Factors Affecting Customer Satisfaction

Factors Affecting Customer Satisfaction Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test the effect of different service quality factors as quality of food, music, ambience, waiter service on customer satisfaction in a restaurant and to study how the customer satisfaction ultimately relates to customer loyalty for the restaurant. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was given to MBA students of XLRI Jamshedpur in the age group of 21-30 asking questions to ascertain the different levels of service in the Sonnet restaurant. The results of these questionnaires were analyzed using factor analysis. Findings The factors that are crucial for obtaining customer loyalty are waiter politeness, waiter promptness, space, music and food quality. The waiter promptness, space, food quality are partially mediated by customer satisfaction. Of these factors, music negatively affects customer loyalty and positively affects customer satisfaction. Only waiter promptness, aesthetics, music and food quality affect the customer satisfaction. With customer satisfaction as the mediating factor to obtain customer loyalty, we find waiter politeness, waiter promptness, space, music and food quality are significant factors. Research limitations The study was limited only to the patrons of Sonnet, Jamshedpur. The respondents to the survey consisted of students of XLRI Jamshedpur who have visited Sonnet. Future research may be done on number of restaurants instead of a particular restaurant. Future research may also be conducted such that the respondents reflect a more heterogeneous group in terms of age, income level and location. The solitary effect of servicescape on the overall satisfaction level for the customer may also be explored in future research. Practical Implication Hoteliers and restaurant operators should try to ascertain which aspect of the service quality is perceived as more important by their patrons. They can then focus more to improve on these particular aspects as in future these would lead to more satisfaction for the customer. The customer satisfaction in turn will lead to customer loyalty and thus will increase the overall profit for the organization. Originality/value This paper provides insights into how music affects the satisfaction and loyalty for restaurant patrons. The effect of music on customer loyalty has not been conclusively proved in any research paper so far. The other factors of service quality that affect the satisfaction level and loyalty of a patron of the Sonnet restaurant in Jamshedpur have also been explored to provide a complete picture. Keywords Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty Introduction In todays fast paced world meals are no longer a very well planned event, on most occasions it is an afterthought. The proportion of women in the workforce has increased, As a result women have less time to cook meals at home. Hence there has been an increase in the trend of eating out. This results in a flourishing restaurant industry. Like any lucrative industry which attracts a number of players, the restaurant industry is also highly competitive. It is very important to get a feel of this industry from the viewpoint of the customer. It is the customer who makes the final decision of how much to spend and what, when and most importantly where to eat. Thus in order to offer the right service to the customers, restaurant owners and managers need to have a clear understanding of the factors that influence customer satisfaction. Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction is the state of the fulfillment of the customers expectations from the establishment. When the difference facets of the service provided to the customers exceed the expected level, then the customer is positively satisfied. On the contrary if the perceived level is less than the expected level then the customer may develop negative perceptions towards the establishment. Customer Loyalty Customer loyalty basically indicates a repeat patronage of the particular facility whose services have already been experienced by the customer. Loyalty consists of both a behavioral dimension as well as an attitudinal dimension. Once a customer has a strong positive experience with an establishment, he is more likely to be loyal to it which may be exhibited through behavior as repeat patronage and recommendation (generally exhibited through positive word of mouth). Constituents of service quality The different factors of service quality which influence the customer satisfaction level include: Music: The music played at restaurant has a significant impact on the satisfaction level of the customer. Customers are generally more satisfied in an environment playing music they preferred than in an environment of no music. Music may also have an impact on the spending pattern of customers. Food Quality: Although restaurants have gained importance as a place for socializing, food is the primary reason why a customer visits a restaurant. Thus the quality of food and beverages as well as the variety influences the customer satisfaction level. Waiter Service: Waiters serve as the medium of interaction between the restaurant owners and the customers. Thus the service provided by the waiters often forms the image of a restaurant. Careful, pleasant and attentive behavior on the part of the waiter leads to high customer satisfaction. Ambience: Ambience ( dà ©cor and artifact, odor, noise level , temperature, spatial layout) forms the impression of the restaurant. Research background and hypothesis Music and Customer