Jane Austen s The King Of The Time - 1219 Words

(Hook sentence.) The Regency is a specific part of the much larger Georgian era, which spreads throughout the rules of the King George s. Regency is considered to be from 1811 to 1820 as the king of the time, George III, was deemed unfit to rule because of a mental illness, causing his son to be instated as his proxy, Prince Regent. Under the rule of the Prince Regent, life was transformed into a decade of social standings, where income and the amount of land you inherited determined your worth to many people. Women of this time were expected to be beautiful, well-mannered, and have good connections, so that they could easily achieve an advantageous marriage. Jane Austen lived almost her whole life in this time, which perhaps is the†¦show more content†¦He believes she has â€Å"more of quickness than her sisters,† and they often converse in amusement about the people around them (Austen 3). Since they aren t of a high society, they are constantly entertained with the desperate attempts of women who strive to marry a man of the greatest advantage. This causes Elizabeth to think highly of her ability to discern the people around her. Since she has never been proved wrong, an innate stubbornness from it was created. Pride over this has caused her to be quick to judge as she sees fit. This trait is especially shown in her first interaction with Mr. Darcy, a wealthy, seemingly proud, and handsome gentleman. The people of Hertfordshire county consider him to be the â€Å"most disagreeable man in the world† (Austen 8). She comes to agree with the gossip when she overhears him commenting that she is â€Å"not handsome enough to tempt [him],† (Austen 9). As they spend more time together he starts to develop feelings for her, but does not act on it because of her lower class. Here we can see how his pride and societal upbringing gives him a preconception against others. Her prejudice against him causes her to see everything he says or does in a negative light. Throughout the novel, this use of pride and prejudice leads to many misunderstandings about the true character of the people in it. The introducement of Mr. Wickham, a handsome man from Darcy’s past, proves to progress the story as an influence Elizabeth s prejudice.

The Rise Of Free Trade - 1243 Words

Introduction: Free Trade: The Rise of Free Trade: According to Adam Smith’s 1776 Wealth of Nations, which other economic historians like, McCulLoch (1825) , Blaugh (1978) and Heckscher (1994), have replicated, Mercantilism was a dominant economic theory prevalent across Europe throughout the 17th to the 18th century with limited empirical evidence (Benjamin Hav Mitra-Kahn, 2011). The theoretical contrasts between researchers throughout the mercantilist age originate from the difference in how researchers and policymakers defined the economy. According to Smith, the principal reasons of mercantilist policies were â€Å"to diminish as much as possible the importation of foreign goods for home consumption, and to increase as much as possible†¦show more content†¦Using this, Smith established a formative contribution to commercial policy theory and concluded that even though the protection of domestic industries does increase the overall employment and output, it does not imply it is beneficial. A proper understanding of the determinants of calculating real income was required to the access the true effect of trade restrictions. He stated that individuals deploy their resources in support of the industry that would bring in the maximum revenue for them. Smith made this the backbone of his economic framework; profitability leads to fulfilling of the needs and wants of the society, in turn leading to increasing the national income to its maximum capacity. Thus, for this reason and following human rights to give individuals the liberty to do what they seek, the competitive market was the best tool for profit maximization and optimum allocation of resources (DA Irwin, 1996). Smith believed that the government did not have any direct role in dictating terms for market processes, nonetheless, the administration was fundamental for supporting the market systems as a social foundation for the market to work more viably. Smith then went on to talk about opportunity costs and his perception of this concept. He believed that at any given time in an economy, the resources (capital and labor) are fixed and in order to increase the output of one sector the output of another sector had to be sacrificed. This could be done only by

New Weapons that Changed the Way of the Samurai Free Essays

