Incest in America Essay Example for Free

Incest in America Essay Nowadays, incest is viewed as one of the most harassing aspects of child abuse, since it is likely to result in psychological trauma and cause long-lasting negative effects in terms of healthy personality development. Governor’s Commission on Domestic Violence defines incest as â€Å"overt and/or covert sexual contact or acts between people who are related genetically, by marriage, by living arrangements, or in whom a child perceives a trusting relationship, for example parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, step-parents, foster parents. Incest is one of the most common forms of child sexual abuse† (Governor’s Commission on Domestic Violence, 1996, p. 37). Unfortunately, the U. S. statistics on this topic is barely available, as the entitled researchers have access merely to reported cases, which give following information: 46 per cent of child rapists are family members, 70 per cent of whom have been at least once imprisoned (ibid). Nevertheless, the statistics suggests that incestual relationship might occur even in ‘non-deviant’, ‘decent’ nuclear families, because the positive correlation between the rapist’s previous crimes and child sexual abuse points merely to the fact that such crimes are more frequently discovered. The causes of incest can be categorized into three groups: biological, sociological and psychological. Biological factors indicate that certain percentage of inbreeding is important: â€Å"any system of inbreeding that is reasonably possible would not greatly reduce the heterozygosity of the population† (Williams, 1994, p. 1167), but this approach doesn’t actually clarify the reasons for child sexual abuse. Sociological perspective is oriented to societal factors, such as popularization of sexuality in its different forms (including illegal distribution of child pornography) and the societal roots of deviance as the violation of sociocultural patterns of sexual behavior: in macrosociological terms, sexual assault of children might be rooted in social inequality, distortion of family constructs (family roles and responsibilities) and anomia, i. e., poor implication of moral values in certain society of community (ibid). Psychological factors also enjoy diversity that includes the presence of personality, mental health and sexual disorders (pedophilia) and predispositions to sadistic behavior in abusers, so that family members can use sexual assault as a form of punishment as well as the means of satisfaction their sexual needs. It needs to be noted that incest is unacceptable from both sociological and psychological positions, so this crime intrinsically implies certain either social or personality pathology (Sedlack and Broadhurst, 1996). The main effects of incest on child can be explained through the influence of the abuse on child behavior and the coping mechanisms, which arise in response to the harassment. First of all, the child experiences fear and powerlessness, since they can no longer control his/her life and body, if the victim is aged over 7-8, he/she normally feels shame, responsibility and guilt, as the small individual already understands that normal order of things has been upset, but still has underdeveloped mechanisms of cognition to realize the depth of the problem. Furthermore, such traumatic experience detaches the child â€Å"from non-offending parents, brothers and sisters. This isolation often leads to the child being labeled as different, a problem, or in some way different from their siblings. Children feel betrayed because they are dependent upon adults for nurturing and protection and the offender is someone who they should be able to love and trust. They may also feel betrayed by a non-offending parent who they believe has failed to protect them† (Putnam, 1989, p. 271). If the assault takes places regularly throughout the long period, the underage victim is likely to suffer from nightmares and flashbacks, including hysterics, unexplainable tearfulness, rapid and momentary mood changes. Moreover, the research reports the increase of aggressiveness in such children: such destructive impulses can be directed either on child’s personality (and consequently affects ‘internal world, thoughts, reflections) or towards external objects and other individuals (including the abuser and non-offending family members). Adams argues that both overt and emotional (treating the child like one’s partner without direct sexual assault) incest finally amplifies the victim’s aggressiveness, hostility and irritability, and substantially inhibits his/her social skills, making the child reluctant to establish new contacts with coevals (Adams, 1991). As for the coping mechanisms, the victims of intrafamilial sexual assaults usually develop memory suppression, dissociation and denial. Memory suppression implies voluntary forgetting of the negative emotional states, ensured during the abuse. The victims therefore attempt to separate the negative incest experience from conscious awareness. â€Å"Dissociation is a way in