Overseas Education: Opportunities, Experience and Quality

Vol. 6, No. 2. ISSN: 1473-8376 www. heacademy. ac. uk/hlst/resources/johlste ACADEMIC PAPER Service Quality in Higher Education: The Experience of Overseas Students Maria Pereda (deceased) David Airey (d. [email  protected] ac. uk) and Marion Bennett (m. [email  protected] ac. uk) Faculty of Management and Law, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH  ©Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education Abstract The higher education of students has become increasingly internationalised, with an evergrowing proportion of students originating from overseas.However, research to date suggests that overseas students are often less satisfied with their courses than other students. Consequently, there is a burgeoning need for universities to understand what students value in their university experience. This paper reports on a study that establishes and tests dimensions for measuring service quality in higher education, focusing on full-feepaying postgraduate students from no n-EU countries at one institution in the UK. The institution concerned has a particular reputation in tourism and hospitality and a significant proportion of the respondents were studying these subjects.Adopting Lehtinen and Lehtinen’s 1991 framework, a Q-sort was undertaken followed by factor analysis. The results of the research highlighted four factors of service quality: recognition; quality of instruction and interaction with faculty; sufficiency of resources; and aspects of physical quality. Arguably, the most significant finding here is the importance that these students attach to their institution’s reputation. Keywords: Service quality; Higher education; International students Maria Pereda died in May 2006 shortly after completing her PhD thesis. The degree was awarded posthumously.A native of Venezuela, Maria graduated from Venezuela Central University and held an appointment at Simon Bolivar University in Caracas. She completed her MSc at the University of S urrey in 2000, focusing on tourism and hospitality education. This paper is based on her PhD research. David Airey is Professor of Tourism Management and Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University of Surrey. He has spent 30 years involved in tourism education in various capacities: with government, with the European Commission and with universities. He is co-editor, with John Tribe, of the recently published International Handbook of Tourism Education.Marion Bennett is Associate Lecturer in Tourism and Marketing at the University of Surrey. She has held lecturer positions since 1991 with the Universities of Strathclyde and Surrey, where her interests have focused on information technology and marketing in relation to tourism distribution, heritage and air transport. Pereda, Airey and Bennett (2007) Service Quality in Overseas Education: The Experience of Overseas Students Introduction The education of full-fee-paying international students has become of major importance for universities in Western nations, particularly in major English speaking destination countries.Barron (2005: 353) has suggested that â€Å"international education is one of Australia’s largest industries† and that the fees generated by international students are important to the budgetary health of institutions. In the UK, according to HESA (2006) and UKCOSA (2004), about 320,000 or 13 per cent of students in 2004-2005 came from overseas, with about 10 per cent from outside the European Union (EU). This figure more than doubled from about 160,000 in 1994-1995. For some institutions, international students currently represent more than 25 per cent of their student population (UKCOSA, 2006).The main countries of domicile of international students in the UK are China (32,000 or 12 per cent) and Greece (9 per cent), with at least a further 20 countries each providing more than 2,500 students. As far as tourism is concerned, equivalent total figures (UCAS, 2006) suggest that overseas stu dents represent about 16 per cent of acceptances onto programmes, rising from 11 per cent in 1996. Clearly this level of enrolment has represented a major opportunity for institutions, particularly at a time when public funding for higher education has been constrained; but it has also presented challenges.Barron (2005: 355) has pointed to the extent to which most universities have designated international departments responsible for marketing and recruitment, but goes on to highlight the need to ensure that such students are properly supported after arrival, providing evidence to suggest that this does not always happen, leading to frustration and disappointment. A recent report by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Bekhradnia et al. , 2006) confirms this, suggesting that non-EU overseas respondents were considerably less satisfied than others with the value for money received on their course.Against this background, it is clearly important for universities to understand what s tudents value in their university experience, including those from overseas. It has been common practice for many years for higher education institutions to provide opportunities for students to evaluate their learning and teaching experience, typically in the form of end-of-semester or end-of-course evaluations. Many institutions also gain feedback from students about services such as the library or computing.A recent addition to these information sources in the UK has been the National Student Survey (NSS), which focuses on learning and teaching experiences. However, surveys of the overall experience or overall quality have been more rare (Aldridge and Rowley, 1998). This paper reports on a study (Pereda, 2006) that was designed to establish and test dimensions for measuring service quality in higher education, with specific reference to students following postgraduate taught programmes for master degrees, over one year, from countries outside the EU.Many of these were following p rogrammes in tourism and hospitality. Specifically, the study aimed to identify from the literature three dimensions of service quality (physical, interactive and corporative), which were then validated with a Qsort. This provided the basis for a survey of 330 students at one institution in the UK, designed to measure their views of the quality of service received. This provides insights into the items that students value in their educational experience at this institution.It also provides a basis for redefining the dimensions of service quality. Service quality for international students The migration of international students is by no means a new phenomenon. Schachner (1962: 25), for example, refers to the students in medieval times who â€Å"poured in an increasing flood to the centres where they could literally sit at the feet of the great teachers and absorb wisdom†. To some extent, the search for knowledge remains an important driver for international ovement in educati on today, but, in other ways, motives, influences and indeed origin and destination countries have changed radically. During the most recent and biggest expansion of international education, the USA, UK and Australia have become the main destination countries and the countries of South East Asia have joined those of Europe as large providers of students. The search for knowledge has been joined by a range of other Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education 6(2), 55 – 67 56Pereda, Airey and Bennett (2007) Service Quality in Overseas Education: The Experience of Overseas Students factors in driving this growth. These include: the marketing campaigns of receiver universities; the perceived value of a foreign degree in terms of employment enhancement or ‘snob value’; the absence of sufficient university places at home; government policy in relation to student fees; and more extraneous factors such as opportunities for emigration (Pereda, 2006).As fa r as individual institutions are concerned, Allen and Higgins (1994), from a study of 82 institutions in the UK, report that the most important factors for international students when selecting a university were academic reputation, course content and entry requirements. But perhaps the biggest change, driven in part by the need for Western universities to maintain numbers of international students, particularly where these pay full tuition fees, has been the recognition of such students as an important ‘market’ that needs to be satisfied in an increasingly competitive world.Wright and O’Neill (2002), for example, point to the extent to which an assessment of students’ perspectives has become a crucial requirement if universities are to remain competitive. More than 20 years ago, Glisan (1984) highlighted the special interest in overseas students, while Mortimer (1997) emphasised the need to examine and understand the decision-making process undertaken by these students and for institutions to respond to their needs.To this extent, universities have become increasingly involved in defining service quality and measuring customer satisfaction in ways that are familiar to service marketing specialists (Gronroos, 1984; Kotler, 1985), who themselves were developing measures of service quality from the 1980s. As noted by Patterson et al. (1998) and Conant et al. (1985), the most important customers, namely students and their parents, and the university providers have progressively changed towards a customer service orientation.Against this background, there has been a rapid expansion in the literature about this aspect of service quality. However, the way in which it has typically developed – by identifying the attributes from consultation with the students and then evaluating these (Bourke, 1997; Gatfield et al. , 1999; Joseph, 1998; Thompson and Thompson, 1996) – has meant that there has been a great diversity and lack of c onsistency in methodological strategies and in the variables employed to assess the service quality (Leonard et al. , 2003).Some researchers in education have used SERVQUAL, which is the most popular model to measure service quality, sometimes specifically adapted for the education sector (Wright and O'Neill, 2002; Gatfield, 2000). Orr (2000) identified five groups of organisational determinants of success in the provision of fee-paying graduate courses. Pate (1993) split the literature on student satisfaction into three perspectives: psychological-wellness-type satisfaction (related to personal characteristics); job-type satisfaction (related to future aspirations); and consumertype satisfaction (related to daily experience).However, the general picture is of a profusion and indeed a confusion of measured variables, some replicated across different studies, others unique to a particular study. In an initial attempt to understand the underlying patterns of service quality variables from these previous studies in higher education, a framework proposed by Lehtinen and Lehtinen (1991) was used. The framework was considered to offer a useful preliminary way to structure information relating to education as a service.Lehtinen and Lehtinen separately identified three dimensions of service quality: the physical quality (both products and support); the interactive quality (interaction between consumer and service provider); and the corporative quality (the image). Using these three dimensions, some 24 studies specifically related to quality in higher education were reviewed to establish whether these dimensions could be identified from the variables considered in earlier studies of higher education. For a dimension to exist it had to be included in more than three studies (Ekinci and Riley, 2001).The results and the studies are given in Table 1. From this it is clear that the physical quality dimension (general services, teaching and learning facilities, accommodation ) and the interactive quality dimension (academic instruction, guidance, interaction with staff and students) are well included in the existing studies. The corporative quality dimension (recognition, reputation, value for money) is also present, but is less fully covered and mainly appears in papers concerned with marketing orientation (Bourke, 1995; Wilkinson, 1993). Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education 6(2), 55 – 67 7 Pereda, Airey and Bennett (2007) Service Quality in Overseas Education: The Experience of Overseas Students Study (author year) Mavondo et al. , 2004 Wiers-Jenssen, 2003 Wright and O'Neill, 2002 Elliot and Shin, 2002 Wiers-Jenssen et al. , 2002 Clemes et al. , 2001 Gatfield, 2000 Oldfield and Baron, 2000 Gatfield et al. , 1999 Ford et al. , 1999 Patterson et al. , 1998 Joseph, 1998 Aldridge and Rowley, 1998 Athiyaman, 1997 Bourke, 1997 Tomkovick et al. , 1996 Soutar and McNeil, 1996 Rogers and Smith, 1993 Hampton, 1993 Lapidus and Brow n, 1993 Stewart, 1991 Ortinau et al. 1989 Polcyn, 1986 X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Physical quality X Interactive quality X X X X X X X X X X X X X Corporative quality 22 22 8 Table 1: Higher Education Evaluation Matrix Physical quality – general services, teaching and learning facilities, accommodation Interactive quality – academic instruction, guidance, interaction with staff and students Corporative quality – recognition, reputation, value for money This study focused specifically on students from non-EU countries following postgraduate taught programmes.The fact that they are both international and postgraduate identifies them as a particular segment of the student market, and, as noted, it is one that has been showing significant growth and fee-earning potential. In many ways, their needs and responses are similar to those of other students but in significant ways they are also different. For example, as inte rnational students, the 2004 study by UKCOSA (2004) indicated that both postgraduates and undergraduates showed high levels of satisfaction with their academic experience (87 per cent), lthough, at 91 per cent, the undergraduates were rather more positive than their postgraduate counterparts at 85 per cent. This broad similarity is reflected in the other items included in the UKCOSA survey, with a notable exception that, at 85 per cent, undergraduates were more likely than postgraduates (65 per cent) to be offered university housing at the beginning of their stay. Other differences identified in the literature (Pereda, 2006) are that postgraduates are likely already to have been exposed to academic life, are older, with more work experience and experience of living independently.International students have similar issues to their domestic counterparts but additionally they face some specific issues, the most commonly cited being knowledge of English, inadequate financial resources, social adjustment, problems of daily living, loneliness and homesickness (Kennedy, 1995; Wilkinson, 1993; Burns, 1991; Samuelowicz, 1987). These, combined with the fact that they, or their families, are normally paying full fees, may partly explain the extent to which they are more critical of their experience and more demanding (Pereda, 2006). The study by the Higher Education Policy Institute (Bekhradnia et al. 2006) relating to English Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education 6(2), 55 – 67 58 Pereda, Airey and Bennett (2007) Service Quality in Overseas Education: The Experience of Overseas Students universities showed that nearly 30 per cent of such students found their courses represented poor value for money compared with 15 per cent of home and EU students. The fact that this study relates to this particular segment provides information about an important group, but the extent to which the results can be related to all international students or to st udents in general needs to be tempered by these differences.Methodology Having reached a point of identifying from the literature the ingredients of and preliminary structure for service quality in higher education, the research strategy was developed to identify statements and dimensions that would capture the students’ experiences of service quality and to measure these at a particular institution with a large cohort of international students. The students included in the survey were all from non-EU countries taking taught master degree courses, typically over one year, in different aspects of management.Admittedly, this approach contains limitations, being confined to particular students studying a particular group of courses at one institution. The advantage of this approach was partly one of convenience and logistics, but also that it permitted the identification of a sufficiently large and coherent group of students with roughly similar experiences, hence avoiding diffe rences between institutions, subjects, ages and experience. The institution concerned is based in the South of England and achieved university status in the 1960s. It has a strong research reputation as well as strong links with the world of work.Specifically for this study it has a long-standing and strong international reputation for hospitality and tourism education. It regularly ranks as one of the leading centres both for teaching and research in these areas, and is one of only two institutions in the UK accredited by the UN World Tourism Organisation. It has a developing reputation for other management programmes, with recent accreditations by the American body, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and the Association of MBAs (AMBA), placing it among leading business schools.For more than 20 years it has attracted a large number of international students, and currently more than 90 per cent of its postgraduate students in management are from outsid e the UK. A dedicated international office provides specific support for these international students. The fieldwork was organised into two main parts. First, a Q-sort was used to establish the validity of the three dimensions and to establish statements related to the dimensions.A selection of these statements was then used both to explore the response of international students to their experience and to conduct an exploratory factor analysis, which ultimately identified four factors of service quality. Q-technique has its origins in the work of Stephenson (1935; 1953) and provides researchers with a systematic and orderly means for identifying the dimensions of subjective phenomena from the viewpoints and experiences of individuals. In brief, it attempts to convert subjective responses into measurable dimensions, which can then be formally evaluated by statistical applications.To this extent it is a preliminary method. It makes the study of human subjectivity amenable to ‘ob jective analysis’, hence combining the strengths of both quantitative and qualitative research (Sexton et al. , 1998). This versatile procedure is well suited to cases where the existence of concepts has not been established (Ekinci and Riley, 2001). The evaluation of students’ experiences comes into this category and was used here as a first step. Stergiou (2004) had earlier, and for similar reasons, followed this approach in relation to students’ views about teaching.The Q-sort was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, a bank of statements was created to represent the dimensions suggested by Lehtinen and Lehtinen (1991). The initial set of statements was generated from previous questionnaires in the area of higher education, including unpublished dissertations (Leonard et al. , 2003), as well as from discussions with researchers in related areas. An initial pilot test was conducted with five subjects in order to check the instructions and any wording problems with the statements that Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education 6(2), 55 – 67 9 Pereda, Airey and Bennett (2007) Service Quality in Overseas Education: The Experience of Overseas Students were generated. For the first Q-sort, a total of 104 statements were used, related to physical quality (34 statements), interactive quality (38 statements) and corporative quality (32 statements). Respondents for the study were confined to students enrolled in a postgraduate programme at the researchers’ university for at least one semester. The experience in the university is a basic requirement to evaluate the service.The Q-sort was completed by a total of 30 students from 28 different countries, including two from the UK, six from other EU countries and 22 from other parts of the world. These students were asked to sort the statements, which had been printed onto separate cards, into the three dimensions and then, for each group of statements, to clas sify them into: ‘most important’ (the kind of service you would expect to have); ‘least important’; and ‘not relevant’. In order to qualify, a statement needed to be allocated to the same heading by at least 60 per cent of the sample (Ekinci and Riley, 2001; Hinkin and Schriesheim, 1989) and a minimum f four qualified statements was required to validate the existence of a dimension. The result of this Q-sort was a set of 85 validated statements distributed as follows: physical quality 38; interactive quality 29; corporative quality 18. For the second Q-sort, in order to have a better balanced representation among the three dimensions, the best 20 statements that obtained a degree of consensus of 70 per cent or more were used for the first two dimensions, physical quality and interactive quality.However, further adjustments were also made both to avoid omitting likely determinants of student satisfaction – for example, library services â €“ and to remove statements that essentially had the same meaning. For corporative quality, which only achieved 18 validated statements, three of which did not reach the cut-off of 70 per cent, five new statements were added. Hence, the second Q-sort took place with 60 statements, 20 related to each dimension.The respondents for this second round were 30 non-British full-fee-paying students enrolled on PhD (12) and master (18) degree programmes in different departments of the university. They were asked to sort the cards in the same way as in the first Q-sort. The output from this round was a set of 59 validated statements. One item was rejected from corporative quality. The second stage of the study involved further exploration of the statements to establish how they impacted on student views of the quality of service provided and how well they confirmed the existence of the three dimensions.For this, a research instrument was implemented with students taking taught postgraduat e master level programmes at the institution. The final response was from 330 students taking a range of programmes in management and related areas. Eighty-four of these were on programmes related to hospitality and tourism, although it should be noted that this underestimates such students because a number of them identified themselves as studying ‘management’, omitting to mention their particular specialism. All were overseas students paying full fees.The research instrument was distributed personally in spring 2005, in most cases at the end of classes, and self-completed in the researcher’s presence. Forty statements in total were used from the second Q-sort to measure student views of the quality of service. Fifteen of these related to physical quality, 11 to interactive quality and 14 to corporative quality. The statements are given in Table 2. Physical quality The gardens and open areas on the campus are kept clean Students’ rooms are provided ith ad equate internet connections The classrooms have up-to-date teaching support equipment The university has modern computers with the latest programmes Student accommodation is safe The university has sufficient residential accommodation The library has a wide range of book and periodicals in my area of studies The rooms in the student residential accommodation are comfortable Mean 5. 22 5. 14 5. 10 5. 06 4. 66 4. 66 4. 57 4. 55 SD 1. 17 1. 90 1. 05 1. 30 1. 31 1. 41 1. 51 1. 