Satisfaction It has been often agreed upon by researchers that different aspects of service like ambience and layout affect the experience quality of a customer and thus influence his satisfaction. Music helps in creating the proper ambience in the restaurant and has important role to play in customer satisfaction. Studies in social psychology often indicate that there is a strong correlation between music and the social context in which the customer hears it. This relationship can also be extended to the setting of a restaurant. In 1996, North and Hargreaves studied the effect of music on atmosphere in a university cafeteria (North and Hargreaves, 1996). Results suggested that customers liking of the cafeteria increased with their liking for the music played within it. In their research conducted in 1996 North and Hargreaves also found that liking the music in a restaurant had a positive relationship with the customer returning to the establishment in future. According to Stephanie Wilson in her article, The effect of music on perceived atmosphere and purchase intention in a restaurant the music could be used by restaurants to create the proper atmosphere. This can also be used to distinguish itself from the competitors. The research states that the absence of music had the most negative impact on the atmosphere and thus on customer satisfaction. Wilson in her research actually found out that in an environment of no music the respondents were willing to pay the least maximum price. Wilson also found out that the type of music played may also have an important bearing on the customers overall experience as well as his spending habits. Ronald Milliman, in his article The Influence of Background Music on the Behavior of Restaurant Patrons, has proved that background music can significantly influence the behavior of patrons in a restaurant. This view is supplemented by Smith and Curnow (1966), who have proved that inappropriate, loud music creates an avoidance condition and thus can affect the customer perception about a restaurant negatively. In such cases music actually detracts from the service experience. J. Duncan Herrington and Louis M. Capella in their article Effects of music in service environments have stated that often music can be used by service providers in order to a distinctive image in the minds of the customers and thus get a competitive edge. Restaurants can take the aid of music to create an environment which complements their service offerings. Restaurants serving international food can play the music of the particular nation and restaurants serving a particular type of food can also similarly use music. Food and Customer Satisfaction: Variety and presentation of food and beverages and quality of the menu are one of the most important factors influencing the customers feelings towards the restaurant. According to Kincaid and Baloglou, in their article What Really brings them Back (2008), this has tremendous practical significance for restaurant operators. It should be made sure that an interesting variety of food and drinks are presented in unique ways. Food and drink quality is very important to the patrons of a restaurant and restaurant operators should ensure that a strict quality control is in place to make sure that only high quality food is being offered to the customers. Andaleeb and Conway in their article Customer satisfaction in the restaurant industry: an examination of the transaction-specific model(2006) has also opined that food quality is one of the major components which can be improved in order to enhance customer satisfaction. Hong Qin and Victor R. Prybutok in their research, Perceived service quality in fast-food restaurants: empirical evidence from China found that the quality of food was a critical factor in the customers overall level of satisfaction and often influenced the customers decision about selection of a restaurant. Ambience and Customer Satisfaction The ambience and layout of the establishment has an important role to play in the experience quality of the customer. Bitner (1992) coined a new term servicescape which denoted the physical constituents of a service environment. The different tangible constituents of servicescape such as optimum temperature, noise, furnishings and layout combine together to influence the customer satisfaction and repeat patronage level. In comparison to other service industries as banks servicescape plays a more important role in service industries as restaurants where the customer spends a greater period of time. Wakefield and Blodgett(1996) proposed a servicescape framework, the service environment comprised of five important factors: Proper layout and accessibility of the premises (i.e. how furniture, service area and equipments are organized within the establishment) Aesthetics of the establishment ( the interior decoration and architectural design) Seating comfort Electronic equipment ( arrangement of displays and lighting and electronic equipment) Cleanliness All these five factors together had a combined effect on customer satisfaction. As per Grayson and Mc Neill in Using Atmospheric conditions in service retailing, the proper servicescape leads to customer comfort. This comfort has two aspects: Physical comfort and emotional comfort and safety Both these factors together affect the satisfaction level of the customer. Han Ryu in their research The Roles of the Physical Environment, Price Perception, and Customer Satisfaction in Determining Customer Loyalty in the Restaurant Industry had studied the effect of physical environment on customer satisfaction. In the research they