which some children survive abuse by escaping mentally while the abuse is happening. The body and the mind seem to separate. While the body is being hurt, the child no longer feels it because the mind manages to escape to a perceived safe place. Different children may dissociate in different ways. One example is leaving the body and floating on the ceiling over the bed where the abuse is occurring† (Williams, 1994, p. 1171). Denial, as a rule, has two forms: denying the fact of incest and disclaiming the negative moral evaluation, which can be given to the fact (‘It’s not actually wrong’). The most dangerous about these mechanisms is their critical impact on the victim’s social functioning, as these defenses are aimed at maintaining physical survival, neglecting thus the related deterioration of emotional state. Those family members, who become aware of intrafamilial sexual assault, normally decide on the strategy of non-intervening, since this phenomenon often takes place in authoritarian families, where everyone has certain degree of fear for the perpetrator. Due to the fact that the forceful sexual contacts usually occur between male adults and female children (father and daughter) (Governor’s Commission on Domestic Violence, 1996) and that the same male adult often commits violence over his spouse, it is possible to presume that the entire family is intimidated by the perpetuator. As for the impact on the criminal him/herself, this person, as psychological research suggests, gradually develops sadistic propensities (Williams, 1994) and expresses cruelty when sexually abusing the child. If family haven’t yet noticed the internal incestual relationship, the perpetuator utilizes certain methods of maintaining secrecy and becomes more reserved and reticent even in the most trivial daily routines. Moreover, such criminals become increasingly more cunning and create a special communicative code, understandable only for his/herself and the child in order to enhance the organization of incestual relationship. In addition, perpetuators also use denial and rationalization as defense mechanisms (ibid), since intrafamilial sexual assault causes psychological trauma in the abuser, who breaks his/her moral convictions or the basic principles of societal coexistence. The major indicators of incest include: 1) child’s confessions/reports; 2) noticeable fear of certain family member; 3) extremely sophisticated understanding of sexual behavior; 4) â€Å"persistent and inappropriate sexual play with peers, toys, animals or themselves; 5) sexual themes in the childs artwork, stories or play; 6) sleep disturbances and nightmares; 7) marked changes in appetite; 8) parentified or adultified behaviour e. g.acting like a parent or spouse; 9) poor or deteriorating relationships with peers; 10)self-mutilation: cutting of arms, legs, burning home made tattoos. Suicidal feelings and suicide attempts† (Saunders et al , 2001, p. 8). The elimination of post-incestual effects usually correlates with treatment for post-traumatic disorder, but it is important to note that such trauma might cause irreversible changes in the victim’s convictions and perceptions (in adulthood – coitophobia, sociophobia, claustrophobia). As a rule, psychiatrists use cognitive processing therapy in order to provide appropriate cognitive restructuring and systematic desensitization concerning the negative memories; dynamic play therapy (using puppets when expressing fears); art therapy; family therapy (aimed at supporting the victim’s re-adjustment to the family environment) and attachment-trauma therapy (based upon placing the child into emotionally warm and friendly environment) (ibid). Similar psychological aid should be provided to the perpetuator: either in mental health or in penitentiary institutions they receive special cognitive-behavioral training, pharmaceutical treatment, but as a rule, the major intervention frameworks insist on complete separation of the abuser from the victim (Putnam, 1989), as the childhood experiences tend to return after meeting the perpetuator. Works cited Adams, K.(1991) Silently Seduced: When Parents Make Their Children Their Partners, Understanding Covert Incest. HCI. Governors Commission on Domestic Violence. (1996). The Children of Domestic Violence: A Report of the Governors Commission on Domestic Violence of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Boston. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Putnam, F. (1989). Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder. New York: Guilford Press. Saunders, B. , Berliner, L. and Hanson, R. (2001). Guidelines for the Psychological Treatment of Intrafamilial Child Physical and Sexual Abuse. Charleston, SC: Authors. Sedlak, A. and Broadhurst, D. (1996). Executive Summary of the Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect. Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Williams, L. (1994). Recall of Childhood Trauma: A Prospective Study of Womens Memories of Child Sexual Abuse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 62 (6): 1167-176.