New weapons that changed the way of the samurai A Samurai Sword symbolizes and means the Samurai’s prestige and his skills in battle. It is a measure of his stature in society. To all samurai it’s their prize possession and it is worn proudly by its master – until the teppo was introduced. We will write a custom essay sample on New Weapons that Changed the Way of the Samurai or any similar topic only for you Order Now The samurai considered it as dishonorable to tradition. This changed the way samurai fight and changed their view to samurai swords. The teppo is an example of a weapon that changed the way of samurai – it was introduced in the 16 century in Japan through Portuguese trade. They were easy to use and deadly. The teppo were produced on a large scale by Japanese gunsmiths since introduced. By the end of the 16th century, there were more firearms any European nation. [pic] (†¦picture of the traditional weapons used by the samurai before guns were introduced†¦) The Battle of Nagashino is a great example of a turning point between swords and guns. Oda Nobunaga made deadly use of the teppo at the Battle of Nagashino in 1575, leading to the end of the famous Takeda clan. Guns can wipe out a whole clan in just one battle. It was considered very deadly. In the movie ‘The Last Samurai’ it strongly relates to the concept of guns taking over traditional samurai swords and guns destroying loyal samurai clans. The film’s plot is loosely based on the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigo Takamori, and also on the story of Jules Brunet, a French army captain who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in the Boshin War. It also gives an enhanced and better understanding of how these weapons can be deadly to the traditions of the samurai and the changes that are happening when these weapons are introduced. Introducing these weapons to the samurai was a mistake that the Portuguese made. The samurai would have been better without the guns and weapons that were introduced by foreigners. Samurai teachings can still be found today in modern day society with the martial art Kendo, meaning the way of the sword. Samurai Raid a Japanese  Village The lonely village on the Far East side of Japan encountered a group of vicious samurai last week that attacked the tiny village. Many possessions have been stolen from these poor villagers. These villagers were brutally beaten with a bamboo sticks in order to entertain these vicious fighters. They were left with bruises, body aches and pains. The villagers are furious and wish for revenge on these fighters. [pic] (†¦A picture drawn by one of the local villagers on what they saw and suffered in the raid†¦ ) The Chief of the village has announced a public meeting with the local villagers to discuss the actions that need to be taken in order to receive revenge on the people that brought terror and pain in the incident that has occurred last week. We interviewed one of the local villagers – he said he lost all his gold plates that were passed down from past generations and were meant to be past down to future generations – he cannot fulfil his ancestors wishes. He is very disappointed and angry for his loss. The villagers suffered a great loss. They have little left, not even enough to feed a family for more than one week. The villagers were suffering with food loss before the raid but now they have to suffer even more. Fake samurai swords are being sold to the public.. Beware Yesterday morning when merchants come and sell their goods a man in his late 20’s spotted samurai swords for sale. He asked the merchant the price of the swords. The merchant told the man he would sell the sword to the man for only ? 1,000. The man thought he was very lucky and immediately bought the sword. He took the sword home happily. [pic] (†¦the image of the sword the man bought for ? 1,000†¦) When he got home he realised the sword was a fake because it didn’t have the sharpness a true sword would have. He was very angry and decided to go and confront the merchant. When he arrived at the same place he got the sword, the merchant was nowhere to be seen. The man was very disappointed that he wasted ? 1,000 on a fake sword. He notified the local guards – they are still searching for the merchant. The Merchant was wearing a blur robe, has a long black beard and a scar on his right cheek. If you think you have found the merchant please notify the local guard. Samurai to hold meeting for the production of fake samurai swords†¦ As you know about the article about a man buying a samurai sword the other day and found it was a fake. It has been announced by the chief samurai that there would be a meeting with all the daimyo’s and discuss the action that need to be taken to catch the merchant that was selling this illegal swords to poor villagers. We interviewed the man and he said ‘†¦ I am so happy that the samurai are following this merchant that has taken my money in return of a piece of metal that is useless to me†¦ ‘ So please if you