categorized the physical environment into dà ©cor and artifacts (which contributed to the attractiveness of the physical environment i.e. floor coverings, wall decorations, pictures, paintings etc), spatial layout (arrangement of objects as furniture and equipment) and ambient conditions (background characteristics as scent, temperature, lighting etc) . The research showed that of all the three dà ©cor and artifacts had the most significant and direct effect on customer satisfaction. The researchers have expressed their opinion that restaurateurs should give paramount importance to physical elements in the restaurant. These can be used as marketing and operational tools to improve the customer experience and resultantly imp rove the customer behavior. Waiter Service and Customer Satisfaction: How a patron is actually treated by the waiter in the course of service is also an important parameter which contributes to his satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Even if there is a service failure, a competent employee can take proper actions which can actually lead to service recovery (Bitner and Booms, 1990). Hence waiter and waitresses who serve as a liaison between the restaurant and the customer play the most important role in the success of the establishment. J.D. Pratten in his article The importance of Waiting Staff discusses that poor waiter service may consist of slow service, serving cold food, spoiling the presentation at the table, causing delay in the carriage of food (as a result of which different dishes at the same table may arrive at different times) failure to have all the accompaniments as sauces at the table, not having the proper cutlery etc. Any of the above occurrences may spoil the experience of a customer thus leading to customer dissatisfaction. A lot of competency and effort is required from the waiting staff to ensure that the experience of the customer is pleasant thus leading to satisfaction. Apart from the basic competencies mentioned above, the personal contact attributes of the waiters and waitresses with the customers including whether the employees were helpful, attentive, prompt, courteous, neat in appearance, and understood customer needs are also very important. Winsted in his study Service Behavior that leads to Satisfied Customers found that the three most important qualities which had a strong correlation with customer satisfaction in a restaurant are careful (.77), attentive (.76) and pleasant (.75). It has been also suggested that managers and owners of restaurants can actually have specialized training programs which will enable as well as encourage the employees to improve their service quality. This, coupled with regular tracking of performance can lead to increase in the customer satisfaction level. Pratten in his article Customer satisfaction and waiting staff (2003) emphasizes that the role of waiting staff in customer satisfaction is paramount and thus if this is not recognized and acted upon there will be a loss of business for firms. Customer satisfaction as a Mediating Variable Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty: It seems only logical that satisfied customers of any establishment will turn into loyal customers and will grant their patronage again. Researchers have also found that there exists a strong relationship between the two. As per Szymanski and Henard (2001), there are fifteen significant positive correlations between customer satisfaction and loyalty. Bearden and Teel (1986) have also proved that there is a relationship between satisfaction and loyalty. Thus a satisfied customer turns into a loyal one and brings more revenue to the restaurant. Fornell,Rust Dekimpe, in their research The Effect of Customer Satisfaction on Consumer Spending Growth has proved that an increase in customer satisfaction leads to growth in future customer spending. On the other hand, an unsatisfied customer can cause negative word of mouth publicity. He can actually cause other prospective patrons to turn away from a particular restaurant. Smith and Swindyard (1983) found that in case of a service which is consumed by the customer at the spot, the attitude and the satisfaction level of the customer is an excellent predictor of future purchases. Thus extending this if the consumers are satisfied by the service level at a restaurant then it is actually increases the probability of revisit by the customer. Namkung and Young (2007) in their research found out that food quality significantly affects customer satisfaction as well as behavioral intentions and the relationship between customer satisfaction and behavioral intentions is mediated by satisfaction. Kivela, Inbakaran and Reece in their research Consumer research in the restaurant environment, Part 1: A conceptual model of dining satisfaction and return patronage (2000) made certain observations related to dining satisfaction and return patronage. The study revealed that satisfaction had a strong positive influence on return patronage .The factors having significant influence on the customer included first and last impressions, service excellence, food excellence and ambience. Hypotheses From the above literature review, the following hypotheses are proposed: H1: Waiter service is positively related to Customer loyalty which is mediated by Customer Satisfaction H2: Ambience is positively related to Customer loyalty which is mediated by Customer Satisfaction H3: Music is positively related to Customer loyalty which is mediated by Customer Satisfaction H4: Food quality is positively related to Customer Loyalty which is mediated by Customer