Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions in Relation to Organic Foods Essay Example for Free

Consumer Attitudes and Purchase Intentions in Relation to Organic Foods Essay Abstract The aim of this study is to find out the three (3) significant variables forming the positive attitude towards the buying the organic food in Peninsula Malaysia, which eventually lead to the ultimate intention in buying the organically-produced food. The different variables are focused on demographic characteristics on household income, product attributes and lastly the perceived value to the customers. This study shows that the household income is seemingly appeared to be an important predictor among the targeted segmentation in consuming organic food. Organic food attributes such as pricing, availability and environmentally friendliness of such organic food may influence consumer buying decision. Lastly, the perceived value from the customers towards organic food on its health effects, sensory appeal, nutrition-worth and belief of perceived benefits, often play an important role in cultivating the intention towards buying organic food. Introduction and Background of the Study Over the last two decades, there has been a remarkable increase in demand for organic-produced food or products. Organic food is often seen and marketed as health-conscious food which contains fewer contaminants, more nutrients and most importantly having a positive effect on the environment. It is known that some of these attributes are difficult to quantify, with the contrary that some of researcher has proved that they may cause such potential harm during the organic production. The organic market back in 80’s, while remaining a niche sector, has grown to be able to grab a share from the total spending on food in some countries in the recent years. Organic fruit and vegetables are amongst the products which have been expanding in the rapid production. The demand for organically-produced meat and dairy products has undergone the same rapid progress, with a corresponding increase in the need for organically grown forage and feed crops. This has led to a fast growth in consumer demand whereby the organic food sales have managed to gain a significant market share in the conventional food industry. The market for organically produced crops and commodities has become more structured, looking at the increased number of countries which have adopted uniform standards for organic food production. The standardization has also applied in the organic certification and labelling. While both the production and the marketing of the organic cultivation of temperate crops have developed, there is a trend to be seen whereby the developing country’s farmers are actively involved in the organic farming. Problem Statement and Importance of the Research Organic agriculture industry, no doubt, has offers most of the developing countries a wide range of economic, environment, social and cultural benefits. Certifies organic products have now been growing fast and in the mist of entering the global market. Malaysia, on the other hand, is still in the starting spark-point in adapting the organic-food consumption while the developed countries such as North America and Europe have already gained the biggest market share in this newest industry. Due to expanding markets and attractive price premiums, Malaysia should invent and invest in organically-produced food, taking into consideration of various significant variables which may form the consumer behaviour towards organic food. We would like to highlight that the ultimate goal of this study is to understand consumer’s motivations behind organic food products purchases in order to enable organic producers to develop a more effective strategic marketing plan. The results could be used for the marketing planning of organic food products to enable proper marketing strategies, a proper sales channel and promotion to be targeted to these groups of consumers. Research Questions The present study aims to answer the following questions: †¢ What are demographic characteristics of organic food buyers? †¢ How do demographic characteristics affect consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ How product attributes effect consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ How consumer perceived values influence consumer attitudes towards organic foods? †¢ What is the relationship between consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods and their intentions to purchase? †¢ How can results of the study be applied by managers and marketers? Research Objectives. Regarding to the significance of the growing market of organic foods in the world, and to the previous studies on consumer attitudes towards organic foods and its effects on purchase intentions in several countries (e. g. Taiwan, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States and Denmark) we intend to carry out such similar studies in Peninsula Malaysia with objectives as the following: †¢ To report the descriptive analysis on the organic buyers’ demographic characteristics †¢ To identify the effects of demographic characteristics (specifically level of households income) on consumer attitudes towards organic foods. †¢ To determine effects of product attributes on consumer attitudes towards organic foods †¢ To investigate the relation of consumer perceived values to consumer attitudes towards organic foods †¢ To determine the relationship between consumers’ attitudes towards organic foods and their intentions to purchase †¢ To clarify implications for managers and marketers Literature Review Demographics Based on findings from previous