Personal statement for MSA Essay Example for Free

Personal statement for MSA Essay If to use a single word describing myself, I would say, integrity, which means a mixture of various qualities and views from different cultures and working experiences. My hometown, **, which was a harbor and now the booming coastal metropolis, brought me a grant view of how fast the speed of globalization is. Meanwhile, the dramatic economic growth of the city enlightened me for seeking and digging qualities that would match its future. As a result, I went to the other hemisphere of the world, United States, which was described as the most developed country, to ursue my Bachelors degree in business finance. Through the Joyful college life with diligent study in coursework and a verity of academic club taking, on a sunny day, Aug 28th, 2011, I obtained my Bachelors degree from Ohio State University with Magna Cum Laude. Moreover, my 3. 86 specialization GPA makes me a competitive individual among my schoolmates. Seeking a Job is not a fun thing, especially for a recent graduate and in the economic downturn, though, I still keep myself with the optimistic attitude and enough confidence in this whole process. Before my first official Job was offered, I gathered a erious of experiences from different positions: work as a part-time tax processor in a credited accounting firm, ***as a par-time bookkeeper in an entertainment company, Prime Social Group; and, even work as a sales associate in the subsidy of Gap, Inc, Old Navvy. These experiences, which supposed not decent enough for an honor graduate, told me how hard life could be, and made me more perseverant. After scatted out hundreds of my resume, and Joined tens something interview, I got my first official Job offer: financial analyst in ***, a healthcare financial consulting firm. My frank peers introduced me with some models and methodologies the company uses for a number of hospitals and nursing homes. Though some of the analysis sounds hard at the first glance, I still believe my personal qualities and skills, for example, I am a profound thinker that is knowledgeable of computer language Access SQL and Excel, could help me to conquer them. I penetrated myself in calculating and analyzing those Key Performance Indexes and valuation models. After I submitted my first report, though its not perfect, my supervisor, ***, comment this as, Its amazing or a recent graduate with little analysis experiences to create the model and fgure such a lot of crucial points out. Besides, even the principle of the team,***, who used to be a professor in ***, appreciated my work ethic. Those words did stimulate me for a while. Experiences in ** extended my view of what consulting firms could help for clients. Consulting are not limit in investment finance taking care of stocks and bonds, IPO issuing, etc, more than that, lots of consulting firms are doing analysis on a corporate base, thus, much accounting knowledge involved. I also remember Andrew said to me wou d be essential tor getting a senior level position in financial consulting firm, and, a Master of Accounting would be a plus.

Comparing Fluid Flow Of Smooth And Rough Pipes

Comparing Fluid Flow Of Smooth And Rough Pipes The pipe flow investigation compared the fluid flow of smooth and rough pipes of varying diameters. The pressure drop across the pipes was recorded to find both the friction factors and Reynolds numbers. A moody diagram was plotted comparing the friction factor versus the Reynolds number. A graph of the experimental friction factor was compared to the theoretical friction factor for the transition of a pipe from smooth to rough. It is assumed that the fluid used for the pipe flow was incompressible and pipes were entirely horizontal with constant diameters throughout the tested length. The energy equation is used to compare the steady, uniform flows at the inlet and outlet. = pressure = density = kinetic energy flux coefficient = average fluid velocity = gravity z = vertical height of the pipe =total head loss = specific work done by the control volume. The change in pressure that is found for each pipe is equivalent to the loss of head across each respective pipe and related by the equation below. . (2) It is also assumed to have a constant volumetric flow rate, constant vertical height, no work involved in the flow of the fluid, and a constant flow velocity. By using the average velocity we can determine whether the fluid is laminar or turbulent. A Reynolds number below 2300 describes a laminar flow and that above 2300 is turbulent. , (3) = Reynolds number = pipe diameter = viscosity of the fluid. Below is the Darcy or Moody friction factor, , which is valid for laminar flows. This equation is independent of the roughness of the pipe. . (4) The friction produced by the roughness in the pipes causes head loss. Unlike Eq. 4, the next equation is valid for turbulent flows with Reynolds values above 2300. . (5) The Colebrook equation covers transitionally rough regions which are between smooth and rough walled piping. This equation is implicit for . , (6) where the relative roughness of the pipe is . Methods The Pipe Flow Lab equipment included: Four horizontal pipes of varying roughness and diameters arranged in a pipe flow apparatus with a self-contained water supply, valve to isolate pipe of interest, inlet flow control valve to control the flow rate, volumetric measuring tank collects water, sight tube, graduated cylinder, stopwatch, calipers, and electronic manometer to measure pressure. The change in pressure of one rough and three smooth pipes of varying diameters were measured. These values helped compare the friction factors to the Reynolds number of the