Satisfaction Methods Sample The young men and women of age between 21 to 29 years were identified as the target respondent group for the survey. One of the major reasons for choosing this specific respondent group was its availability and ease in communicating to them the questionnaire and getting the response. Since majority among this population has visited Hotel Sonnet during their stay in Jamshedpur, Sonnet was chosen as the hotel on which the questions would be based. The questionnaire was floated through a website and the respondents were asked to fill the questionnaire online. To encourage participation and increase the number of responses a disclaimer declaring the confidentiality of individual data was assured. A total of 164 respondents filled the questionnaire of which 156 responses were considered for the analysis and hypothesis testing. The reasons for not including the rest of the responses were incomplete data set and falling out of our target respondent group. Measures Based on the discussion in the above sections a theoretical model was developed and the following constructs were measured using different scales. Waiter Service Food Quality Ambience Music Customer Loyalty Customer Satisfaction Waiter Service, Ambience, Music, and Food Quality are considered as factors that determine Customer Satisfaction which in turn leads to Customer Loyalty. Waiter Service: Participants were asked to respond to Likert-type scales of 21 questions. The scale used was adapted from Kivela et al. (1999). The questions framed to assess consumer knowledge are consistent with prior literature. The scoring rule was to assign a numerical value to each of the response ranging from 1= Least Important to 5 = Very Important. Factor analysis has been done on the individual responses to determine the factors that constitute waiter service. The appendix reports the questionnaire items used. The content validity for the used scale has been established in the study and since we have used a very similar questionnaire and the scale, the scale can be considered as content valid. Ambience: The significance of ambience to an individual has been measured through 20 questions asked in the questionnaire. The scale used was adapted from Kivela et al. (1999). The questions framed to assess consumer knowledge are based on the questions used in the study and the literature review done during the research. The responses were recorded using 5-point Likert-type scales ranging from Least Important to Very Important. Questions asked to ascertain the importance of ambience are present in the questionnaire attached in the appendix. The individual responses were run through factor analysis to obtain the factors that determine the importance of ambience. The scale has been adopted from the aforementioned study and content validity has been established in the study. Music: Significance of music has been measured on a five-point Likert-type scale adapted from Kivela et al (1999). The individual responses have been subjected to factor analysis to obtain the factors that determine the significance of music. The content validity for the used scale has been established in the study and since we have used a very similar questionnaire and the scale, the scale can be considered as content valid. The appendix reports the questionnaire items used. Food Quality: 7 Likert-type scales have been used to determine the importance of food quality to an individual. Factor analysis has been done on these individual responses to get the factors that determine the food quality. The questions have been framed in accordance with the scale used by Kivela et al (1999). The questionnaire attached in the appendix. Customer Loyalty: 3 questions of Likert type scales have been used to obtain the responses from the respondents. Factor analysis has been run to obtain the factors comprising the customer satisfaction. Questionnaire used by Kivel et al (1999) has been used and the scale is content validated. The appendix reports the questionnaire items used. Customer Satisfaction: 4 questions have been asked regarding customer satisfaction and factor analysis has been run on this data to obtain the factors affecting customer satisfaction. The questionnaire used is same as one used by Kivela et al (1999). The questionnaire attached in the appendix. Analysis The factors for Ambience were found out by running exploratory factor analysis on the 20 items related to Ambience. It was found to contain 2 factors. Similarly the factor analysis was run on Waiter service (21 items), Music (9 items), Food quality (7 items), Customer satisfaction (4 items) and Customer loyalty (3 items) and they were found to contain 2,1,1,1 and 1 factors respectively. The three-step method developed by Erich B. Bergiel, Vinh Q. Nguyen et all for mediation analysis is used in this study. The first step uses Customer loyalty as the criterion variable in the regression equation and the 6 factors identified as predictors. The second step uses Customer satisfaction as the criterion variable in the regression equation and the 6 factors identified as predictors. The third step uses Customer loyalty as the criterion variable in the regression equation and the 6 factors identified as well as customer satisfaction as the predictors. Initially, multicollinearity was found initially between Customer satisfaction and Customer Loyalty (tolerance of 0.161 and VIF greater than 5 were observed). In order to solve this, a factor analysis with all the items corresponding to the 6 factors, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty were done. The items which were