Loosening Credit Standards Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Loosening Credit Standards - Research Paper Example ods and services that implies some form of consumer credit (meaning the credit extended is for eventual consumption) by the borrower and the lender expects to be repaid either in money or in kind later on. Credit had been used since immemorial times back to Biblical periods or even extending back to antiquity as shown by the Hammurabi Code of ancient Babylon in which there was the provision for punishment for people who do not pay their debts or try to escape their financial responsibility by absconding or running away. The purpose of credit had always been the same; it is used to facilitate the exchange of goods and services long before modern economics came into being as a distinct academic discipline and as a legitimate profession itself. The Hammurabi Code consisted of about 282 laws with approximately half of these laws dealing with commercial contracts in which there is a graded punishment for contract violators. In modern free-market capitalist economies today, the sanctity of contracts is always upheld to help promote trade and commerce by creating conditions of trust in which parties to a transaction are assured of payment and other stipulations by which to ensure compliance by the other party. The loosening of strict credit standards can lead to serious, unforeseen, and dire consequences for an entire economy because it causes higher credit default rates as borrowers cannot pay. Credit is used in perhaps ninety percent of all commercial transactions compared to the use of cash. This is because cash can be limited at times which can hinder the completion of any contemplated transaction; credit provides the necessary link for the transaction to push through despite the absence or lack of sufficient cash on the part of the buyer. If the seller is willing to be trusting or take a risk as to the trustworthiness of a buyer, then credit is extended. People trusted other people to honor financial obligations in such ways as a mere handshake to seal a deal.

World Trade in Merchandise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

World Trade in Merchandise - Essay Example Between the months of June and September, the price index lost 11.5 percent in terms of the dollar. (United Nations, 2009, p.45). The reason that can be identified for contraction in trade is a financial crisis. There was slow growth in output by almost 2 percent and the probability to fall further was high as well. The impact of the decline in total world production was magnified in trade. Since the month of September 2008, the imports and exports of the major developed and the developing countries declined. (World Trade Organization, 2009). The share of developing countries in the total global trade started to rise. It was assumed that a ‘decoupling effect’ would emerge into the picture and the developing countries will be less exposed to the economic downturn. As all regions of the World are slowing at once, the decline in demand conditions is more widespread than that of the past. The second reason that can be accounted for is the presence of increasing global supply chains in total trade. In the production process, the goods are supposed to cross many boundaries and the components in the final product are considered each and every time they cross a boundary. The only way to avoid such kind of effect is to measure the transactions in trade on the basis of the added value at each stage of the process of production. Shortage of trade finance can be regarded as the third reason for the situation. Shortage of trade has lead to a shortage of trade. This problem is receiving attention from government and other international institutions. The role of the WTO has been like an honest broker. It brings the top players to work together that will ensure the availability and also the affordability of trade finance. Protection is yet another factor that contributed to a contraction in trade. Rises in the level of protection are threatening to the prospects of recovery and delay the downturn. In the long run, the aggravated protectionism policy is a source of concern. 2. â€Å"Free trade, one of the greatest blessings which a government can confer on a people, is in almost every country unpopular† Lord Macaulay (1800-1859). It is true then and arguably very true today. (a) Critically discuss THREE forms of non-tariff barriers used by governments to limit the free flow of trade and assess their possible effects on consumers in any market of your choice. Nontariff barriers The three forms of nontariff barriers are imported quota, import licensing requirements, and import deposits. American firms have registered few grievances against Dutch firms. The Dutch came up as the neutral traders of Europe as they opted for a level playing field for trade matters. Soft drinks, beer, and petroleum products are the items where excise tax is levied. The excise tax is borne by the importers in addition to customs duty. The European Union aims to create a single international market and harmonize the excise taxes. Nontariff barriers are a measure used by the government to favor goods that are produced domestically over goods produced in foreign countries. The nontariff barriers are used to reduce the volume of imports so as to help the domestic producers. A quota may be defined as the maximum limitation either in physical units or in other terms imposed on imports of a product for a certain period of time.

