Carrying out a research project is a daunting task, presenting you with deadline anxieties, unfamiliar language and practical dilemmas. This book is a straightforward, user-friendly guide on how to manage your research project successfully - akin to having a tutor at your side. This book offers an accessible introduction to qualitative and quantitative methods. It takes you through the entire research process from planning to write-up and includes extensive real-life examples of good and bad research practice The second edition contains further discussion of internet-based research methods, research ethics and provides students with the self-discipline and the confidence to conduct their own research projects, whatever discipline they are from, and also the understanding required to identify the advantages and disadvantages of different strategies.

"The United States has struggled to define its approach to what has been termed the "information battlefield" since the dawn of the information era. Yet with the outbreak of the war on terrorism, the United States is being violently challenged to take a position and react to militants' use of emerging information technology. Ideological demigods operating against the United States now have unprecedented channels by which to disseminate their message to those uncertain, sympathetic, or actively engaged in their philosophy. From the caves of southeastern Afghanistan to the streets of Baghdad, "the message" has dominated the thinking of those who perpetrate horrific acts of violence, whether in the name of ideology, ethnic and sectarian partisanship, or religion." "This book seeks to illuminate the uses of information in armed conflict by juxtaposing the views of those who engage in manipulating information against the historic context. The anthology is divided into four sections: geopolitical, strategic, operational, and tactical. The geopolitical perspective is that dominated by world politics, diplomacy, and the elements of national power excluding military force. The strategic view examines where the violence has begun and the military element of power that has become a major contributing factor. The operational perspective handles the campaigns to accomplish a specific purpose on the world stage- for example, the Iraq campaign. Finally, the tactical level takes into account the individual and the individual clashes within the campaigns at issue. Because the nexus of information conflict is most easily viewed in the world's contemporary violent confrontations, this anthology is heavily weighted toward military personnel who have managed these difficult issues."--Jacket.

This book is very useful for it is not just 'descriptive' in its nature, but 'prescriptive', too. It is descriptive in the sense that it describes the process of developing or using a metric in a problem situation, and prescriptive as it clearly prescribes how a beginner can put the theory into practice. In this globalized economy, maintaining quality of products and services has been the thrust area of interest among academicians and practitioners. Today, there are quite a good number of books and research articles available. Nevertheless, service quality measurement has always posed problems, particularly in the context of service industries due to the difficulty in the measurement of the intangibles and implied needs of the customers. The research literature is filled with articles on how to quantify the services, and there are several streams of arguments on the choice of the most ideal approach. However, the research gap lies in the answer to the question: 'Do these measurement instruments concur in their measurement outcomes or do they give different results in the same situation?' This book primarily makes an attempt to answer this question through a case study approach. Even though, there are several instruments for the measurement of service quality, the two most widely used instruments are SERVQUAL and SERVPERF metrics. Comprehensively, this book explains the systematic procedure of using both, the instruments in a service sector, and further, the procedure for conducting a statistical analysis so that one will be able to apply the same in any service sector. It then takes the reader through a series of tests in order to compare the two metrics, and to prove statistically if there is the same outcome in a problem situation. The results are sure to surprise the reader, and trigger the "research bent of mind" to undertake a similar study of such metrics and gain mastery over performing an independent research with very minimal guidance from a professional guide. To conclude, this book is sure to provide adequate inputs for a service quality researcher, and answer various questions wriggling in the mind of a beginner of service quality research such as: How shall I start with service quality measurement? How to collect data? How to select a sample? How to conduct a literature review? How to analyse the data? What research methodology is applicable? How to build hypothesis on my research? How to use statistical procedures? How to present the findings? How to draw implications from the study results?   