correlated to other factors were eliminated. Thus the items corresponding to the factors were brought down. After this, the three-step method of Erich B. Bergiel was used. Results The following were the factors that were identified and the component scores of items under each factor: Waiter service Waiter politeness Respects me .928 Uses very polite language .944 Is helpful and understanding .925 Makes me feel comfortable .932 Waiter promptness Responds to my comments .882 Is quick to attend and serve .804 Tables were cleaned quickly .780 Aesthetics Pleasant fragrance .816 Floor and carpet that are done with aesthetics .816 Ambience Space Spacious ceiling composition .837 Adequate parking facilities .890 Easily accessible location .854 Music Music I feel relaxed when my favorite music is being played in the restaurant .799 I like it when my friends like the music played in the restaurant .799 Food quality Food quality The food meets the expectations from the description in the menu .787 The food is a good value for money .787 The KMO of all the above factors were above 0.5 suggesting that the factors were sound. The Bartletts test of sphericity was significant for all the factors. The communality of all the items was above 0.4. The total variance explained was above 60% for all the factors. Varimax rotation was used to ensure homogeneity of items within factors and heterogeneity with other factors. The correlations between the factors are as follows: Customer loyalty factor Waiter Service Factor 1 Waiter Service Factor 2 Ambience Factor 1 Ambience Factor 2 Music Factor Food Factor Customer Satisfaction Factor Customer loyalty factor 1.000 Waiter Service Factor 1 .632 1.000 Waiter Service Factor 2 .561 .180 1.000 Ambience Factor 1 .712 .779 .440 1.000 Ambience Factor 2 .431 .287 .452 .410 1.000 Music Factor .349 .489 .455 .614 .414 1.000 Food Factor .670 .596 .551 .673 .456 .542 1.000 Customer Satisfaction Factor .665 .400 .683 .580 .494 .559 .658 1.000 All the above correlations were significant at 0.01 levels. Regression Analysis Regression analysis has been carried out with the following six identified factors on Customer Loyalty with Customer Satisfaction as the mediating variable. Waiter Politeness Waiter Promptness Physical Space Aesthetics Music Food Step 1: Regression of the factors on Customer Loyalty Model 1 Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients Sig. Collinearity Statistics B Beta Tolerance (Constant) 3.731 .000 Waiter Politeness .358 .330 .000 .327 Waiter Promptness .390 .360 .000 .537 Physical Space .359 .331 .000 .269 Aesthetics .092 .084 .118 .708 Music -.341 -.314 .000 .557 Food .200 .184 .010 .411 R Square Adjusted R Square .696 .684 The above table shows the results of regression with the six mentioned factors as independent variables and Customer Loyalty as dependent variable. The value of R square is 0.696 shows positive correlation between the six factors together and Customer Loyalty. The inference from Value of Beta and Significance is as follows: Waiter Politeness on Customer Loyalty: Significance of 0.00 and Beta of 0.33 shows that Waiter Politeness affects Customer Loyalty positively. Waiter Promptness on Customer Loyalty: Significance of 0.00 and Beta of 0.36 shows that Waiter Promptness affects Customer Loyalty positively. Space on Customer Loyalty: Significance of 0.00 and Beta of 0.331 shows that Restaurant Space affects Customer Loyalty positively. Aesthetics on Customer Loyalty: Significance of 0.118 is higher than a threshold of 0.05, which indicates that this has insignificant effect on Customer Loyalty. Music on Customer Loyalty: Significance of 0 and Beta of -0.314 shows that Music affects Customer Loyalty negatively. Food on Customer Loyalty: Significance of 0.01 and Beta of 0.184 indicates that Food affects Customer Loyalty partially. Step 2: Regression of the factors on Customer Satisfaction Unstandardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients Sig. Collinearity Statistics B Beta Tolerance (Constant) .000 1.000 Waiter Politeness -.014 -.014 .872 .327 Waiter Promptness .384 .384 .000 .537 Physical Space .132 .132 .175 .269 Aesthetics .103 .103 .089 .708 Music .134 .134 .050 .557 Food .246 .246 .002 .411 R Square Adjusted R Square .621 .606 The above table shows the results of regression with the six mentioned factors as independent variables and Customer Satisfaction as dependent variable. The value of R square is 0.788 shows positive correlation between the six factors together and Customer Satisfaction. The inference from Value of Beta and Significance is as follows: Waiter Politeness on Customer Satisfaction: Significance of 0.872 shows that Waiter politeness on Customer Satisfaction is not significant. This indicates that the impact of Waiter Politeness on Customer Satisfaction is insignificant. Waiter Promptness on Customer Satisfaction: Significance of 0 and Beta of 0.384 shows that Waiter Promptness affects Customer Satisfaction positively. Space on Customer Satisfaction: Significance of 0.175 is higher than a threshold of 0.05, which means that we cannot comment on the effect of Space on Customer Satisfaction Aesthetics on Customer Satisfaction: Significance of 0.89 and Beta of 0.103 shows that Aesthetics affects Customer Satisfaction positively. Music on Customer Satisfaction: Significance of 0.05 and Beta of -0.134 shows that Music affects Customer Satisfaction partially in a positive manner. Food on Customer Satisfaction: Significance of 0.002 and Beta of 0.246 indicates that Food affects Customer Satisfaction partially in a positive manner. Step 3: Regression of the 6 factors and the mediating variable (Customer Satisfaction) on Customer Loyalty Unstandardi

