Tesco - Customer Service Essay - 1619 Words

Tesco Ââ€" Customer service Customer service is the most important aspect of any business. Without an adequate relationship with its consumer base, a company is at an enormous disadvantage. Todays world competition is very strong in every kind of businesses. Every organisations must provide high quality products or services in order to survive, however their competitors also providing the same or comparable products or services. An important way to an organisation to get an edge over its competitors is to provide extra service to satisfy and delight their customers, which can retain them and also gain new customers. Therefore the achievement of customer satisfaction must be a major objective in all organisations. To achieve†¦show more content†¦Payment facilities: Customers want the company to provide a variety of payment facilities. (E.g. credit card, cash) so they can pay for the goods easier. Facilities: Customer may need a rest place and toilet when they shop in Tesco. Disable will need a lift and disable toilet. Customer with kids or baby will need some facilities for them. The needs and expectations of internal customers: Information and Assistance: Internal customers need to get the new information about the company and get assistance on employment law in relation to personnel problems. Communication: Employees of Marks Spencer are kept well informed of the performance and objectives of the group through personal briefings, regular meetings and e-mail. Regular stock: They need regular stocks of advertisements, printed forms and to buy stationary and repair. Inter-shop computer: Internal customers want rapid processing of transactions through the inter-shop computer system. Complaints: If they are dissatisfied with the services of head office or regional shops, they need to be able to make a complaint. Services: Internal customers need politely given services. Delivery on time: They want documents that are sent from other offices delivered on time. Training: New workers will be relatively unproductive if they received no job-related training. Payment:Show MoreRelatedCustomer services at Tesco4812 Words   |  20 PagesMethods used by Tesco to monitor if good customer service is taking place. If Tescos know how good or bad their customer service is then they can make improvements where appropriate. Since they are in such a competitive market they must monitor regularly and act fast on anything which needs improving. Tescos is such a big company it will be hard to monitor the customer service in all the stores, but an easy and efficient way of doing this is to use mystery shoppers. This is basically when a researcherRead MoreTesco : Customer Services And Meeting The Needs And Expectation Of The Customers2213 Words   |  9 Pagesorganisation which Tesco and I will link the expectation of client to the organisation and the method they use to provide the Services and meeting the needs and expectation of the customers. How the organisation provides customer services. Tesco is worldwide organisation which is well known in providing services to their customers, the organisation is been operating since the early 1924 providing services to consumers. Tesco provide their services to its customers, there are many type of services that TescoRead MoreA Critical Study Of Service Quality And Customer Satisfaction At Tesco2307 Words   |  10 Pagesstudy of service quality and customer satisfaction at Tesco, Uk. Student: Margeanu Vlad ID: K1122783 Supervisor: Dr. Emmanouil Noikokyris Kingston University Word count: 2042 1 i Content Title 1 i Contents 2 Abstract 3 Literature review 4-6 Methodology 7 Conclusion 8 Action Plan 8 References 9 2 Abstract: The dissertation will examine the service quality of Tesco and how satisfied are customers with Tesco’s customer service. Customer satisfactionRead More Tescos Customer Service Essay1603 Words   |  7 PagesTescos Customer Service Customer service is the most important aspect of any business. Without an adequate relationship with its consumer base, a company is at an enormous disadvantage. Today’s world competition is very strong in every kind of businesses. Every organisations must provide high quality products or services in order to survive, however their competitors also providing the same or comparable products or services. An important way to an organisation to get an edge over its competitorsRead MoreHow functional areas link1130 Words   |  5 PagesIn this assignment I will be discussing how functional areas link with each other within Tesco. The functional areas in any business can’t work alone; they must interact with other departments and have good communications within them. Most functional areas in Tesco deal with external people or organisations, these are called external links. For example, suppliers, which are usually contacted by the purchasing or production function to make orders; the RD department then contacts specialist suppliersRead MoreCustomer1411 Words   |  6 Pagesa successful company should focus on its products and profits. But now, marketers tend to regard satisfying