fluid. Each pipe was individually experimented on by allowing the water to run through that particular pipe until it reached a constant flow rate. The change of pressure was read off the electronic manometer and a stop watch was used to measure the time it took to fill the tank to a particular volume. The pressure was lowered by a given increment for each trial until it reached a given value and repeated for each pipe. The temperature of the water was measured at the end of the experiment. Results and Discussion The data for the large smooth pipe, large rough pipe, medium smooth pipe, and small smooth pipe were compiled into Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Eq. 3 was used to find the Reynolds number and the friction factor was calculated using Eq. 5. These values were then plotted in Fig. 1, which is a Moody diagram comparing the Reynolds number to friction factor of all the pipes. The Reynolds number gives the value of a fluids transition from a laminar flow to turbulence. This value is approximately 2300 according to Fig. 1. Since all the points on the Moody graph are greater than 2300, we can conclude that all the flows in this lab are turbulent. The decreasing straight laminar line was produced by using Eq. 4 which is independent of roughness. Then above the Reynolds number of 2300 is the theoretical rough turbulent and smooth turbulent lines. The smooth pipes follow the slightly downward slope of the smooth turbulent theoretical line. The small and medium tubes are for the most part above the theoretical line which is expected because there is probably build up in the tube causing a slight roughness which would increase the friction factor. The large smooth pipeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s values are below the theoretical line, which is impossible because the tube cannot be smoother than smooth. This error could be a cause of human error or inaccurate lab equipment. The friction factors of the smooth pipes in increasing order were large, medium, and small. This is what would be expected because the larger diameter pipes should allow for easier flow than a smaller diameter pipe. The large rough tube follows the theoretical rough turbulent trend. Since this tube is rough it should have more friction than the smooth pipes and an increased friction factor. Fig. 1 exhibits this fact because the large rough tube values are well above the smooth tubeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s values. As the Reynolds number gets very large, it becomes a function of only relative roughness e/D. Eq. 7 was used to find the theoretical rough, turbulent flow trend and a relative roughness of e/D, of 0.093 was determined. Table 2 shows the values that were recorded and has lower values for the experimental friction factor than the theoretical values. As with the large smooth pipe, this is not what we would expect and it is caused by lab errors. Both large pipes were located in the same Reynolds number region but with different friction factors. This is understandable since they have the same diameters but the only difference is the roughness inside the pipe causing friction. The fluctuations in friction factor values are due to errors that occurred during the investigation procedure. An error that could have affected the results of this investigation would be the actual smoothness of the pipes. The smooth pipes could have build up from the years of use that would cause some roughness. The roughness would in turn interfere with the fluid flow. Another form of error was with the stop watch and volume reading to find the flow rate. There is a percentage of human error in these measurements and the electronic manometer was also fluctuating during the experiment. These errors can account for the fact that the experimental friction factors were lower than the theoretical values for the large pipes seen in Table 1 and 2. The equations used were approximations and could also account for a slight source of error. Conclusions and Recommendations The values obtained in this investigation led to the calculation of the friction factors and Reynolds numbers for four different pipes. These values were then plotted in a Moody diagram to compare how the roughness and diameter of each individual pipe affected the flow rate of each. The small, medium, and large smooth pipes followed the smooth turbulent theoretical trend. The large pipe had values below the theoretical values. The experimental values should always have been above the theoretical since a pipe canà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t be any smoother than smooth. These results could be caused by the lab errors that were listed above. The friction factors of the smooth pipes in increasing order were large, medium, and small. This is what would be expected because the larger diameter pipes should allow for easier flow than a smaller diameter pipe. The large, rough pipe followed the rough turbulent trend. As the Reynolds number became large the relative roughness became the relationship, e/ D. This pipe also had experimental friction factor values below the theoretical values which is impossible and caused by errors in the investigation. The friction factor of the rough pipe was much greater than the smooth pipes, which means that there is more friction in rough pipes. For future investigations, it would be beneficial to take more data points in order to more accurately represent the findings. This could also help keep the margin of error smaller since one or two inaccurate points could be disregarded with a larger data sample. More precise measurement tools would also be very beneficial since there was much uncertainty with the current apparatus.