Demise of the Permian- Triassic Period Essay examples -- Exploratory E

Demise of the Permian- Triassic Period It is well known that there was a mass extinction killing the dinosaurs. However 185 million years before their demise, almost all life on earth was destroyed.1[1] There has long been theories that meteorites are the cause the of the mass extinctions and professor Asish Basu believes he may have found clues that point to space as the cause of the extinction in the Permian- Triassic period.2[2] The Triassic period is during a time when the earth was divided in a giant land mass: pangea, and water. Here there was no separation of continents. The Triassic is when the dinosaurs first started to appear, but long before the notorious Tyrannosaurus Rex dominated the terrain. At this time the dinosaurs were just a small part of the many animals that wandered the earth and were by no means, the large dominant, creatures that come to ones mind today. However the marker of this period is an extinction of the animals in the Permian period. The Permian period is known for the abundance of flora and the major changes in landscape including the formation of the Appalachian Mountains.3[3] Most notably is the giant fern: glossopteris. However at the end of the period, during the time of the extinction, it too disappeared.4[4] Professor Basu and his colleagues found fragments of chondritic minerals with mineral compositions that do not occur on earth, in Antarictica. These minerals have very similar chemical composition to minerals found in Meishan China. Because such similar extra-terrestrial minerals have been discovered in two geographically distant places, there is evidence that a meteor struck the earth and the dust that covered the land was significant enough to co... ... If it was a meteor it could give new insight to what kind of meteor it was and how it killed almost an entire planet’s living organisms. Either way, this evidence should not be taken lightly and is a crucial to the world of science. Notes: 1[1] Basu, Asish; Petaev, Michail I.; Poreda, Robert J.; Jacobsen, Stein B.; Becker, Luann, Science: â€Å"Chondritic Meteorite Fragments Associated with the Permian-Triassic Boundary in Antarctica†, Vol 302, Issue 5649, 1388-1392 , 21 November 2003 2[2] Basu 3[3] Encyclopedia. http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/section/Permianp_HistoricalGeologyofthePeriod.asp 4[4] Associate Press. CNN: â€Å"Ancient Meteorite Wiped Out Life† Washington, Nov. 20, 2003 5[5] Basu, 6[6] Associated Press 7[7] Basu, 8[8] Britt, Robert Roy, Science: â€Å"Controversial New Claim in Death-by-Meteor Case†, 20 November 2003 9[9] Britt 10[10] Britt

Discuss the history, geography and ecology of the rabbit invasion in Australia

Numerous studies have been contacted on the Rabbit in Australia (Parer,I.(1977),Twigg, E.L., Lowe, J.T., Wheeler, G.A., Gray, S.G., Martin, R.G. & Barker,W.(1998), Wheeler,H.S. &King,R.D. (1985),   Rolls,E.C. (1969)), covering issues such as it's population ecology, dispersal, survival and the efficiencies of the various control methods that have been used up to date. In the early stages of the rabbit plague, fences were erected to prevent dispersal or slow the rate of dispersal, but these proved to costly and ineffective. The fifties saw the introduction of the biological control agent, myxoma virus. This had great success initially but unfortunately the government failed to capitalize on the success, with continued control. The Rabbit Calcivirus Disease (RCD) was introduced (albeit accidentally) in the early 1990's. A highly infectious disease, spread by direct contact or by vectors (mosquito) with a mortality rate between 50-90%. However young kittens are not as susceptible as o lder rabbits. (Linton 2001) and when the female goes on to breed they are able to pass on maternal antibodies to their young. In determining whether or not the complete eradication of the rabbit in Australia is a feasible concept, one needs to study or be aware of certain aspects of their ecology. Such as their breeding and dispersal patterns and from this weaknesses might become evident, which would then aide in the eradication of the rabbit. Read also History Quizzes The Rabbit made its' first appearance is the Eocene in Asia and North America, arriving in Europe during the Miocene period. Two sub species from Southern France and Spain were identified O.cuniculus cuniculus and O.cunniculus buxteyi. The first named sub species from France was frequently released on islands as a food source for sailors that might become shipwrecked. The image of the rabbit had some bearing on its' dispersal and protection. In that it provided the people with their main source of food during times of hardship or depression and therefore they attained a rather prestigious image. This in turn further aided their rapid dispersal. The arrival of the 1st fleet in 1788 saw the introduction of the rabbit in Australia. However, it was Tasmania that had the first recording of a feral rabbit population in 1827. Mainland Australia remained rabbit free until 1859, when a grazier and sportsman arranged for the shipment of twenty-four rabbits from England. Thomas Austin released the rabbits on his property in Geelong, Victoria around Christmas of 1859. Ten years from this initial release, 14,253 rabbits were shot for sport on this same property. This illustrates the high fertility and dispersal rates of the rabbit. By the year 1910, two-thirds of Australia was inhabited by the rabbit (Parer (1982) for Ratcliffe 