customer needs as one of the key elements of achieving success under contemporary marketing environment where is filled with fierce competition. This indicates that many firms nowadays always attempt to identify customer needs and concentrate its production and strategies on customer demand in order to survive in the market. This essay will firstly clarify the reasons behind the trend, whichRead MoreStakeholders Of A Business Organization1120 Words   |  5 Pagesthe sales. Workers want to work to earn high wages and keep their jobs. Employees are an important part of T esco as they are the company backbone, it is important that Tesco employees are kept happy and highly motivated within work to provide the customers the best possible customer service. †¢ Managers- The managers take care of the employees. Managers are concerned about their salary. Tesco have managers to keep employees in order and make sure they know their specific job duties. External Stakeholders:Read MoreD1 Evaluate the Influence Different Stakeholders Exert in One Organisation1461 Words   |  6 Pagesgoing to evaluate the influence that stakeholders exert on Tesco. I will be evaluating the following stakeholders: customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, the government and owners. The first stakeholder I am going to evaluate is customers which are external stakeholders. Customers contribute to profit levels and turnover through buying products and services. People are stakeholders in a company for financial reasons, customers do not want to have to spend an excessive amount of money toRead MoreThe Success Of Tesco And The Uk Supermarket Industry1143 Words   |  5 Pagesit is based upon capturing market share in the best possible manner to enhance the brand appeal and acceptance in the long run. Tesco is one of the largest supermarket chains in the UK, with a huge brand presence. It has introduced loyalty schemes that have been successful in attracting customers, along with enhancing the brand’s appeal and success. The success of Tesco is well known along with the fact that the brand lacked success in gaining the top position in the supermarket industry, when itRead MoreTescos Functional Areas1270 Words   |  6 PagesFunctional areas In all companies there are many different tasks which need to be carried out regularly, in order for the business to reach its aims and objectives. Stock needs to be brought, the bills and finances need to be controlled, and customer service issues dealt with and so on. In a small organisation one or two people may do all the jobs, whereas in a large organisation people have to be specialized in many different individual tasks. In a large company it is easier to identify the separate

Book analysis, uncle toms cabi Essay Example For Students

Book analysis, uncle toms cabi Essay Book Analysis: Uncle Tom’s CabinA.Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in 1811 in Litchfield, Connecticut, which surprises many of her readers. Stowe writes so passionately about slavery that it seems that she must have been raised in the South. Stowe was born into a strong Christian family, which explains why her novels have a strong Christian basis. Stowe first learned of the horrors of slavery when she moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Kentucky, a slave state, was right next to Cincinnati. She married and lived there for 18 years. All the while, she stored images and thoughts in her mind about slavery. Many times, she would talk to slaves and retain their memories and thoughts. After her husband accepted a job in Maine, Stowe began writing a novel using the information and visions she had brought with her from Ohio. After some time, she submitted it to the National Era, which published the novel as a serial. When it was published, Uncle Tom’s Cabin reached immediate success. Many publishing companies from around the world published her novel in 20 different languages. Stowe found herself speaking around the world, especially in England. A play blossomed from the novel, which also was successful. Stowe did not stop writing after Uncle Tom’s Cabin, but her other novels never had quite the impact of Uncle Tom’s Cabin . The novel Lady Byron Vindicated almost buried Stowe because many critics believed that Stowe’s purpose of this novel was to trash a good name. Poganuc People, a story about a Yankee Town, is another Stowe novel that still carries merit today. B.Uncle Tom’s Cabin reveals the life and horrors of slaves in the 19th century. It opens with a scene where a â€Å"kind† slave owner and a slave trader are dealing. Shelby, the kind slave owner, has fallen into debt, and must sell his favorite slaves. Eliza, overhearing the conversation, run away with her child seeking shelter in Canada. Eliza, after almost dying while crossing a frozen river, is taken in by a Senators family. She is then transported to a Quaker community, where she is reunited with her husband. Tom’s fate is quite different. While on a ship, he befriends a girl nam e Eva St. Clare. Her father buys him after saving Eva’s life, and it seems as though Tom has it made. Eva, a