Advantages of television Essay Example for Free

Advantages of television Essay Television is as much a part of everyday life as eating and drinking. It is in fact a very natural part of daily life. 94 percent of European households own a television and make TV viewing an integral part of their day (*). Whether it is together with friends and family, in between and parallel to other activities (while cooking, while ironing etc. ) or as part of a moment alone while relaxing, TV plays a central role in most people’s lives. As such TV advertising is a powerful communication tool and as much a part of television viewing, as the programmes themselves. Television is as much a part of everyday life as eating and drinking. It is in fact a very natural part of daily life. 94 percent of European households own a television and make TV viewing an integral part of their day (*). Whether it is together with friends and family, in between and parallel to other activities (while cooking, while ironing etc. ) or as part of a moment alone while relaxing, TV plays a central role in most people’s lives. As such TV advertising is a powerful communication tool and as much a part of television viewing, as the programmes themselves. Television is as much a part of everyday life as eating and drinking. It is in fact a very natural part of daily life. 94 percent of European households own a television and make TV viewing an integral part of their day (*). Whether it is together with friends and family, in between and parallel to other activities (while cooking, while ironing etc. ) or as part of a moment alone while relaxing, TV plays a central role in most people’s lives. As such TV advertising is a powerful communication tool and as much a part of television viewing, as the programmes themselves. Television is as much a part of everyday life as eating and drinking. It is in fact a very natural part of daily life. 94 percent of European households own a television and make TV viewing an integral part of their day (*). Whether it is together with friends and family, in between and parallel to other activities (while cooking, while ironing etc. ) or as part of a moment alone while relaxing, TV plays a central role in most people’s lives. As such TV advertising is a powerful communication tool and as much a part of television viewing, as the programmes themselves. Television is as much a part of everyday life as eating and drinking. It is in fact a very natural part of daily life. 94 percent of European households own a television and make TV viewing an integral part of their day (*). Whether it is together with friends and family, in between and parallel to other activities (while cooking, while ironing etc. ) or as part of a moment alone while relaxing, TV plays a central role in most people’s lives. As such TV advertising is a powerful communication tool and as much a part of television viewing, as the programmes themselves. Television is as much a part of everyday life as eating and drinking. It is in fact a very natural part of daily life. 94 percent of European households own a television and make TV viewing an integral part of their day (*). Whether it is together with friends and family, in between and parallel to other activities (while cooking, while ironing etc. ) or as part of a moment alone while relaxing, TV plays a central role in most people’s lives. As such TV advertising is a powerful communication tool and as much a part of television viewing, as the programmes themselves.

Demographics of Online Shoppers

Demographics of Online Shoppers Abstract This dissertation aims at developing profiles of Greek consumers who have already conducted purchases through the Internet and of the consumers who are willing to adopt the Internet shopping as an innovation. Measurement of the demographic and behavioural data, investigation of the trends and attitudes of the online consumers toward online apparel shopping. The research will provide insightful preliminary data based on the detailed profiles of Internet shoppers (innovators) and interested-to-adopt Internet shopping (early adopters). The empirical findings will provide valuable managerial implications while setting the foundation for future research in this topic. Introduction The Importance of the Research Internet gained the trust of more than 1,5 billion users around the globe (world Stats, 2009) and became the most important tool of almost every international business (Mc donald and Tobin, 1998; Rha et al., 2002; Urban, 2003). The majority of the web users is taking advantage of the globalization and the online prices.In some countries the percentage of the online shoppers is reaching the 95% according to the Nielsen Online Report (2008). The same report indicates that the users which prefer the internet for frequent purchases is 39% and about 84% of the users concluded the purchase of a product once every month through the Internet the last two years of the study. The total sales in Europe are expected to be more than 407 billion dollars by the end of the 2011. According to the same report UK, France and Germany hold more than 70 percent of the total European sales followed by Italy and Spain. The structures of the web sites profess differences because of the culture but also common characteristics (Okazaki et al., 2006). In the next few years because of the globalization of the media there is evidence of a new global culture, the digital culture (Deuze, 2006) Hofman and Novak (1996) described the online apparel shopping as a new kind of consumer behavior according to computer mediated shopping environment. The researchers seek to develop the past theories of customers behavior while retailers seek to establish successful strategies by knowing better their customers (Goldsmith and Mcgregor, 1999). Paisley According Paisley to Paisley Lohse Paisley and Paisley Spiller Paisley (1998, Paisley p.81) Paisley there Paisley are Paisley large Paisley differences Paisley between Paisley a Paisley physical Paisley store Paisley and Paisley its Paisley electronic Paisley counterpart Paisley and Paisley the Paisley online Paisley shopping Paisley by Paisley nature Paisley is Paisley an Paisley innovating Paisley experience Paisley (Wang Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 1998). PaisPaisley Donthu Paisley and Paisley Garcia Paisley (1999) Paisley conducted Paisley a Paisley relevant Paisley survey Paisley and Paisley the Paisley findings Paisley clearly Paisley showed Paisley that Paisley the Paisley Internet Paisley shoppers