Research design (Qualitative, Quantitative, and mixed methods Paper

Design (Qualitative, Quantitative, and mixed methods approaches) - Research Paper Example The use of sub-questions would be useful exploring the answers to the research question. Qualitatively written questions help in gaining an understanding of essential reasons, motivations, and opinions. It offers perceptions into the problem or rather helps in developing ideas or assumptions for prospective quantitative research. In addition, qualitative research is used to expose trends in opinions, and expound further into the problem (Petty, Thomson, & Stew, 2012). The techniques for data collection in qualitative research methodology include individual interviews, focus group, and observation. All of these will be useful in researching Green Logistics Chain and Issues because the sample size remains typically small also requires an exploratory research approach. The two forms of writing quantitative research questions include descriptive research questions and comparative research questions. Descriptive research questions aim at describing the variables being measured (Petty, Thomson, & Stew, 2012). The word describe implies that the research questions seek to quantify variables one intends to measure. For instance, the question that begins like, how much, how often, and what percentage are usually used in describing quantifiable variables. Descriptive research questions concentrate on just one variable and a group though they can comprise multiple variables or even groups. Comparative research questions seek to examine the variances between two groups on single dependent variables. Such questions typically begin by asking "what is the variation in" (Amelina, 2012). Descriptive research questions are essential for the quantitative research in answering this topic. For instance, how much CO2 results from Freight transport emissions. The desc riptive research question will attempt to find out the quantity or amount of CO2. Mixed methods research questions apply various

Managing diversity gender (HRM) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managing diversity gender (HRM) - Essay Example Instead, it should be understood for the company's growth and development in terms of management and productivity. It is a common knowledge that every human being is born unique from one another. But sometimes, there are common attitude that people share. Most men projects authority over the other gender is an example. There are certain business organizations, such as technical and industrial companies, that men are the usual individual to have an executive position or even the job itself . This group believes that it is odd to have women working in these fields. Because of this, said industries are having difficulties in keeping and hiring female workers (Weiss n.d.). In his article, Managing Gender Diversity: Five Secrets for a Manager's Toolkit, Weiss cited a research study by Louann Brizendine on how men and women faces the environment they are working on. According to Brizendine, men and women react accordingly based on how their brain processes information, what their intuition is saying, how they feel, their intention in communicating and anger management. Women's brain works, first, by identifying the faces of the people around them while men are more on scanning their environment. This is the reason why women are more capable of sensing other people's emotion than men. Most women also trust in their gut feeling than men.

Religious Teachings and Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Religious Teachings and Business Ethics - Essay Example The Utilitarian approach holds to the idea that societies should strive for the best for the most people. Jeremy Bentham eighteenth-century philosopher wrote, "The greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation" (Fisher & Lovell 2003, p. 95). The writer/philosopher John Stuart Mills also wrote extensively on Utilitarianism (Daft 2005). Individualism is viewed as the essentially opposite of Utilitarianism. The Individual approach maintains that right moral choices lead to what is in the best long-term interest of the individual. German economist and sociologist Max Weber's influential essays on capitalism emphasized individual efforts and the accumulation of personal wealth (The Free Encyclopaedia 2007). The Moral Right approach values fundamental human rights and identifies six moral subcategories; free consent, right to privacy, right to freedom, of conscious, right to free speech, right to due process and the right to life and safety (Daft 200 5). Finally, the Justice approach promotes the idea of moral decision making and is based on standards of equity, fairness, and impartiality. Daft identifies three distinct forms of justice(2007). Distributive justice governs the right of people to be treated fairly without discrimination based on arbitrary characteristics. Procedural justice proscribes that rules should be applied consistently and compensatory justice argues that people should be compensated for injury and loss (Daft 2007). Certainly, all four of these perspectives can be identified in most major world religions. In order to set a proper stage for the discussion of religion and its place in business ethics, it is important to provide an overview of the historical influences on the matter. One of the first moral codes to impact mankind stemmed from the religious society of Judaism. In the books of the Bible, there are plentiful references as to how the faithful should conduct themselves in relation to their neighbors, family, and friends. The figures in the Old and New Testaments of Bible; Solomon, David, Moses, and Jesus of Nazareth; were most certainly well known for their ethical teachings. Important philosophers and ethical teachers can be identified throughout human history.  Ã‚  

Person centered approaches (nursing- learning disability ) Essay - 2

Person centered approaches (nursing- learning disability ) - Essay Example In terms of social aspects, Mary has been leading an active life by going out on shopping trips and taking walks in the park. Moreover, she enjoyed collecting seashells and likewise, desired to decorate objects with those. Mary was even fond of hearing music and singing. However, the stroke, which she suffered, left her in the state of immobility. Prior to the stroke, Mary was able to communicate verbally with others and thus, enjoyed signing along to her CDs. After the stroke, Mary failed to communicate effectively and her left side of the body was consequently paralysed. In general, stroke is regarded as an unexpected attack in brain, caused at the time when blood flow gets interrupted in a human body to be reached into brain (WebMD, LLC, 2014). In addition, Mary became prone to the episodes of coughing. On certain occasions, she also became quite much reluctant towards eating as well as drinking. Thus, it is obvious that the above stated complications have been affecting the healt h conditions of Mary that restricting her to conduct daily activities smoothly. These complications can be managed in the form of adopting varied measures that may comprise taking medicines within due time, making Mary to take lesser pressure in brain as she already went through stroke and taking initiatives from preventing another stroke. From a theoretical perspective, it can be affirmed that the adoption as well as the execution of the above stated assessment may aid in providing effective care to Mary despite possessing adverse health conditions through various ways. These ways generally include determining the level of social interactions made by Mary, identifying the psychological functions that perform by Mary and most vitally making viable biological assumptions among others (Munson & Vogelsang, 2013). Gaining confidentiality and developing researches based on informed consent are the prime needs for an effective nursing practice. This eventually