Graeme Base and Animalia :: Artists and Artwork, art

Structural Frame Art Materials and techniques: Graeme Base uses air brushes, brushes, scalpels, pencils, water colours, transparent ink, technical drawing pens and some use of the computer. He mixes a lightness of text, sometimes with alliterative tongue-twisters and sophisticated language made up of stylized illustrations full of hilarity and details that challenge readers' point of view. The book, Animalia contains over 1,500 objects including things such as food, musical instruments, and characters as well as the featured animal for each letter. Base also includes an image of himself when he was young as an extra for the watchful eye on every page. Line, tone, shape, colour, texture and pattern: Graeme Base uses lines of different thicknesses to make the drawing look more realistic. He also uses different tones of colours. An example would be from ‘Six Slithering Snakes Sliding Silently Southward’, the main snake’s body and tail contains at least four different colours. He also repeats the way the books are place in the library. Symbolic Meanings: The Lion symbolises royalty, the books symbolise wisdom and the golden fur and mane of the lion symbolises power (because gold is usually worn by rich people). Cultural Frame Graeme Base was born in 1958 in Amersham, England, and moved to Australia in 1966 at the age of 8. he is now an Australian Citizen but when he came to Australia, he said that he felt like an outsider. He went to Swinburne Institute of Technology and studied the diploma of Art. At school, the only way to impress his friends was to study and learn visual arts. He grew fond of flora and fauna and loved the land (which is where he got his ideas from). He then enjoyed poetry and wrote his first picture book; My Grandma Lived in Gooligulch. Graeme Base says that much of what he uses in his illustrations is a result of his childhood. "Everyone is influenced by their childhood. The things I write about and illustrate come from a vast range of inputs, from the earliest impressions of a little child, others from things I saw yesterday and still others from completely out of the blue, though no doubt they owe their arrival to some stimulus, albeit unconscious. I have a great lo ve of wildlife, inherited from my parents, which show through in my subject matter, though always with a view to the humorous—not as a reflective device but as a reflection of my own fairly happy nature.

Educational Article Reviews :: Article Review

Smart Classroom Professional Development Framework consists of three levels of ICT qualifications that teachers can hold, they are the ICT Certificate, the Digital Pedagogy Licence and the Digital Pedagogy Licence Advanced. As a group we discussed what understandings we would need and the benefits for completing the framework, we discovered that we would need to understand that ICT could be used to enhance and benefit both the learners and teachers through integration into all KLA’S. As a pre service teacher undertaking the certificate our group discussion impacts on my classroom teaching by pushing for me to use more technology in my teaching to enhance the children’s learning. Reading 2 was on a Science-Sose unit about dinosaurs and discovering where they went. During a group discussion we all agreed that the teacher that wrote this unit was meticulous in planning and had thought hard as to the length to which she wanted technologies involved. We all found this to be a good example of a technological unit. I learnt from the group discussion as well as the reading that there is a range of different ways technology can be incorporated into a classroom unit of work. This new knowledge of more hands on activities is something that I would like to incorporate into my future classroom or practical classroom this semester. Reading 3 covers practical ideas for teachers in years 4-9. The group all agreed that theses activities were creative and fun and ideas that we would and could include into our future senior school classrooms. There is twenty eight activities included in this reading all that could be taught anywhere from grades 4-9 and some that could be taught past this to grade 12. Some of these helpful lesson ideas will be integrated into my future classrooms. The final reading for week one was practical ideas for teachers p-3, this text contained twenty eight technological activities. When discussing we all came to the same view as that of reading three that the activities were educational, fun and easily incorporated into our junior school classrooms. This article proves that learning can be fun by incorporating technology into general lessons, it also gives ideas on just how to do this. By using this reading’s examples of lessons it will make ICT apart of most if not all of my lessons. WEEK 2 Those who Understand: Knowledge Growth in Teaching Is an article about the way teaching used to be prior to and up to the year 1986.

Macbeth :: essays research papers

How do the witches create an atmosphere of nightmare And evil in ‘Macbeth’? The play ‘Macbeth’ was written in the early seventeenth century, in a time when the English people believed very strongly in the existence of witches. A range of powers were certified to these evil beings, including the ability to see into the future, control the weather, fly and become invisible at will and communicate with the devil. The witches were believed to enjoy making human beings suffer, by causing livestock to get ill and die, for example. From the outset of this play, when three witches appear on stage, the contemporary audiences would have anticipated a plot that demonstrated just how evil such creatures could be. In Act 1 Scene 1 Shakespeare introduces the witches immediately and this sets the tone for the rest of the play, it sets a mood of evil and supernatural influences. In this scene the witches meet close to the battlefield, this associates them with destruction and death. The first impressions we get from this scene is that there is aggressive weather which reflects their tendencies and their presence causes chaos in nature, also darkness links the witches with evil, two thirds of the play is set in the darkness. An absence of light suggests an absence of God and he is associated with light and goodness. The witches speak in rhyming couplets â€Å"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightening or in rain?† Speaking in rhyming couplets gives the impression of chanting or a spell being cast. Their control over the weather is alluded to as they discuss what it should be like the next time they meet. The witches refer to the current battle as a ‘hurly-burly’. Bu t really this was a battle of horrific proportions that was to decide the fate of an entire country, resulting in many deaths. The witches’ description of this as a ‘hurly-burly’ suggests that they are dismissive of it, comparing it more to a childish scuffle in a playground. This shows how contemptuous they are to the affairs if man and their lack of concern at such human carnage and suffering. The witches know when the battle will be over suggesting that they may have some influence on this and reinforcing the idea that they can see into the future. They discuss their plan to meet with Macbeth, an intention that convinces the audience they mean to cause him harm.