have any information on this suspicious merchant, please notify your local guard. Nitobe was not the first person to document Japanese chivalry in this way According to the Japanese dictionary Shogakukan Kokugo Daijiten, â€Å"Bushido is defined as a unique philosophy (ronri) that spread through the warrior class from the Muromachi (chusei) period. † In Bushido: The Soul of Japan (1899), author Nitobe Inazo wrote: â€Å"†¦ Bushido, then, is the code of moral principles which the samurai were required or instructed to observe†¦ More frequently it is a code unuttered and unwritten†¦ It was an organic growth of decades and centuries of military career. † According to the editors of Monumenta Nipponica, â€Å"Tens of thousands of documents survive from the medieval period†¦ Only a few have been translated into English, or are likely ever to appear in translation. † One of the oldest English-language academic journals in the field of Asian studies, much of Dr. Steenstrup’s significant findings were written for Monumenta Nipponica. In his text Feudal and Modern Japan (1896) Historian Arthur May Knapp wrote: â€Å"The samurai of thirty years ago had behind him a thousand years of training in the law of honor, obedience, duty, and self-sacrifice†¦.. It was not needed to create or establish them. As a child he had but to be instructed, as indeed he was from his earliest years, in the etiquette of self-immolation. The fine instinct of honor demanding it was in the very blood†¦ † Translation of documents related to bushido began in the 1970s with Dr. Carl Steenstrup, who performed a lifetime of research into the ethical codes of famous Samurai clans including Hojo Soun and Imagawa Ryoshun. Steenstrup’s 1977 dissertation at Harvard University was entitled â€Å"Hojo Shigetoki (1198–1261) and his Role in the History of Political and Ethical Ideas in Japan†. The stylings of bushido have existed in the Japanese literature from the earliest recorded literary history of Japan predating the introduction of Confucian ethic from China. The Kojiki is Japan’s oldest extant book. Written in AD 712, it contains passages about Yamato Takeru, the son of the Emperor Keiko. It provides an early indication of the values and literary self-image of the Bushido ideal, including references to the use and admiration of the sword by Japanese warriors. Yamato Takeru may be considered the rough ideal of the Japanese warrior to come. He is sincere and loyal, slicing up his father’s enemies â€Å"like melons†, full willing to combat the enemy single-handed, unbending and yet not unfeeling, as can be seen in his laments for lost wives and homeland. Most importantly, his portrayal in the Kojiki embodies an early example of the appeal of the warrior-poet. Published by Sephora Hidalgo and Maranie Ing BUSHIDO From the Bushido literature of the 13th to 16th Centuries, there exists an abundance of literary references to the ideals of Bushido. In his 1979 Dissertation, Dr Carl Steenstrup noted that 13th and 14th century writings (gunki) â€Å"portrayed the bushi in their natural element, war, eulogizing such virtues as reckless bravery, fierce family pride, and selfless, at times senseless devotion of master and man. Compiled in 1371, the Heike Monogatari chronicles the struggle between the Minamoto and Taira clans for control of Japan at the end of the 12th century—a conflict known as the Gempei War. Clearly depicted throughout the Heike Monogatari is the ideal of the cultivated warrior. The warriors in the Heike Monogatari served as models for the educated warriors of later generations, and the ideals depicted by them were n ot assumed to be beyond reach. Rather, these ideals were vigorously pursued in the upper echelons of warrior society and recommended as the proper form of the Japanese man of arms. By the time of Imagawa Ryoshun’s Regulations at the beginning of the 15th century, the bushido ideal was fairly clear, and the term itself came into widespread use. As illustrated by these various writings and house codes, bushido already encompasses loyalty to one’s master, filial piety, and reverence to the Emperor. Bushido includes compassion for those of lower station, and for the preservation of one’s name. Early bushido literature further enforces the requirement to conduct oneself with calmness, fairness, justice, and propriety. The relationship between learning and the way of the warrior is clearly articulated, one being a natural partner to the other. Finding a proper death in battle, for the cause of one’s lord, also features strongly at this point in history. [pic]Japanese samurai in Armour,1860s. Photograph by Felice Beato ———————– Kendo lessons from ages 6 to 16 First 3 lessons free go to www. kendolessons. com phone master Shitzo and Yoda for more info: 100 200 300 It starts at 6:00pm to 8:00pm with Master Shitzo private and non private with Master Yoda at the morning 8am to noon free food as well. [pic] Uniforms are provided when enrolled into course New weapon factory sale [pic] 28/29 Convict ST Liverfarm. Close to Toshiba’s land Call Rambo at 1234566787 for more information on the weapons available or about the factory Quick before it’s too late†¦. Join and experience war Join the army and get new swords and armour. Join now at the Red Cross tent in the middle of the field at Toshiba land. [pic] Contact Chief Yuki Monish at sunrise and sunset: 174635 26337 or at www. joinsamuraiarmy. com How to cite New Weapons that Changed the Way of the Samurai, Essay examples