research, demographic characteristics were evaluated as one of the major predictors in gaining intention to purchase the organic food in Peninsula Malaysia. According to Robinson R. and Smith C. (2002), the demographic of consumers consist of various characteristics namely the gender, age, household income and education level. Each element has been contributed in forming the valued attitudes towards buying the organic products. Hence, the demographic characteristics, especially on household income is seemingly significant and being the focus in this research. This will eventually lead to the desired intention in buying such products for daily consumption. Level of Household Income. Whilst referring to the studies done in the US, it is seemingly apparent that the demographic variables which herby refer as the income distribution, is significant predictors (Bartels Reinders, 2009). The research on this particular subject has proven that income positively influenced buying behaviour which in turn may cause the perceived buying behaviour towards the organic food. A same result has shown in Germany as well (Bartels Reinders, 2009). In Germany, demographic variables such as household income distribution have played an important role in developing significant effect on organic buying behaviour. However, the overall inevitability of the demographic characteristics was relatively different, taking into consideration of research carried in various Western countries. These findings verify the results of earlier studies by Clark Goldsmith (2006) and Im et al. (2003) proven that the intellectual practice on using the demographic characteristics such as household income distribution and domain specific innovativeness will be seen as strategic tools for market segmentation. In the Western countries, research has identified that the demand and willingness in expenditure on organic goods often affiliated closely with various socioeconomic and demographic variables (Wier et al. , 2008). In addition, Menghi (1997) found that the majority households with middle and higher income levels showed a greater tendency in purchase and consuming organic foods. However, it is shown that almost all of these studies are based upon hypothesized future behaviour rather than observed behaviour in both Denmark and UK. Hence, studies have been carried out by researchers to further invent on the influences of demographic characteristics especially in household income in guiding the intention of buying the organic goods. Through the research it is revealed that higher disposable household income (approximated by total food expenditure) will lead to higher positive intention in purchasing the organic food. Consumers with a lower household income alongside with lower level of education are found to be least likely to have heard of organic agriculture (Roitner-Schobesberger et al. , 2008). On a contrary, those who have a higher income and hold an academic degree are more likely to be the target segmentation in purchasing organic products (Roitner-Schobesberger et al. , 2008). It is also mentioned that the correlation between the household income level is very much linked to the level of education as well. As mentioned by Robinson R. and Smith C. (2002), intended purchases of sustainably produced foods did not differ for demographic characteristics such as household annual income educational attainment. Through the research carried out by Ross NJ.et al. (2000), they have suggested that consumers with a higher earning incomes were more likely to have purchased locally produced food, mainly focus on the organic consumption by various segmentations. Their research and findings were supported earlier by Govindasamy R. and Italia J. (1998) whereby the same results applied. Groups with a higher household income tend to have purchased foods produced with reduced pesticides. In UK particularly, social group is employed as an indicator of income brackets (Wier et al. , 2008). Research has revealed that the tendency in purchase the organic goods seem to increase in accordance to the given social status. However, the highest organic budget shares are observed for middle class households whilst shares in the upper middle class being in fact lower. Quite captivatingly, a similar phenomenon is observed to be happened in Denmark as well. Organic Food Attributes Organic food attributes influence consumer buying decision. Several empirical studies have been performed on customer perceptions of organic food attributes and how they formed the consumer attitudes towards food. In the present research, among different product attributes, we have selected: price of organic food, environmentally friendliness of organic food and organic food availability. Price of Organic Food Organic foods are often of a price premium above conventional products. According to Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) in Thailand the price difference between organic and non-labeled conventional vegetables in Bangkok varied between 50 percent and 170 percent and in some cases even 400 percent. However, in some countries such as Finland there were not significant premium prices for organic foods (Tarkiainen and Sundqvist, 2005). As Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) pointed out that despite the price difference of organic and non-organic food, nearly 60% of the ‘organic buyers’ said that the price of organic products was not a problem. In addition, ‘non-organic buyers’ ranked some other items as a reason of not purchasing organic food rather than higher prices. Chryssohoidis Krystallis (2005) claimed that while 100 percent of people would prefer organic to conventional products with the assumption of similar price, this percentages dropped by only 20 percent when the same question was posed regardless the higher price of organic food. In other words, higher price is an important obstacle for a limited percentage of consumers. Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) found out that in Bangkok men were more likely to purchase organic foods than women and concluded that it might be due to the reason of men being willing to pay a higher price premium for organic products than women. Similarly, a study in Klang Valey, Malaysia showed that women werre more likely than men to agree that they would purchase more organic foods if they were less expensive (Ahmed, 2010). Additionally, heavy users were on average stage whereby they are willing to pay higher price premiums than medium and light users (Wier et. al, 2008). Environmentally friendliness of organic food Consumers are getting more conscious and concerned with the consumption of chemical substance used in farming and preserving environment is becoming a strong attitude among consumers. According to Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005), subjective norms’ effect on attitudes has been mainly found in behaviors, that involved some kind of ethical decision, and also buying organic food can be seen as ethical decision reflecting environmental concern. In addition, perceived quality is associated with environmentally friendly practices (Ness et. al, 2009). The perception of organic food products as environmentally friendly was a common intuition and has been examined in several studies (Ahmed, 2010; Honkanen et. al, 2006). It is believed that when the consumers have more concern about their health and environmental protection, they will be more likely to have a positive attitude to organic foods (Ness et. al, 2010). Honkanen et. al (2006) found that ecologically oriented consumers were more likely to form intentions to purchase and consume organic food. In other words, the more people are concerned about environment, the more positive attitude they have towards organic food. Organic Food Availability Lack of organic food availability and variety in store is considered as one of the barriers to consumer purchase. Fresh vegetables (which include fresh herbs) were considered the most widely available organic product group rather than other organic foods (Roitner-Schobesberger et. al, 2008). Chryssohoidis Krystallis (2005) stated that limited availability was the main factor that hinders organic purchasing. Although according to Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008), in Thailand, majority of organic buyers were satisfied with availability of organic products. Most of them reported that they would like to buy more organic products, especially a wider range of vegetables. Value to the Customer. In every product that consumer purchased and used, they in turn are expecting value from it. Value can be defined as a benefit that consumer is receiving by using a product. Benefits here mean sensory appeal of the product, taste, fun, freshness, quality and healthiness of the products. These are some main reasons that encouraged consumer to purchase the organic food. The value may vary from one consumer to another; however there will definitely be one value that effect the buying attitude which motivate the buying intention of consumers. Health Effect of Organic Food Several perceptions contributed to health attribute include the reason of being good for health, good for children, not containing pesticides, high in fiber, natural and nutritious and safer to eat (Roitner-Schobesberger, et. al, 2008; Saher et. al 2006; Lockie et. al, 2002; Ness et. al, 2009). The perceived potential hazards of modern agricultural practices such as the use of pesticides and their residues in food were perceived to be associated with long term and unknown effects on health (Miles and Frewer, 2001;Wilkins Hillers, 1994; Williams Hammit, 2001). Saher et. al (2006) revealed that there is very little scientific support for the common beliefs that organic food would be more healthy or nutritious than regular foods, but the belief that they have these properties remains quite strong in consumer’s mindset. The claim is debatable whether marketers can use the health claim for marketing purposes because most of the research concluded that there was no evidence that organic food was healthier or more nutritious than conventional food (Honkanen et. al, 2006). However, most studies in this area suggested that consumer’s perception of organic food as a healthy nutrition is one the most significant motives for buyers. Lockie et al. (2002) pointed out that health was the one aspect consumers are least willing to compromise. Roitner-Schobesberger et. al (2008) in Bangkok, Thailand, examined the motives behind organic food purchase and pointed out that the most important motive was the expected positive health effects. Similarly in Malaysia, organic buyers believed that organic food was healthier compared to conventional grown food (Ahmed, 2010). In Thailand, the health aspect was closely associated with the residues from synthetic chemicals used in agriculture (Roitner-Schobesberger et. al, 2008). In fact, organic products often have a lower level of pesticide residues (Baker et al. , 2002). Lockie et. al (2002) revealed that although price was an important factor, organic consumers consider health has appeared as a more significant factor for purchasing organic food in Australia. These organic food consumers also believed that industrial methods of food processing constitute a threat to customer’s health. Another research by Schifferstein Oude