The Inhabited Woman Essay Example for Free

The Inhabited Woman Essay La Mujer Habitada (The Inhabited Woman), a semi-autobiographical novel of Gioconda Belli. The novel, which was published in 1998 foster much attention. The novel dealt with the Sandinistas struggle for liberation as well as her native Nicaraguan feminist effort to be recognized and achieved equal rights in a patriarchal society (Salgado 235). â€Å"The Inhabited Woman grabs us from two unexpected directions: its consciousness of the centrality of woman in struggle, and its retrieval of the cycles of birth and rebirth which are such an important part of indigenous cosmology (Randall 6). † The novel also dealt with gender issue in Nicaraguan revolutionary narratives. To Timothy Richards, this is a narrative of female struggle in society, through a progressively more comprehensive involvement in her society, [the protagonist] learns to distinguish the true from the false in her and the world around her (Belli 209). Lavinia, who is an upper class woman, also carries out her own feminist struggle by refusing to get married. She chooses her independency over her lover. Lavinia, believed that marriage, would mean placing limitations to one’s self—unless, the right man would came along (Belli 22). She begun to accept and embraces the principles of the movement. Her being an oligarch is quite apparent in her conversation with her childhood friends Sara and her husband Andrian as well as her parents. The main character of the story, also wanted to proved her worth as a person – her struggle to proved her knowledge will be eventually unravel in the story – she as an architect strive to prove her self worth and received a lot of merits.   In the field where men always dominate – Lavinia proved them wrong. She, despite the adversities in life in the long run succeeded in the field where men dominate, which implicates the gender and/or feminist struggle of the novel. Similar with Lavinia, Gioconda also proved their worth as a person – her choice to be involve in the movement is in itself a worth proving decision. Leaving the life of luxury and offering life in the service of the people is a tough and firm decision to make. Putting your life to danger in exchange of serving the oppressed and underprivileged people. The rampant oppressions, which she herself is an eye-witness, inflame the nationalistic spirit in her. As the novel continues, the parallelism between the main character, Lavinia and the writer herself is being introduced gradually. Both were raised in an upper class family, had a good educational background and were raised in a society suffering from political and economic turmoil. Both were also living a life of luxury and extravagance. But both women, decided not to be indifferent about the current political situation of the country. They both were determined to struggle the rights of the underprivileged, less fortunate and oppressed majority. Belli, met someone from the movement whom she got intimately involved while Lavinia met Adrian her husband before she met Felipe, whom introduced her to the ideology of the movement. Lavinia and Belli were involved in the movement at time when both were still at a young age. Their young age did not get into the way of their involvement in the movement. In fact, during those times they were envisioning their society to be more kind among its people. Their realization to this inspires them to get into a more cause oriented and more meaningful engagement in society. The formal years were quite a struggle for both, since they were raised in a well to do family. But as the novel continues Lavinia found herself to being involved in the revolutionary movement while on the part of Belli, she recognizes that these oppressions must end. In order to end the suffering and oppression of the people, one has to get involved and make a difference. In substantiating the above claim, Belli and Lavinia, the main character of the novel, were raised in a conservative and protective family. Belli, decided to join the Sandinista movement because of her belief that oppression and suffering under the Somoza regime must come to and end. She became deeply involved in the movement and later on played a significant role. Belli became the courier of the movement during the height of the oppression. And because of her deep involvement in the Sandinista movement, she exiled in Mexico in 1975. In 1979, the overthrow the Somoza regime, Belli continued her involvement in the movement and she took several important posts. In 1982, she became the FSLN (Frente Sandinista de la Liberacià ³n Nacional) liaison officer. Then in 1984, she became the director of State Communications and was responsible in organizing major literacy programs and projects. Just like the novel, during the 1970, Managua is experiencing a political and social turmoil. The Inhabited Woman is based on an episode of Nicaraguan experience, where oppression and injustices are rampant. This is where the novel took off its narrative. All the events if not all that was reflected in the novel were all inspired in the current political and society’s situation (March 53). As for Lavinia, her lover Felipe, became instrumental to her involvement in the revolutionary movement. The movement intends to overthrow the current military dictatorship governing the whole country.   Notice that both Lavinia and Gioconda were influenced by their lovers to be involved in their respective revolutionary struggle. Both struggled wanting achieve national liberation and recognizing equal rights of the people (March 83). Gioconda was recruited in the revolution by the Camilo Ortega, but the one who really inspired was the one whom she called ‘the poet.’ Belli felt that she could transform her life and empower herself as a citizen and as a person, this realization allowed her to break from her marriage. A marriage where she was quite unhappy. It was a combination of things that led her to defy convention and have that affair with the ‘Poet’ (Salgado 237). It was also the time of the sexual liberation. People were talking about open marriages. It was all those things combined. She emphasized that her my political stance was never determined by the men she was with. Belli had her own ideas and convictions. She exemplifies her admiration with the ‘Poet’ because Belli believed that he opened doors for her not only in terms of getting to know the Nicaraguan history better as well as everything that was going on in Latin American literature. The ‘poet’ had imprinted a great influenced to her, as an individual and a writer. Take note that, Felipe had also been influential to Lavinia’s social awareness – their frequent conversation which led to her deep involvement in the revolution is exemplifies in this manner. Under the protection of the tree, the young protagonist and Felipe discuss the revolution and the role of women in it. And, it is during these discussions that Lavinias social consciousness is awakened (March 235). In the novel, Lavinia, the main character