Waiting Line Management free essay sample

However, being satisfied with the service seems to be insufficient for customers to remain loyal. Creating customer loyalty is even more crucial than just satisfying them. The paper aims to investigate how customers weigh up their service satisfaction and waiting time satisfaction in order to determine whether they will remain loyal or not. Design/methodology/approach – A survey was conducted in the Belgian health care industry. The final sample includes 946 respondents. Regression analyses were performed and the Baron and Kenny method used to test moderator and mediator impacts of variables. Findings – The results confirm that waiting time satisfaction is not only a service satisfaction determinant, but it also moderates the satisfaction-loyalty relationship. Moreover, determinants of customer waiting time satisfaction include the perceived waiting time, the satisfaction with information provided in case of delays, and the satisfaction with the waiting environment. In addition, it is shown that waiting time satisfaction is a complete mediating variable in the perceived waiting time and service satisfaction link. Originality/value – The paper suggests several implications about the waiting time impacts on service satisfaction and customer loyalty. They show the importance of this variable in the service process and explain how to improve it. Keywords Customer loyalty, Customer satisfaction, Service levels Paper type Research paper Introduction Many service companies worry about the length of their queues because customer waiting time is considered as having a negative influence on consumer service perception. Time is valued by both partners. On the one hand, service companies may lose transactions if waiting time is too long; and on the other, consumers consider waiting time as a sacrifice to get the service. It is one of the reasons that more and more service customer-oriented companies position their offer on time advantage for consumers. Lovelock and Gummesson (2004) insist on the central role played by time in most services and recommend paying more attention to improving the understanding of how customers perceive, budget, consume and value time. Several research studies focus on the relationship between waiting time and satisfaction (Hui and Tse, 1996; Pruyn and Smidts, 1998). Many other studies The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www. emeraldinsight. com/0960-4529. htm MSQ 17,2 174 Managing Service Quality Vol. 17 No. 2, 2007 pp. 174-193 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0960-4529 DOI 10. 1108/09604520710735182 emphasize the link between customer satisfaction and their loyalty (e. g. , Anderson, 1994; Dick and Basu, 1994; Fornell et al. 1996; Selnes, 2001; Mittal and Kamakura, 2001; Olsen, 2002). Very few studies focus on the influence of waiting time satisfaction on loyalty and that is confined to the fast food industry (Law et al. , 2004). To the best of our knowledge, no study has yet evaluated the influence of waiting time or waiting time satisfaction on the satisfaction-loyalty relationship. The objective of this research is threefold. We look into the determinants of waiting time s atisfaction and examine the mediating role of the latter variable between these determinants and the service satisfaction. We also investigate the influence of customer waiting time satisfaction on the existing relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty. A major contribution to this research is the consideration of waiting time satisfaction as a factor that, in addition to being a determinant of customer satisfaction, may also moderate the satisfaction-loyalty relationship. Conceptual background Waiting time Service perishability gives rise to many problems for service providers and these intensify when service demand fluctuates. To tackle this major problem, firms adopt strategies to match capacity and demand (Bateson and Hoffman, 1999; Lovelock and Lapert, 1999; Zeithaml and Bitner, 2002). One of the first strategies adopted is to flex capacity to meet demand. During periods of peak demand, the organization expands