Paisley are Paisley moremmm more Paisley innovative Paisley in Paisley contrast Paisley to Paisley Internet Paisley non-shoppers. The Paisley key Paisley task Paisley is Paisley to Paisley discover Paisley the Paisley actual Paisley and Paisley potential Paisley customer Paisley through Paisley the Paisley fundamental Paisley change Paisley of Paisley the Paisley online Paisley purchases Paisley (Turban Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 1999). Paisley Thus, Paisley Paisley this Paisley research Paisley will try Paisley to Paisley emphasize Paisley into Paisley different Paisley modes Paisley of Paisley consumers (Internet shoppers and interested-to adopt Internet shopping) Paisley and Paisley not Paisley just Paisley through Paisley a Paisley simplistic Paisley analysis. Moreover, the research will highlight the differences and similarities of these consumers groups and to the Internet online apparel shopping, and clearly will provide some of the most important success ingredients that every online retailer should take under consideration. Paisley ThetPaisley The Research Aims Objective This Paisley research Paisley aims Paisley to Paisley develop Paisley profiles Paisley of Paisley the Paisley Greek Paisley Internet Paisley online Paisley shoppers Paisley and Paisley of Paisley those Paisley who Paisley are Paisley going Paisley or Paisley interested Paisley to Paisley adopt Paisley the Paisley internet Paisley shopping Paisley as Paisley an Paisley innovation. Paisley A Paisley special Paisley focus Paisley in Paisley the Paisley process Paisley of Paisley decision Paisley and Paisley diffusion Paisley theories Paisley of Paisley innovation Paisley seems Paisley necessary Paisley through Paisley the Paisley measurement Paisley of Paisley the Paisley demographic Paisley and Paisley behavioral Paisley characteristics. Paisley Paisley The Paisley general Paisley objective Paisley has Paisley to Paisley focus Paisley in Paisley numerous Paisley specific Paisley aims: To Paisley examine Paisley the Paisley demographic Paisley and Paisley psychological Paisley characteristics Paisley of Paisley the Paisley Greek Paisley online Paisley shoppers Paisley To Paisley analyze Paisley the Paisley perceived Paisley risk Paisley next Paisley to Paisley any Paisley online Paisley transaction To Paisley present Paisley the Paisley previous Paisley online Paisley apparel Paisley shopping Paisley experiences Paisley To Paisley develop Paisley a Paisley detailed Paisley profile Paisley of Paisley existing Paisley and Paisley potential Paisley Greek Customers To Paisley analyze Paisley theories Paisley and Paisley concepts Paisley that Paisley can Paisley be Paisley applied Paisley by Paisley the Paisley online Paisley apparel Paisley industry To Paisley propose Paisley strategies Paisley and Paisley relevant Paisley effective Paisley managerial Paisley tools Literature Review The Importance of Apparel Online Shopping For years researchers examined the reasons that made shoppers to buy from home, focusing on the differences between traditional retailers and online retailers (Eastlick and Feinberg, 1999; Hawes, 1986). Authors developed a risk-taker profile of the online consumer (versus the in-store consumer) who is ready to perceive a higher risk (Donthu and Garcia, 1999; Schoenbachler and Gordon, 2002; Vijayasarathy and Jones, 2000). Researchers described PPaisley the online purchase of Paisley apparel Paisley products a decision with increased perceived risk Paisley (Bhatnagar Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 2000; Paisley PaisleHawes Paisley and Paisley Lumpkin, Paisley 1986). Paisley Internet Paisley shoppers are skeptical Paisley are scepticalPaisley to Paisley purchase or not Paisle PaisleyPaisley apparel Paisley products online Paisley Paisley because Paisley of Paisley the Paisley uncertainty Paisley next to the Paisley fit, Paisley fabric Paisley and Paisley color Paisley (Bhatnagar Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 2000). Paisley People Paisley with a Paisley higher Paisley income(Leung, Paisley 1998; Paisley Pepermans Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 1996; Paisley Summers, Paisley 1972), Paisley well Paisley educated(Leung, Paisley 1998; Paisley Pepermans Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 1996; Paisley Rogers, Paisley 1995), Paisley and Paisley with Paisley an Paisley occupational Paisley status Paisley above Paisley the Paisley average(Rogers, Paisley 1995), Paisley in Paisley general Paisley are Paisley innovators Paisley and Paisley will Paisley adopt Paisley first Paisley new Paisley products Paisley and Paisley services. Paisley Therefore, Paisley the Paisley innovators Paisley might Paisley adopt Paisley the Paisley internet Paisley as Paisley a Paisley tool Paisley for Paisley apparel Paisley shopping Paisley even Paisley though underliesPaisley underlies Paisley a Paisley higher Paisley risk. Gender Paisley is Paisley among Paisley the Paisley factors we need to emphasizePaisley whichww and previousPaisley Paisley research Paisley showed Paisley that Paisley women Paisley are Paisley more Paisley innovative Paisley than Paisley men Paisley (Goldsmith Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 1987). Paisley In Paisley a Paisley household Paisley the Paisley primary Paisley shoppers Paisley for Paisley apparel Paisley products Paisley are Paisley the female Paisley femalefffFFFFffffffffffer2wewsxxcdf]45421sPaisley (Dholakia Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 1995). Paisley Among Paisley young Paisley consumers Paisley (students) Paisley the Paisley differences Paisley are Paisley not Paisley that Paisley obvious Paisley but Paisley mainly Paisley focus Paisley on Paisley different Paisley shopping Paisley habits Paisley (Dholakia Paisley and Paisley Chiang, Paisley 2003). Paisley Paisley Paisley Paisley Paisley Paisley Consumer Characteristics Purchasers because of their different characteristics approaching the online apparel stores with many different ways and receiving different messages, which may affect their online purchases (Cheung et al., 2003). Therefore, we will have to emphasize to these characteristics because of their importance. Previous online purchase experiences, characteristics based on their personalities and the level of their innovative thinking when they go online to shop (Cheung et al., 2003) need to be discussed. Personalities The online shopping behaviors of the consumers are close attached to their personalities and may