Gap Model

Gaps Model of Service Quality Table of Contents Executive Summary3 Customer Gap4 Example of Customer Gap4 Listening Gap5 Example of Listening Gap6 Standard Design And Standard Gap7 Example of Design and Standard Gap8 Service Performance Gap9 Example of Service Performance Gap10 Communication Gap11 Example of Communication Gap12 Closing Gap12 Diagram of Gap Model of Service Quality 13 Bibliography14 Customers realize that the current system is not flawless. Companies see that providing better service quality will create and obtain the customers loyalty, continuation of business and enhance the quality of the organization.Service quality is suppose to be consistent, reliable and accountable for any business, however gaps in service quality can lead to unsatisfied customers and loss of business. The Gaps Model of Service Quality is used to fix the gaps of the service that is being provided. They include: †¢ The Customer Gap- The difference between customer’s expectations and perceptions. †¢ Gap 1 (Listening Gap) –The difference between the customers expectations of service and the companies understanding of those expectations. Gap 2 (Service Design and Standard Gap) – The difference between the company or firm understanding the customer expectation and development of customer-driven service designs and standards. †¢ Gap 3 (Service Performance Gap) – Represents the development of customer-driven service standards and the actual performance by the companies employees. †¢ Gap 4 (Communication Gap) -The difference between the service delivery and the service providers external communications. †¢ Closing Gap- Closing gaps 1-4 and keeping them closed.Real life experiences are a way to illustrate how gaps in service quality can be addressed and predetermined in every day life. Possessing too many gaps in a service that are left unnoticed or unfixed can lead to a decline in the company and the overall reputation of the business. Learning how to close the Gaps is a way to reflect the type of foundation and service quality that the business will demonstrate through services. Customer Gap The Customer Gap is critical in delivering quality service as it is the backbone of the model. The Customer Gap is the difference between customer expectations and perceptions in service quality.Customer expectations deals with what a customer believes should or will happen in the service. In order to deliver quality service the firms need to close the gap between what the customer expects and what they perceive will happen (Services, 32). Managers can find this hard to do because in some cases they are not in direct contact with the customers; rather it is their employees that are. This can be a problem because it is important to get a clear understanding of the customer’s wants and or needs to fulfill the customer’s expectations (Bianca, 1).The customer’s behavior does have an effect on the qu ality of service that they feel they are provided with as well. Example of Customer Gap An example of this would be my last trip to Applebee’s. I was not too fond of going to Applebee’s because the last time I went I expected my food to be a certain way but it did not come out that way. The staff and even the managers seemed to give me a problem because my food was not cooked to my liking. A new store opened up in Yonkers so I decided to try out the new restaurant with my family.Already having a chip on my shoulder about going was enough to make me not hungry. However their service was amazing from the minute we walked into the door to when we walked out. Everyone had a kind smile and was very attentive to my families’ special needs. They also payed close attention to my nephew who loved the attention. The food came out fast and tasted amazing and was every bit to my liking. One meal came out wrong, or not to my father’s expectation and they kindly took i t back and fixed what he wanted.Applebee was fulfilling their mission to have every customer leave happy, and the next thing we knew the manager came over with another drink as my father waited for the meal and then he brought it to the table himself and apologized. They had great deals that did not break our pockets and they did not rush us. Overall the experience was exceptional and we now make it our weekly dinner stop. Applebee’s staff changed my feelings about their restaurant. The manager devoted their time to us, and proved that the company understands the customer’s expectations as well as their perceptions of service quality.Listening Gap Gap 1 also known as the Listening Gap is the difference between the customers expectations of service and the companies understanding of the customers expectations. As stated in the customer gap another cause for this gap is because a firm is not meeting the expectations of the customers or the firm is faulted for not knowing what these unique expectations are. This again can be because the managers lack direct communication with the customer or even because they are not prepared to address the situations at hand.This is a problem because upper management or whomever is in charge can start a bad pattern of bad decision making which initially will provide bad quality service to the customers. There are four key factors that are responsible for the gap in provider gap one which includes inadequate marketing research orientation, lack of upward communication, insufficient relationship focus and inadequate service recovery. Inadequate marketing research can cause a large gap because the firm has insufficient marketing research which means that the firm does not acquire adequate information from the customers.Firms should use customer interviews or surveys to get feedback to see if they are reaching the customers expectations in order to stay closer to the customer. Lack of communication between management a nd the customers is a reoccurring problem in some firms because there is little