Biographische Informationen Lewlyn L.R. Rodrigues has 27 years' experience in teaching, research, and administration in several countries. He has successfully guided two students for their Ph.D., and is currently having ten Ph.D. students working under his supervision at Manipal University, India in diversified areas, such as knowledge management, innovation and technology management, manufacturing, service quality, and system dynamics. The author has published a book on system dynamics, entitled 'theory and case studies', about 120 papers in journals and conferences, and won several best paper awards. Moreover, he is a reviewer of several journals, including the 'Journal of Knowledge Management Practice', the 'South African Journal of Management Research', the 'European Modelling' and the 'Simulation Symposium'. The author holds a B.E. in mechanical engineering, an MBA in human resource and quality, an M.Tech. in production engineering, and a Ph.D. in system dynamics. Rodrigues is the professor and head of the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences at the Manipal Institute of Technology, and may be contacted at l.rodrigues@manipal.edu. Girish K Nair is a lecturer in the area of finance and economics in international hospitality and tourism and business management at the Stenden University, Qatar. He is pursuing his Ph.D. in economics, and further, he is a researcher in diversified fields, such as human resource management, international finance, economics, and marketing and strategic planning. Nair can be contacted at gknair7474@yahoo.com. Anisa Hussain has an MBA in human resource and systems, and an M.Phil. in management. She is currently pursuing her PhD in organizational citizenship behaviour, and is an assistant professor at the Jamal Institute of Management, Trichy, in India. The author has about 60 papers published in conferences, and 34 publications in journals. She is a very versatile researcher who has expertise in knowledge management, technology management, innovation management, system dynamics modelling and simulation with an in-depth knowledge in statistical analysis. Anisa may be contacted at anisa.akh@gmail.com. Dr U Syed Aktharsha holds a PhD in knowledge management, and is teaching information systems at the Jamal Institute of Management. He is an active researcher on strategic issues of information systems, and has various works published in most reputed journals in India and abroad. He is responsible for around 145 papers in conferences and journals, and is among the most sought after guide for research and invited lectures in various high profile management institutes in the country. His research interests include knowledge management, ERP implementation and firm performance, service marketing and information system strategies. He may be contacted at syedjmcjim@gmail.com.

The book discusses hospitality marketing from a team perspective, examining each hospitality department and its role in the marketing mechanism.

Includes entries for Academic degrees, Academic medical center (AMC), Access, Accreditation of hospitals, Accrual-based accounting, Accumulated depreciation, Acquisitions, Activities of daily living, Activity-based accounting, Accumulated depreciation, Acquisitions, Activities of daily living, Activity-based costing, Activity ratios, Acute care, Administrative services organization (ASO) Adopter categories, Advanced health care directives, Adverse drug reaction (ADR), Adverse event (AE), Adverse selection, Advertising, Affirmative action in employment, Age discrimination in employment, Aging society, Aid to Families with dependent children (AFDC), Alliances, Allied health professional, Alternative evaluation, Alternative medicine (complementary medicine, integrative medicine, unconventional medicine), Ambulatory care, American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM), American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), American Dental Association (ADA), American Hospital Association (AHA), American Medical Association (AMA), American Nurses Association (ANA), American Public Health Association (APHA), American Red Cross (ARC), Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, Annual percentage rate (APR), Assets, Asset turnover ratios, Assurance of compliance (Federal wide assurance, FWA), Atmospherics, Authority, Autonomous health care plan/structure, Autonomous work groups, Average collection period (ACP), Backward vertical integration, Bad debt loss, Balanced Budget Act (BBA) of 1997, Balanced Scorecard and health care, Balance sheet, BCG portfolio analysis, Bed occupancy, Belmont Report, Benefit and cost analysis, Benefit segmentation, Billing, Billing fraud, Biotechnology, Bioterrorism, Birthing center, Blinding. Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBS), Boards of directors, Boards of health, Book value, Brand awareness, Brand equity, Breakeven analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Business plan, Business valuation, Buyer behavior, Canadian health care system, Capacity and capacity utilization, Capital asset pricing model, Capital financing, Capital asset pricing model, Capital financing, Capital investment, Capitalization ratios, Capital structure, Capitation/Capitated health plans, Care management, Care maps, Carve-outs, Case management, Case mix, Case rate reimbursement, Case report form (CFR), Cash and cash equivalents, Cash basis of accounting, Cash flow, Cash management, Centers of Medicare and Medicaid services, Changing corporate culture, Charismatic leadership, Charity care, Chief medical officer/medical director, Chronic disease, Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1991, Claim, Claims made coverage Claims management, Clinical decision making, Clinical investigation, Clinical pathways (Care Maps or critical paths), Clinical practice guidelines/pathways, Clinical research, Clinical trails Closed systems, Coalitions (business), Code of ethics, Collaborative partnership, Collection float, Collective bargaining, Common cause variation, Common stock, Community-based hospital, community health, Community health status indicators, Community rating, Comparative advertising, Comparative