28 Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education 6(2), 55 – 67 60Pereda, Airey and Bennett (2007) Service Quality in Overseas Education: The Experience of Overseas Students Adequate printer facilities are available The campus computers are sufficient for the student population The communal areas in each student residence are adequate for the number of students The university has plenty of sports facilities The sport centre offers modern equipment The university offers modern accommodation at affordable prices The university provides adequate parking areas for students Interactive quality My course is intellectually challenging Staff react politely to students’ queries It is easy to make friends on campus The administrative staff are helpful Lecturers stimulate critical analysis There are clear and reasonable requirements for each module Lecturers can be easily contacted individually It is easy to get involved in campus social organisations Lecturers have adequate time for consultation Feedback from coursework is adequate It is easy to interact with local students Corporative quality The university takes the lead in research A degree from this university improves my employment prospects The university maintains links with international education networks A degree from this university is well recognised internationally The university is well recognised for the academic programmes The university offers a high quality of teaching performance The ranking of my school is high Graduates from this university achieve considerable success in finding excellent employment A degree from this university has an excellent reputation in my home country The university maintains excellent links with local industry The university has contacts ith international employers The university has been extensively recommended by my friends in my home country Lecturers in my home country recommended this university to me There are excellent links between my home country and this university Table 2: Students’ views of the quality of service provided 7= strongly agree; 1= strongly disagree 4. 85 4. 85 4. 70 4. 69 4. 66 4. 57 4. 57 4. 45 4. 32 4. 23 4. 18 3. 92 3. 84 3. 45 1. 04 1. 02 1. 16 1. 14 1. 20 1. 17 1. 32 1. 20 1. 38 1. 33 1. 29 1. 37 1. 48 1. 30 5. 02 4. 71 4. 70 4. 60 4. 56 4. 55 4. 48 4. 35 4. 28 4. 23 3. 62 1. 04 1. 19 1. 23 1. 32 1. 19 1. 10 1. 19 1. 28 1. 22 1. 12 1. 50 4. 43 4. 31 4. 29 4. 20 4. 17 3. 94 3. 70 1. 38 1. 41 1. 45 1. 36 1. 32 1. 33 1. 4 8A seven-point Likert scale was used for this purpose, and respondents were asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with the statements relating to their experience. The instrument also collected data on satisfaction, value for money and demographics. These are not reported here. The analysis included the preparation of descriptive statistics, cross-tabulations against various independent variables, and exploratory factor analysis with Varimax rotation. An Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education 6(2), 55 – 67 61 Pereda, Airey and Bennett (2007) Service Quality in Overseas Education: The Experience of Overseas Students overall Cronbach alpha coefficient of . 875, results from more than 300 respondents, a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy of more than . 0 and the Bartlett’s test results all gave support that the set of data was adequate for factor analysis, with a factor loading of . 35. Results and discussion The students’ views on the quality of service provided under the three dimensions are given in Table 2. These, together with the reasons for enrolling in the particular programme presented in Table 3, provide an indication of the elements of service quality that are of importance to these international students. The reputation and content, including the English language provision, of the programme are clearly important to the students in making their decisions about where to study. Reason Degree accepted internationally English language spoken Content of the courseReputation of this university back home Facilities Entry requirement Getting an offer of a place Influence of friends/family Know someone studying there Degree not available at home Scholarship award Sponsor’s decision Level of fees Difficulty of getting into university at home Table 3: Reasons for enrolling No (n=308) 184 152 142 103 91 63 62 54 52 52 42 19 13 11 The most important finding of the research to be reported here was that the factor analysis did not entirely support the structure proposed by Lehtinen and Lehtinen. Indeed, as set out in Table 4, four dimensions are identified, and of these, Factor 1 is by far the most important, accounting for the largest proportion of the variance (34 per cent), with eigenvalues greater than 3. 00 (6. 156).This factor includes a group of statements related to research, rigour and reputation, and is labelled here ‘recognition’. Factors 1 Factor 1: recognition The ranking of my school is high (corporative quality) A degree from this university is well recognised internationally (corporative quality) The university takes the lead in research (corporative quality) A degree from this university has an excellent reputation in my home country (corporative quality) My course is intellectually challenging (interactive quality) Factor 2: quality of instruction and interaction with faculty Lecturers have adequate time for consultation (inter active quality) . 765 . 772 . 702 . 659 . 652 . 609 2 3 4 Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education 6(2), 55 – 67 62Pereda, Airey and Bennett (2007) Service Quality in Overseas Education: The Experience of Overseas Students Lecturers can be easily contacted individually (interactive quality) There are clear and reasonable requirements for each module (interactive quality) Lecturers stimulate critical analysis (interactive quality) Feedback from coursework is adequate (interactive quality) Factor 3: sufficiency of resources The campus computers are sufficient for the student population (physical quality) Adequate printer facilities are available (physical quality) The communal areas in each student residence are adequate for the number of students (physical quality) The university has sufficient residential accommodation (physical quality) Factor 4: quality of facilities The university has plenty of sport facilities (physical quality) The sports centre has m odern equipment (physical quality) The classrooms have up-to-date teaching support equipment (physical quality) The gardens and open areas on campus are kept clean (physical quality) . 863 . 802 . 526 . 483 . 724 . 689 . 657 . 642 . 758 . 663 . 611 . 454 Eigenvalue 6. 156 1. 527 1. 375 1. 72 Explained variance by factor (%) 34. 199 8. 481 7. 640 7. 069 Table 4: Service quality scale: factor loading structure Extraction method: principle component analysis. Rotation method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalisation. Rotation converged in five iterations To some extent this reflects how the university positions itself as a demanding and competitive body. The other three factors did not reach eigenvalues of 3. 00, and the percentage variance together only accounts for 23 per cent of the total. The second factor roughly relates to Lehtinen and Lehtinen’s ‘interactive quality’ and here is labelled ‘quality of instruction and interaction with faculty’.The items he re emphasise the importance of the lecturer in his or her intrinsic role as a teacher, willing to guide, teach and motivate students. The variables included in this factor also provide evidence of the responsibilities of the lecturer towards the students in terms of providing clear instructions, accurate and punctual feedback and private consultation. Factor 3 includes four items from ‘physical quality’, and although they only explain 7. 64 per cent of the common variance, all the items have high loadings, ranging from . 642 to . 724. Interestingly, they all relate to the adequate provision of services by the university and hence are labelled here ‘sufficiency of resources’.The last factor, although composed of four items from ‘physical quality’, does not show a clear pattern – two of the items refer to sport facilities (both of which have high loadings), the modernity of classroom facilities and cleanliness of the campus. This recasting of the dimensions provides an interesting step in translating service quality thinking into the arena of higher education. In particular, it emphasises the point that the provision of services is not only about the actual facilities (classrooms, computers, etc) and the ways in which they are delivered (by the teachers), both of which find correspondence in any service; it also highlights the fact that there is another, in this case overriding, dimension for students in the ways in which they judge their institution.This is the standing or recognition of the university, which in itself is a combination of achievements often over many years in the wide range of activities covered by universities – teaching, research, invention and knowledge creation. In the case of this particular study, this may be partly explained by the fact that the institution concerned has an outstanding and long-established reputation for Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education 6(2) , 55 – 67 63 Pereda, Airey and Bennett (2007) Service Quality in Overseas Education: The Experience of Overseas Students tourism and hospitality studies, and a significant proportion of the respondents were taking these programmes. In the same way, ancient universities, some with histories over many centuries, offer ‘reputation’ as a key element in attracting students.This ‘recognition’ dimension, of course, also finds expression in other services and goods, but arguably its explanatory strength for universities in distinguishing between institutions, particularly for overseas students, is more powerful than in other areas. It is difficult to generalise from this to all universities. Given the rapid expansion of the sector in recent years, there has been little time for many institutions to have developed their reputations. This may explain why in earlier studies (Gatfield et al. , 1999; Tomkovick et al. , 1996) which have included ‘reputationà ¢â‚¬â„¢ it has not consistently appeared as the most important factor. Indeed, ‘academic instruction’ has more typically explained most of the variance (Gatfield, 2000; Elliot and Shin, 2002; Patterson et al. , 1998).However, what it does point to potentially is the sheer importance of reputation once it has been achieved and, as a corollary, the imperative to maintain reputation. Against this background, league tables and world rankings take on a crucial role and hence become a vital part of the development and survival strategy for institutions in an increasingly competitive world. As international recruitment and international competition in higher education increases, this is likely to figure increasingly prominently in the strategies of universities. Conclusion Three important issues come out of this work in relation to the things that students value in their university experience.First, in line with previous studies, the evaluation of higher education includes a c omplex and diverse range of variables, from classroom experience to library and computing provision, from social and sporting activities to international recognition. Second, the work in measuring service quality provides a good starting point for understanding the basic structure of the variables that students take into account in evaluating their experience. And third, there is, at least for some universities, including the one where the study took place, a fourth dimension related to reputation; in this case, a reputation in hospitality and tourism may have influenced the results. This then points to a key feature of higher education provision, which is that universities are not a uniform range of institutions.They vary enormously by, for example, age, size, structure, specialism and orientation, and any form of evaluation will be likely to reflect these differences. In this case, it is reputation and recognition that has come through. In other universities and with other student groups there may well be other dimensions in the variables. This study was based on one institution and sought the views of the international, postgraduate, full-fee-paying students who had already taken a decision about where to study, and the configuration of the variables reflects this. Primarily, it has brought