its capacity by adding new resources such as people, facilities and equipment. Second, companies may try to smooth demand. Companies can motivate consumers by making their offer more attractive during low demand periods. Companies may also choose to use reservation in order to spread the demand evenly. However, even with booking, service providers experience difficulties in minimizing delay in service delivery. When demand and capacity cannot be aligned, waiting line strategies can still be found. Among waiting line strategies, we find making wait more fun or tolerable, differentiating waiting customers and choosing an appropriate waiting line configuration (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2002). Despite the implementation of all these strategies, when customer waiting time is too long, companies may indeed make consumers dissatisfied. Service providers may even miss one or several sale occasions; and even worse lose a loyal customer, despite an effective service recovery strategy. But what characterizes a long waiting time? The waiting time has four aspects: objective, subjective, cognitive and affective: (1) The objective waiting time is the elapsed time as measured by a stopwatch by customers before being served (Davis and Vollman, 1990; Katz et al. , 1991; Taylor, 1994). (2) The subjective waiting time is the customers’ estimation of time waited. In previous research studies, the subjective aspect is measured by means of the perceived waiting time (Hui and Tse, 1996; Pruyn and Smidts, 1998). Unsurprisingly, the estimated time depends on objectively measured elapsed time (Hornick, 1984; Pruyn and Smidts, 1998; Antonides et al. , 2002). (3) The cognitive aspect of the wait is the consumers’ evaluation of the wait as being (or not being) acceptable, reasonable, tolerable (Durrande-Moreau, 1999) as well as considered to be short versus long (Pruyn and Smidts, 1998). Waiting time influence 175 4) The affective aspect of the wait consists of emotional responses to waiting such as irritation, boredom, frustration, stress, pleasure, happiness, etc . . . (Taylor, 1994; Hui and Tse, 1996; Pruyn and Smidts, 1998). According to Pruyn and Smidts (1998), these affective and cognitive aspects form the appraisal of the wait. In this study, we use waiting time satisfaction as being the main variable measuring customer evaluation of the wait. According to Maister (1985), the gap between the perception and expectation for waiting experience determines the customer satisfaction with waiting. Davis and Heineke (1994) specify Maister’s definition, replacing â€Å"perception† by â€Å"performance interpretation†, noting that perception depends on both the customer’s interpretation of the service encounter and the actual service performance. During the last decade, many definitions of overall satisfaction have been proposed, underlining the cognitive and/or affective constituents of the concept (Oliver, 1993). Regarding waiting time, both aspects seem to be appropriate (Durrande-Moreau, 1999). Consequently, we consider waiting time satisfaction as a post-experience, judgmental evaluation including both cognitive and affective aspects of waiting; and measuring the extent to which the perceived waiting period matches the customer’s expectations for a specific transaction. Determinants of waiting time satisfaction Several factors are considered as leading to evaluation of wait (Maister, 1985). Past results show evidence that the objective and subjective waiting time have negative effects on affective and cognitive responses to waiting. Indeed, Taylor (1994) shows that delay (measured by a combination of objective and subjective aspects) significantly influences the feelings of anger. Moreover, Pruyn and Smidts (1998) find that the perceived waiting time affects the cognitive dimension of the wait appraisal. Consequently, we do consider perceived waiting time as a determinant of waiting time satisfaction. On the other hand, we do not take into account the objective waiting time for two reasons. First, previous research studies in the psychophysics and marketing literature show a significant correlation between perceived and objective measures of time. Second, customer reactions to waiting are more strongly influenced by the subjective component of waiting time than by the objective one (Hornick, 1984; Pruyn and Smidts, 1998). Indeed, real waiting time is an antecedent of perceived waiting time rather than an antecedent of waiting time satisfaction (Pruyn and Smidts, 1998). Therefore as presented in our conceptual model shown in Figure 1, we expect that: H1. The perceived waiting time will negatively affect the customer waiting time satisfaction. Others variables determine waiting time satisfaction. These factors are the information provided in case of delay (Hui and