of these chemicals have been in use when it comes to chemical warfare. The substance phosgene is used in the production of plastic. The chemical Chloropicrin is used as a fumigant. If both of these plants produce up to 30 tons a year they have to be reported to The Organization for the Prohibition of Che mical Weapons, (OPCW). Guns have taken a very big toll on the 20th century population. The improvement of guns will never stop and will keep on getting more sophisticated. History is always in the making and history is always repeating itself, so keep up with time or it will leave you standing alone! Notes 1. Thomas Gale. Bookrags.com The Invention of Guns. Science and Its Times: 700-1449. (Background) 1st paragraph, 1st sentence. 2. Bookrags.com (Background) 2nd paragraph, 1st sentence. 3. Bookrags.com (Impact) 2nd paragraph, 1st 3 sentences. 4. Mary Bellis, About.com. History of Firearms. (Timeline), Year 1825. 2nd part of sentence. 5. Blurtit. Why Were Guns Invented? 1st paragraph, Last sentence. 6. Blurtit. 1st paragraph, 2nd sentence. 7. Mary Bellis, About.com. The History of Guns Rifles and Machine Guns. (Machine Guns- Gatling Gun-1861) 1st sentence. 8. (Machine Guns- Thompson Submachine Gun Tommy Gun) 1st 2 sentences. 9. Justin Mullins-New Scientist. Sniper Country.com. 1st paragraph. 2nd sentence. 10. Sniper Country.com. 3rd paragraph, Last sentence. 11. New World Encyclopedia. Chemical Warfare. 1st paragraph, 1st sentence. 12. New World Encyclopedia. (Three groups of chemical weapons Schedule 1 substances). 3rd sentence. 13. New World Encyclopedia. (Three groups of chemical weapons Schedule 2 substances). 2nd sentence. 14. New World Encyclopedia. (Three groups of chemical weapons Schedule 3 substances). 2nd sentence. Bibliography Blurtit. Why Were Guns Invented? The New York Times Company. Revised 2009. November 11 2009. http://inventors.about.com/od/militaryhistoryinventions/a/firearms.htm CALVO, SHERRI CHASIN. The Invention of Guns. 2005. November 11 2009. . Mullins, Justin New Scientist. ââ¬Å"You can run, but you cant hideâ⬠.[Archive: 12 April 1997] November 11 2009 http://www.snipercountry.com/Articles/SmartBullets.asp Chemical warfare. New World Encyclopedia. 14 Jan 2009, 19:22 UTC. 18 Nov 2009, 07:21 .
Friday, October 25, 2019
The Health Insurance Crisis in America Essay -- Public Policiy Issues
Health insurance comes as second nature to many of us. We grab that blue and white card and put it in our wallet and forget about it until we are sick or injured. When this happens, there it is, cushioning our fall like the extra padding it provided to cushion our wallets. This is not the case with everyone, however. Many Americans have no cushion to fall back on, no blue and white card to show the emergency room when they have an unexpected health concern. No HMO with a convenient co-pay amount when their son or daughter develops an ear infection. Medicine and other health services are expensive without these important conveniences that many people lack. These people have been ââ¬Å"falling through the cracksâ⬠in U.S. health care system for years, leaving many citizens wondering: why would our country do this to us? Our great and powerful nation, the United States, a country that much of the world views as the most highly developed nation in the world, is the only industrialized country that does not provide its citizens with universal health care, according to a report by the National Rural Health Association (NRHA 1). Being that we are a capitalist economy, perhaps the government feels it is the duty of the people to make sure they are taken care of. This makes sense, doesnââ¬â¢t it? We are all smart individuals; we can make decisions and take action for ourselves. But what can the individuals do when the cost of insurance and health care is too high for them to handle? In the United States, the answer is nothing. A 2002 census published by the Public Information office showed that there are 41.2 million Americans who do not have health insurance (Bergman). That amounts to a startling 14.6 percent of the population, up from... ...ently, without expensive health insurance, Americans are in a bind. If they cannot afford health insurance, they surely cannot afford the medical bills that will fall upon them should they need to be hospitalized. Every other country in the world that is on the same level as America industrially and developmentally offers universal health care to its citizens. Some Americans are worried about the rise in taxes if the government offers guaranteed care to everyone. The insurance companies will suffer, as well. But the sacrifice is more than worth it. America was founded on the basis of freedom for all. Shouldnââ¬â¢t we all, regardless of income, be free to enjoy as many years of health as we deserve? Sources Cited National Rural Health Association http://www.apa.org/rural/report99.html Lardie, Diane Universal Healthcare Action Network http://www.uhcan.org/
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Truancy