affect their choice of the online apparel stores and products (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001). Therefore, we need to focus in two main consumers personalities: The utilitarian and hedonic personalities. Utilitarian Consumers Utilitarian consumers buying online based on their goal oriented shopping behaviors. Shopping is made according to their goals and rational necessary needs (Kim shim, 2002). They are trying to deliberate their shopping habits through rationality and efficiency and they are not searching for any kind of entertainment through shopping (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001). Main aspect is to conclude their online shopping experience efficiently and in time without any kind of unnecessary irritation (Monsuwe, Dellaert Ruyter, 2004). Moreover, their instrumental characteristics guide their shopping experiences efficiently to a task oriented behavior (Sorce, Perotti Widrick, 2005) They are in search for sites offering variety of products, convenience, ease of access and multiple information among others (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001). Hedonic Consumers Hedonic consumers defined according to experiential buying behavior. Their concern is not to gather as many information they are able to but at first to seek happiness sensory stimulation and some sort of enjoyable experiences (Monsuwe, Dellaert Ruyter, 2004). The hedonic consumers are trying to immerse into the experience in a greater way than achieving their goals by shopping online (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001). They are trying to combine shopping with enjoyable experiences, playful sites and uniqueness (Sorce et al., 2005). Consequently, the hedonists when they get satisfied are increasing their visits and purchases to their favorite online apparel stores (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001). Main differences between hedonic (experiential) and utilitarian (goal oriented) consumers behaviors. Their differences in personality, motivation and key aspect leads to a different interaction with the online apparel stores. The goal-oriented customers are guided from instrumental factors which may include the ease of access, the available information and the variety of selection. While the goal oriented consumers seek for control the experiential consumers seeking for fun and surprising web stores (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001; Sanchez-Franco Roldan, 2005). A summarization follows in Table 2.1 Compulsive shopping According to Wolfinbarger and Gilly (2001) more than 72% of the shoppers are goal oriented and followed some sort of plan on their recent purchases, and 28% of the shoppers are experiential and decided a purchase while they were browsing. Moreover, research has shown that even if the goal oriented customers represent the majority, the experiential consumers and their browsing attitude are welcome, because of their close connection with high impulse purchases and frequency (Wolfinbarger Gilly, 2001). Innovativeness Innovation described as the degree to which an individual . is relatively earlier in adopting new ideas than the other members of a system (Rogers, 1995). Several researchers referred to the different characteristics of the innovative consumers. Most of them are: higher or highest education (Leung, 1998; Pepermans et al., 1996;) mostly young consumers (Hirschman and Adcock, 1978;) income is higher than the average (Pepermans et al., Summers, 1972;) higher social activity (Robertson and Kennedy, 1968; Roggers, 1995;) risk takers (Leung, 1998; Roggers, 1995;) opinion leaders (Darden and Reynolds, 1974; Chau and Hui, 1998;) women in majority (Goldsmith et al., 1987) Researchers have tried to analyze the role of gender or/and race on innovation and clearly saw that the women are more likely to be innovative than men. The key aspect of the innovation seems is the new products to adopted by the consumers in the market (Leung, 1998; Pepermans et al., 1996). The higher acceptance of the new innovative products as the World Wide Web, may affect as well the use of the network for purchases(Citrin et al., 2000). The apparel online shoppers described mostly as innovators from other researchers (Goldsmith et al., 1995). Goldsmith and Flynn (2004) defined that online apparel purchasers could not be distinguished from non-purchasers by their demographics, but they were more innovative toward clothing and fashions than the non-purchasers. Online apparel purchasers, however, did use the Internet more and were more innovative toward using the Internet than non-purchasers were. The innovative online consumers more likely will purchase apparel online instead of the non-purchasers which are less innovative. Theoretical Framework Rogers (1995) proposed a five-stages process for the innovation to be adopted by an individual. The first one is the knowledge stage, a stage on which an individual tries upon previous experience to understand an innovation and its characteristics. The knowledge derives from the social environment, understanding of problems and general innovativeness. The Persuasion stage which is the second one, represents the development of every positive and negative attitude upon innovation as a result of the knowledge stage. The perceived elements (Rogers, 1995) which are going to influence the adoption of an innovation are: The relative advantage in other words the consumers will assume the advantageous role of the innovation and the adoption will be faster. The compatibility aspect if the consumers recognize in the innovation compatibility with their lifestyle, there is a greater possibility to adopt the innovation. The complexity issue the consumers will examine the innovation and if they think that is easy to use, maybe will adopt earlier the innovation. The trial ability a trial of the innovation will make it easier for the consumers to adopt it. The observation ability the chance of observing the results of each innovation may speed up the adopt timeframe. Another researcher examined the five elements and discovered that the relative advantage, compatibility aspect, the trial ability and the observation ability are positively connected to adoption of every innovation and complexity issue is negatively connected to the adoption of an innovation. In the decision stage which is the third one, the consumer decides to adopt or to reject the innovation according to his/her attitude created during the persuasion stage (Rogers, 1995). The behavioral