133 research outputs found
Gamma-Ray Burst long lasting X-ray flaring activity
In this paper we shed light on late time (i.e. with peak time t_{pk} \gtrsim
1000 s) flaring activity. We address the morphology and energetic of flares in
the window \sim 10^3-10^6 s to put constraints on the temporal evolution of the
flare properties and to identify possible differences in the mechanism
producing the early and late time flaring emission, if any. This requires the
complete understanding of the observational biases affecting the detection of
X-ray flares superimposed on a fading continuum at t > 1000 s. We consider all
the Swift GRBs that exhibit late time flares. Our sample consists of 36 flares,
14 with redshift measurements. We inherit the strategy of data analysis from
Chincarini et al. (2010) in order to make a direct comparison with the early
time flare properties. The morphology of the flare light curve is the same for
both early time and late time flares, while they differ energetically. The
width of late time flares increases with time similarly to the early time
flares. Simulations confirmed that the increase of the width with time is not
due to the decaying statistics, at least up to 10^4 s. The energy output of
late time flares is one order of magnitude lower than the early time flare one,
being \sim 1% E_{prompt}. The evolution of the peak luminosity as well as the
distribution of the peak flux-to-continuum ratio for late time flares indicate
that the flaring emission is decoupled from the underlying continuum,
differently from early time flares/steep decay. A sizable fraction of late time
flares are compatible with afterglow variability. The internal shock origin
seems the most promising explanation for flares. However, some differences that
emerge between late and early time flares suggest that there could be no unique
explanation about the nature of late time flares.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Complaints handling in hospitals: an empirical study of discrepancies between patients' expectations and their experiences
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many patients are dissatisfied with the way in which their complaints about health care are dealt with. This study tested the assumption that this dissatisfaction consists â in part at least â of unmet expectations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Subjects were 279 patients who lodged a complaint with the complaints committees of 74 hospitals in the Netherlands. They completed two questionnaires; one on their expectations at the start of the complaints handling process, and one on their experiences after the complaints procedure (pre-post design; response 50%). Dependent variables are patients' satisfaction and their feeling that justice was done; independent variables are the association between patients' expectations and their experiences.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Only 31% of the patients felt they had received justice from the complaints process.</p> <p>Two thirds of the patients were satisfied with the conduct of the complaints committee, but fewer were satisfied with the conduct of the hospital or the medical professional (29% and 18%). Large discrepancies between expectations and experiences were found in the case of doctors not admitting errors when errors had been made, and of hospital managements not providing information on corrective measures that were taken. Discrepancies collectively explained 51% of patients' dissatisfaction with the committee and one third of patients' dissatisfaction with the hospital and the professional. The feeling that justice was done was influenced by the decision on the complaint (well-founded or not), but also by the satisfaction with the conduct of the committee, the hospital management and the professional involved.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It is disappointing to observe that less than one third of the patients felt that justice had been done through the complaints handling process. This study shows that the feeling that justice had been done is not only influenced by the judgement of the complaints committee, but also by the response of the professional. Furthermore, hospitals and professionals should communicate on how they are going to prevent a recurrence of the events that led to the complaint.</p
Unveiling the origin of X-ray flares in Gamma-Ray Bursts
We present an updated catalog of 113 X-ray flares detected by Swift in the
~33% of the X-ray afterglows of Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRB). 43 flares have a
measured redshift. For the first time the analysis is performed in 4 different
X-ray energy bands, allowing us to constrain the evolution of the flare
temporal properties with energy. We find that flares are narrower at higher
energies: their width follows a power-law relation w~E^{-0.5} reminiscent of
the prompt emission. Flares are asymmetric structures, with a decay time which
is twice the rise time on average. Both time scales linearly evolve with time,
giving rise to a constant rise-to-decay ratio: this implies that both time
scales are stretched by the same factor. As a consequence, the flare width
linearly evolves with time to larger values: this is a key point that clearly
distinguishes the flare from the GRB prompt emission. The flare 0.3-10 keV peak