friend to all the slaves, eventually dies. Her father, who intends to free Tom, also dies before he can free Tom. Eva’s crazy mother takes over the plantation, and sells Tom. Tom ends up in the hands of the villainous Simon Legree. He treats his slaves like maggots below the dirt. Tom, with his standing Christian morals, does nothing to retaliate. Legree is Tom’s final master because Legree will end Tom’s life. Tom dies a poignant death with his old master’s son, George Shelby, at his side. D.One of the most important elements that Stowe used to get her point across was Characterization. The message of slavery could not have been accurately portrayed if there was not proper character development. To fully understand what slaves went through, one has to fully understand the mind and heart of a slave. Stowe executes this beautifully with Eliza and Tom. She gives two different detailed and strong viewpoints, which helps the reader understand even more. Stowe includes many stereotypes in her characters. Mr. Haley is the stereotypical slave trader. He is evil, sly, and only cares about making money. This is a character that the reader is supposed to dislike and usually does. Mr. Shelby is supposed to be the â€Å"kinder† slave owner, but Stowe makes it clear that all slavery is evil. The purpose of this character is to show that most men are basically good, but they have been brainwashed to believe that blacks are inferior and whites cannot perceive this any different ly. Uncle Tom, the protagonist, is supposed to draw poignant emotions from the reader with his Christ-like attitude. His character is richly developed throughout the novel, and the reader becomes fully aware of his love for all people, good or bad. Eva St. Clare, Tom’s best friend, represents the angel that watches over the slaves. Eva continually pours out her love to her father’s slaves, and her early death deeply draws out the readers emotion. Simon Legree, an antagonist, today is a synonym for villain. Stowe uses this character to fire up the readers hatred for slave-owners and the entire idea of slavery. All of Stowe’s characters play an important role in getting the message of the evils of slavery across to the reader. .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a , .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a .postImageUrl , .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a , .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a:hover , .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a:visited , .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a:active { border:0!important; } .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a:active , .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u6f344d23d8b1348ae5439e50c949a65a:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Caucasian Chalk Circle By Bertolt Brecht EssayE.Uncle Tom’s Cabin was successful because she uses her characters to touch and draw every possible emotion from the reader. The emotions range from abhorrence to a deep love. The sequence of events also hooks the reader in, wanting to know what’s going to happen to who next. Stowe uses strong detail also. Uncle Tom is continuously described throughout the entire novel. When she describes a setting, the reader becomes aware of all the surroundings, and has an accurate map drawn in his head. Primarily, Stowe succeeded in showing the reader the life of a slave, and she succeeded in showing the reader that slaver y, in no matter what form, is evil. The only disappointment in the novel is Stowe’s use of dialect. I found it difficult to read because I had to sound out most of the words. This always created a disruption in the flow of the novel, and I often found myself frustrated with the story. Stowe could have gotten her message across without the constant attempts at dialect with misspellings and numerous grammatical errors. F.â€Å"Slavery , which was created by the entire nation, is evil in any form.†Slavery is an evil that haunts our past and still carries an affect in today’s world. A majority of people believe that the north was innocent of slavery. While most did not own slaves, most did not oppose it. They swept the issue under the carpet. Some Northerners took part in dealing slaves, so the North was not slave free. Also, a numerous amount of Northerners came down south to own slaves. Simon Legree is a perfect example in Stowe’s novel. Secondly, slavery existed in many forms. Some slave owne rs were kind to their slaves, others were outrageously cruel. Stowe clearly points out that to no matter what degree, it is evil. This is true. The slave owners, as kind as they could be and as Christian as they thought they were, still viewed the blacks as an inferior race. Stowe presented that point very well with Mr. Shelby. The South was programmed to view blacks in this way, and for years they did. The evil of slavery still haunts America today. By some, blacks are still viewed as inferior to whites. Stowe did an excellent job of presenting her theme. Slavery is a cruel institution, and America’s past reveals this through Stowe’s novel.