Tse, 1996; Antonides et al. , 2002) and the characteristics of the waiting environment (Pruyn and Smidts, 1998). In addition to being considered as an economic cost, waiting has an adverse psychological effect; consumers facing uncertainty about the wait length, experience significant stress. Studies have suggested that any information on the waiting duration can reduce the uncertainty of the wait and lower the overall level of stress experienced by consumers (Maister, 1985). Previous research highlights the impact of queuing information and waiting duration information on the cognitive and affective aspect of the wait when the wait is long (Hui and Tse, 1996) and during busy periods (Clemmer and Schneider, MSQ 17,2 176 1989). Moreover, the uncertainty influences service evaluation through consumers’ affective responses to the wait (Taylor, 1994). Consequently, we suggest that reducing the uncertainty by providing satisfying information about the delay will positively influence customer waiting time satisfaction: H2. Customer satisfaction with information provided in case of delay will positively influence their waiting time satisfaction. The attractiveness of the waiting environment is related to its physical design in terms of comfort, space and decor. Service environment influences the affective aspects of waiting time (Baker and Cameron, 1996). A pleasant environment promotes positive feelings within consumers. Pruyn and Smidts (1998) show that perceived attractiveness positively influences the affective response to the wait, a known component of waiting time satisfaction. So, we anticipate that satisfaction with the environment will positively affect the customer satisfaction with waiting time: H3. The greater the satisfaction with the environment, the more waiting time satisfaction. In our conceptual framework, we consider the waiting time satisfaction as a key variable. No other studies explicitly used this specific construct. Pruyn and Smidts (1998) used the appraisal of the wait as a central concept in their theoretical framework. The appraisal of the wait included two components: the cognitive and the affective aspects of wait. In their operationalization of the construct, they used these two components separately. To our knowledge, no other research has included the three determinants in the same model. Waiting time satisfaction and services satisfaction Along with income and price, time can be considered as a constraint in consumer purchasing choice (Becker, 1965; Umesh et al. , 1989). In choosing a service provider, Figure 1. Waiting time satisfaction: its hypothetical determinants and effects on the satisfaction-loyalty relationship Waiting time influence 177 onsumers weigh up a number of benefits against the money, effort, and psychic costs of buying and using the service; time spent in obtaining the service is just such a cost. The authors consider waiting time satisfaction and service satisfaction as being two constructs related to a specific transaction. Service satisfaction is the overall evaluation of the service transaction and waiting time satisfaction is a determinant of the latter. Several stu dies show that delays have negative effects on the overall service evaluation (Katz et al. , 1991; Taylor, 1994; Hui and Tse, 1996; Kumar et al. , 1997; Dube? Rioux et al. , 1989); and, more precisely, on satisfaction with the service (Pruyn and Smidts, 1998). Furthermore, customers’ anger and their evaluation of punctuality affect the overall service performance (Taylor, 1994). Similarly, Hui and Tse (1996) find that the affective response to the wait influences the service evaluation. Moreover, Pruyn and Smidts (1998) demonstrate that the appraisal of wait, i. e. both cognitive and affective dimensions, positively influence the service satisfaction. Therefore we hypothesize that: H4. Waiting time satisfaction will positively influence the satisfaction with the service. Authors do not agree on the role of the perceived waiting time – whether it directly or indirectly influences (through the cognitive and/or the affective component of waiting time satisfaction) the service evaluation. Hui and Tse’s (1996) results indicate that the perceived waiting duration and the affective response to the wait separately have an impact on the service evaluation. On the other hand, Pruyn and Smidts (1998) demonstrate that perceived waiting time influences the service satisfaction through the appraisal of wait (i. e. both cognitive and affective dimensions). Consistent with Pruyn and Smidts (1998), we expect that waiting time satisfaction will have a complete mediating role in the relationship between the perceived waiting time and the service satisfaction. Indeed, once waiting time satisfaction is considered as being a determinant of the service satisfaction, the