the reputation of the institution into prominence; but it has also provided a further basis for understanding the issues that international students value.Given the likely continued growth in international student movements, there are key lessons here for institutions, not least in the importance of developing and maintaining reputation. As already noted, in an environment of globalisation, international competition and league tables, reputation is likely to increase in importance. Of course, given the sample of a particular group of students studying particular subjects at one institution, there are some important limitations in the extent to which it is possible to gen eralise the results. However, notwithstanding this weakness, both the approach and the findings in terms of the key variables and dimensions provide pointers o approaches to understanding the views of students and the ways in which this important group of students view their experience. There are clearly many further avenues for research in this area. A wider range of institutions with different priorities, a wider range of subject areas and coverage of undergraduate and domestic students would all provide further insights to the views of students about their Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education 6(2), 55 – 67 64 Pereda, Airey and Bennett (2007) Service Quality in Overseas Education: The Experience of Overseas Students experiences and about the dimensions that they value. But perhaps most important for tourism and hospitality specialists would be a specific focus on students studying these subjects.While they are a significant cohort among the students included in the survey, and this study can provide pointers, their number was not sufficient to draw final conclusions about their particular characteristics, if any. This work remains to be done. References Aldridge, S. and Rowley, J. (1998) Measuring Customers' Satisfaction in Higher Education. Quality Assurance in Education, 6, 197-204. Allen, A. and Higgins, T. (1994) Higher Education: The International Student Experience. Leeds: HEIST. Athiyaman, A. (1997) Linking Student Satisfaction and Service Quality Perceptions: the case of university education. European Journal of Marketing, 31, 528-540. Barron, P. (2005) Cultural Issues in Learning. In: D. Airey and J. Tribe (eds. ) An International Handbook of Tourism Education. Oxford: Elsevier, 353-366. Bekhradnia, B. , Whitnall, C. and Sastry, T. 2006) The Academic Experience of Students in English Universities. London: Higher Education Policy Institute. Bourke, A. (1995) A Model of the Determinants of International Trade in Higher E ducation. Service Industries Journal, 20. Bourke, A. (1997) The Internationalisation of Higher Education. Higher Education Quarterly, 51, 325-346. Burns, R. (1991) Study and Stress among First Year Overseas Students in an Australian University. Higher Education Research and Development, 10, 61-77. Clemes, M. , Ozanne, L. and Tram, L. (2001) An Examination of Students' Perceptions of Service Quality in Higher Education. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 10, 1-19. Conant, J. , Brown, J. and Mokwa, M. 1985) Students are Important Consumers: assessing satisfaction in a higher education context. Journal of Marketing Education, 7(2) 13-20. Ekinci, Y. and Riley, M. (2001) Validating Quality Dimensions. Annals of Tourism Research, 28, 201-223. Elliot, K. and Shin, D. (2002) Student Satisfaction: an alternative approach to assessing this important concept. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 24, 197-209. Ford, J. , Joseph, M. and Joseph, B. (1999) Importance-Performan ce Analysis as a Strategic Tool for Service Marketers: the case of service quality perceptions of business students in New Zealand. The Journal of Services Marketing, 13, 171-186. Gatfield, T. 2000) A Scale for Measuring Student Perception of Quality: an Australian Asian perspective. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 10, 27-41. Gatfield, T. , Bakker, M. and Graham, P. (1999) Measuring Student Quality Variables and the Implications for Management Practices in Higher Education Institutions: an Australian and international perspective. Journal of Higher Education and Management, 21, 239-252. Glisan, G. (1984) A Marketing Approach to Student Evaluation of a Department of Marketing. Journal of Higher Education, 54, 159-163. Gronroos, C. (1984) A Service Quality Model and its Marketing Implications. European Journal of Marketing, 18, 139-150. Hampton, G. 1993) College Students' Satisfaction: marketing's approach for evaluating higher education. Journal of Professional Services Ma rketing, 9, 115-128. HESA (2006) Higher Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 2004-05. Cheltenham: Higher Education Statistics Agency. Hinkin, T. and Schriesheim, C. (1989) Development and Application of New Scales to Measure the French and Raven Bases of Social Power. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 561-567. Joseph, M. (1998) Determinants of Service Quality in Education: a New Zealand perspective. Journal of Professional Services Marketing, 16, 43-71. Kennedy, K. (1995) Developing a Curriculum Guarantee for Overseas Students.Higher Education Research and Development, 14, 35-46. Kotler, P. (1985) Strategic Marketing for Educational Institutions. London: Prentice-Hall. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education 6(2), 55 – 67 65 Pereda, Airey and Bennett (2007) Service Quality in Overseas Education: The Experience of Overseas Students Lapidus, R. and Brown, J. (1993) Assessing Satisfaction with the University Experience: an international perspective. Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction and Complaining Behaviour, 6, 187-192. Lehtinen, U. and Lehtinen, J. (1991) Two Approaches to Service Quality Dimensions. The Service Industries Journal, 11, 287-303. Leonard, D. , Pelletier, C. nd Morley, L. (2003) The Experiences of International Students in UK Higher Education: A Review of Unpublished Research. London: UKCOSA. Mavondo, F. , Tsarenki, Y. and Gale, T. (2004) International and Local Student Satisfaction: resources and capabilities perspective. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 14, 4160. Mortimer, K. (1997) Recruiting Overseas Undergraduate Students: are their information requirements being satisfied? Higher Education Quarterly, 51, 225-238. Oldfield, B. and Baron, S. (2000) Student Perceptions of Service Quality in a UK University Business and Management Faculty. Quality Assurance in Education, 8, 85-95. Orr, S. 2000) The Organisational Determinants of Success for Delivering Fee-Paying Graduate Courses. The International Journal of Educational Management, 14, 54-61. Ortinau, D. , Bush, A. J. , Bush, R. P. and Twible, J. (1989) The Use of Importance Performance Analysis for Improving the Quality of Marketing Education: interpreting faculty-course evaluation. Journal of Marketing Education, 11(2), 78-86. Pate, W. (1993) Consumer Satisfaction, Determinants and Post-Purchase Actions in Higher Education. College and University Journal, 68, 100-107. Patterson, P. , Romm, T. and Hill, C. (1998) Consumer Satisfaction as a Process: a qualitative, retrospective longitudinal study of overseas students in Australia.Journal of Professional Services Marketing, 16, 135-157. Pereda, M. (2006) An Examination of the Impact of Service Quality Dimensions on Students' Satisfaction in Higher Education in the UK. Thesis, (PhD). University of Surrey. Polcyn, L. (1986) A Two-Instrument Approach to Student Satisfaction. College and University Journal, 62, 18-24. Rogers, A. and Smith, P. (1993) Identifying the N eeds of Overseas Students: a monitoring exercise at the University of Southampton. Journal of International Education, 3, 7-24. Samuelowicz, K. (1987) Learning Problems of Overseas Students: the two sides of a story. Higher Education Research and Development, 6, 121-133. Schachner, N. 1962) The Medieval Universities. New York: A. S. Barness and Co. Sexton, D. , Snyder, P. , Wadsworth, D. , Jardine, A. and Ernest, J. (1998) Applying Q Methodology to Investigations of Subjective Judgements of Early Intervention Effectiveness. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 18, 95-107. Soutar, G. and McNeil, M. (1996) Measuring Service Quality in a Tertiary Institution. Journal of Educational Administration, 34, 72-82. Stephenson, W. (1935) Correlating Persons instead of Tests. Character and Personality, 4, 17-24. Stephenson, W. (1953) The Study of Behaviour: Q-technique and its Methodology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Stergiou, D. (2004) Knowledge and Teaching: an investigation on what makes good teaching in tourism higher education. Thesis, (PhD). University of Surrey. Stewart, K. (1991) Applying and Marketing Orientation to a Higher Education Setting. Journal of Professional Services Marketing, 7, 117-124. Thompson, H. and Thompson, G. (1996). Confronting Diversity Issues in the Classroom with Strategies to Improve Satisfaction and Retention of International Students. Journal of Education for Business, 72, 52-58. Tomkovick, C. , Al-khatib, J. , Badawaj, B. and Jones, S. (1996) An Assessment of the Service Quality Provided to Foreign Students at US Business Schools.Journal of Education for Business, 71, 130-135. UCAS (2006) Universities and Colleges Admissions Service Statistics. Available from: http://www. ucas. com/figures/index. html UKCOSA (2004) Broadening our Horizons: International Students in UK Universities and Colleges. Report of the UKCOSA Survey. London: UKCOSA, The Council for International Education. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport an d Tourism Education 6(2), 55 – 67 66 Pereda, Airey and Bennett (2007) Service Quality in Overseas Education: The Experience of Overseas Students UKCOSA (2006) Higher Education Statistics. Available from: http://ww. ukcosa. org. uk/pages/hestats. htm Wiers-Jenssen, J. 2003) Norwegian Students Abroad: experiences of students from a linguistically and geographically peripheral European Country. Studies in Higher Education, 28, 391-411. Wiers-Jenssen, J. , Stensaker, B. and Grogaard, J. (2002) Student Satisfaction: towards an empirical deconstruction of the concept. Quality in Higher Education, 8, 183-195. Wilkinson, J. (1993) Marketing Australian Universities to Overseas Students. Australian Marketing Journal, 1, 71-79. Wright, C. and O'Neill, M. (2002) Service Quality Evaluation in the Higher Education Sector: an empirical investigation of students' perceptions. Higher Education Research and Development, 21, 23-39. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education 6( 2), 55 – 67 67

Cissp Study Guide - 67657 Words