7 Tips for Writing an Email Message

7 Tips for Writing an Email Message 7 Tips for Writing an Email Message 7 Tips for Writing an Email Message By Mark Nichol What’s so difficult about writing an email? Nothing. That’s the problem: It’s too easy, and you should take care that a professional message is just that especially if you use email primarily for social interaction and are unaccustomed to sending business emails. Here are some guidelines for businesslike electronic communication. 1. If you write professional emails from a personal address rather than a company account, use a professional-looking address. Don’t ditch your quirky or ribald account name, but acquire a more sedate one, consisting simply of your name and/or a description of your professional services, for business communications. Also, avoid using animations, complicated fonts, and busy backgrounds in your messages. 2. Use the message header to encourage recipients to read your message, stating the purpose of the message distinctly and concisely. 3. Use a formal salutation unless you’re on a first-name basis with the recipient for example, â€Å"Mr. Smith† or â€Å"Dear Ms. Jones,† followed by a colon. If you don’t know the recipient’s name and can’t obtain it by contacting the recipient’s company, write â€Å"Dear Sir or Madam.† (Double-check now that you’ve entered the recipient’s correct email address and have not inadvertently included any other addresses.) 4. Introduce yourself and the purpose of your message in the first paragraph. Use short paragraphs separated by line spaces to clearly and concisely communicate well-organized information. Don’t clutter your message with detailed apologies (though you should certainly begin with a brief apology if your message is overdue, and then get to the point) or with digressions. 5. Conclude with a summary and, if you have any requests, a courteous and concise explanation of actions you would like the recipient to perform. If you are not requesting a response, simply inform or remind the recipient that your services are available, or mention something similar that is appropriate to the context. 6. Sign off with â€Å"Sincerely,† â€Å"Respectfully,† or the like and your full name, followed by your job title and company name, as well as your company’s website and other social-media contact information, or your own if you are self-employed or are contacting the recipient as an individual, not as a representative of a company. 7. Use your email program’s spell-checking tool, proofread your message, and read it aloud in a separate pass. If you used any language that might not be perceived as professional, save the message without sending it and review it later, when you can be more objective about whether it is appropriate. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Business Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Based in" and "based out of"Does "Mr" Take a Period?Grammatical Case in English

The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword

The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword The Pen is Mightier Than the SwordYou have probably got a pen in your drawer at home, at work, your car, and maybe in your shirt pocket. The humble pen looks harmless enough, but you may not know the dark secret it keeps from us. The pen through which we write words is surely mightier than the sword. The pen looks like a small ordinary thing. It is also not very costly and it does not have much weight too. Apparently, its structure is also not impressive in its built, but it has great strength and power. The holder of pen is always knowledgeable and learned man. He succeeds everywhere and his orders are obeyed. If the weapon of a warrior is a sword, the weapon of a learned and a commanding authority is the pen. Who so ever held the pen he would get the respect, wealth and fame, and he who left it, would become ineffective, unsuccessful and futile.Cardinal RichelieuHistory has proved that the pen is mightier. All philosophers, doctors, educated and wise men, scientists, poets, writers and engineers got their repute due to the pen. Their names are still alive today only on account of their books, theories, laws and their written works left behind them. Had they not held the pen in their hand, they would not have had education and ultimately their names would have been buried with them in the grave and remained unknown in oblivion.The progress of sciences, evolution, and advancement of the world at large, all is indebted to the pen only. The man invented electricity, ships, Aeroplane, radio and television. He is now commanding seas, mountain, rivers, air, water, fire, the Sun the Moon and the Earth. He is willing to go beyond the moon. The man had...

Explore Hardy's use of Nature in Tess of the D'Urbervilles Coursework

Explore Hardy's use of Nature in Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Coursework Example Tess of the D’Urbervilles (1891) portrays the life of an innocent girl, Tess and details the path of her life to the tragedy and destruction. The writer justifies his presentation of the protagonist by giving the subtitle, ‘A pure woman faithfully presented.’ The life of the pure woman is symbolized with the purity of nature. The nature, as in other novels, remains to be a strong force and motif in this novel. The suffering of Tess is pictured as corresponding to the changes in nature and vice versa. So the affirmative relationship with the protagonist and nature makes the readers to call Hardy as the nature lover just like William Wordsworth, the renowned nature poet. The present paper tries to analyze how Thomas Hardy explored the change of nature in his novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles. Hardy could make use of the involvement of nature with the ups and downs in the life of the protagonist. Tess represents the purity of nature. In the May Day dance Tess is presented as the most beautiful and pure in the ceremony. She became the major attraction of the program. This ceremony is linked with the peasantries’ pagan rituals and culture which is highly associated with the nature. The innocence of peasantry is again associated with the accident when the horse was killed. She feels the responsibility on herself. The death of the animal has become a stink into the conscience of the lady. This marks for the beginning of her tragedy. The innocent girl, Tess Durbeyfield makes her way of tragedy to Trantridge where she was seduced by Alec d’Urbervilles and hence follows the problems in her life finally making her a murderer. In all the flux of her life nature responds with her as a close associative. So nature acts as an integral part in the novel, Tess of the D’Urbervilles. The life of Tess is reflected in the nature surrounded her. She feels carefree and happy at Durbeyfield. Chapter two of the novel describes the village o f Marlott as in the lap of nature. The novelist says that the village of Marlott lay in the Vale of Blackmore and it is â€Å"an engirdled and secluded region, for the most part untrodden as yet by tourist or landscape- painter, through within a four hours’ journey from London.1† This depicts the psychological nature of the protagonist symbolizing purity and beauty. She enjoyed being in the lap of nature at this time. The Club walking or May Day dance that they had conducted at this villages also is the epitome of the enjoyment in the mind of the protagonist. The nature depicted in the Chase where she was seduced by Alec shows the pitfalls in the nature. The agony and sorrow of the protagonist is compared with the sorrow of the animals and birds at the place. Hardy describes the situation as, â€Å"She could hear the rustling of the branches as he ascended the adjoining slope, till his movements were no louder than the hopping of a bird, and finally died away2.† The writer here asks about her guardian angel that why it has deserted the innocent woman to be seduced by a vagabond. The novel states that the nature too is over darkened at this night by the seduction of this innocent girl. But the writer in no way establishes that her purity is lost. She still represents the nature with its purity and beauty. The death her newborn baby seems to be affected in the nature by projecting the sorrow it carries through the birds and trees. The life of Te

Capabilities and competencies.The scope of capabilities is not only Essay

Capabilities and competencies.The scope of capabilities is not only specific but its horizon is also quite vast - Essay Example SWOT Analysis 12 5.1 Strengths 13 5.2 Weaknesses 13 5.3 Opportunities 13 5.4 Threats 13 6. The Balanced Scorecard 14 6.1 Balanced Scorecard as a Measure of Strategic Capabilities 14 6.1.1 Translating the Vision 15 6.1.2 Communicating and Linking   15 6.1.3 Business Planning 15 6.1.4 Feedback and Learning 15 7. Resource Based View (RBV) 15 Appendices 17 Appendix-I: Tour Operator Market Share in Europe 17 Appendix-II: Four Perspectives of Balanced Scorecard 18 Bibliography 19 1. Capabilities and its Importance Generally capabilities and competencies are used interchangeably in literature, however in terms of business and organizational culture, the scope of capabilities is not only specific but its horizon is also quite vast. A capability is a fairly large scale unit of analysis which makes the organization and individual to recognize its purpose with respect to substantial outcomes (Dosi et al, 2000). According to Leonard (1992), â€Å"capability is the knowledge set that distingui shes and provides competitive advantage†. ... Therefore, organizational capabilities play a key role between human resource and the business strategy, thus making it a proactive source of competitive advantage (Ulrick and Lake 1991). (b) Organizational capabilities raise the competency level of individuals and reinforce positive values in the organization. (c) Organizational capabilities help the managing staff to formulate the business strategies basing on the strengths and weaknesses of the available manpower (Barney 1991). (d) These capabilities derive the required consequences like satisfaction of both the stakeholders and customers (Ulrich and Lake 1991; Yeung and Berman 1997). 2. Resources and Capabilities of TUI 2.1 Background TUI, abbreviated for Touristik Union International, was established in 1968 with headquarters located at Berlin, Germany. TUI is the largest integrated tourism group in Europe, lagging far behind its competitors with a turnover of about â‚ ¬ 21,866 million in 2008. Initially, it worked as Preussa g AG and gained a renowned fame in the field of transportation and industrial sector till 2001. This year, it became a 100% subsidiary of Preussag AG. In next year, Preussag AG was transformed into TUI AG (http://www.tui.com). During next few years, TUI developed and changed its production from industrial segment to a modern tourism and shipping company. The general credibility of the TUI is quite excellent and strategically today TUI is the largest and leading tourism and shipping organization of the world, operationally active mainly in Central, Northern and Western Europe while it has the networks across the Europe as well. The inventory of TUI

Developing Evaluative Skills Through Critiquing Quantitative Research