Topic 3 Truancyà is any intentional unauthorized or illegal absence fromà compulsory schooling. In Malaysia truancy problem is a phenomenon among primary and secondary school students. According to Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, reported in The News Strait Times article entitled ââ¬Å"Study on truancy ââ¬â Education Ministryâ⬠dated January, 17 2012, ââ¬Å"A total of 110,218 students were involved in disciplinary problems. Of that figure, 72,873 were from secondary level and 37,345 from primary schools,â⬠students were involved in disciplinary problems are rising.Reported in The News Strait Times a survey conducted by the ministry, 58. 85 per cent of truancy cases last year involved students in rural areas, as compared with 41. 15 per cent in cities. In my opinion, actions that should be imposed by the Ministry of Education to solve the problem of truancy among Malaysian school students are improve the academic approach, law enforcement authorities and organize talk or ca mpaign. First, Ministry of Education should improve the academic approach. This can be done by increasing compulsory activities such as academic and semi-academic co-curriculum in schools.Ministry of Education can improve by changing the teaching techniques such as gaming and simulation, drama, role playing and use of technology and instructional resources. Teaching with difference technique can attract students and they will not feel bored on their study. Second, authorities should enforce the law among the students who are truancy. For example, areas of existing police powers should be used by school administrators in disciplining students. The administration should take the opportunity to refer problem student to the police. After enforcing this law, students will be alert from work against this thing.Beside, Ministry of Education may organize some talks and campaign about the disadvantage of truancy. There are kind of campaigns such as ââ¬Å"Zero Truancy Campaignâ⬠. With t his students will know the effect of truancy to their study and also their future. In my conclusion, government and the school administration should co-operate to control the phenomenon. The truancy would affect the future of the youngsters and cause social issues in the society.References: National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention http://www. promoteprevent. org/publications/prevention-briefs/truancy-prevention
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Ethical Issues in the Workplace
Ethical Issues in the Workplace Thesis Description Choosing to work in a predominately male environment while working the same late hours, enduring the same amount of time on deployments, and listening to males argue over how much tougher they are than females, is a challenge to a woman in a leadership role. The predominantly male field is not the place for a female who is sensitive. When a female decides to enter the military and work with a military that has a male majority, it can cause things to be shaken up a bit. In fact, placing a female in charge of males may cause friction in a work environment.A situation occurred while on a seven month deployment out to sea in which a fellow sailor wanted to call home to check on her child at a specific time. In addition, she had promised her child she would be available to call. However, the time she asked to call was during a time when our ship would be entering a training evolution that would take about three hours. I was placed in char ge by my Chief to monitor the times the phone could be used by my divisionââ¬â¢s team members. Due to the training environment the ship would be entering, use of the phone would be unauthorized by team members.No one would be allowed to use the phone until the training evolution was completed. Training evolutions are a common exercise conducted by ships on a deployment. Training is conducted by members to help prevent safety mishaps and prepare for unforeseen attacks. Therefore, training is essential to keep the crew and the ship safe. While in a training environment the Commanding officer takes the opportunity to inspect his crew while walking around to ensure everyone is performing their work safely and efficiently.This is where the ethical dilemma began to appear in the workplace. Each team member was only able to use the phone for ten minutes at a time because the ship would travel in one direction for a specified amount of time to allow multiple people to place their phone c alls before changing directions. Therefore, time ran out to use the phone because the ship had scheduled the training evolution earlier in the day. The female sailor had a hard-charging personality, confident in tone, and performed all tasks assigned in a timely manner.She was a single mother with little support at home because the husband had abandoned her and her son. By making a decision to allow her to call home could affect the way my team would view my decision. Moreover, my Chief would be disappointed by my actions as a leader. On another note, to not allow her to call home could affect her work ethic, behavior, and her sonââ¬â¢s behavior. SH Analysis My watch team consisted of seven males and another female. Each member of my team came from different states with various views, religions, ethics, morals, and