often goes to a secluded part where her grandfather stays. She returns to her home when she needed time to think and to get away from the crowded and strident sound which the city brings. Like Gioconda, she often remembered her country where she was raised by her family – where she was educated and she became socially conscious about the current situation of her country. She oftentimes, felt that longingness and going back to where she really belonged. Noticed the following narration of the writer: It was a clear day. The landscape disrobed at her feet, devoid of fog. The tiny houses, the lake, the row of blue volcanoes, were spread out in the distance, silent, motionless, majestic. Up closer, the vegetation in the mountains unfolded in green toward the valley where the city lay. Twisted tree trunks hung dangerously over the edge. [ J This landscape was hers, her idea of homeland; this is what she dreamed of when she found herself on the other side of the ocean. This landscape made the most outlandish dreams of the Movement understandable. This land sang to her flesh and blood, to her sense of being a woman in love, rebelling against opulence and misery. [] This land deserved a better fate. (Belli 348-49) The narration above depicts the idealized and post-revolutionary Faguas which was Lavinia is fighting for – where wealth and misery is not a problem anymore. Belli, dreamt of it in her life. In fact he fought for it, she envision a country with no repressive army, freedom and democratic responsibilities. During the height of the dictatorship, Belli handled few accounts that had to do with businesses with Somoza regime. And because of that she was able to extract documents, which later on she provided to the Sandinista movement. The character of Lavinia in the novel also worked with the ruling regime. Thus, substantiate the parallelism between the two, Belli and Lavinia. As much as Lavinia hated the military leaders she had no choice but to work with them. She had to meet and had conversations with people from the government, whom actually she despised. Belli, on the other hand had also experience that of Lavinia’s sentiments in the novel. Belli, actually had to go to different embassies and talk to people whom she don’t like that much. As far as their revolutionary experience is concerned, both women continued to contribute to the success of the movement. Belli, played an important role in the Sandinistas Movement same as Lavinia when she become involved in the revolutionary movement. She dedicated her life in the struggle to eradicate oppression and injustices. And she even forsakes her life to realize that goal. Lavinia during the height of her consciousness held various educational discussions among several groups to raise their consciousness. Also the discussion between Itza and the main character Lavinia reveals this claim. Belli, on the other also organized group discussions among citizens of Nicaragua to rouse their consciousness as to what is happening in their society. And to encourage them to stand for their rights and liberate themselves from the oppressive ruler of their country.

Consumer Shopping Decisions and Behaviour

Consumer Shopping Decisions and Behaviour Literature Review Introduction Satisfaction of consumer needs and wants is the definitive goal for triumph in business. Hence, an effectual marketing strategy must spotlight on serving consumers/customers better than the competitors. The marketing manager should be interested in revealing the complexities of an individual buyer, the dynamics of consumer behavior and should also try to understand consumers individual differences so that he/she can segment the total market in terms of those differences Nisel (2001). Buyer decision making should be carefully studied by organizations and marketing managers to have a full understanding of how buyers obtain information, how they form their beliefs, and what specific product-choice criteria are sued by customers. Specific products/services can then be cultivated that will fulfill the appropriate requirements of these groups. Therefore, finding the motives that lead to differences in consumers decision-making processes is a critical factor for a company in accomplishing i ts marketing objectives in order to satisfy its customers Nisel (2001). Differences in consumers decision-making processes can aid the managers in classifying individuals into meaningful homogeneous subgroups. Olson Peter, 1994 defined consumer behaviour as â€Å"the dynamic interaction of affect and cognition, behaviour and environmental events by which human beings conduct the exchange aspects of their lives.† Every organization is interested in consumer behaviour for the sake of strategizing and streamlining their marketing mix to meeting the needs of their target market. Business entities have special interest in consumer behaviour for the reason that they can develop marketing strategies to induce consumers to purchase their products based on consumer research and analysis. For a company’s marketing strategy to hit the success mark, it will largely depend on how well the strategy is tailor measured to buyers needs and wants and how these buyers react to the strategy. Companies can find out what satisfies their customers by mandating their marketers to examine the main influences on what, where, when and how customers buy goods and services Dibb et al (2001). When these factors are well understood, companies through their  marketers can better be able to predict how consumers will respond to the marketing strategies of the firm. In the null shell, the information gathered through the market research and analysis will position the firm to compete more effectively in the marketplace, afford it will greater market share and better customer service delivery which will lead to customer satisfaction. This chapter which looks at the literature review will primarily center on why buyers behave the way they behave, their purchase decision process, the influencers of their decision, gathering knowledge for purchase decision, effective segmentation by supermarket operators, how to cultivate a good behaviour for shoppers, shopping convenience among other things. This is an attempt to develop a framework for the study buyer behaviour as a determinant for purchase. Shopping Motivation Shopping has become a part of everyday living for most people both home and abroad. Regardless of the increase of various home delivery shopping services, shopping for most reasons means physical visits to a shopping site. The place most repeatedly visited is either the supermarket or the shopping mall. In fact, going shopping is a major source of relaxation as well as a household chore according to Dholakia (1999). Oakley (1974) asserts that shopping is one of the activities with the most positive attribute of being able to talk to others while doing work. Shopping is widely regarded as a major leisure-time activity Reid and Brown (1996). Cullen (1990) emphasized that, shopping is second only to TV watching in the pantheon of British leisure. Others such as Bloch et al (1992) and Macalister (1992) have also generally and similarly supported that with statistical data. Shopping may or may not be a leisure or recreational activity Howard (2007). Theories of recreation and its meaning are numerous and often times they come with a moral factor. Bronowski (in Howard, 2007) for instance believes that, leisure brings a promise that: . . . â€Å"A deep sense of appreciation envelopes