ISC CISSP ISC CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional Practice Test Version ISC CISSP: Practice Exam QUESTION NO: 1 All of the following are basic components of a security policy EXCEPT the A. definition of the issue and statement of relevant terms. B. statement of roles and responsibilities C. statement of applicability and compliance requirements. D. statement of performance of characteristics and requirements. Answer: D Explanation: Policies are considered the first and highest level of documentation, from which the lower level elements of standards, procedures, and guidelines flow. This order , however, does not mean that policies are more important than the lower elements. These higher-level policies,†¦show more content†¦So that external bodies will recognize the organizations commitment to security. D. So that they can be held legally accountable. Answer: A Explanation: This really does not a reference as it should be known. Upper management is legally accountable (up to 290 million fine). External organizations answer is not really to perti nent (however it stated that other organizations will respect a BCP and disaster recover plan). Employees need to be bound to the policy regardless of who signs it but it gives validity. Ownership is the correct answer in this statement. However, here is a reference. Fundamentally important to any security program s success us the senior management s high-level statement of commitment to the information security policy process and a senior management s understanding of how important security controls and protections are to the enterprise s continuity. Senior management must be Pass Any Exam. Any Time. - www..com 4 Ac tua lTe sts Explanation: Information security policies are high-level plans that describe the goals of the procedures or controls. Policies describe security in general, not specifics. They provide the blueprint fro an overall security program just as a specification defines your next product. - Roberta Bragg CISSP Certification Training Guide (que) pg 587 .co m ISC CISSP: Practice Exam aware of the importance of security implementation to preserve the organization s viability (and for their own due careShow MoreRelatedA Survey On Technology Industry Association1041 Words   |  5 PagesCEUs or retake the most recent version of the exam. CISSP CISSP definitely benefits information security in general. It provides people understanding of which individuals have taken the time to understand about security to learn the common language and understand the common body of knowledge and apply that ion the day to day work. It also provide a work ethic that the company can count on when bringing these people on board. 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This study will compare the differences in what a Business Continuity Plan is used for and what a Disaster Recovery Plan is used for. Additionally, it will evaluate the risk having a Business Continuity Plan and Disaster Recovery Plan versus accepting the potentialRead MoreRisk Assessment Is The Top Priority For Any Type Is Impenetrable1671 Words   |  7 PagesButterworth-Heinemann. Conrad, E., Misenar, S., Feldman, J. (2010). CISSP Study Guide (1st ed.). Burlington, MA: Syngress. Krause, H. F. (2009). Information Security Management Handbook. New York City, NY. McCarthy, N., Todd, M., Klaben, J. (2012). The Computer Incident Response Planning Handbook: Executable Plans for Protecting Information at Risk (1st ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. Soyinka, W. (2010). Wireless Network Administration A Beginner s Guide (1st ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. Trim, P., LeeRead MoreSystems Development Life Cycle : Desiree M. Kamansky1550 Words   |  7 Pageswhat the application is expected to be carried out is shown rather than how the action should be performed. The second stage is the analysis stage where business logic and models that will be useful for the application are generated after thorough study. The third step is the design stage which involves the requirements for the design of the technology, and these include data layers, programming language, and the data services. This stage helps in implementing a design that highlights the coverageRead MoreThe Protocol Of Operations Of Bank Solutions Essay1476 Words   |  6 Pagesacquisition of the control and management platform is recommended for different organizations in different sectors across the marketplace, coming with a guaranteed for success in the enhancement of data and information security. References. CISSP Study Guide. â€Å"Types of Access Controls.† (May 10, 2007) Retrieved from http://www.cisspstudy.blogspot.co.ke/2007/05/types-of-access-control.html?m=1 Cyber Essential Scheme. â€Å"Access Control and Administrative Privilege Management.†(2016) Retrieved from http://wwwRead MoreBank Solutions Inc. Security Plan Essay1691 Words   |  7 PagesRetrieved from http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Computer_Science/2005/intrusion_detection_prevention.asp Chabrow, E. (2013, June 11). 2013 Cost of Data Breach Study from Ponemon and Symantec. Retrieved from http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/interviews/regulations-impact-on-data-breach-costs-i-1953 Harris, S. (2010). Cissp all-in-one exam guide. (5 ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media. Holland, T. (2004), Understanding IPS and IDS: Using IPS and IDS Together for Defense in Depth, Retrieved fromRead MoreDoc, Docx Pdf3690 Words   |  15 Pages7th ed., 2012 copyright Innovation and Entrepreneurship - 2nd edition INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY for MANAGEMENT: IMPROVING PERFORMANCE IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY 8th ed. 2011 Project Management 10th 09 ed. Project Management Workbook and PMP/CAPM Exam Study Guide 10th 09 ed. Managing the Unknown: A New Approach to Managing High Uncertainty and Risk in Projects 2006 Managing Projects: A Team-Based Approach 2010 1st Effective Small Business Management - 10th ed. The LABOR RELATIONS PROCESS - 10th 2012 ed.Read MoreBuilding a Secure Organization11016 Words   |  45 Pagesprograms that might prove helpful. For those who do not have the time or the inclination to attend a class, some very useful materials can be found online. One such document provided by the Government Chief Information Office of New South Wales is A Guide for Government Agencies Calculating Return on Security Investment . 9 Though extremely technical, another often cited document is Cost-Benefit Analysis for Network Intrusion Detection Systems, by Huaqiang Wei, Deb Frinke, Olivia Carter, and ChrisRead MoreHow Technology Has Impacted Our Lives3685 Words   |  15 Pagesareas for those without ethics or morals to increase their personal or organization’s financial and political standing, by exploiting vulnerabilities within these technologies. According to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) that was released in 2014, it is estimated that each year, cybercrime results in more than 445 billion dollar loss to the global economy. According to the same report, cybercrime is a growing field that damages employment, trade, competiveness

The Conflict Of The Niger Delta - 1743 Words

INTRODUCTION TO THE CONFLICT IN THE NIGER DELTA Nigeria is the 7th world largest oil producer and is a major player in the world energy market. Oil and gas is Nigeria’s main source of revenue. It accounts for about 40% of the Gross Domestic Product and 70% of government revenues (Lawal 2004). Crude oil was first discovered in 1956 by Shell British Petroleum in a small village called Oloibiri present day Bayelsa State. Two years later oil in larger quantities was discovered in Ogoni. The Niger delta region has a population of 28 million people, a coverage of 70,000 square kilometers consisting of 606 fields, 5,284 wells, 7,000 kilometers of pipelines, 10 export terminals, 275 flow stations and a liquefied natural gas sector (Williams 2011). The Niger delta which is Nigeria’s oil belt has been embroiled in conflict and resistance against the government and multinational oil corporations that extract oil in the region. The Niger delta is highly volatile with insurgent groups controlling the area. Years of oil exploitation, environmental degradation and neglecting by the states has created an impoverished, marginalized and exploited region which has produced resistance form the youth in the Niger delta region. A regime of state repression and corporate violence has further generated popular criminal violence, lawlessness, illegal appropriations and insecurity (Williams 2011). Conflict in the Niger delta arose in the early 1990’s due to tension between the foreign oilShow MoreRelatedThe Amnesty Program In Nigeria1355 Words   |  6 Pagesprogram has been unable to engage other macro level changes. For example, it has notproduced the much anticipated security sector reforms, which is crucial in order to develop the type of intelligence that would be proactive in preventing future armed conflict. The Nigerian Police Force, a humongous, monolithic body of law enforcement officers, remains ill-equipped, ill-trained, and ill-funded to provide the much needed service to Nigerian people. Moreover, the task of using one central force to policeRead MoreThe Niger Delta And The Oil Companies1576 Words   |  7 PagesThe Niger Delta is a region of Nigeria that is very rich in crude oil and gas. Crude oil and gas make up 70% of the country s revenue and 95% of it s export earnings (Ezekoli, 5608). Those percentages are incredibly high and represents large amou nts of money that can be found in the region. However, the people of the Niger Delta never see the wealth that comes from their natural resources. The wealth instead goes to the oil companies set up in the area as well as the pockets of a few elite governmentRead MoreCorruption In Nigeria Essay examples1156 Words   |  5 PagesHowever, corruption is prevalent in the Niger delta region of Nigeria; public officers in this oil producing state of Nigeria are corrupt. Consequently, it has defied the Niger delta from developing politically and economically which has left the states reputation in a mess. Radicalization of youths, abject poverty and -political instability are the three leading effects of corruption in the Niger delta region of Nigeria. Corruption in the Niger delta region of Nigeria has led to abject povertyRead MoreImpact Of The Nigerian Presidential Amnesty Program1723 Words   |  7 Pages(Amnesty), a local form of Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR), on crude oil production in Nigeria. The President of Nigeria announced the program on June 25th, 2009 which aimed to put an end to the insurgency crisis experienced in the Niger Delta region, particularly between 2006 - 2009 which had led to an average loss of about 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day (cited in Asuni, 2009) and which had major implications for the government s revenue. Militants were given the opportunity forRead MoreThe Impact Of Oil Exploration On Nigeria1027 Words   |  5 Pagesproducer in Africa, and currently its most populous country. After the oil discovery in the Niger Delta area of Oloibiri in 1956, the country has had oil has its main income producer. Before this, agriculture had the center stage; it accounted f or 50% of revenue. Most of the oil exploration is done in the Niger Delta;a region that’s made up of nine states which includes; River, Cross River, AkwaIbom, Delta, Edo, Bayelsa, Imo, Abia, and Ondo. This region has an estimated population of 28 million, amountingRead MoreEssay on Oil Conflict in Nigeria1259 Words   |  6 PagesOil Conflict in Nigeria Introduction This paper will discuss the Oil conflict that is occurring in Nigeria. Discussed will be the types of power that the two feuding parties are using and whether their strategies have been effective as well as the influence they have had on the conflict. The contrasting cultural differences and similarities will be discussed as well. The conflict in Nigeria has turned deadly and a successful communication environment must be developed in order to restore peaceRead MoreNigerian Development : The Face Of Oil Extraction And How Mncs Such As Shell Essay1593 Words   |  7 Pageslucrative resource that could arguably catalyze momentum towards economic development, poverty plagues Nigeria and continues to rise despite efforts to forge positive, developmental changes. In fact, areas showing the largest amounts of oil like the Niger Delta happen to be the country’s most economically marginalized region. A significant impetus of these tumultuous changes has been multinational oil corpor ations like Shell that have been extracting oil in Nigeria since 1956. This paper seeks to examineRead MoreAnalysis Of The Niger Delta And Its Past Struggles With Military Rule Essay1021 Words   |  5 PagesCase Summary What has occurred in the Niger Delta is linked to its past struggles with military rule transitioning to democratic rule, which often ends in a military regime taking control nonetheless. From the start of its independence, Nigeria has slowly grown in its dependence on oil as it’s main economic revenue stream. Before the discovery of oil, the state had yam and cassava crops, palm oil, rubber, and lumbers that provided economic revenue, though modest (Jike, V.T. 2004). However once oilRead MoreSolutions to the Niger Delta Problems in Nigeria4181 Words   |  17 PagesSOLUTIONS TO THE NIGER DELTA PROBLEMS IN NIGERIA AN ASSIGNMENT WRITTEN IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE COURSE DVS 512: TECHNOLOGY, ENERGY, NATURAL RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT BY ISU, DORATHY AKWUGO PG/MSC/07/46529 LECTURER: DR. OGAKWU INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, ENUGU CAMPUS. AUGUST 2009 BACKGROUND The Niger Delta produces the oil wealth which accounts for the bulk of Nigeria’s foreign earnings. Paradoxically however, these vast revenuesRead MoreThe Niger Delta Struggles: Its Implications for Resource Control.17990 Words   |  72 PagesTOPIC: THE NIGER DELTA STRUGGLES: ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR RESOURCE CONTROL. A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY The Niger Delta region, Nigeria s oil belt has been the site of a generalized ethnic and regional struggle for self-determination since 1998, the location of often-violent confrontations between local ethnic communities and agents of the Nigerian state and oil companies involved in the extraction and exploitation of oil in the area. What began as community agitation