perceived waiting time effect on the service satisfaction will disappear: H5. The perceived waiting time will have no direct impact on the service satisfaction but will have an indirect impact through its influence on waiting time satisfaction. Information provided in case of delay is not expected to have a direct effect on the service satisfaction. Indeed, according to Hui and Tse’s (1996) information about delay influences the service evaluation through the effect on the acceptability of the wait and on the affective response to delays. Therefore, we expect that: H6. The satisfaction with the information provided in case of delay will have no direct impact on the service satisfaction but will have an impact through its influence on waiting time satisfaction. On the other hand, the environment is expected to have a direct effect on service satisfaction in addition to its indirect effect mentioned in H3. In service literature, tangibility is considered to be a dimension of perceived service quality (Parasuraman et al. , 1988). This tangible dimension refers, inter alia, to the service facilities, decors, brochures, signage and employees’ appearance. Rust and Oliver (1993) treat the service environment as a particular component of quality. They focus on the structure of the internal and external environments to provide quality service. Pruyn and Smidts (1998) show that the perceived attractiveness of the environment influences the service satisfaction in addition to the appraisal of the wait. Thus, we propose that: MSQ 17,2 178 H7. The satisfaction with the waiting environment will have a direct impact on service satisfaction. From service satisfaction to service loyalty The weight of evidence from previous studies suggests that customers’ evaluation of waiting time negatively affects the customer satisfaction. Law et al. (2004) focus on the effect of waiting time and service dimensions on repurchasing behavior and customer satisfaction. Their results indicate that difference in waiting time and wait satisfaction respectively influences customer satisfaction and repurchasing frequency, dependently on the timing of the visit. They demonstrate the interest of evaluating the effect waiting time satisfaction has on the behavioral dimension of loyalty. However, no author has investigated how waiting time impacts on the customer’s satisfaction-loyalty relationship with the service provider. Building the link between customers’ satisfaction and loyalty is a priority for companies who have allocated many resources to evaluate their customers’ satisfaction. Indeed, customer retention is of prime importance. The cost of retaining an existing customer is less than the cost of acquiring a new one, or maintaining a newly acquired customer (Reichheld, 1996). Several studies show evidence that there is a direct and strongly positive link between customer satisfaction and loyalty (Fornell, 1992; Anderson, 1994). Customer satisfaction is recognized as being an antecedent of customer loyalty (Anderson, 1994; Dick and Basu, 1994; Fornell et al. , 1996; Bolton, 1998; Mittal and Kamakura, 2001). Moreover, prior research questioned the linear relationship between satisfaction and customer loyalty (Anderson and Mittal, 2000; Bowman and Narayandas, 2001). The form of the relationship varies according to the industry, the competitiveness and the customers’ willingness/constraint to pursue the relationship (Jones and Sasser, 1995; Mittal and Baldasare, 1996). Nevertheless, customer satisfaction is not the only predictor of customer loyalty (Reichheld, 1996). Other factors such as switching barriers (Patterson and Smith, 2003) and customer characteristics (Mittal and Kamakura, 2001) affect customer loyalty. The complexity of the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty has lead several authors (Bloemer and De Ruyter, 1999; Homburg and Giering, 2001) to study moderator effects. Among moderating variables, we find personal characteristics such as demographic and psychological variables (e. g. variety seeking, age and income) (Homburg and Giering, 2001). In this research, we investigate the effect of waiting time satisfaction on the relationship between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Waiting time satisfaction can also be considered as a personal variable resulting from an evaluation of the interaction between the service provider and the client. This interaction concerns not only the wait, but also the waiting condition (see H1-H3). We expect that waiting time satisfaction will have a moderating effect on the link between service satisfaction and loyalty. A moderator effect implies that the moderator variable (the waiting time satisfaction) modifies the form of the relationship (i. e. the slope of the regression line) between the independent variable (the