change will be visible during the fourth stage, the implementation stage. During that stage the consumer will act on his decision of the approval or the rejection of an innovation. Even at this stage the consumer holds a level of uncertainty about the scope of the innovation and will keep collecting information about the innovation. During the last stage according to Rogers (1995), the confirmation stage, the consumer will re-examine the innovation and will reach to a new decision whether or not he will continue to adopt the innovation. Purchasers Browsers and Searchers Internet users have different aspects when they go online. Some users are online because of their intention to buy apparel online (purchasers), but the browsers may not interested to buy online. A search for extra information on the websites is what made them to go online in some of the cases. The searcher is a goal oriented consumer who is online to search for information in a productive way in order to fulfill his goals (Ha Stoel, 2004). A task oriented behavior, more as pre-purchase deliberation and an intention to conclude a purchase next to the gathering of information online are the characteristics of the searcher. Schlosser (2004), defines the consumer known as a browser, an experiential shopper who seeks more and more for an entertaining experience. If the websites are able to fulfill the aspects of the searchers and browsers may transform them to purchasers. Ha Stoel(2004), assumes that all three kind of potential shoppers (purchasers, browsers and searchers) may show different online shopping attitude on a specific site and may consider the advantages of the online apparel shopping in a different way because of their goals. The browsers and not the searchers according to schlosser (2004), affected more from vivid images. Consumers Attitudes Darwin (1872) mentioned the attitudes as a physical action of a thought. Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) through their work Belief, Attitude, Intention and Behavior : An introduction to Theory and Research focused on the prediction of the human behavior through their theory of the reasoned actions. Ajzen (1987) developed the theory of the reasoned actions to the theory of planned behavior. The model suggested by Fishbein still is the most popular among researchers but among psychologists is Fazios (1986) attitude accessibility model. Fishbeins Multi-attribute Model Fishbeins claims that the consumers form attributes towards objects on the basis of their beliefs (perceptions and knowledge) about these objects. Since a consumer may hold different beliefs about an object it may be difficult to get the overall perception of a product such as the McDonalds if they are good or bad for the consumers (Perner, 2006). Within this framework a persons attitude toward an object is a function of his beliefs about an object and the implicit evaluative responses associated with those beliefs (Karjaluoto, 2006). Beliefs are acquired by the processing information, which are obtained from direct experiences with objects and from interaction with other sources. Moreover, if there is a need to understand consumers attitudes adequately, a determination of the beliefs that form the basis of these attitudes is necessary (Fishbein and Steiner, 1965). The model focus in three attributes of the attitude: The salient beliefs people hold about an attitude object, e.g. those beliefs which are the first to come in mind; Object-attribute linkages, or the probability, that a particular object has an important attribute. Evaluation of each one of the important attributes. Upon any case, the model created on assumptions that may prove wrong on everyday practice. At first assumes that exists the ability to specify adequately all the relevant attributes. This model also assumes that he/she will go through the process (formally or informally) of identifying a set of relevant attributes, evaluating them and measuring the overall outcome. Without any attempt of questioning this model, which is clearly a high-involvement subject, it is still possible that the consumers attitude will be formed by an overall affective response (Solomon et al., 1992). Since any kind of object, such as a product or a brand, has numerous attributes (size, features, shape etc), an individual will collect information and develop beliefs quite different according to the provided individual attributes. Positive or negative feelings are also formed on the basis of the beliefs held about the attributes. Thus, the persons overall attitude toward an object is derived from the beliefs and feelings created by the various attributes of the model and that is why the model is referred as a Multi attribute model or as the Fishbeins attitude model (Newman and Foxall, 2003). The Multi attribute model tries to summarize the overall attitudes by using the following equation (Hawkins et al., 1998): Where: Ao = the persons overall attitude toward the object-Characteristics of the attitude object (e.g. Reputation of a College) bi = the strength of his belief that the object is related to this attribute (e.g. the strength of belief that Wrangler Jeans are durable, or the belief that on line shopping is a convenient way to shop) ei = the evaluation or intensity of feelings (liking or disliking) toward attribute-the priority consumers place on an object. Some A (attitudes) will be more important than others. i.e. (Library resources, social environmentpriorities). n = the number of relevant beliefs for that person ( Loudon and Bitta, 1994) According to the above mentioned formula the weight of importance of a belief towards an object (bi) is multiplied with the evaluation i.e. of` the product. For example, a consumer believes that the taste of a refreshment is moderately important or a 4 in a scale of importance from 1 to 7.He/she also believes that drinking coffee feels very good, or 6 on a scale from 1 to 7.Thus the product overall grade here is 4*6 =24.The customer also believes that the potential of a drink to stain is extremely important (7), and coffee fares moderately badly at -4 on this attribute (since this is a negative belief, for this purpose we are taking numbers from -1 to -7 with -7 being worst). The total score for this belief is 7*(-4) =-28.If we hold these two beliefs the aggregated attitude would have been 24+(-28)=-4.In real life, it is obvious that consumers tend to have many more beliefs and their summary will provide an accurate measurement (Perner, 2006). Based on this multi-attribute model, marketers