us and lifts us to a higher plane, where we discover that there is peace and beauty and joy in the world. And that may carry over into increasing appreciation of life itself†. Shopping motivation may be due to buyer leisure and an important factor to this can be attributed to be attitude to time by diverse consumers on special occasions. This assertion has had some exploring work on them (Davies, 1994; Whysall, 1991, Howard, 2007). There are a lot of scholars who have pointed out that, there is a nascent sense of time pressure on consumers/customers and these tend to be more affluent than the normal citizenry (Lewis and Bridger, 2000 and Howard, 2007). Schiller (1999) make a case that â€Å"mainstream retailing† (consisting of routinely and regularly purchased goods) is increasingly being put under a time squeeze, partly because of longer working hours and higher female participation rates in the labour market, and partly because holidays and other leisure activities are taking an increasing share of consumers’ time and money. Schiller (1999) explain â€Å"leisure shopping† â€Å"as the mirror image of mainstream retailing where the outing is not so much a means to an end as the whole point, and shopping is only part of the experience†. There is evidence of an increasing proportion of people saying that they spend time looking around the shops as a leisure activity (Mintel, 2000). Tauber 1972 gave two categories of shopping motives to be role playing and Social experience outside the home. The table below shows nine shopping motives which have been grouped under two main categories. Table I Shopping Motivation Source: Tauber (1972) In his research, Dholakia, (1996) empirically determined three motives for going shopping based on factor analysis of 13 statements. These three motives were labeled as: Interactions with family Utilitarian and Shopping as pleasure Shop attractiveness The shop must be attractive to meet the expectation of the target customer. Shop attractiveness may come as a result interplay of multiple of factors. A customer may find a shop attractive due to its versatility in terms of product assortment and variety, physical evidence, tailor-measured customer service, fast service recovery rate, longetivity, location convenience, one-stop shopping advantage among other things. Howard (2007) asks what she terms as the obvious question of shopping as just what makes shopping a pleasurable or leisure experience. Amongst the work on particular environments and factors have appeared some interesting ideas about browsing (Bloch et al., 1991, 1994; Lombart, 2004, Howard, 2007). Jones (1999) looked at the array of factors involved in entertaining shopping experiences. Jones observed retailer factors (prices, selection, store environment and salespeople) and customer factors (social aspects, tasks, times, product involvement and financial resources) tog ether. There have been a few empirical studies done to analyze the motivational aspects of consumers to explain their attraction to shopping malls (Bodkin and Lord, 1997; Ruiz, 1999; Dennis et al., 2001; Nicholls, et al., 2000, 2002, El-Adly, 2007). Ruiz (1999) puts the starting point of some shoppers’ attractiveness to shops on the motives of purely economic motives; while others are attracted due to emotional motives and other due to multi-purpose shoppers which are the combination of these motives. In Nicholls et al. (2000), he found that Chilean consumers visit malls for fundamental reason of purchasing factors and also he found USA consumers visit to shopping malls is for diverse reasons which largely revolves around entertainment. Wakefield and Baker (1998) found that the mall environment influences the desire to stay and re-patronage intentions to the mall. Bloch et al. (1994) on the other hand in his paper investigated the consequence of shopping mall physical environment on consumers’ emotional states. His research reviewed that malls were viewed by consumers as a place for shopping as the basic reasons; however, entertainment played a role among other things in the view of consumers about the shopping mall. Nicholls et al. (2002) added to entertainment motives when he observed that today’s mall patrons tend to be more leisure driven than shoppers in the early 1990s. Finn Louviere, 1996; and Sit et al., 2003 in their studies have given the indication that, the significance of the shopping centre image is a decisive determinant on consumer patronage decisions. Terblanche (1999) was concerned about the impact of four dimensions on shopping centre patronage. His four dimensions of shopping center patronage included, functional, recreational, socializing, and convenience dimensions. He based on these dimensions to be the perceived profit that consumers enjoy when visiting a super regional shopping centre or a shopping mall. His findings showed that recreation (entertainment) appears to be the major benefit pursued by shoppers that patronize a super regional shopping centre. Bellenger et al., 1977; Bloch et al., 1994; and Roy, 1994 also looked at demographic and psychographic characteristics of mall patrons. Martin and Turley (2004) studied the attitudes of the young segment of shoppers towards malls, and factors arousing utilization. They found that they were more likely to be objectively rather than socially motivated to patronize. In addition to the effect of malls’ internal attributes on patronage, other attributes such as travel components that include comfort, reliability of transport mode, effort, tension, distance, and value were significant in affecting shopping centers’ patronage (Ibrahim, 2002). Segmenting the consumer market of shopping mall Over the last three decades, there has been a substantial amount of research on market segmentation for consumer goods and services El-Adly (2007). As competition in the retail marketplace increases, the need for more precise segmentation tools becomes greater Chetthamrongchai and Davies (2000). However, segmentation research in retailing was very rare and concentrated on individual stores, not on the mall itself (Frasquet et al., 2001; Ruiz et al., 2004). Demographic variables alone provide a narrow perspective of consumer behaviour and thus market segmentation (Boedeker and Marjanen, 1993). Methods using shopping motivation as the basis for distinguishing between individuals offer a more grounded approach in classifying shoppers, Stone (1954), Tauber (1972), Westbrook and Black (1985) and Bellenger and Korgaonkar (1980). Retail market segmentation is necessary and often critical to the development of effective marketing strategies in today’s competitive marketplace Segal and Giacobbe (1994). Segal and Giacobbe (1994) further posit that, the impetus for a market segmentation strategy is basic: customers exhibit heterogeneous needs and purchase patterns, and thus respond differently to different marketing stimuli. El-Adly (2007) suggest that there are two segmentation approaches that have been introduced in the marketing literature, a priori and cluster-based segmentation (also called post-hoc). Priory segmentation has been subject to criticism in that it focuses on the external characteristics of consumers (e.g. sex, age and social class) in describing the differences between segments’ behaviour El-Adly (2007). Harrison, (1995) asserts that, these external characteristics are not necessary determinants of buying behaviour. Thus, it is found that, just a few researchers have used this approach in shopping centre segmentation