The 10 Steps Of Being A Successful Student - 848 Words

The 10 Steps of Being a Successful Student By Ronnie Phillips | Submitted On February 11, 2011 Recommend Article Article Comments Print Article Share this article on Facebook 2 Share this article on Twitter 1 Share this article on Google+ Share this article on Linkedin Share this article on StumbleUpon Share this article on Delicious Share this article on Digg Share this article on Reddit Share this article on Pinterest Expert Author Ronnie Phillips 1. Setting Goals - Students, who set goals are continuously working toward being successful. These students have something positive to strive for, which keeps them on target for success. Another benefit of setting goals involves teaching the students how to develop a successful plan of action for school, which can be carried over to life. Students should develop a variety of goals both short and long term. To keep the focus the students should write goals down and review their progress on a regular schedule. 2. Managing Time - Students are very busy and in order to have success they need to organize their time each day. This can begin by having a planner or calendar that can be used to record all assignments and activities. The planner should be utilized daily, weekly, and monthly. When developing a schedule the students first priority is having enough time to study each day. School related business is also a high priority on the planner. In addition to the planner, the student can use a to-do- list of all activitiesShow MoreRelatedGoals, Objectives, And Success950 Words   |  4 Pagespeople do not realize that you can’t just have goals and meet them. Instead you should set up steps to achieve them. That is were objectives come in objectives is defined as concrete attainments that can be achieved by following a certain number of steps. When we have goals for example say you want to get an A on your next test you just don’t go and take the test and get an A. Instead you set up steps or objectives to get that A you can say for example a week before the test I want to a least reviewRead MoreSample Resume : Administering The Pre Test And Post Test1616 Words   |  7 Pagesadministering the pre-test and post-test to the student(s) during both IPPR lessons. My experiences with administering the pre-test and post-test were very different in each Lesson. During pre-test one, I had assumed that all of the students could pass a simple fractions quiz, but I assumed incorrectly. Many of the students did not pass the quiz, and I had to go back and readjust my use of fractions. The pre-test also showed their teacher that she needed to step back and teach the very basic fraction conceptsRead MoreLife s A Great Balancing Act1010 Words   |  5 PagesSuccess can represent many different aspects of your life. Everyone wants to be able to say when they are old, they were once successful. â€Å"So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life s A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and  ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you ll move mountains† (Seuss). A person can define their success in their education. Having an education is a privilege to many. â€Å"In 2012, the global adult literacy rate wasRead MoreLearning Strategies for Students1178 Words   |  5 Pagesapproa ch to learning and using information. Students use learning strategies to help them understand information and solve problems. Students who do not know or use good learning strategies will ultimately fail in school. Learning approach focuses on making student learners more active, by teaching them how to learn and be successful. My successes for teaching the Acquisition to Generalization Framework lesson to my student were that I was able to get my student Rickey to buy into the strategy, of usingRead MorePrisoner Re-Entry Programs in America734 Words   |  3 Pageswhich is released annually (637,400) will recidivate within the first three years of release (Glaze, 2013). The prisoner re-entry programs that are currently in place are clearly ineffective and insufficient. A reallocation of the budget is the first step towards fixing our re-entry programs. Once the budget is under control, the government needs to have a complete overhaul of system. There are many prisoner re-entry programs that have shown promise which means there is already a blueprint to successRead MoreImproving Early Intervention : The Future Of Our Children Through Policy Change1582 Words   |  7 PagesImproving Early Intervention: Brightening the future of our children through policy change It is no question that children with developmental delays or disabilities require extra attention to ensure that they are successful and independent adults in the future. Early intervention is a measure that is taken worldwide to achieve these goals and is based on the concept that cerebral plasticity is at its prime in the earlier stages of life [1]. The Early Intervention Program (EIP) in the United StatesRead MoreThe Importance Of Being A Self Directed By Jeff Cobb938 Words   |  4 PagesThere are many aspects to being a self-directed, intrinsically motivated, and active learner. From our reading assignments it has become plain that the most important aspect is taking initiative. This means being someone who doesn t have to be told to learn this or that, but will take the first steps down the road of learning. Taking the initiative to learn is core to every other aspect, whether we talk about the 15 Ways of the Successful Self-Directed Learner by Jeff Cobb, or come up with our o wnRead MoreCollege Students Should Study Abroad1687 Words   |  7 PagesStudents all across the nation are given a choice. They have a choice to continue on their education after high school, and they have a choice to go straight to the work field. We are faced with choices every single day, choices that will define us, and make us who we are. As college students we have the choice and the opportunity of a lifetime, and that is to study abroad. Studying in a foreign country benefits the students in many ways including the opportunity to travel the world, experience differentRead MoreThe Gap Analysis Tool For Students With A Disability925 Words   |  4 Pagesworld for students with a disability. This article was a great read for people who need a better understanding of the transitioning especially students with high standards that are included in the general education setting for the entire day. The article explained the Triangulated Gap Analysis Tool (TGAP), which is designed t o assist educators, students, and IEP teams to identify and create annual goals that address the gap in skills, including nonacademic skills, needed to prepare students for postsecondaryRead MoreA Gap Year After High School1391 Words   |  6 Pagesplan on doing. However, some students have worked hard throughout the course of high school and may be exhausted from all the hard work they have put in during high school. A fatigued student going into a higher level of education will only lead to the negative consequences as he or she is no longer capable of learning at the best efficiency. A gap year system is currently introduced by many universities and is used prevalently in the United States. It allows students to take a year off after high

Flexibility and the Work-life Balance

Question: Write an essay on Work-Life Balance. Answer: Introduction: The flexible working has been described as the manner of working arrangement which provides some significant degree of flexibility on where, how long and when shall the employees perform their tasks. The statutory right to order the flexible working might have assisted to make flexible working a much simpler and familiar phrase all within the workplaces, the flexible working kinds of the arrangements have always been a prompt option in so many of the employment sectors in longer tenures, which helps the employers come across the changing requirements of their clients and also the requirements of their staff: Clients always expect to get the goods and the services available apart and outside of the usual and traditional 9-5 hours of working (Meenakshi, 2013) Workers desire to achieve a much-balanced ratio between the work and the home life. Companies desire to achieve the needs and requirements of their clients as well of the workers in a manner that shall enable them to become more and more productive. The flexible arrangements of working are always already used in so many Employment sectors, like the following: The part-time duty/work, which is often used in restaurants, hotels, warehouses, shops, etc. Flextime, which is mostly brought into use at the based environments for all kinds of the staff below the level of the manager in the public as well as the private sector organisations The annualised hours, these are at most of the times brought into use for the manufacturing and the agriculture where there might be a possibility to be big variations in the demand all throughout the year time (Chandra, 2012). With the enhancement and the developments of the sectors of technology, which implies mainly to the availability of the communication tools like the fast domestic smartphones or the broad bands, so many of the roles can be compatible with to the forms of the flexible working management and the arrangements. Flexibility and the original paradigm: In the earlier times, there existed a war between all kinds of the various organizations refers the talent recruitment. Each and Every company is eager to retain and also acquire, the better the best talent for working in their organizations. But nowadays, the companies are focusing mainly so as to reduce the part time work week and all such a kinds of work arrangements which shall enhance the flexibility and the support at the workplace with the retention of the working staff or the employees (Hetty van Emmerik Sanders, 2005). That is the reason why; many of the employees are performing the reduction and that too inevitably in the labourers which shall provide new opportunity so as to find out the measures for the redesigning of the roles and also the brand new measures to the doing of the jobs and on the other hand also support the workers to get and maintain a balanced life in their personal lives as well with more flexible manner. Bourke has never been much comfortable refer the heading for the reshaping of the flexibility argument. Instead of this, the flexibility at the workplace enhances the productivity and on the other hand also diminishes the cost of the production of the goods for any of the organisation (Chan et al., 2015). Bourke has always been concerned with the statement of the flexibility as she had always thought that it has been always shifted from the real one and has not been for the betterment. As per her thinking, the concept of the flexibility now regards the more goods production by employing lesser employees who are not a real argument to the original concept. She has always been worried about the reverse or the negative effects of the thought and the thinking. In case the concept which concerns the workplace is taken into use in a manner which is nasty, the employee can get to know about the adverse impacts of the working place flexibility refer