principles.Nevertheless, by allowing someone on the team to use the phone during a training evolution could be viewed as favoritism and unauthorized. Favoritism amongs t the team could cause a trickle effect. When it would come to delegating duties to other members of the team, some may feel jealous of the female sailor I allowed to slide by with making an unauthorized phone call. The other members could report my actions to the Chief or eventually place a grievance due to favoritism. The overall affect would decrease the cohesiveness of the watch team whereby affecting the production of work.If the Sailor was unable to call home her performance may decline rapidly due to the stress of worrying about her situation. She would not have the energy needed to perform her job as well as the focus which could affect the team as to job accomplishments, picking up her slack, and complaining. This would overall affect the division as it trickles up and down the chain of command. Her child if not checked on could also have issues that the mother should be aware of such as health, food or anything in which the mother would have to provide guidance to over the phone.As a result, the son could suffer from the decision made. Conclusion The cause of this issue is the manning of the ship and the personnel that have been recruited that are very sensitive to specific needs. The Navy consists of ship life and shore duty life. Ship life is very demanding and is on a tight schedule. Numerous missions, lack of sleep, possible lack of nutrition, and being away from family from long periods of time. People from all different walks of life are grouped together and forced to accomplish a mission.How is this possible when there are so many different work ethics, morals and principles involved? The stress this brings requires specialized individuals to endure. On the other hand, many shore commands are not bad. It is basically like working an 8-4 at the end of the day in which one is able to go home to his or her family living a mostly normal life. Before recruiting personnel in the navy both males and females should be able to go out to sea for at leas t a month to see what itââ¬â¢s actually like and if they can cope with the lifestyle.This method would eliminate bad recruits, but it would also help the navy determine where personnel should be placedââ¬âsea duty or shore duty. On a smaller scale, whether female or male, the supervisor that has the issue in regards to their personnel requiring special treatment or needs should always be aware of the possible consequences of decisions made. When making decisions in your workplace as a supervisor or manager one should possess social skills, open mindedness, critical thinking skills, and be a good listener.A female leader must realize that every decision made will have some type of consequence that will follow her. Getting to know assigned personnel helps as one makes important decisions throughout her career. Lastly, it allows the load to be lighter and allows subordinates to open up with concerns which would help solve many issues that may occur. As a female in the military i t is more important to think clearly about all consequences of decisions made and behavior exhibited to others.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Globalization brought about rising number of students migrating to different countries for higher education The WritePass Journal
Globalization brought about rising number of students migrating to different countries for higher education 1.10à Reference Globalization brought about rising number of students migrating to different countries for higher education CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1à Background of study 1.2à The significance of the research1.3à Purpose Statement1.4à Problem Statement1.5 The conceptual framework1.6à à Research Questions1.7 à Ethical Consideration1.8 à Research limitations1.9à Overview of the chapters1.10à ReferenceRelated CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1à Background of study Globalization brought about rising number of students migrating to different countries for higher education. As international educationsââ¬â¢ landscape continue to change, students are seeking opportunities that are not only advantageous to their academic agenda, but also to their social and professional development within a global context (Marginso; Agawal, Said, Sehoole, Sorozi and De Wit; Daglish and Chan, cited in Fleischmann, Lawley and Raciti).à There are great challenges in higher education brought about by globalization. ââ¬Å"These challenges are seen as threats as well as opportunities for higher education around the worldâ⬠(Arambewela Hall, 2006 p142) Research has shown that there is a continuous rise in the number of international student in to the Netherlands.