Chetthamrongchai and Davies (2000). Lee et al. (2005) as an instance studied shopping centre factors that have an influence on shopping enjoyment of male segment. They found that â€Å"shopping-centre features†, â€Å"ancillary facilities†, â€Å"value-added features† and â€Å"special events† are momentous in shaping male shoppersâ€℠¢ pleasure. Dennis et al. (2001) in a part of their study used different subsets of a priori segmentation pairs: male/female, higher/lower socio-economic groups, higher/lower household income, older/younger and auto/public transport. Dennis et al. (2001) however, the finally based their study on post-hoc segmentation. â€Å"Service† and â€Å"shops† were identified groups importance of motivation, which were seen as more useful than conventional a priori segmentation roots in modeling spending behaviour among shoppers. Compared with a priori segmentation, the post-hoc or cluster-based approach has obtained much attention in shopping mall segmentation El-Adly (2007). Using this approach, a heterogeneous population is segmented on the basis of homogeneous responses from within the population (Gwin and Lindgren, 1982). In this concern, Finn and Louviere (1990) identified shopper segments based on differences in shopping mall consideration sets and investigated the differences in mall choice parameters for these segments. At the same line, Boedeker (1995) segmented shoppers on the basis of their general choice criteria of a retail outlet, into two groups the â€Å"new type shoppers† who value both the recreational and economic/convenience characteristics of a retail outlet and the â€Å"traditional shoppers† who were much lower in their desire for the recreational aspects. Mall attributes have been used by Reynolds et al. (2002) to segment malls into five segments namely enthusiasts, basi c, apathetic, destination and serious. Sit et al. (2003) used the mall image attributes to segment shoppers into six market segments labeled as the â€Å"serious† shopper, the â€Å"entertainment† shopper, the â€Å"demanding† shopper, the â€Å"convenience† shopper, the â€Å"apathetic† shopper, and the â€Å"service† shopper. Stone (1954) suggested that consumers engage in the shopping process for a variety of reasons which can be identified with one or more of four shopper-orientation profiles, namely economic shoppers, who view shopping as a necessary task; personalising shoppers, who value the social networking integral to shopping; ethical shoppers, who see shopping as an activity influenced by their views as to what is right or wrong, and apathetic shoppers, who dislike the activity. Other researchers have advanced and refined the notion of shopping motivation using the same or similar conceptualisations (Tauber, 1972; Buttle and Coates, 1984). Boedeker (1995) found that shopping profiles can be classified into two main types, new-type shoppers and traditional shoppers. Boedeker (1995) put forward that the main differences between these factions lie in their fondness for the use of leisure time and their experiences while shopping. New type shoppers refer to those consumers who simultaneously value both the recreational and economic/convenience characteristics of a retail outlet Chetthamrongchai and Davies (2000). They further posit that traditional shoppers tend to enjoy the experience more. Bellenger and Korgaonkar (1980) argue that, for some people, shopping may even be a very enjoyable use of time without the purchase of goods or services. These shoppers can be referred to as the recreational shoppers; they usually embark on non-planned shopping and are more likely to persist to shop even after making a purchase. Convenience shoppers on the other hand, may seek to minimize the time required for shopping Chetthamrongchai and Davies (2000). While most studies have considered shopping for any type of product, some previous studies have focused specifically on food shopping behaviour, the product sector of interest here. Cluster analysis has been used to identify market segments who share similar views (Darden and Ashton, 1974; Herrmann and Warland, 1990). Purchase decision process Trout and Rivkin (2000) estimate that there are now more than one million stock-keeping units (SKUs) in America, and that an average supermarket stocks 40,000 SKUs. The complexity of consumer decisions is increasing: in the 1960s a consumer chose between approximately 100 models from four car manufacturers – now there are 260 models from 20 manufacturers (Trout and Rivkin, 2000). Lye et al (2005) in their study have done an in-depth review of both empirical and theoretical studies on consumer decision making. Lye et al (2005) comprehensive analysis of consumer decision is being adopted by this study. They analyzed the works of Kotler, 1972; Schramm, 1971; Howard (1963); Nicosia (1966); Engel et al., 1978; Engel et al. (1968); Farley and Ring, 1970; Lutz and Resek, 1972; Hunt and Pappas, 1972; San Augustine et al., 1977; Hunt and Pappas, 1972; Rau and Samiee, 1981 They posit that the simplest and perhaps earliest theoretical form of consumer decision model was the â€Å"black box† (Kotler et al., 2004, p. 244). Lye et al (2005) explained that, the black box provides a simplified model focused on exogenous variables. The black box model avoided any supposition associated with identifying processes and variables embedded in the minds of consumers. It is essentially a stimulus-response model based on early communication research, including the work of Ivan Pavlov (Kotler, 1972, p. 104). Schramm argues that: . . . most of the communication process is in the â€Å"black box† of the central nervous system, the contents of which we understand only vaguely [. . .] we are therefore dealing with analogies and gross functions [. . .] [not] a true copy of what happens in the black box, a matter of which we cannot now speak with any great confidence (Schramm, 1971, pp. 24-5). The early integrated models of consumer decision-making attempted to unpack the black box to provide an understanding of the internal consumer decision process for marketing purposes Lye et al (2005). Howard (1963) presented an integrative model of buyer behaviour that was modified and became the well-known Howard and Sheth model (1969). Nicosia (1966) published an influential model that used a diagram and equations to explain the decision process. However, a lack of empirical support or subsequent modifications (Engel et al., 1978) resulted in Nicosia’s model disappearing from marketing texts. The Engel et al. (1968) buyer behaviour model survives today, albeit in a modified form. Although other models have been published, these early models were ground-breaking: they evolved and two of the three have survived for over 30 years Lye et al (2005). These integrated buyer behaviour models comes with some criticisms, and empirical testing has proved problematic (Farley and Ring, 1970; Lutz and Resek, 1972; Hunt and Pappas, 1972). However, support for parts of the models has been published (e.g. San Augustine et al., 1977). The greatest empirical challenges have been creating a clear definition of the model boundaries, identifying the relationship between the variables and determining the best proxies by which the variables can be operationalized (Hunt and Pappas, 1972; Rau and Samiee, 1981). The purpose of the early consumer decision models was to illustrate conceptually an integrated decision model rather than develop a precise, comprehensive research roadmap. The stated purpose of the Howard-Sheth model