Ophuis (1997) illustrated that well-being was rated among all other motives by organic food buyers. On the other hand, Tarkiainen and Sundqvist (2005) by examining specific organic products (bread and flour) claimed that health consciousness did not explained the general attitudes towards organic food, although they believed this results might be different by examining different organic products. Sensory Appeals Sensory appeals of organic food are part of the factors that provides value to customer. Sensory appeals include the taste, odor and also the texture of the organic product (Prescott et. al, 2002). Sometimes sensory appeals of the organic food need to be combined with the non-sensory factors such as organic food related expectations to create a value to customer which will affect their attitude towards buying organic food (Prescott et. al, 2002). Sensory factors are also influenced by cultures and background of consumers. For example, consumers from Western countries eat less spicy food compared to those from Asia. Spicy organic food might produce high value to consumers in Asian countries compared to Western. Intrinsic cues or sensory appeal that are associated with physical characteristics of the product such as taste, size, color, appearance, smell, feel and flavor were commonly used as indicators of quality on the organic food (Schifferstein et. al,1997). Quality is also value that consumers experiencing by consuming an organic food. Better sensory appeal of organic food will portray a better quality which will influence the attitude of purchasing an organic food and later increase the intention of buying the organic food. One of the most prominent sensory appeals that yield more value to consumer is taste. According to Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al (2008), taste was the third important motives that consumers purchase organic food (Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al, 2008). Others studies also emphasized that many organic food buyers believed that organic food products taste better than conventional food even if sensory evaluations have yielded inconsistent results (Fillion and Arazi,2002; McEachern and McClean,2002; Zhao et al. ,2007). Perceived Value. One of the studies conducted in eight countries concluded that individual attitudes towards buying organic food are primarily based on the belief about the benefits (Thogersen, 2000). Benefits or value to consumers such as healthy, taste better and environment friendly supersede all the other factors such as belief about the cost. The same proven in one of the study conducted in Klang Valley. Most of the respondents reported that they choose to buy organic food products because they perceived organic food as very healthy, fresher and natural (Bayaah Ahmad et.all, 2010). As such, value of organic food towards customers’ effect their attitudes towards buying which will motivates their intention of purchasing the organic product. Consumers also value organic food as nutritional food since it is produced using traditional method whereby the original nutrition from the food is preserved. Nutrition belief was one of the reasons that made people appeared to have different food styles and often express themselves as having food adventurousness or pickiness (Chen, 2007). Organic food adds value to consumers who has such belief and it will influence their intention of consuming it by affecting the buying behavior. Besides, Chen (2007) points out that an individual’s personal interests or traits act a part in establishing personal food choice criteria through the values held by the individual. These values comprise nutrition beliefs, weight control concerns, and so on. For instance, people seem to have different food-styles and often express themselves as having food adventurousness or pickiness. Another important motive to purchase organic food as reported by Roitner-Schobesbergeris et. al (2008) is the consumer’s search for new, trendy and attractive food products. Attitudes towards Organic food and Intention to purchase Basically, consumer attitudes are found to be the most important predictor of intention to buy (Honkanen et. al, 2006). Several studies have found that higher perceived product quality leads to more positive re-purchase intentions (Bou-Llusar et. al, 2001; Hult, Kandemir 2004; Tarkiainen Sundqvist, 2005). Chen (7007) highlighted that if the consumer’s attitude towards organic foods is positive, the consumer’s attitude to purchase organic food will be more likely to be positive. This is also consistent with another study performed by Honkanen et. al (2006) indicating that relation between attitude and intention is positive and quite strong, indicating that consumers with positive attitudes towards consumption of organic food are more likely to form intentions to consume such food, therefore converting positive attitudes to intentions. Methodology Theoretical Research Framework [pic] Figure1. Theoretical Research Framework Hypothesis Development: Hypothesis 1: There is a relationship between demographic characteristics of consumers and their attitudes towards organic foods. Hypothesis 2: There is a relationship between organic food attributes and consumer’s attitudes towards the organic food. Hypothesis 3: There is a positive relationship between values of organic food to customer with attitudes towards buying organic foods. Hypothesis 4: When the consumer’s attitude towards organic foods is positive, the consumer’s intentions to purchase organic foods will be more likely to be positive. Research Design. The questionnaires are only designed in English; since the respondents are assumed to be relatively high