direct communication if any on behalf of management (Service, 1). There can also be a lack of communication between the employees and management which creates havoc in the company because employees do not understand what management knows or is expecting. Firms also show lack a of relationship focus which is crucial (Services, 34-36).Keeping communication with current customers should be top priority rather then focusing only on new customers. This happens when firms worry more about new transactions then they do about the relationship with existing customers. The gap continues to widen with insufficient service recovery which is critical in provider gap 1. This happens when the firm does not take the time to listen to the customer’s complaints or when they do not make amends when something has gone wrong. Service recovery strategies are used on behalf of the firm to guarantee ways to fix the probl em or their unfulfilled promise.This is a huge problem because if the situation is not properly fixed then the gap continues to widen. Example of Listening Gap I currently have Sprint as my cell phone provider and I absolutely hate calling if there is something wrong with my bill, and I’ve only had to do it three times. When I call I get connected to the customer service department and give them all my information. From there they transfer me over to the billing department. At the billing department I have to explain myself again and then I get put on hold.Most of the time its not long but then I have to get switched to another department, then I have to explain myself all over again and the more it happens the more frustrated I get. I immediately get upset and wonder, â€Å"If I pay my service on time every month then why they can’t they provide me with the exceptional customer service that they promised? † I am a paying customer and I except not to be transfer red around and for you to solve the problem for me. It’s just that simple. Miss communication is a big problem with Sprint but if you are paying for something you want it to work right.This is a good example of Gap 1 because there are many people listening to my problem but no one can seem to help me. This does hurt my relationship with the company because if problems like this continue to happen because of miss communication it will lead me in the direction of a new cell phone service. Standard Design and Standard Gap Provider Gap 2 also known as the Service design and Standard Gap is the difference between the company or firm understanding the customer expectation and development of customer-driven service designs and standards.Most companies have a problem with this because they experience difficulty when they are translating customer expectations into quality necessities that employees would be able to understand and then be able to perform. The service design and standar ds gap include poor service design, absence of customer-driven standards and inappropriate physical evidence and servicescape. In any firm an important component of the business is to have a solid marketing strategy that everyone in the firm understands as well as maintain and presents their understand to each customer.All people involved with the company need to be on the same page working with the same concepts which are usually the customer needs and expectations or else there will be a large gap (Brown, 2). Having the same vision creates an understanding of a new service or an existing one. In order to avoid this gap it is important for the company to design a service that is developed and or improved as carefully as possible avoiding oversimplification and incompleteness.Not understanding the customer’s standards creates a situation in which the standards do not reflect the customer’s expectation then the quality of service to the customer is going to suffer. When the standards do reflect the customer’s expectations then the company will most likely do extremely well and will have a positive impact on the company. The servicescape is the way the service is delivered such as reports, signage, or equipment (Services,36-38). By effectively understanding the customer driven standard, physical evidence, and servicescape the firm will be able to close both the customer gap and Gap 2.Example of Standard Design and Standard Gap For this example of Service Design and Standard Gap the instance that I recall that affected me was a cruise that I took in the Caribbean. I had gotten sick and was sent to the ship infirmary. They had two nurses that took care of me. The only problem was an hour later a new shift of nurses came in. The two new nurses were very different then the first two and did everything completely different. The first two nurses new that I was sick with my Diabetes but they said that they were going to take care of me and re hydra te me.The second shift thought that I was too sick and wanted to send me off the ship to a hospital. The only problem with this situation was they were not thinking in the best interest of me. They were thinking of the easiest way to get me off the ship for liability purposes. The second shift ladies kept fighting with the first shift ladies right in front me like I was not there. It made me feel very uncomfortable and scared on top of being sick. As they were fighting back and forth and from what I could hear they both had two very different ideas and different topics during their fight.It seemed to me that their vision and understanding of the rules and regulations were two very different missions. To me it seemed like their entire strategic plan was different. The worse part was they were showing this through their argument. They were all very unprofessional but the second shift didn’t seem to keep my best interest up front. My expectations were to feel comfortable and be taken care of in a quality manor. This was not done therefore to me there was a large gap in service design and the