à Generally the transition of studying overseas either from a secondary school or from the work place in another country in always challenging and usually stressful. According to Pereda et al. international students are often less satisfied with their courses than other student. Most international student i.e. full-fee paying students may have similar issues with their fellow domestic students but additionally they face some distinguishing issues like inadequate financial resource, social adjustment, loneliness and cultural shock etc, these may affect the studentsââ¬â¢ experience and hence their overall satisfaction. Therefore the need to understand international studentsââ¬â¢ perception of the service quality is vital. For a business to achieve its financial objectives and survive, understanding what creates a great satisfying customer experience is crucial.à Research has shown that high service quality contributes significantly to profitability. Understanding the studentsââ¬â¢ perception of service quality and satisfaction at the university is vital to management and policy makers in the design, implementation and evaluation of services, as the key to sustainable competitive advantage is creating memorable customer experience. Competing in a highly competitive market requires the delivery of superior service because it affects corporate image. International students have a significant role to play on the country economy for the fact that the pay full tuition fees and they spend on the countryââ¬â¢s home produced goods and services. 1.2à The significance of the research This research will be a source of knowledge about issues concerning international students to the researcher who is an international student. Not only will the research be beneficial to the researcher it would benefit other individuals or groups of individuals because of the following: This research focuses on the effect of adjustment issues on the overall services experience of the international student and student satisfaction which will add knowledge to the existing literature on higher education service quality. The importance of students from other countries to colleges and universities cannot be undermined as they bring with them different cultures which adds to the cultural richness of the institution. The outcome of the research will be valuable to different groups of individuals like university management team and lecturers, the students and their parents, and the country. To the university management it will provide insight about international students experience and their satisfaction which will help management in policy design and satisfying their customers the students and their parents. To the lecturers it would lead to a better understanding of the international students need and better delivery of the services hence increasing their satisfaction. Finally, the students will be better served by the university and their fellow students, their experience abroad will be enhanced. 1.3à Purpose Statement This study aims at evaluating the service quality of the Netherlands University. The overall objective is assessing international studentââ¬â¢s perception of the service quality provided and adjustment issues, and its relative impact on studentsââ¬â¢ satisfaction and potential loyalty. Seek to: à à Examine the dimensions of service quality and the determining factors of international student satisfaction atà the university à à Analysing the effect of interaction of service quality and adjustment issue on international student satisfaction and potential student loyalty à à gain an insight in international student perception of service quality in the Netherlands University à To provide a set of conclusions and recommendations to enhance the level of quality of service provided by universities. 1.4à Problem Statement As the international education continues to grow in size and international full-fee paying students expect to be treat as customers, they have several adjustmentà issues which affects their overall experience and hence satisfaction. ââ¬Å"How does the adjustment issues of international students affect the overall service experience and what are the effects of this experience on their satisfaction?â⬠This research is conducted mainly to find answers to the question above. 1.5 The conceptual framework This research will be guide by the SERVQUAL survey developed by Parasurama et al. An adapted SERVQUAL model with some modification made to provide contextual relevance, will be used in this study as it will help the researcher measure the perceived service quality across the five SERVQUAL dimensions. The SERVQUAL is an instrument for assessing customer perception of service quality in service and retailing organization (Parasuraman et al, 1988) Based on extant literature adjustment issues affect affects international students experience at universities. These adjustment issues are Academic, socio-cultural and psychological factors. The main key to success in studying abroad is the degree to which the student adjusts to the above mentioned factors. Figure 1.1 Conceptual framework The conceptual model above illustrates the study of international students overall service experience and their relative satisfaction with the Stenden university in the Netherlands. The study with the aim of evaluating the service quality and adjustment issues of the international student on their overall service experience, will also evaluate the effect of the experience on their satisfaction