the organisational economy (Haar, 2013). The organization can lessen the working hours of the workplace of the workers in case they are not required and cannot put the load of the work upon the shoulders of the worker for whom the workers have to pursue working longer hour in the company which shall reduce the output and the performance plus the loyalty of the workers. Thus, the flexibility concept has the adverse impacts on the company, in spite of having any kind of positive and appreciable impacts. Refer the business environment; when the demand of any of the product or the service is reduced in an organisation, at this point there should be a reduction in the hours of working of the workers by the concept of flexibility and it also leads to the balance of the work-life of the workers (Hayman, 2 009). The flexibility and the assistance program of the employee are considered as the main element of the strategy of the flexibility and it shall support so as to develop a diverse, adaptive and high result oriented and performing workforce which has the tendency and ability to even achieve the requirements of the business. So many of the options and the voluntary flexible work may be provided to eradicate the redundancies, plus the wages or salaries may be paid according to it. In some of the companies, where there exists very firm cultures that relate to the work-life and its balance do have or even do not redundancies are very inevitable. The working executives have here at visualized the advantages of the concept of the strategy of the work-life balance which are the managers and the leaders of the company sort out the appropriate and the alternative ways to reduce the cost and also lessen the redundancies (Mishra Smyth, 2013). The leaders and the managers very well know that appropriate staff is required for working so that they may get the required results and move their organisation towards the successful way in both shorters as well as longer tenures. The flexibility has always been the most effective as well as the most efficient way or tool for the achievement of the concept of the work-life balance, and this is totally irrespective of the fact, whether or not the employees working in that organisation are part-time workers or full-time permanent workers (Omar, 2013). For instance, the teleconferencing has been the latest strategy which is taken into use to reduce the travelling, costs which were at earlier times being spent in huge amount. Thus, we can very clearly say that the concept of the flexibility has moved away quite significantly from the real paradigm which is required and inevitable. The concept of flexibility has got both positive as well as the negative outcomes and impacts. Thus, proper management is of prompt importance which may help for the effective and much more efficient working of the concept of flexibility refer the work-life balance. Excessive working hours and the employees performance In the firms or the companies, the workers have to perform working for the various hours so as to complete their responsibilities and works. The excessive hours of working may be transmitted into the below-described categories as per the requirement; extended hours of each day, overtime, overtime hours and the extended time for the commuting (Moore, 2011). There exists an adverse impact refer the excessive working hours which is evident and directly impacted on the outcome and the performance of the workers and is also for the association of the workers with them like their families, employee, and the community. Some of the significant researchers have stated that there are various risk indications which are directly connected to the excessive working hours as these are very much affected or influenced by so many of the reasons that are within the control of the employees (Parkes Langford, 2008). The most important negative outcome of the excessive hours of working is the sleeplessness and very less time, which they get so as to take care of the families and fulfil the personal responsibilities. So, in case if any of the workers have to pursue his duty for long hours, in such a condition, his performance, as well as the health condition, are both affected which makes that concerned employee feel demotivated in case he does not get appropriate incentive of the hard which has been put by him. Refer the needs, their sayings, and the suggestions are required to be given a good vintage, as this shall again boost them up to work even harder and bring about the sense of belongingness in the minds of the employees (Pruneda, 2015). The seniors of the organisation, are required to carry on a motivational training session for the employees, who shall keep them refreshing all the times, and boost them to perform and bring out even brighter results for the organisation. Proper time management and other beneficial techniques are required to be taught to them so that they get to know about the latest happening and technological inventions which shall make they're working easy and interesting. Important activities should be separated from the worthless and ordinary activities. The leaders and the supervisors of the organisation have to perform such activities which encourage the employees for the increased working hours. Employees must be encouraged for the submission of the work on time. The training and the techniques related to the time management are to be discussed with the employees (Snchez-Vidal, Cegarra-Leiva, Cegarra-Navarro, 2012). The important activities are to be removed from the ordinary and the worthless activities. The effective communication within the organisation is to be encouraged. The leaders and the supervisors are to develop such vision and objectives in the cost of the employees and also the power is to be provided to the employees for achieving the objectives and goals of the organisation. For the employee motivated, the leaders of the organisation must express the satisfaction at the time of achieving the desired goals to be rewarded in the form of the incentives at the time of the achievement of the desired goals and objectives of the organisation (Welbourne, 2014). The effective management tool is also to be applied by the managers of the organisation for the effective management of the task. Hence, the organisation with the excessive working hours can motivate its employees with the promotion, extra wages, and incentives this increase the loyalty and the engagement of the employees towards their organisations. Economic Downturn and the Work-Life Balance: At the time of the economic downturn, the companies cannot manage to pay for the monetary payment to the employees of the companies for their performances. The present scenario of the economic conditions, there is a hard pressure on the organisations for the increased productivity and has to face the challenges of the recession in a better way; this is only possible if the employees of the organisation are more involved with the wok and their workplace. In the present scenario of the economic slowdown, any company which avoids any of the issues related to the work- life balance of the employee will result in the lower productivity of the company, which in turn will found it hard to overcome the challenges of the recession. The companies neglecting or avoiding the work-life balance due to the pressure of the recessionary are required to realise the significance of the employee engagement and the productivity in the long term (Whittle, 2008). It is also required to promote the initiatives of the work-life balance. If the pressure of the recessionary is attached with the lesser employee engagement and the productivity will generate the new challenges for the survival of the long- term and the medium organisation survival. During the economic downturn, the workforce management is quite necessary with the traditional and the other benefits which are to be given to the employees such as the retirement plans and the insurances (Giannikis Nikandrou, 2013). At the time of the normal situation of the organisation, the employees will be helped for the comeback in the organisation and also will help in the survival in the world of competition. During the economic recession, the policies of the workers are to be cancelled or postponed which also causes the impatience among the employees. Excess of the worries and the workload in the workforce leads to the health problems and stress among the employees of the organisation. For the better performance of the workforce in an organisation, the company must clear the employees of the organisation are the part of the organisation and have to struggle with the downturn and to come together effectively with the collaboration (Daverth, Hyde, Cassell, 2015). This will lead to proper harmony and the team proper that is required at the time of the economic downturn. The development of the mutual objectives will lead to the greater attachment of the employees and employers and employees work for the better performance as they think that they are committed. The employees should be empowered for the achievement of the goals. Even in the situation of the economic downturn, the employer should express satisfaction, when the objectives are achieved and the employees are also rewarded with incentives for the motivation. Employers should not be partial for any types of the employees and should be vigilant and responsible. The employers should avoid biases in task assignment to the employees otherwise, it creates insecurity in the employees. At the time of the economic downturn, if an employer follows the above-mentioned concepts to facilitate the work-life balance, then the organization will surely succeed in the overcoming this downturn. Conclusion: In the situation, when the employees have to work for the excessive hours, the managers and leaders of the company should guide the employees properly to keep them motivated and perform better for the organization. This flexibility work life balance also helps in the management of the performance of the employees at the time of the economic downturn, if the employer properly follows the concepts of the performance management. In addition to the positive impacts of the flexibility in the working hour management, there are also the negative impacts (Whittle, 2008). To overcome, these negative impacts the company should properly manage this concept and apply in the organization. Hence, it can be concluded that the companies need the workforce with the improved or the better work life balance. Hence, an employee, experiencing the better work-life balance will contribute in a large way for the success and the growth of the organisation. References Chan, X., Kalliath, T., Brough, P., Siu, O., ODriscoll, M., Timms, C. (2015). Workfamily enrichment and satisfaction: the mediating role of self-efficacy and worklife balance.The International Journal Of Human Resource Management,27(15), 1755-1776. Chandra, V. (2012). Worklife balance: eastern and western perspectives.The International Journal Of Human Resource Management,23(5), 1040-1056. Daverth, G., Hyde, P., Cassell, C. (2015). Uptake of organisational worklife balance opportunities: the context of support.The International Journal Of Human Resource Management,27(15), 1710-1729. Fleetwood, S. (2007). Why worklife balance now?.The International Journal Of Human Resource Management,18(3), 387-400. Giannikis, S. Nikandrou, I. (2013). The impact of corporate entrepreneurship and high-performance work systems on employees' job attitudes: empirical evidence from Greece during the economic downturn.The International Journal Of Human Resource Management,24(19), 3644-3666. Haar, J. (2013). Testing a new measure of worklife balance: a study of parent and non-parent employees from New Zealand.The International Journal Of Human Resource Management,24(17), 3305-3324. Hayman, J. (2009). Flexible work arrangements: exploring the linkages between perceived usability of flexible work schedules and work/life balance.Community, Work Family,12(3), 327-338. Hetty van Emmerik, I. Sanders, K. (2005). Mismatch in working hours and affective commitment.Journal Of Managerial Psychology,20(8), 712-726.