1959). With a dispersal rate of approximately 70km/yr (Parer 1982), the rabbit went to colonise Queensland within 30 years and reaching Western Australia within 40 years of its release. Stodart and Parer suggest that it has the fastest dispersal rate of any colonising mammal in the world. The introduction of the rabbit had an enormous impact on the native wildlife, displacing many small-medium sized native mammals; the greater Bilby, Bettongia Leseur are but a few. The displaced was largely due to competition for food and the altering of their ecosystems. With the enormity of their population, widespread impacts were inevitable: depletion of native vegetation, competition for space, resulting warrens and burrows of native animals being overtaken by the rabbit. Predators such as foxes increased in numbers as a direct result of the high number of rabbits to prey on. Unfortunately when the rabbit numbers declined due to drought, etc the foxes would turn on the small native mammals. The economic implications were also enormous; Sloane etal (1988) puts the impact at approximately $90 million in lost production and a further $20 million on the control. The European rabbit has an extremely high fertility rate together with a relatively short gestation period of approximately 30 days. They are able to fall pregnant immediately after giving birth. Their litter size fluctuates between four to seven kittens. Although small at birth, weighing about thirty-five grams they are able to increase their birth weight by a staggering 600% by the time they are ready to leave the warren, generally at about 21 days of age. They will be capable of breeding when they reach an age of 3-4 months (Parer 1977). The prolificacy of their breeding season is regulated by rainfall and hence the availability of food. When the rainfall is in short supply or during the occurrence of a drought, the breeding season will be short, litter sizes will be smaller and fewer females will breed (Twigg et al 1998). The warren provides the newly born and the young kittens with shelter from the harsh elements and protection from predators. This is especially so in the open, cleared grazing land where there is little, if any, shelter or protection provided by natural vegetation (Parer 1997). Linton (2001) supports this by stating that the rabbit lowers it chances of survival outside the warren and that the warren is the centre of the rabbit's life. This therefore seems to suggest that the destruction of the warren would facilitate in the long term eradication of the rabbit. â€Å"Rabbit control is the (artificial) imposition of mortality. It is generally assumed that, under normal circumstances, 100% mortality as a result of control is unlikely† (Wheeler and King 1985:224). They continue by suggesting that since complete eradication is not possible, one needs to ascertain when the best time of impact would be. The best time would seem to be when the rabbit is in its' most vulnerable state, i.e. when it is a kitten. Wheeler and King (1985) argue that by targeting the young kittens, resources are increased for those that survive and for the litters born later in that year. They suggest that targeting the adults just at the commencement of their breeding season would impact more on the actual population size. That is, there would be a reduction in the total number of kittens or litters born during that breeding season. Linton (2001) argues that the greatest influence on the control of the rabbit is the actual rabbit habitat itself. That is a habitat which has a high rabbit population will always be highly susceptible to re-establishment. Linton (2001) continues by suggesting that a control program which concentrates on those components of the habitat that make it susceptible to rabbit infestation, would then greatly reduce re-establishment of the rabbit. Twigg etal (1998) suggest that the rabbit problem needs to be addressed on a regional basis, not as an Australian wide problem, even though it is. Parer (1982) supports this but, suggests that in it infancy a control program aimed at isolated populations would be more beneficial. Parer puts this down to the reduced invasion by immigrants due to its location and therefore the reduced population would be kept at low densities by resident fa cultative predators. It would seem that the complete eradication of the rabbit in Australia is insurmountable due to the enormity of our country and its' varied landscape. However with a management plan the targets individual regions, a reduction in the population density of the rabbit is achievable. This would involve a combination of control methods which would incorporate environmental, biological, economic factors (Linton 2001, Twigg etal 1998.Parer 1982). The biological controls still have an effect on the rabbit, so this together with mechanical controls and timing would beneficial to the overall problem. Mechanical controls such as warren ripping is an important element in the long term plan and the commencement of this should be when the rabbit population is low (Linton 2001). Therefore the likelihood of re-colonisation is reduced. Follow up procedures of fumigation; poisoning might be necessary to ensure that the population has been eradicated from within that area. The timing of these methods seems to play an intricate role in the rabbits' demise. Perhaps with time and proper management the eradication of the rabbit is feasible, but not without the financial support and backing of both regional and commonwealth governments. The key seems to be to start on a small scale and work up to larger regional control or eradication.