Developing Evaluative Skills Through Critiquing Quantitative Research Nursing is becoming a progressively evidence base profession. Arguably, Nightingale first popularised the link between nursing theory, nursing practice and research to inform an appropriate evidence base, and progress towards this goal has been ongoing ever since (Graham 2003). In nursing, a critique is often seen as a first step in learning the research process. However, conducting a critique is not a basic skill (Burns and Grove 2004). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2008) ruled it mandatory for the pre-registration nursing curriculum to teach EBP as a fundamental principle of proficiency. Research has become a priority for nurses of all specialities. This paper seeks to demonstrate how these evaluative skills can be developed by critiquing a quantitative research study. An acknowledgement of the credibility of the authors, the publishing journal, and the methods used the data collection and analysis, findings, ethical issues and the strengths and weakness of the research is made. The paper will be considered using the CASP critique tool for methodological consistency and ease of presentation (CASP 2000); shown in appendix 1; a copy of the tool is enclosed. The article, on which this critique research is made, was published in the journal of Advanced Nursing. The title of the article is, Tablet-splitting: a common yet not so innocent practice. The title of this article outlined above, is seemingly clear and explicit, although not as concise as Frances et al,(2007) would prefer; between ten and fifteen words. The title of this paper suggests that tablet splitting is a common practice, which is probably true, but it suggests that it is not so innocent, which smacks more of journalism than an academic paper. It is possible that the original Belgian text does not translate perfectly into English and this may be a translational syntactical inaccuracy. The article was accepted on 6 August 2010 and it was published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing 67(1), pages 26-32. Elsevier (2009) State that they only print manuscripts that have been peer reviewed with any necessary revisions made. This is favourable for the credibility of the article as the reader is assured that it has been scrutinised by an independent body of a similar field to the author/s. Elsevier also clarifies that the author must have the appropriate clinical and educational credentials for the research study. The four authors are all highly qualified, each with a PhD, three in academic pharmacology and a fourth who is a professor of geriatrics. A substantial literature search does not show any other publications by these authors. Quantitative research is formal and objective research that is concerned with collecting and analysing data that focuses on numbers and frequencies, rather than meaning or experience, it examines cause-and-effect interactions among variables using a systematic process (Burns and Grove, 1997; Ogier, 1999). The research that has been carried out for this published paper is an example of quantitative research and has been carried out using a randomised control trial method. A randomised control trial (R.C.T.) is a true experiment characterised by the manipulation of the independent variable, random assignment of individual subjects to the conditions and all other factors being controlled (Ogier, 1999). The R.C.T. was carried out as a small study in which five volunteers were asked to split eight tablets of different sizes and shapes, including medicines for Parkinsons disease, heart failure and arthritis. Participants used three different methods to split their pills: a splitting device , scissors or manual spitting for scored tablets, and a kitchen knife. In the article under scrutiny, the authors point out the fact that it is observed to be common clinical practice, particularly in nursing homes, to split tablets so that a proportion of the tablet dose can be conveniently given. This can be for economic or purely practical reasons as tablets are often supplied from stock and not always in the exact form or dose prescribed. They cite a German study in support (Quinzler et al 2006) which found that nearly 25% of administered drugs were split. It should however, be noted that on closer inspection, the Quinzler study is not particularly relevant to the UK situation, has a number of serious methodological errors and also did not consider a wide spectrum of clinical applications, nor is it in close agreement with other studies in this area. Its findings therefore are not particularly generalizable and are a poor choice of evidence in support of this paper. There is no doubt however, from taking a further overview of the available literature, that tablet-splitting does occur with a degree of regularity in clinical situations, and as such, the authors consider this investigation justified. The Abstract in this case is perfectly adequate, outlining the main points of the study. The main contentious issue is a comment in the Abstract conclusion which states that Large dose deviationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. occurred when splitting tablets (Verrue et al 2011, p.26), a comment which is not actually borne out by the findings of the study. Close inspection of the results suggest that deviations of more than 25% of the original tablet mass occurred in 19% of cases, but the authors included those cases where one half spontaneously split further, and therefore would have no real clinical or practical significance. It has also to be noted that there is no indication in the abstract, of the methods of sample selection or whether this was in any way a controlled trial. It does however; serve the prime objective of an Abstract, which is to offer the reader sufficient information to determine whether further reading of the article would be appropriate (Robson 2006). The Introduction is comparatively short. The point about the citation of the Quinzler study has already been made, but the rest of the Introduction effectively sets out the rationale for the study, together with the justification for clinical relevance. It has to be observed that the literature review is comparatively