service satisfaction) and the dependent variable (the loyalty). In other words, the effect of the service satisfaction on loyalty varies according to the satisfaction with the waiting time. Indeed, the relationship between satisfaction and loyalty will be stronger when customers are dissatisfied with waiting time than the contrary. More precisely, when customers are not satisfied with waiting time, the service satisfaction should be higher to ensure customer loyalty. Customers are prepared to wait longer when the service satisfaction is high than when it is low. Waiting time influence 179 They may consider the waiting time as a sacrifice required to obtain a high level of service quality. If customer satisfaction with the service is low, they may not accept to put up with a long wait. Therefore, they may be disloyal with the service provider on the next purchasing occasion. Thus, we hypothesize that: H8. Waiting time satisfaction will moderate the effect of service satisfaction on loyalty. Method Survey procedure The data collected concern the waiting experiences of radiological outpatients in six hospitals in Belgium. Each of these hospital sites are different in size and are situated in various regions, all of an urban or semi-urban character. The Belgian health care industry, and particularly this type of service, is characterized as being competitive. Patients have the freedom to choose their hospital. Services studied include all types of radiological examination such as X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging, scan, Doppler, mammography and similar services . . . The study was conducted from Monday to Friday over three consecutive weeks. In spring 2003, each adult patient having an appointment in one of the radiological units received a self-administrated satisfaction questionnaire completed by patients before leaving the hospital. The final sample was composed of 946 adults. A total of 64 percent of the respondents were female and their ages covered the whole range from 18 to 92 (mean 54). Measures To measure the perceived waiting time, respondents were invited to classify the delay of their scheduled appointment into one of predefined categories: less than 30 minutes (79 percent of respondents), between 30 minutes and one hour (18 percent), and more than one hour (3 percent). Consistent with Pruyn and Smidts (1998), who find that the maximum acceptable waiting time for the majority of patients does not exceed 30 minutes, we consider two principal categories: more or less than 30 minutes. Waiting time satisfaction, the satisfaction with information provided in case of delay and the satisfaction with the waiting environment were measured on five-point scales (ranging from highly unsatisfactory to highly satisfactory). One item was used for each concept except for the satisfaction with the waiting environment for which three items were used. These three items were: (1) comfort in the waiting room; (2) seating availability in the waiting room; and (3) the appearance and de? cor of the premises. These items reveal to be one-dimensional (a factor analysis indicates that the three items load on the same factor and explain 80 percent of the total variance) with a good reliability (Cronbach alpha ? 0:87). A composite scale representing satisfaction with the waiting environment was formed by averaging these items. Then, the overall satisfaction of the patients’ visit to the radiological unit was measured by asking subjects to give their global evaluation of the service experience (on five-point semantic scale ranging from highly dissatisfied to highly satisfied). Outpatients’ loyalty was assessed by asking respondents if they intended to recommend this service unit to relatives and their intention to choose the same hospital in case of necessity to undergo MSQ 17,2 180 another radiological examination (on five-point semantic scale from certainly not to certainly). These variables represent the behavioral-intention dimension of loyalty (Zeithaml et al. , 1996; Chauduri and Holbrook, 2001). This scale appears to be one-dimensional (a factor analysis reveals that the two items load on the same factor and explain 89. 75 percent of the total variance) with a high reliability (Cronbach alpha ? :88). A composite scaled was formed with these two items. Finally, two questions enabled to distinguish patients in terms of their age and sex. Results Determinants of waiting time satisfaction In order to study the determinants of waiting time satisfaction, we performed a regression analysis. The results are presented in Table I. The dependent variabl e is waiting time satisfaction and the independent variables[1] are the perceived waiting time, the satisfaction with the information provided in case of delay and the satisfaction with the waiting environment.