statics, compensating differentials, Compensation systems, competitive advantage, Competitive bidding Competitive equlibrium, Competitive strategy and groups, Competitor analysis, Complementary medicine, Complementary product, Compliance, Component car, Compound growth rate, Compound interest method, Compressed workweeks, Concentric diversification, Conflict management. Conglomerate diversification, Consent, Consolidation, Consumer, Consumer adoption process, Consumer choice and demand, Consumer Choice health purchasing group, Consumer perception of service, Consumer Price Index (CPI), Consumer satisfaction surveys, Contingency planning, Continuity of care, Continuous quality improvement (CQI), Contraction strategy, Contract research organization (CRO), Contractual Adjustments, contribution margin, control chart, Control group, Cooperation strategies, Co-opetition, Corporate cost of capital, Corporate culture, Corporate governing board, Cost-based reimbursement, Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) Cost effectiveness, Cost leadership strategies, Cost of capital, cost shifting, Cost-utility analysis, Credentialing, Credit rating, Critical success factors, Culture and culture change, Culture and strategy, Current assets, Current assets/liabilities, Customer perceptions, Customer relationship management (CRM), Customer satisfaction rating, customer satisfaction research, Customersʼ consequences, Customersʼ desired purpose or goals, Customer value, Database, Database marketing, Database server, Bata management, Days cash on hand, Days in accounts receivable, Debt, Debt financing, Debt Service coverage, Decentralization of decision making, Decision, Decision support systems, Declaration of Helsinki Laws, Decline stage of product life cycle, Deductibles, Default, Defender, Demand, Demographics, Demographic segmentation, Depreciation, Derived demand, Differentiation strategies, Diffusion of innovation, Direct marketing, Directorʼs and officersʼ liability, Discontinuous change, Discounted cash flows, Disease management, Disenrollment, Disproportionate share hospital (DSH), Diversification strategies, Divestiture strategies, Dividends, Divisional structure. Division level strategies, Double blinding, Downsizing, Drug coverage, Durable powers of attorney for health care, (DPAHC), Early adopters, Earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT), Economic order quantity (EOQ), Economies of scale, Effective dose, Efficacy, E-health, Elasticity of demand Elder care, Electrocardiogram (EKG ECG), Electronic billing, Electronic claims, Electronic commerce, Electronic data interchange (EDI), Electronic medical record, Electronic patient record, Emergency room (ER), Emergent strategy Employee absenteeism, Employee assistance program (EAP), Employee benefits, Employee compensation, Employee health, Employee orientation programs, Employee recruitment, Employee retention, Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), Employee rights, Employee selection and hiring, Employee stock ownership plan (ESOP), Employee turnover, Employment discrimination, Employment interview, Employment law, Employment references, Employment testing, Empowerment (delegation of authority), Encryption, End of life care, Enrollee, Enrollment, Enterprise resource planning (ERP) in health care, Entitlement programs, Environmental analysis, Environmental health science, Epidemiology, Episodes of care, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Equal Pay Act, Equity, Equity capital, Ethical code, Ethical drugs, Ethical issues faced by managers, Ethics committee, Ethics officer, Evidence based medicine (EBM), Excess capacity, Excess liability coverage, Excess of revenues over expenses, Exclusion criteria, Exclusive distribution, Exclusive provider organization (EPO), Executive compensation, Executive Order 11246 on Affirmative Action, Expansion strategies. Expected rate of return, Expenditure on health care, Exposure, Extended product portfolio matrix, External capital, External environmental analysis, Facilities management, Factoring of accounts receivable, Fair employment and public policy, False claim, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Family oriented care, Favorable selection, Feasibility study, Federal regulating agencies, Fee for service (FFS) payment, Financial performance indicators (FPIs), Financial statements, First mover advantage (FMA), Fixed costs, Flextime, Float management, Flowchart, Focus strategies, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Forecasting, Formulary, For profit hospital, Forward vertical integration, Franchising, Free cash flow, Full price of medical care, Full time equivalent (FTE), Functional structures, Fund balance, Fundraising, Future value, Gatekeepers, General environment, Generally accepted accounting principles (GAAPs), Generic drugs, Generic strategies, Genomics, Geographic boundaries of service area, Geographic information system (GIS), Global blood safety projects, Goal, Goal setting, Good clinical practices (GCPs), Goodwill, Governance, Governing boards, Graduate medical education (GDP), Group behavior, Group norms, Group performance, Groupthink, Growth stage of product life cycle, Hacker, Harvesting strategies, Health, Health behavior, Health care, Health care agent, Health care as luxury goods, Health care environment, Health care goods and services continuum, Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA), Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), Health care in China, Health care in Eastern Europe, Health Care provider, Health care proxy, Health care reform, Health care service operations, Health care services, Health care utilization.