Torque physics lab report Essay Example

Torque physics lab report Paper The purpose of this experiment was to help understand torque by not only measuring it but also by manipulating and adjusting the weights experimentally. Procedure In order to perform all the procedures a few instruments were required a meter stick, a triple beam balance, suspension clamps and their stirrups, a knife edge, as well as weights of 50 and 100 grams and a spring scale. The meter stick was weighed (without the clamp), and its center of gravity was found (its not usually exactly at 50cm), the 6 clamps were weighed as well. For the first part the meter stick was put on 35cm and a 100g weight was adjusted until the center of balance was found, the position was recorded, this was than done with 150g and 50g. Once the values were recorded the weight of the bar was calculated and the average was found. For the next part of the experiment three weights were attached anywhere on the bar, the center one was adjusted till there was equilibrium and than the force was measured with a spring scale. The numbers were recorded and the weights of down and upward forces were measured as well as the clockwise and counter clockwise torques. For the last part of the experiment six clamps were arranged on the bar( with weights on them ) so that one was at 10cm and one at 90cm and the rest were spread in between , one end was supported by the knife edge and the other by the spring scale. The forced shown by the scale was recorded, the ends were than switched and the force was once again recorded. We will write a custom essay sample on Torque physics lab report specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Torque physics lab report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Torque physics lab report specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Calculations were than done to verify the sum of the torque was that of the reading on the spring scale as well as that the total sum of the weights was compared via calculation to the upward force shown. Data/Analysis Part I: Prep Part II: Calculating the weight of the meter bar by balancing torque (mb): (mc= mass of clamp, g = acceleration due to gravity) Table 1: Determination of Meter Weight by Balancing to Torque (Experimental) m= mass of weights (g) x= Clamp Position from knife edge (cm) mb= Weight of Meter Bar from Balancing Torque (g) Position on meter stick (cm) r= position from axis of rotation (m) (N*m)96 Questions: The motion of the rigid system will move up in the counter clockwise direction if the condition for equilibrium is not satisfied in which the spring has greater force. The opposite will happen if the meter bar and weights have a greater force than the spring. The same goes for the Torque. If the second condition for equilibrium is not satisfied and there is greater torque of the spring, the system will move in the counter clockwise motion and will move clockwise if the Torque is greater for the meter bar. The motion of the rigid system will move in the same fashion as described above if neither of the conditions for equilibrium are satisfied. If there are equal numbers of suspension clamps on each side of the support with the same weight, their weights can be omitted from the calculations because the weights can be factored out and be eliminated from the way the force and torque equations are set-up. Regardless, they should total to zero. When the center of gravity of the meter bar was determined in Part I, the bar was supported at a point coinciding with the center of gravity. If the clamp were to have been inverted, where the bar is supported at a point above the center of gravity, you wouldnt een be able to balance the meter bar because it is not in the center of gravity it would just be slack and hang down. Therefore you wouldnt even find the accurate position where it is level. This would have skewed the results, making inaccurate readings and calculations. In part IV, if the meter bar were to be held at an incline of 30 degrees angle above the horizontal by the spring balance, the spring balance reading would remain the same because the force of the spring is just m*g, which remains the same even if you change the angle. The mass and acceleration due to gravity remains constant. However, Torque changes (t=r(F*sin(? )) since angle comes into account. Figure: Conclusion In the study of this lab, torque was observed by measuring, manipulating, and adjusting the weights on the meter bar. The weight of the meter bar was found by experimentally calculating the torque. Comparing the actual weight of the meter bar and the experimental values, the percent error was only 5. 96%-14. %. This percent error is low enough to be negligible and to confirm the equation used for Part II. In Part III and IV, the forces acting on the meter stick are in the vertical direction. Since the meter stick was level, the angle was 180 degrees meaning the force acted on the axis on either side of the center of balance. The experiment should have observed that the net force and net torque acting on the meter stick is equaled to zero. However, experimental results show that the net force is not zero. The net torque is not zero as well. However, the net torque value approaches zero more than the experimental values do. Therefore, the torque equation may be confirmed in this experiment, but the force equation cannot because the values are too far from zero. This may be because the presence of error in this lab is high. Errors occurred in this lab are due to inaccurate measurements of position. It was difficult to keep the meter bar steady to find where the stick is level. Also, there may have been something wrong with the balance and springs because they are very old, rusted equipment and may not work as accurately as they did when they were new. Overall, we were able to understand the concept of torque, even if there were errors in our experiment.

How to Write a Descriptive Essay on Food

How to Write a Descriptive Essay on Food Writing a descriptive essay on food can be a very interesting activity. This is particularly so because every person has a liking for a specific type of food. Therefore, one can decide to write an essay that describes the various methods of preparing a given food. In a similar way, a descriptive essay on food can focus on discussing what a balanced diet should include. Likewise, one can elect to focus his or her essay on organic foods, a topic that has generated substantial debate in the recent years. Whichever the topic one chooses, the descriptive essay should be highly informative. In general, the prime objective of a descriptive essay is to highlight the outstanding features of a particular concept. With reference to food, the descriptive essay must outline the key characteristics of a given food type, if this is the approach that the writer chooses to adopt. In order to inform the reader adequately, a person doing a descriptive essay must first conduct thorough research on the topic. It is well understood that food is a broad theme that cannot be explored logically in a broad sense. Accordingly, the duty of the writer is to narrow the scope and choose an appropriate subtopic that can sufficiently be tackled. Selecting a subtopic might require the writer to list a range of possible areas, and then choose the one that has sufficient research evidence to back it up. Consider the example of a descriptive essay that investigates organic foods. The writer will start by giving a short introduction, wherein he or she can report the increasing adoption of genetically modified foods in developed and developing economies. It is always advisable to formulate a thesis that captures the reader’s attention, making him/her want to read the entire essay. After so doing, the next step is to provide a concise definition of the term â€Å"organic foods.† This is crucial because not all readers will have an idea about organic foods. It is equally prudent to give a list of common foods, which the reader understands, that fall in the category of organic foods. The writer will then proceed to supply the reader with facts or features that distinguish natural foods from organic foods. As a writer, you should always keep in mind that a descriptive essay should contain as many facts as possible. However, the bottom-line is that the language used should be kept as simple as possible. The rationale behind this contention is that a person who does not fully understand the native language could use the essay. In such a scenario, complex terminologies in the essay could confuse the reader even more, hence negating the ultimate usefulness of the essay. Another useful concept to include when writing a descriptive essay on food is to incorporate natural foods that are better supplements of the organic foods listed. In doing so, the writer will make the reader comprehend that organic foods should at best be avoided. Do you need a custom descriptive essay on Food topics? Visit CustomWritings.com professional writing service now!