brief with some comparatively old papers being cited (Barker et al 1982 and Babbington 1997) when there are a number of perfectly respectable authorities to make the same points that are much newer and would therefore be considered both more relevant and appropriate (Coombes et al 2009). The aims of the study are clearly stated, although the actual study design is not. It requires further reading through the paper to actually determine the methodology used (this is found under data collection), the sample selection, (this is found under Discussion which is really quite inappropriate) and also the means of determining the results (also found under data collection). It is also the case that the clinical significance of the rationale for the study is neither explicitly set out nor addressed. This is very relevant to the issue of tablet-splitting as if, as the cited literature suggests, there is a 25% variance in actual dose administration after splitting, then the degree to which it could be clinically important should be presented. One could suggest that in all but the most extreme cases, a 25% variation in the dose of Aspirin given is not likely to be hugely clinically significant, whereas a 25% variation in the dose of a cytotoxic drug may have profound consequences for the patient. There is no real consideration of this point, nor any concession to its absence (Polgar et al 2000). This element of the review of the literature in the introduction therefore has major deficiencies. The study design is quantitative in nature. The authors have used five healthcare professionals for the task of tablet-splitting. One has to read through to the study limitations segment to determine that the authors used an administrative co-worker, a laboratory technician, a pharmacy student and two pharmacists as the study cohort. On reflection, this seems a strange choice, as it is neither homogenous nor rational, as none of these groups are likely to be involved in tablet-splitting in the situation of the nursing home, which the authors have chosen to investigate (nor many other clinically relevant situations, in all probability). This choice seriously weakens both the generalizability of the findings and also the applicability of the study to the clinical evidence base for nursing. Another major shortcoming of the methodology of this paper is the fact that the authors included cases where the tablet split into more than two pieces as deviations from the mean. In most clinical situations the administration of a tablet, which has split into two halves, and one half has then broken further, is no less accurate if the pieces are administered as one piece or as several. The authors make no concession on this point and therefore are likely to significantly overestimate the inaccuracies in their findings. (Schulz et al 2005) Issues of sample selection have already been addressed above. Sample size appears to be completely arbitrary with a total of 1,200 operations spread over the group being considered a reasonable sample size. It is usual, in academic studies such as this to see calculations of minimum sample size to determine the power of significance. Its omission further reduces the applicability of the study (Rosenthal 2004). The ethical considerations are explicitly addressed, as ethical committee approval was not required because patients were neither involved nor personal details recorded (Bowling 2002). Some of the elements of bias and limitation have already been addressed. The results obtained have been subjected to a modest degree of statistical analysis with a one way ANOVA and a Turkeys post hoc analysis being carried out. One has to observe however, that the nature of the study is such that a more sophisticated data analysis is not really appropriate (Argyrous 2000). The results are presented in a clear and logical fashion, with 5 tables showing how the results were distributed. It is clear from the presentation of the results exactly what the authors have found; for example using a splitting device was the most accurate method. It still produced a 15 to 25 per cent error margin in 13 per cent of cases, but this was lower than the 22 per cent for scissors and the 17 per cent for the knife. Further critical reading is not necessary in this respect. An interesting feature of the study is the fact that weight loss of the tablet occasioned by the splitting process has also been determined, for example some tablets were much easier to split accurately than others. The easiest to split produced an overall error margin of 15 per cent deviation or more and the most difficult tablets produced an error margin of 19 per cent. Closer examination of the results however, shows that this does not just reflect the amount of material lost as powder or small fragments, as one might initially consider, but also the amount of the tablet that was inadvertently dropped on the floor. The authors rationalised this on the basis that a tablet, once having been on the floor, would not be subsequently given to the patient, which although undoubtedly true, does rather distort the results that are presented (Rosner 2006). The discussion element of this paper is something of a disappointment. The first element is a consideration of the study limitations, which entirely appropriate (Gomm et al 2000). The authors spontaneously point out the fact that the clinical effects or consequences of their findings are not presented (Verrue at el 2011 p. 29). This is a major detraction from the usefulness of this paper and would make the interpretation of the results by a non-clinician more difficult. The authors also concede that no nurses were selected for the experimental splitting group. This is quite remarkable, as one could intuitively suggest that it would be nurses, of various grades, who would actually be responsible