may consider four strategies when attempting to affect behavior: Change the value placed on a particular product attributes (a change in an ei component) Change beliefs (a change in a b1 component) Change the attitude toward the brand (A change in Ao) Change behavioral intentions (a change in BI) or behavior change in B (Assael, 1992) The Fishbeins attitude-towards object model has been relatively successful in predicting, behavioral intentions arising by various cognitive variables to which they refer (Birtwistle and Shearer, 2001; Doyle and Fenwick, 1974; Fishbein, 1967; Bass and Talarzyk, 1972). For example, excessive usage of the model to measure different advertisements or store brands. The tangible attributes and the utility versus the intangible ,symbolic attributes. However, this approach has not always been useful results for the retail management, as the knowledge of a customers attitude about a brand is not always a safe predictor of their actual behavior (Wicker, 1967). Furthermore, the model allows marketers to focus on the important issues of their consumers. Examines the effectiveness of their brand in providing the necessary attributes, and how marketers stack up against their competitors (Karjaluoto, 2006). By all means a negative response of the consumers to one feature of a brand does not necessarily eliminates the consumers connection with the specific brand. According to Wilkie and Pessemier (1973) the most important aspect of the multi-attribute model is: The advantage of multi-attribute models is in gaining understanding of attitudinal structure. Diagnosis of brand strengths and weaknesses on relevant product attributes can then be used to suggest specific changes in a brand and its marketing support. The retailers tried to take advantage of the Multi attribute model in a way to predict the behavior of their consumers. Although, the use of the model was inappropriate and in some of the cases unacceptable. As a result, the forecast of the consumers behavior was not accurate (Sheppard, 1988): The model was developed to deal with the actual behavior (e.g. taking an aspirin), not with the outcomes of behavior (e.g. allergy), which is assessed in some studies (Solomon et al., 2002) Consumption situations may vary and this is going to influence the strength of the attitude behavior relationship (Bearden and Woodside, 1976). In fact, evidence suggests that consumers attitudes toward brands can actually vary depending on the situation (Miller and Ginter, 1979). Time usually elapses while consumers forming attitudes and when they are ready to act on these. During that time, many variables expected and unexpected may intervene to affect behavior. For example, an unexpected need for a new family car could quickly postpone, or cancel, plans to purchase a new motorcycle (Loudon and Bitta, 1994). The consumers attitudes toward some types of behavior are influenced by his evaluation of the perceived consequences (positive or negative) of taking such action. Therefore, these attitudes are more relevant for predicting consumers attitudes toward the objects themselves (Loudon and Bitta, 1994). Consumers are often influenced by their perceptions of what others will think of their actions. Thus, even though a consumer may have a favorable attitude toward making a purchase, he may refrain from doing so because of his perception that other people, who are very important to him (such as his/her friends) might not approve his action. This influence noted as subjective norm (Loudon and Bitta, 1994). New models able to adjust to the formed complexity introduced and the above-mentioned factors were used as a guide. As a result, Fishbein introduced the Behavioral Intentions model (Loudon and Bitta, 1994) in an attempt to escape from the traditional attitude toward object model to a more attitudes towards behavior model (Thoradeniya, 2006). Fishbeins Behavioral Intentions Model This revised model presented by Fishbein and contributed by Ajzen (1975), was designed to include the persons evaluation about performing certain behaviour. Their attitude toward the behaviour and additionally the social pressure experienced when performing the behaviour, like the subjective norm (Stephen, 2002). The theory of reasoned action is different from the traditional attitude theories in a manner of introducing normative influences to the overall model and a causal relationship between the two antecedents and intention (Ha, 1998). Subjective norms are determined by the consumers beliefs about the actions of the others regarding his intended behaviour and his motivations to comply with their standards of behaviour (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1980). The subjective norms reflect as well the individuals sense to behave in an acceptable manner (Teo and Loosemore, 2001). Normative beliefs in general involve specific individuals or groups rather than generalised important others(Fishbein and Ajzen, 1980). In addition, the persons behaviour is a function of his/her intention to behave in a certain manner (Loudon and Bitta, 1994). For example, a womans attitude towards birth control pills maybe favourable, but the pressure exerted by family and friends could represent the subjective norm, which may result in a negative attitude towards using them (Johnson and Fishbein, 2003). Fishbeins expressed relationships in equation form as: As the model indicates, in order to predict the consumers behavior, the researcher must determine the consumers attitude toward the specific behavior in question (AB) and his subjective norm (SN). Each of these will be weighted by w1 and w2 respectively (which add up to 1.0) to reflect their relative importance in influencing the behavioural intentions (Loudon and Bitta, 1994). The consumers attitudes toward performing a specific behaviour has the same structure as in the Fishbeins Multiattribute model. The important change here is that beliefs and evaluations concern certain actions, and the consequences of these actions, affect the attributes of the object (Ha, 1998). These beliefs are called behavioural beliefs. An individual will attempt to perform certain behaviour because of his evaluation upon beliefs. Attitudes are determined by the individuals beliefs about the consequences of performing according to a specific behaviour (behavioural beliefs) and his concerns about the above mentioned consequences (outcome evaluations).Those attitudes have a direct effect on behavioural intention and are linked with subjective norm and perceived behavioural