luminosity decreases with time, following a power-law behaviour with large
scatter: L_{pk}~ t_{pk}^{-2.7}. When multiple flares are present, a global
softening trend is established: each flare is on average softer than the
previous one. The 0.3-10 keV isotropic energy distribution is a log-normal
peaked at 10^{51} erg, with a possible excess at low energies. The flare
average spectral energy distribution (SED) is found to be a power-law with
spectral energy index beta~1.1. These results confirmed that the flares are
tightly linked to the prompt emission. However, after considering various
models we conclude that no model is currently able to account for the entire
set of observations.Comment: MNRAS submitte
The Intentional Use of Service Recovery Strategies to Influence Consumer Emotion, Cognition and Behaviour
Service recovery strategies have been identified as a critical factor in the success of. service organizations. This study develops a conceptual frame work to investigate how specific service recovery strategies influence the emotional, cognitive and negative behavioural responses of . consumers., as well as how emotion and cognition influence negative behavior. Understanding the impact of specific service recovery strategies will allow service providers' to more deliberately and intentionally engage in strategies that result in positive organizational outcomes. This study was conducted using a 2 x 2 between-subjects quasi-experimental design. The results suggest that service recovery has a significant impact on emotion, cognition and negative behavior. Similarly, satisfaction, negative emotion and positive emotion all influence negative behavior but distributive justice has no effect
On the Importance of Complaint Handling Design : A Multi-Level Analysis of the Impact in Specific Complaint Situations
Given the large investments required for high-quality complaint handling design,
managers need practical guidance in understanding its actual importance for their
particular company. However, while prior research emphasizes the general relevance
of complaint handling design, it fails to provide a more differentiated perspective on
this interesting issue. This study, which is based on an integrative multi-level
framework and a dyadic dataset, addresses this important gap in research. Results
indicate that the impact of a companyâs complaint handling design varies significantly
depending on the characteristics of the complaining customers with which the firm has
to deal. Further, this paper shows that, contingent on these characteristics, a companyâs
complaint handling design can shape complainantsâ fairness perceptions either
considerably or only slightly. Overall, findings suggest that companies should apply
an adaptive approach to complaint handling to avoid misallocation of attention,
energy, and resources
Consumerâbrand identification revisited: An integrative framework of brand identification, customer satisfaction, and price image and their role for brand loyalty and word of mouth
Consumerâbrand identification has received considerable attraction among scholars and practitioners in recent years. We contribute to previous research by proposing an integrative model that includes consumerâbrand identification, customer satisfaction, and price image to investigate the interrelationships among these constructs as well as their effects on brand loyalty and positive word of mouth. To provide general results, we empirically test the model using a sample of 1443 respondents from a representative consumer panel and 10 service/product brands. The results demonstrate that identification, satisfaction, and price image significantly influence both loyalty and word of mouth. Moreover, we find significant interrelationships among the constructs: Identification positively influences both satisfaction and price image, which also increases satisfaction. By disclosing the relative importance of three separate ways of gaining and retaining customers, this study helps managers more appropriately choose the right mix of branding, pricing, and relationship marketing. From an academic point of view, our research is the first to explicitly examine the effects of the concept of identification for price management and to integrate variables from the fields of branding, relationship marketing, and behavioral pricing, which have separately been identified as particularly important determinants of marketing outcomes
Valor de compra hedĂŽnico ou utilitĂĄrio e sua influĂȘncia no varejo: resultados de um survey no setor de construção civil
On the importance of complaint handling design: a multi-level analysis of the impact in specific complaint situations
Internet Experiential Learning in the Principals of Marketing Classroom: A Pedagogical Approach
This paper discusses the importance of the internet and experiential learning in the Principles of Marketing setting. From this foundation, the authors propose several internet-related experiential exercises that synchronize with Principles of Marketing topics. Specifically, activities are offered for market segmentation, new product development, marketing channels, wholesaling, international marketing, business to business marketing, retailing, advertising and ethics
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