standard gap. Service Performance Gap The Service Performance Gap is the third gap in which the firm is doing well.However like any company they are going to make sure that everything is in place from systems to the people and make sure the service is being delivered to its highest. This model represents the development of customer-driven service standards and the actual performance by the company employees. The gap will widen if the service delivery falls short or the standards are not backed up by support (Service, 1). Therefore employees should get paid according to how well they are doing their job and exceed the customer’s expectations . There are many reasons why a gap could widen, and most involve the human resource department.This is by the company not hiring the right person for the job. As in they do not have good teamwork, they lack empowerment, there ’s inappropriate compensation or even inadequate technology. The customer is another factor in the service performance gap. The customer needs to play their positive role as well. Customers can negatively influence their quality of service by simply using too much of the providers time or becoming disruptive to other customers. The gap can also be because the capacity of inventory is underutilized or over utilized.For example when the company’s capacity is inadequate to handle the company will loses sales. Operating strategies such as cross training would be a way to manage the supply of the company. It is important to motivate and control the mediators to meet the company’s goals (Services, 38-39). Example of Service Performance Gap The example I have for the service performance gap is my most recent trip to A & P to get some last minute groceries. There were many factors that have influenced my decision to go to A & P rather then Stop and Shop or another marke t. The most important influence to my decision was my past experience at A & P.The last time I was there I talked to a man in the Seafood department and he took the time to talk to me about how to cook certain Seafood in a way that would be new to me. He gave me advice and also gave me recipe cards to make it easier when I got home. He took the time with me to help and explain to me the best type of fish or crab legs and really showed how well he knew his job. It was a very pleasant experience. Other factors influencing my decision were the great deals that they had, amazing actually for this week, and word of mouth from my neighbor was having a seafood night like I was.There was also explicit service that was nonpersonal and personal. For example I saw and add in the paper for this week with the sale and a few days ago the seafood worker told me about the deal and to wait. This is a great example of how gap 3 can be narrowed down with the employees being properly educated and excee ding customer service quality. Communication Gap Provider gap 4 also known as the Communication Gap is the difference between the service delivery and the service providers external communications. A large part of Gap 4 is the difference between the actual and promised service.Broken promises, over promising, and false advertisement are example of what can widen the gap. Failing to communicate with the customer and using exaggerated promises is what employees do to try and serve them to their expectations. A way to narrow the gap would be to properly communicate with the customer and educate them to be able to use the service properly(Services, 42-43). With communication come service transactions and the relationship that you build with the customer which is important in the communication gap because as an employee you are in direct communication with the customer.Pricing products at a reasonable price is also important, as well as strategizing how to keep customer expectations high by improving service delivery. Overall communicating properly with the customer and understanding their expectations should and will improve their perception. Example of Communication Gap An instance that still gets me upset to this day in which explicit service promises were exaggerated to the point where I was disappointed was for an oil change by Goodyear.I was extremely upset because when I asked how long it was going to take they told me only a half hour to 45 minutes. I waited 2 hours and they then told me that they did not have the correct funnel for the job and had to wait to get one. I was extremely pissed off because they did not have the decency to tell me what was going on. This was horrible service because it was like they kept lying to me when they said only a few more minutes. Goodyear then told me that they were sorry and then did not make me pay, however it still took up a lot of time, without any communication.I then learned that I would not go back to Goodyear be cause even though I made the appointment days earlier they did not have the supplies needed or the decency to communicate with me. Closing Gap The last gap is the closing gap where everything is put together. In order to close the customer gap all of the gaps 1-4 need to be closed and they also need to stay that way(Services, 43). It is very important to make sure that the customer is pleased with the customer service they were provided. By making sure they are satisfied with their service is a way to keep the customer coming back to continue to do business with the company. pic] Works Cited Bianca, Audra. Organizational Gap Analysis. E How. 22, November 2010. http://www. ehow. com/about_5304768_organizational-gap-analysis. html Brown, Gene, Plenert, Gerhard. Gap Analysis. Reference for Business. 21, November 2010. http://www. referenceforbusiness. com/management/Ex-Gov/Gap-Analysis. html. Service Gap Analysis. Project Tools. 21, November 2010. http://projecttools. co. uk/ProjectToo ls/Gap. htm Services Marketing, 5th Edition, by Bitner, Mary Joe and Valerie A. Zeithaml, published by McGraw Hill, 2009.