control (Brown, 1999). A number of issues and limitations of the Fishbein Behavioural Intentions model need further examination, since the potential number of factors affecting attitude are infinitive. Other researchers are involved with the thoughts of the consumers before their decision upon action. We are not able to apply these theories in the organisational buyer behaviour because of the complexity of the influencing factors which affect this kind of behaviour (Thompson and Panayiotopoulos, 1999). Moreover, there is a significant risk between attitudes and subjective norms since attitudes can often be reframed as norms and vice versa. In practice the consumer suffer from several constraints such us limited ability, time, environmental or organisational limits and unconscious habits. It is also very important to note, that although the theory assumes that behaviours are influenced only by intentions, other authors suggest that attitudes and past attitudes have a direct influence on future behaviour(Bargh, 1997). According to the above-mentioned frame the current behavior may be habitual and triggered by environmental stimuli and may be elicited unintentionally when an evaluative representation is present (Bargh, 1997). However, the implications of this model are extremely important for the marketers, while there is a specific need for understanding the factors which affect the consumers intentins. Past research strengths the ability to identify the most important attributes, which forced the consumers to form negative or positive attitudes towards a purchase of a product (Ha, 1998). It is also a valuable tool to proceed with the identification of the sources of the social environment and their possible role in intention. (Ha, 1998). These attitudinal and subjective-norm components are helpful to marketers to analyse and understand/predict the consumers behaviour. Moreover, they are useful because of their suggestions to alternative marketing strategies for the evaluation and change of the consumers attitudes and intentions to act (Loudon and Bitta, 1994). Online Apparel Shopping Intention The representation Paisley of Paisley what Paisley we Paisley think Paisley we Paisley will Paisley buy Paisley (Blackwell Paisley et Paisley al., Paisley 2001, Paisley p. Paisley 283) describes the online appare

Loniless In Of Mice And Men :: essays research papers

â€Å"Friendship needs no words—it is a loneliness relieved of the anguish of loneliness.† - Dag Hammarskjold. Without friends, people begin to suffer loneliness and solitude. In Of Mice and Men, the characters of Crooks and Curley’s wife suffer loneliness stemmed from some form of rejection. Both of them are desperate to find an escape from their loneliness or some easy way to cope with their seclusion from the rest of the society. Crooks is a black man that experiences isolation because the society that he lives in is racist. â€Å" A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody †¦ I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an he gets sick.† Crooks’ loneliness is a result of rejection from everyone else on the ranch. He is forced to live alone in a barn, let to work only with the horses. Crooks spends most of his time reading. The only relationship he can find is with his books. When Lennie enters his room, Crooks is interested in Lennie’s relationship with George. â€Å"Well s’pose, jus’ s’pose he don’t come back.† Crooks wants to make people understand and maybe even have sympathy for his situation. Crooks becomes so desperate for a relationship that he offers his services to George and Lennie for free, just to escape his loneliness. Curley’s wife, Mae, is married to a man that gives her little attention and none of his time. Mae dresses and acts like a â€Å"tart† to gain attention on the ranch in order to soothe her loneliness. Because she is the only woman on the ranch, her flirting causes the men on the ranch to want to avoid her. â€Å"Wha’s the matter with me? Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody?† The men don’t want any trouble from her husband. Mae struggles to find someone in her society to consult with. She finally seeks out someone who doesn’t know any better than to talk to her. Once she found that person, Lennie, her lonliness is sotthed permanently.

Free Othello Essays: The Characters of Othello :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Characters of Othello  Ã‚   Shakespeare's Othello is a novel that depicts on the intense relationship between Othello, Cassio, and Iago. One charter may see the other as a dear friend and a comrade, but the second one may see the first as an inferior person that he/she is envious of due to something they have. Othello is a tragedy of trust, if you learn to trust then you live in happiness, but the power of distrust is enough to make a man attempt evil and corrupt actions. During the course of the book some of the characters relations become strong, but then at the last possible moment most of those relations revert and a few increase. It is a difficult thing to explain, but I'll break it down for you. Each character had his own relation towards another, Othello had a strong friendship towards Iago, as if he were his brother. Othello sees Cassio as a fine young soldier, but as the story goes on he begins to despise Cassio because he was fed false information about Cassio that upset the war hero greatly. Iago hat es Othello, because he gave what he thought was an underqualified soldier a promotion, so he is out for revenge. Iago is also jealous of Cassio for the reason just given, he thinks he deserves the promotion and is very envious that Cassio beat him to it. Why did these people's relation change? What role does trust play in the entire play? When do we know when to trust and when not to trust? These are all questions that wonder in your heads because in some cases it is bad to trust, but in others trust is what keeps relationships and friendships alive, don't be confused its just a matter of knowing when to trust and when not to trust. Othello and Iago one of the most fake friendships ever to be put down on paper. Othello was most definitely a true to Iago, he trusted Iago on the battle field and in his social, now that is the trust of a real friend. Othello saw Iago as his most trusted soldier, consultant, and friend. Othello was the type of person that always thought people would think low of him cause of the color of his skin. He fell in love with a woman whose family dislikes him due to the color of thou skin.