was the â€Å"description, application, and assessment of those elements of the theory of human behaviour which they believe to be essential in understanding the range of activities that they call ‘buying’† (Rau and Samiee, 1981, p. 307). Our current powerful analytical techniques may allow us to test these â€Å"holistic† early models, but should we do so? Should we impose 35 years of empirical research on these foundational conceptual models and expect empirical validity, when their stated purpose was a conceptual description? Lye et al (2005) asked what they call the fundamental question of whether the existing decision models reflect the reality of current decision making. They answered both in the affirmative and in the negative citing that, in the affirmative, decision models have been found to reflect decision-making within the context of a single decision that is under examination within the empirical research. In the negative they cited lack of generalization across decision contexts. The psychology world of the decision maker is seen to be influenced by a set of expectations that are in turn a function of the background of dependent on product and company specific factors as well as on the process of joint decision making. Howard and Sheth also called attention to the critical factors in organizational buying. Consumer Decision theory Consumer decision theory has been developed simultaneously in the psychology, organizational behaviour and marketing disciplines, with each trying to understand the decision-making of individuals, albeit for different purposes and from different perspectives Lye et al (2005). There are three main sets of groupings of consumer decision theory; they are; (1) Normative decision theory (von Neumann and Morgenstern, 1947; Savage, 1954). The normative decision theory gives a prescription of how the person making the decision should behave to obtain maximum utility (Edwards, 1954; Simon, 1955; Fischhoff et al., 1983; Beach, 1998). The expected utility theory (von Neumann and Morgenstern, 1947) and subjective expected utility theory (Savage, 1954) are examples of the normative decision theory. Fischer et al., (2000) asserts that â€Å"the normative decision theory permits decision makers to be uncertain about the occurrence of events in the external environment, but assume that decision makers know their own preferences with certainty†. (2) Simon (1955) has challenged the normative decision theory. He argued that the decision maker has only bounded rationality (March, 1978) and is seeking to â€Å"satisfice†, not maximize. Based on that, the behavioural decision theory has been formed (Payne et al., 1988, 1993). Payne et al in both of researches has found that consumers are adaptive decision makers and their preferences are highly dependent on person-, context-, and task-specific factors (Tversky, 1969; Lichtenstein and Slovic, 1971; Simonson, 1989; Slovic, 1995; Luce et al., 1997; Luce, 1998; Swait and Adamowicz, 2001). This constructive view of decision-making differentiates between behavioural and normative decision theory (Payne et al., 1992). In reality, not all decision makers have well-established preferences. Hence researchers argued that consumer preference uncertainty leads to contingent use of decision strategies (Payne, 1976, 1982; Christensen-Szalanski, 1978; Payne et al., 1995) and contingent we ighting of attribute importance (Tversky et al., 1988; Fischer et al., 2000) by consumers. Behavioural decision research has identified many decision strategies. â€Å"Satisficing† (Simon, 1955) is arguably the most well known behavioural strategy. (3) The third theory is the naturalistic decision theory (Klein et al., 1993). This has evolved out of the principle that decision behaviour should be observed in its natural settings and decision models be developed from the observed real-life decision behaviour (Beach, 1998). Naturalistic decision theory approaches decision making from both a process and outcome perspective Lye et al (2005). Lye et al (2005) posits that, the naturalistic theory begins with a â€Å"situation assessment† and offers multiple paths to a purchase decision depending on the consumer’s assessment of that decision situation. Each decision theory category has developed in response to a need to understand the consumer decision process within the â€Å"black box†, with many different decision strategies providing insight into how consumers make decisions Lye et al (2005). Consumer Decision Strategies Consumers in making purchase decisions go through processes which will eventually will them to the choice of a decision alternative (Svenson, 1979, Lye et al., 2005). The strategies that consumers go through can be categorized by using two factors which are the compensatory versus non-compensatory comparisons; and alternative-based versus attribute-based (Bettman et al., 1998) comparisons. Lye et al., (2005) have tabulated the comparative summary of normative and behavioural decision theories which I present in table I below. Table I: Classification of decision strategies Compensatory Non-compensatory Alternative Additive models Equal weighting models Weighted adding Conjunctive Equal weight Satisficing Disjunctive Attribute Additive difference models Differential weighting models Majority of confirming dimensions Lexographic Elimination by aspects Lye et al., 2005 All normative decision strategies fall within the â€Å"additive† group, reflecting a process of analyzing each option in detail. Compensatory strategies require consumers to make a trade-off between differing values on multiple attributes (Stevenson and Naylor, 1990). Compensatory strategies require extensive information processing because substantial detail is gathered to analyze the trade-offs Lye et al (2005). Non-compensatory strategies do not involve trade-off – rather, they focus on whether or not an attribute meets a predetermined cut-off level (Stevenson and Naylor, 1990). Alternative-based processing refers to a consumer selecting a product/brand and examining all of its attributes before considering the next product (or alternative) Lye et al (2005). The consumer as an adaptive decision maker and does not have a master list of preferences, creating challenges when they choose in an unfamiliar environment Lye et al., (2005). Payne et al. (1993), proposing an accuracy-effort framework, found that consumers are adaptive decision makers. No single strategy is the more efficient across all decision environments (Payne et al., 1995), and therefore consumers constantly adjust their behaviour and their decision strategy in a way that represents reasonable accuracy-effort trade-offs (March, 1978; Payne et al., 1990). Bettman et al. (1998) have proposed an extension of the accuracy-effort framework. They made a case that, in addition to maximizing decision accuracy and minimizing cognitive effort, consumers would also want to minimize negative emotion and maximize ease of justification for the purchase made; i.e. a combination of four meta-goals contributes to consumers’ contingent decision behaviour. Empirical research has revealed that consumers use a decision strategy based on task complexity (Payne, 1976; Olshavsky, 1979), cognitions (Pennington and Hastie, 1986, 1988; Shanteau, 1988; Hammond, 1990) and â€Å"feelings† or emotion (Garbarino and Edell, 1997; Luce et al., 1997). Research reveals the consumer may be an adaptive decision maker, utilizing different strategies in purchase decisions Lye et al., (2005). Buyer Behaviour