Othello, By William Shakespeare - 1353 Words

â€Å"Othello† is a tragedy play written by William Shakespeare in 1603. The play explains the story of a solider, Iago, that destroys a powerful general named Othello’s marriage, reputation, and overall life. The actions of the protagonist in the play, Iago, will be analyzed for their importance and domino effect throughout the play. Iago is a soldier of the army in Venice. He is a flat character in the play that is selfish, but on the exterior appears to value other individual’s concerns more than his. Throughout the play, readers notice that Iago is sexist, greedy, and racist. Iago is sometimes considered an archetype of the devil (quote about it) However, Iago is very intelligent in creating schemes that result in him receiving what he desires. All of the actions he commits throughout the play are to better him. Iago’s significance to the play is his desire for revenge. He portrays this pursuit of revenge toward Othello, Cassio, and the idea of reveng e he planted in Othello towards Desdemona. Throughout the play Iago desperately seeks revenge on Othello. Iago’s revenge towards Othello begins because of something Othello did, but then grows larger purely due to his distaste of Othello. Firstly, Iago wants revenge towards Othello because he is aggravated that Othello made Cassio lieutenant instead of him. Iago believes that he deserved the job of lieutenant because of his hands-on knowledge and experience in the field compared to Cassio’s no experience. Iago explained whoShow MoreRelatedOthello, By William Shakespeare957 Words   |  4 Pagesinnocent person kills himself while not knowing the truth. The best example of that would be the play Othello by the great William Shakespeare. As little as a handkerchief could make a difference if it is a symbol for something. In the play Othello by Shakespeare, handkerchief is first introduced by Othello to his beautiful mistress, Desdemona, as a sign of their love. At the end of the play what gets Othello to take extr eme measures by the location of the handkerchief. As the symbol of the handkerchiefRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1599 Words   |  7 Pages William Shakespeare’s 16th century play Othello is a duplicitous and fraudulent tale set alternatingly between Venice in act 1, and the island of Cyprus thereafter. The play follows the scandalous marriage between protagonist Othello, a Christian moore and the general of the army of Venice, and Desdemona, a respected and intelligent woman who also happens to be the daughter of the Venetian Senator Brabantio. Shakespeare undoubtedly positions the marriage to be viewed as heroic and noble, despiteRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1218 Words   |  5 PagesIn a historical time period where emphasis was shifting from religion to race and ethnicity, key indicators of differences that perpetuated into racial prejudice and racial ideologies are evident in Othello by William Shakespeare. Although racism was not fully formed at this moment in history, Othello can be interpreted as a representation and an exploration of this shift in ideology. In the past, before this change to ward racial differences, religion was the major segretory factor in signifyingRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare894 Words   |  4 Pagesthose that which occurred in Othello written by William Shakespeare. Throughout the play Othello, we see the struggles of a marriage that is not accepted by their society. Othello is a extremely cherished black general living in a primarily white community. The play begins with Othello secretly becoming married to a white woman named Desdemona. This reasons others who are white to become angry and excuse to dislike this black man further more than they already do. Othello is a downward spiral from loveRead MoreOthello by William Shakespeare790 Words   |  3 PagesThroughout Othello by William Shakespeare, Othello makes numerous poor decisions due to his jealousy. Hitting Desdemona, trusting Iago, and killing Desdemona are among a few of the poor decisions that he makes. The word jealous can be defined as feeling or showing suspicion of som eones unfaithfulness in a relationship. Othello feels suspicious of Desdemona’s and Cassio’s relationship because of the lies that Iago tells him. Many people try to tell Othello the truth but he only believes the wordsRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1923 Words   |  8 Pagesdissatisfaction or complication is shown. Firstly in Othello love is presented as ephemeral and transient while atonement love is presented as unrequited and finally in cat on a hot tin roof love is presented as painful and troublesome due to unreciprocated feelings. The tragic plot of Othello hinges on the potential of the villain, Iago, to deceive other characters, above all Roderigo and Othello, through encouraging them to misinterpret what they see. Othello is prone to Iago s ploys seeing that he himselfRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare941 Words   |  4 Pageswas Williams Shakespeare’s play Othello which depicts the tragedy of Othello, a Morris Captain. What is different about Shakespeare play is that the tragic hero is the black Othello and the villain a white Iago. Therefore, Shakespeare depiction of Othello as a tragic character and Iago as a villain, challenges Elizabethan’s stereotypes regarding individuals of African descent. Shakespeare challenges the stereotypical â€Å"type –casting of the black man† in Elizabethan society by depicting Othello asRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1152 Words   |  5 Pages‘Othello’ was a tragedy of incomprehension at the deepest level of human dealings as no one in the play came to an understanding of himself or any of the surrounding characters. The play ‘Othello’ by William Shakespeare focused on tragedy through the anguish of the main character ‘Othello’ which lead to the suffering and death of numerous characters including himself. Appearance Vs. Reality challenged human dealings within the play ‘Othello’ as no-one came to see anyone’s true self and no-one seesRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1178 Words   |  5 Pagesprofitable in condition of good and immorality. Othello is presented as good and Iago as evil, but Iago and Othello’s relationship also shares a distrust of their wives. The overall logical argument is based on love, jealousy and betrayal between two lovers that ultimately leads to their separation because of Iago’s evil plan. I am using this article to agree with Berry s view on how Iago separates two lovers just so he can take retaliation on Othello by manipulating everyone to unmasking their trueRead MoreOthello, By William Shakespeare1140 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Othello† is a play written by William Shakespeare in 1603. In this play, Shakespeare features three major characters: Othello, Iago, and Desdemona. Othello, a black man, and Desdemona, a white venetian secretly eloped in the play. Iago shows racism and prejudice towards their relationship because of their skin colors. In the play, Iago says: â€Å"Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise! Awake the snorting citizens with the bell, or else the devil will make a