Common Misconceptions of Sports Suppluments

Common Misconceptions In today’s society, many people have started to develop misconceptions about sports supplements. Because people started this mentality, they have tried to make their own misconceptions about them and telling other people to avoid them. Sports Supplements, also known as ergogenic aids, are products to enhance athletic performance. These products contain minerals, herbs, vitamins, amino acids, and botanicals. (TeensHealth 1) One of the common misconceptions of sports supplements is that they don’t help the human body gain muscle, but instead fat. The 1) In reality, some people have and see results of the supplements within a week, like enhances the person’s workouts by going for longer reps, reduces the time of recovery, and gains muscle mass. (The 1) Another known common misconception of sports supplements is that will sports supplements cause me to get muscle cramps and or get injured. Most of the sports supplements well cause you to cramp u p during athletic events, but the leading sports supplement that well cause you to cramp up easily is creatine. Bodybuilding. com 1) If any athlete who uses creatine gets a cramp, they well get told it’s the side effect of creatine usage, but in reality it’s the lack of dehydration, improper electrolyte balance, or variety of other factors that can result in cramping. (Bodybuilding 1)Even though some athletes think that sports supplements well make them cramp, they also think that the supplements well make their injury risk increase. However, not any sports supplements increase the ability of injuries. Bodybuilding 1) â€Å"Quite to the contrary actually; a study conducted using 72 NCAA division 1 football players as subjects found that the athletes supplementing with creatine experienced less muscle cramps, muscle tightness, muscle strains, dehydration and total injuries. † (Bodybuilding 1) Will sports supplements make me a better athlete? That’s another common misconception of sports supplements. Many companies say that their supplement well make you a better athlete or stronger, but in reality it won’t give you the ability to make you a better athlete or the strengthness to lift more weights for more reps. TeensHealth 1) Ads for sports supplements often use persuasive before and after pictures that make it look easy to get a muscular, toned body. But the goal of supplement advertisers is to make money by selling more supplements, and many claims may be misleading. (TeensHealth 1) Instead, sports supplements helps the person who is taking it, it doesn’t give any potential ability to the person whom is taking it.They’re many different types of factors that go into a person’s athletic body like diet, how much sleep they get, genetics and heredity, and their training program. (TeensHealth 1) Another common misconception of sports supplements is that they are illegal, like consuming drugs, in reality theyâ €™re not; they are just banned in some organizations such as the Olympics and others more. (The 1) Other than steroids being illegal in the US, There’s a possibility of another type of sports supplement of getting banned or in others words, illegal.DMMA, also known as dimethylamylamine, a stimulant that Department of Health has categorized to be in the same category such as heroin, cocaine and crystal methamphetamine has been banned in many countries like Canada, New Zealand and several European countries due to two possible deaths in the US and is thought to cause high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems including shortness of breath and possible heart failures like heart attacks. (Sports 1) Sports supplements have lots of side effects that’s one other common misconception.But really, there only a couple of supplements that have a couple of side effects like ephedra, caffeine, carnitine, and creatine do to the human body. (Sport 2) Ephedra, named after contain ing ephedra alkaloids, a dietitary supplement. The use of ephedra is for weight loss and with the goal of enhancing their performance, increasing energy. Due to the extremely side effects of this supplement, FDA have banned it for a while now on the sale of high dose ephedrine, but the doses of 10 mg or less are legal.The side effects of this supplement are headaches, rapid heart rates, increased blood pressure, insomnia, strokes, heart attacks, and death. (Sport 2) Commonly found in sodas, coffee,and energy drinks, caffeine, which provides energy and burns fat. When taken caffeine, it attacks the in the centeral nervous system, increases the awareness, and the perception of less effort used. The side effects of caffeine are increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, and insomnia.In addition, a person who’s constantly consuming caffeine in their diet can lead into headaches. (Sport 2) Needed in the body for the transportation of fatty acids to mitochondria to be used for energy, carnitine. Thought that it decreases muscle pain, increases endurance, promotes weight loss, and improves cardiac function. (Sport 1) Bieng one of the most popular sport supplements, creatine, is used as a form of phosphocreatine by the body to gain muscle energy.Once used, creatine increase strength, endurance, and muscle gain. While creatine may help out on athletics, it can also help you gain weight, causing a huge impact for athletes. (Sport 2) Lastly, â€Å"If I take sports supplements, I well just gain weight and get fat†. Most of the people that say that are wrong in some way and right at the same time. Even though most of the sports supplements have enough proteins to complete a serving of meal a day, people need to know how to balance their meals while using sport supplements.Especially when using whey protein and creatine, the user can easily gain a couple pounds if not more than expected within a few weeks if not managed his or her diet carefully. Because many of professional athletes use sports supplements on a regular basis, they have managed to control their own diet, but some can eat more than a normal person is expected to due to the intense hardcore workouts that they do.But some just hire dietetics, (The 1) a person practical application of diet in relation to health and disease. (Dietetics 1) In today’s society, many people do not understand sports supplements and the benefits they can bring to the athlete who is serious about increasing their level of performance for his or her sport. Most supplements have little or no side effects, and can seriously help and improve the athletes ability at his or her own sport.