and hence word-of-mouth and if they will chose same university for further education. The main dependent variable in this study is the student satisfaction with the university and the sub dependent variables are Positive word-of-mouth and same university for further study. The independent variables are service quality provided by the university and the student adjustment issues. These independent variables influence both influence the dependent variables. When there is an overall good experience this will lead to student satisfaction which in turn will lead to a positive word of mouth and may want to further study at same university. If quality of service offered by the school is good and students adjustment to academic, socio-culture and psychological is good this will also lead to student satisfaction. On the contrary if the service provided by the school is good but students have problems with adjusting this may have a negative effect on their overall experience and student satisfaction. 1.6à à Research Questions à The central research focuses on the analysis of the international studentsââ¬â¢ perception of service quality and adjustment issues at Stenden university and the relative impact on student satisfaction and potential student loyalty. The research aims at answering the following research questions: Whichà service quality factors are most important to international students What are the adjustment issues international students faces? What factors affect international students perception of service quality at the university What are the determinants of overall international students perceived service quality In what ways does the quality of service affect the satisfaction of international student? How does an adjustment issue affect student satisfaction? How can the overall experience of international students be enhanced. 1.7 à Ethical Consideration All the information collected will be used strictly for the purpose/objectives of this research and the researcher will abide to the ethical principles of research. The researcher will strive to be objective in her judgment in scenarios that might come up by not taking side but by being critical. 1.8 à Research limitations The period required to complete the research is short therefore time is a constraint. The results may not be generalizable as the research involves only a single organisation. 1.9à Overview of the chapters The study will consist of five chapters followed by reference and appendices Chapter 1 Introduction consists of: Background of study The significance of the research Purpose of the study Problem statement The conceptual framework Research questions Ethical considerations Research limitations Chapter 2 Literature review Higher Education à International full-fee paying student Service quality SERVQUAL Dimensions Adjustment issues of international student Student Experience Student Satisfaction à Positive word-of-mouth à Chose same university for further study Chapter 3 Methodology Research methodology à Quantitative research The research Process The population under study Research design Data collection Chapter 4 finding and analysis of Data Demographic profile of sampling Data analysis Chapter 5 Summary and Discussionà Conclusions Discussions Limitations recommendations 1.10à Reference Arambewela, R. and Hall, J. (2006). A Comparative Analysis of International Education Satisfaction Using SERVQUAL. Journal of Services Research 6 pg 141-146 Fleischman, D., Lawley, M., and Raciti, M. Community Engagement and the International Student Experience: Definition. From http://anzmac2010.org/proceedings/pdf/anzmac10Final00179.pdf Khawaja, N. and Dempsey, J. (2007). Psychological Distress in International University Students: An Australian Study. Australian Journal of Guidiance Counselling 6(1) pg 13-27 Mehdizadeh, N. and Scott, G. (2005). Adjustment problems of Iranian international students in Scotland. International Education Journal, 6(4), 484-493. Pereda, M., Airey, D., and Bennett, M. (2007). Service Quality in Higher Education : The Experience of Overseas Students. Journal of Hospitality, leisure, Sport Tourism Education 6(2) pg 55-67 Qiang, Z. (2003) Internationalizatin of Higher Education: towards a conceptual framework. Policy Futures in Education 1(2) pg 248-270 Rogers, C. and Smith, P. (1999). Identifying the needs of overseas students: a monitoring exercise at the University of Southampton, August 1992. Journal of International Education 3(3), 7-24 Sadrossadat, S. J. (1995). Psyco-Social and Cultural Adjustment Among International Students at the University of Wollongong, PhD Dissertation, University of Wollongong. Zeithaml, V.A. (1988). ââ¬Å"Consumer Perceptions of Price, Quality, and Value: A Means ââ¬âend Model and Synthesis of Evidenceâ⬠, Journal of Marketing, 52 (2) Pg 2-22. Zeithaml, V.A, Bitner, M.J. Gremler, D.D.(2006). Services Marketing: integrated customer focus across the firm. International 4th Edition. Zeithaml, V. A., Parasuraman, A., Berry, L.L. (1990). Delivering Quality Service: Balancing Customer perceptions and Expectations. NewYork: The Free Press.
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