Rational buyer behavior is based on the decision process, which involves the set of rules that the buyer employs to match his motives and his means of satisfying those motives (Howard and Sheth, 1969). Different studies have shown that consumers showing differences in their characteristics have different needs and wants, so the variation becomes observable in the decisions they take during buying a product (Zeithaml, 198; Zeithaml, 1988; Stanton et al., 1994). In view of that, a number of buyer behaviour models have been developed and discussed in the literature. I will therefore at this point give the state of affairs in the marketing and economics literature concerning behaviour models. Buyer behaviour models The buyer behaviour models on the present day’s literature are extensive and divergent in their methodology and usefulness. Nicosia (1968) and Engel et al. (1978) are among the very ones that are mostly used by researchers and in an attempt to arrive at a more purposeful model, there has been modification and improvement since they were introduced. The foundations of current consumer decision theory were laid in the 1960s with the Nicosia (1968), Engel et al. (1968) and Howard and Sheth (1969) integrated models of consumer decision making. Despite increasing purchase complexity, two of these models have been remarkably resilient and have remained as the basis for current marketing texts and marketing education (for examples, see Kotler et al., 2004; Sheth and Krishnan, 2005). The Nicosia model (1968) has its focus on the processes that proceeds purchases and followed by the act; and not necessarily on the act of purchasing itself, `The act of purchasing is only one component of a complex ongoing process; a process of many interactions amongst many variables Vignali et al, (2001). Vignali et al, (2001) asserts that, the firms attributes lead to a message being sent out to the consumer, who in turn translates the message based on their own attributes and needs. The Nicosia (1968) model assumes that no prior consumer knowledge or experience with the product exists. Researchers such as Loudon, 1988; Chisnall, 1992; and Solomon, 1994 believe that, the search and evaluation processes considered in this model are over-rational Vignali et al, (2001). They alluded to high-cost products as opposed to low-cost products. Therefore, the use of this model to study food buyer behaviour is limited. Howard and Sheth (1968) also developed a model which was more or less a black box model. This model ended up categorizing three variables which determine and influence an individual’s buying decision. These categories are; institutional environmental characteristics; societal environmental characteristics; personal characteristics. This model involves information processing, perception and purchasing processes which are a result of motives Vignali et al, (2001). The next commonly used model is the Engel, Kollat Blackwell model (1978) which originated in 1968. This model in 1973 went through some development and was further revised in 1978. The model por

The Manifestations Of Globalisation Politics Essay

The Manifestations Of Globalisation Politics Essay Mittelman (2000, p 15) states that The manifestations of globalisation include the spatial reorganization of production, the interpenetration of industries across borders, the spread of financial markets, the diffusion of identical consumer goods to distant countries, massive transfers of population-mainly within the South as well as from the South and the East to the West, and an emerging worldwide (though not universal) preference for democracy. This introduction will highlight and lightly touch on the key points and arguments being raised, all of which will be elaborated on further in the body of the essay. We will first look at the impact globalization has had on the world. Globalization is merely a result of the mobility of three of the four factors of production, these factors being labour, capital and enterprise. However the globalization of business has led to an emerging global culture as ideas and knowledge are transported throughout the world. This emerging culture, coupled with the need for laws and regulation has given birth to the ideology of Global Governance (Bertucci, Alberti). As the trade procedures grew and crossed borders, where practices and cultures differed, there came the need for an international norm. As with anything new in this world, there will be arguments both for and against, however it is undeniable that the topic of globalization is a controversial one. The hyperglobalist would argue that free trade creates opportunities for global prosperity, peace and development and that both parties benefit from the mobilisation of trade, (Moore, 2003, p 9). On the other side of the coin, however, the globalization sceptics argue that one party loses out (usually the developing nations) and the rise of Global Governance poses a threat to a countrys sovereignty as some economies become interdependent or even reliant on Foreign Direct Investment. (Martell, 2010) Further arguments involve exploitation of the labour market and human rights violations all in the name of competitive advantage. Brune (2005) states that globalization has led to a drastic increase in child labour, sweatshops and other unethical practices as developing nations race for economic development, and so called first-world status. Finally we will look at the most pressing issue on the horizon today the environment. Many believe that the rapid spread of business and economic development is destroying the natural environment, thus raising the argument of sustainable growth. All these issues affect not only the business world, but the state too, and have given rise to International Governance Institutions which in simple terms serve to regulate, mediate and facilitate trade. The pre-globalisation state: Traditional functions of the central government The general assumption is that the government is a representation of a nation and that it is their job to uphold the rights of their people. Sliglitz states simply that the role of the state 150 years ago was to build the national economy and promote nation-building. Before globalization, the law began and ended with the government; it was the state that decided what policies to introduce, what laws to impose and enforce, how trade would be handled and mostly the degree of democracy within the country. The state preciously functioned on self interest, having no forceful external pressures meant that governance was a localised aspect, left up to the cultures, traditions, beliefs and preferences of that particular society. According to Mefleh, the state served to provide public goods, such as defence, education while maintaining order and bringing about economic growth. Globalization however, has impacted the way the state functions and set international standards that have be to adhered to in order to keep up with the wave of economic growth through assistance from organizations such as the World Bank and IMF. The biggest factor that has forced governments to transition and change their way of governing has been the spread of democracy in information and communication and the demand for transparency by the global community. International Governance Organisations : A new hierarchy However, Global economic integration has resulted in numerous emerging trends, one of the most important being the democratisation of information and communications (Friedman). One of