for tablet-splitting in the vast majority of clinical circumstances. It is actually of little practical relevance for nursing homes to be able to understand how effective a Professor of Pharmacology is at splitting tablets. The authors go on to compare and contrast their findings with other work in the area (Mcdevitt et al 1998,Birton et al. 1999, Peek et al. 2002, Teng et al. 2002, Cook et al 2003) and point out the similarities and differences in their findings. This is an entirely appropriate and useful segment with the authors pointing out the specific fact that this type of study has not been done before and also that much of the similar work in this area is already a few years old (Verrue et al 2011 p.30) The discussion segment also notes that we aimed at providing nursing homes with advice for the best tablet-splitting technique in daily practice (Verrue et al 2011, p.30). One would suggest that this is not in congruence with the stated aims of the study (although it is tangentially relevant). One could also observe that the one thing that this study does not do, is to offer nursing homes a suitable evidence base on which to base their practices, as no clinically relevant staff were involved in the study. Some of the participants are unlikely to have a concept of the clinical significance of exactly halving the dose of the medication. This is a low grade study which had the potential to make an impact on the evidence base in an important clinical area. The methodological shortcomings and a lack of generalizability, greatly reduce any possibility of such an impact. The paper, although superficially well presented, with an admirable display of tables and easy to interpret data, has major flaws which become apparent on even the most superficial levels of critical analysis. The initial interest generated by a reading of the Abstract, did not translate into clinically useful data which could be applied into everyday nursing practice. An overview of the methodology suggests that the authors might have made a significant contribution to the evidence base in this area with a little more forethought and pre-study design consideration. This belief is given credence by the fact that the authors criticise themselves in the Study limitations segment, in areas which could quite reasonably have been considered before the actual investigation took place. This study does not materially contribute to the evidence base in this area. Appendix 1 Quantitative Research Papers Critiquing Tool A Framework for Critiquing Quantitative Research Papers Include full reference of paper here: (i.e. Author/s (date) Title of article. Journal title. Volume, Number, page numbers.) Critiquing Framework Title of Paper Is the aim or purpose of the study clear? Are the main variables of interest indicated? Is the study design or research method clear from the title? Is there any reference to the population from whom the data are collected? The Abstract/Summary Does this summarise the whole study? Is information provided regarding background, literature, aim/and objectives, hypotheses (if RCT), methods, sample size, measures used etc, results and conclusions? Does it suggest that a more detailed reading of the rest of the paper would be worthwhile? Introduction/Literature Review Background/rationale Why was the topic chosen, what is the background to the study? Is there a critical review of previous literature and related theoretical concepts? Are gaps in the literature identified? Aim and objectives What problem or issue is being investigated? How clearly is this problem or issue defined or explained? Is there a clearly stated aim? Do the research objectives or research questions support this aim? Are the variables of interest clearly defined `and are relationships between these evident and clearly stated? Which are the independent and dependent variables? Are hypotheses (if RCT) stated in a way that makes them testable? Method Research design What is the study design and is it clearly explained and appropriate for the research questions? Could the design be improved? Was there a pilot study? Research questionnaires What measures are used? Are validity and reliability reported for these measures either in the paper or clearly referenced? Have the authors dealt appropriately with any unreliable questionnaires or scales? Sample Is the population appropriate for the research question? How were the sample chosen? What is the sample size? Are statistical power considerations discussed? Are inclusion and exclusion criteria described? Can the results be reasonably generalised on the basis of this sample? Ethics Are ethical considerations presented. Is it suggested that ethical approval was granted? Results/Findings/Data analysis Does the paper explain clearly how the data are analysed? Are statistical techniques clearly and adequately described? Are the statistics presented at a simple descriptive level or are inferential statistics also included? How are the results presented? Does the text adequately explain any tables or graphs? Have any tests of significance established whether differences, or associations, between groups could have happened by chance? What p values are used? Are non-significant results clearly indicated? Discussion Is the discussion an accurate account of the results? Could there be other ways of interpreting the data? Does the discussion address the research aim and objectives? Are all the research questions answered? Conclusion Are the conclusions of the study consistent with the results of the statistical analyses? Are alternative conclusions suggested? Are theoretical and practical implications of the results adequately discussed? Are the recommendations suggested feasible? Limitations What are the limitations and are these acknowledged by the authors? Overall impression (CASP 2000)