the fore-fathers in economics, Adam Smith believed that an economy that opened its trade up to the international world would open itself up to national economic growth, but as this has happened the fundamental aspects of economies have been affected worldwide, leading to changes the way business is done (Moore). Countries have seen change both economically and socially, but these changes are not always positive, and this is where governance comes in. International governance organisations are meant to be a symbol of democracy and they have emerged as the need arose. They are large in numbers, and varied in their aims so we will look at some of the more powerful, well-known ones that are relevant to this essay. The United Nations is an umbrella organisation founded in 1945 after the Second World War, with the aim of preventing future disputes and wars through providing a platform for communication and mediation. This organisation has since expanded and become a super power. The UN has 192 member countries, out of the 245 countries in the world, each of which have to comply with the rules and regulations set by the organisation, or they risk losing out on the perks that come with being a member. A good example of this is the situation where in 2001 the IMF discontinued providing financial aid to Zimbabwe, as a result of the deficit occurred [IMF]. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) serves to provide developing nations with the finances necessary to develop their economies. When the debt was not repaid, and the IMF felt the terms had been broken they made a declaration of non-cooperation with the Zimbabwean government, cutting off the country from financial aid. This move put pressure on the government to rectify the issues that led to this deficit, as without financial backing the developing nation would be unable to achieve its poverty-relief goals. One of the main arguments against globalization is that developing nations receive the short end of the stick as they cannot compete in the international market against developed nations who have the knowledge, technology and finance which give these nations the competitive advantage. As a result of this, the World Trade Organization (WTO), which has 153 member states, has taken the role of trade mediator. This organization promotes free trade and assists in the building of trade blocs, international standardisation and trade regulations. The WTO has several committees which deal with anything from assessing standards and enforcing international standards, to environmental concerns, to anti-dumping legislation and has over time questioned trade practices, criticised, ostracised and helped develop trade blocs which have ultimately assisted many countries in their economic rise. India for example having a large, well-trained population was not able to penetrate the services industry in external markets until the Global governance has emerged in a time when it is needed. Many can argue that it takes away the power of the nation- state but there are many organizations that have changed the lives of people worldwide. The ILO enforces the International Labour Law, aimed at promoting equality, social justice, freedom of speech and an end to poverty. As the presence of unions has waned the ILO has been at the fore-front fighting for the rights of the labour force worldwide. An example of just how global this organization is would be the project run by the ILO in Mogadishu, Somalia. This country has seen years of economic strife, political instability and yet this organization was able to provide programmes that provided employment intense projects while promoting the equality of both men and women in the workplace. In a country that does not have a functioning government we see the need for a global system, for international standards and the benefits of having such organizations. Post-globalisation: The emerging roles of the state. It is clear that the welfare state is diminishing as free-market practices are being adopted and democracy is spreading like wildfire. However, although globalization has brought about many positive things, there have also been negative ones. As mentioned earlier in the introduction, the environment has become a great concern as businesses grow and the environment is damaged. One of the most esteemed and powerful organizations that exist solely to preserve the natural environment, Green Peace, have shown that businesses are polluting the water, air, irreparably damaging the environment as they struggle to compete in their respective markets. Because of this, it has fallen on the state now to regulate carbon emissions and promote sustainable, environmental friendly growth. In the United States the Environmental Protection Agency in California has set laws regarding carbon emissions and in Germany cars have to adhere to the Euro4 standards. These examples of how governments are impleme nting laws and regulations to protect the environment are just a few of the numerous measures being taken as a result of the pressure from the International community, and organisations such as Green Peace. Although globalization has led to the mobility of talent and knowledge it has also resulted in a wave of migrant labour from developing countries, to more economically developed nations. This has caused governments to tighten their immigration laws and so we see the aspect of nation-building is still present. On this topic England are imposing strict measures on allowing foreigners access to the country, after a period where laws regarding this were relatively lax (BBC NEWS). These laws are aimed mainly to protect the labour market as local Britons are losing work to migrant labour willing to accept lower wages and sub-standard working conditions while benefitting from the state-funded welfare. Governments now have to consider the implications of globalization on the labour market and act appropriately as they are still responsible for their citizens, even more so in democratic environments. The state does not only have to answer to any external organization it may be a part of, but in modern day politics the state has to answer to their people too. The media has become a powerful tool, and with democracy so wide-spread the elected state has become a medium of representation for the people, and is no longer a separate entity. The state still functions to develop the economy and protect its labour market, but now it also has the additional role of creating strategic alliances aimed at strengthening trade bonds that will contribute positively towards the economy. It is up to the government now to decide just how far they are willing to integrate and to use the platforms set up by organizations such as the WTO to negotiate the terms of trade to increase their competitiveness in the international market. To look directly at the question of International Governance organisations undermining the state, we can see that the state no longer has the power that it once used to. Each country that is a member of these global governing bodies has to abide by international law, and face criticism and even legal proceedings by the International Court of Justice. However, generally speaking, the state has become more transparent and even though they are answerable to other governing bodies, the state still has influence. Unfortunately some countries have more power than others depending on their political ties, but ceteris paribus, the state still has a necessary role to play.