educated they will be able to answer the questions without any difficulties. Furthermore it will help to keep the original meaning and understanding that respondents perceived to have towards the questions. Types of questions in questionnaires are mostly closed ended question and only two open ended question. This will only consume little time for the respondent to complete the questionnaire which will encourage them to participate in this study. There are three main categories in the prepared questionnaires. The questions in the first category are more towards understanding demographic details of the respondent such as on the age, income level, ethnicity, religion and educational level. This is useful to confirm the background of the organic food consumers. There are also questions on the product attributes which the respondents are asked to identify what are the main attributes that attract the purchase and also to determine whether this factor have a positive effect towards consumer attitude on organic food. Last part in the questionnaires is designed to understand the value of organic food to customers. All these questions are to test four hypotheses of this study. Data Collection The target population consists of organic food buyers in Peninsula Malaysia. In order to carry out the sampling Peninsula Malaysia is divided in to 3 major regions namely Northern, Central and Southern region. Northern region will be represented by Penang, Central region will be Klang Valley and Southern region of Peninsula Malaysia is represented by Johor Bahru. These three areas are chosen based on the economic development and availability of the organic products. From each region shopping complexes and supermarkets that provide organic products are identified. By using random sampling, three shopping complexes and supermarkets in urban areas are selected. Since target respondent with higher educational level and purchasing power are scattered around these urban areas, these will be perfect places to conduct this research. Those three supermarkets and shopping complexes are ensured to be far from each other so that the collected samples will be more accurate in representing the population in each region. Total sample size comprises of 540 individual respondents is collected using convenience sampling and respondents will be approached randomly. Since this study is conducted in large scale, convenient sampling will be more cost effective compared to other types of sampling. Furthermore conducting other types of sampling will be time consuming and the accuracy of the collected samples to represent the actual population will be questionable. In order to collect the data, 60 self-administered consumer questionnaire surveys are distributed in each shopping complexes which will result in 180 questionnaires from each region. Considering the validity of the data, we are expecting a total of about 500 questionnaires to be usable in the later part of data analysis. Although there is no way of knowing if those included are representative of the overall population, the survey is still expected to give a first overview of relevant issues and to allow to derive insights into the perception of organic food buyers in Peninsula Malaysia. Data Analysis After data is collected, data will be edited and coded. Editing data is very essential part of data analysis especially when researches involve open ended questions. Editing is done immediately after data is collected so that the respondent can be contacted if any clarification needed. The edited data are identified through usage of different fond and colors. Coding is done before data processing is conducted. Since most of the data collected involve ordinal scale, coding becomes prudent. By doing this data accurately keyed in and avoid wrong interpretation of data. Base on the three sections in the questionnaire, data is also coded in three main groups. Data processing is done using a software program called SPSS version 17. First of all the edited and coded data is checked and scanned through. Wrongly entered and coded data will be identified using the software through methods like identification of the maximum value. Values like variance, standard deviation, mean and range are used to understand the effectiveness of the questions asked in the questionnaire and how respondents reacted to the questions. The reliability and validity test is done to check the credibility of the data. The reliability test also conducted to test the relationship of the variables through the reliability coefficient. Validity test is done to assess all three factorial validity, convergent validity and also discriminant validity. References Ahmed, S. N. B. , 2010, Organic Food: A Study on Demographic Characteristics and Factors Influencing Purchase Intentions among Consumers in Klang Valley, Malaysia, International Journal of Business and Management 5, No. 2, Baker, B. , Benbrook, C. , Groth, E. , Benbrook, K. , 2002, Pesticide residues in conventional, integrated pest management (IPM)-grown and organic foods: insights from three US data sets. Food Additives and Contaminants 19, 427–446. Bartels J. and Reinders M. J. (2009). Social identification, social representations, and consumer innovativeness in an organic food context: A cross-national comparison, Food and Quality Preferences,1-6, Elsevier Ltd. Bou-Llusar, J. C. , Camison-Zornoza, C. , Escrig-Tena, A. B. , 2001, Measuring the relationship between firm perceived quality and customer satisfaction and its influence on purchase intentions, Total Quality Management, 12, 719–734. Chen, M. F, 2007, Consumer attitudes and purchase intentions in relation to organic foods in Taiwan: Moderating effects of food-related personality traits, Food Quality and Preference 18, 1008–1021. Chryssohoidis, G. M. , Krystallis, A. , 2005, Organic consumers_ personal values research: Testing and validating the list of values (LOV) scale and implementing a value-based segmentation task, Food Quality and Preference 16, 585–599. Clark, R. A. , Goldsmith, R. E. (2006). Interpersonal influence and consumer innovativeness. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 30(1), 34–43. Govindasamy R, Italia J. (1998). A willingness to purchase comparison of integrated pest management and conventional produce. Agribusiness. 14:403-414. Honkanen, P. , Verplanken, B. Olsen, S. O., 2006, Ethical values and motives driving organic food choice, Journal of Consumer Behaviour 5, 420–430. Fillion,L. ,Arazi,S. ,2002. Does organic food taste better? A claim substantiation approach. Nutrition and Food Science 32, 153-157. Im, S. , Bayus, B. L. , Mason, C. H. (2003). An empirical study of innate consumer innovativeness, personal characteristics, and new-product adoption behavior. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 31(1), 61–73. Keillor, B. D. , Hult, G. T. M. , Kandemir, D. (2004). A study of the service encounter in eight countries. Journal of International Marketing, 12, 9–35. Lockie, S., Lyons, K. , Lawrence, G. , Mummery, K. , 2002. Eating ‘green’: Motivations behind organic food consumption in Australia. Sociologia Ruralis 42, 23–40. McEachern,M. ,McClean,P. ,2002. Organic purchasing motivations and attitudes: are they ethical? International Journal of consumer studies 26, 85-92. Menghi, A. (1997). Consumer Response to Ecological Milk in Sweden. Swedish Agricultural University, Uppsala. Miles,S. , Frewer, L. J,2001. Investigating specific concerns about different food hazards. Food Quality Preference, 12, 47-61. Ness, M. R. , Ness, M. , Brennan, M. , Oughton, E. , Ritson, C. , Ruto, E., 2009, Modeling consumer behavioral intentions towards food with implications for marketing quality low-input and organic food, Food Quality and Preference 21, 100–111. Prescott, J. , Young, O. , O’Neill, L. , Yau, N. J. N. , 2002, Motives for food choice: a comparison of consumers from Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia and New Zealand. Food Quality and Preference 13, 489 495. Robinson R. and Smith C. (2002). Psychosocial and Demographic Variables Associated with Consumer Intention to Purchase Sustainably Produced Foods as Defined by the Midwest Food Alliance, Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 34 (6), 316-325. Roitner-Schobesberger ,B. , Darnhofer, I. , Somsook, S. , Vogl, C. 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A Tale of Two Cities Essay Example for Free

A Tale of Two Cities Essay Does strong devotion overpower the will of a good heart? Ernest Defarge, a character in A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, is no more than a puppet to his wife. Though he does not like the idea of killing innocent people just because they are aristocrats, he refuses to speak up due to fear of confrontation with his wife. Due to his background and life as a slave, Defarge, like many other revolutionaries, dislikes the aristocracy, and has some desire to get revenge. However, he does not truly want these desires to build to the extent that the revolution got to. Ernest Defarge is a man with a good heat, driven to be a catalyst to the revolutionary acts by his strong devotion to the two things he cares about most: his country, and his wife. Paragraph 1: Though many may not see it behind all the terrible things he has done, Ernest Defarge really does have a good heart. Ernest Defarge shows compassion my comforting Gaspard, saying, Be a brave man, my Gaspard! It is better for the poor little plaything to die so, than to live. It has died in a moment without pain. Could it have lived an hour as happily? Defarge didn’t have to make an effort to help him out, but he does. This random act of kindness shows that he does in fact have a good side to him. After the child is run over, the Marquis throws a coin out of the carriage, thinking he can pay for the child’s life, and in return he is â€Å"suddenly disturbed by a coin flying into his carriage†. In this action of throwing the coin back, which is believed to be done by Monsieur Defarge, shows his dislike to the aristocracy, and foreshadows the fact that he will take a stand against it for the good of his country and its people. Monsieur Defarge’s personality differentiates from this sense of kindness when he barks orders at the revolutionaries such as, â€Å"Patriots and friends, we are ready! The Bastille! (214). In opposition to his good heart, Defarge is also the leader of the Revolution. In this part of the book, he, and his fellow revolutionaries, destroy The Bastille, and everything else that happens to be in their path. This completely contradicts the compassion shown from Ernest Defarge earlier in the book, but also shows that there may be something behind his madness. Monsieur Defarge also happens to be an old servant to Dr. Manette, and cares deeply for him, but when it comes to choosing between helping the Doctor, or helping his country, Defarge’s great devotion to France towers over his feelings towards Manette. Do the square thingy with this quote * â€Å"†¦In a hole in the chimney, where a stone has been worked out and replaced, I find a written paper. This is that written paper. I have made it my business to examine some specimens of the writing of Doctor Manette. This is the writing of Doctor Manette. I confide this paper, in the writing of Doctor Manette, to the hands of the President.† This note he found, is of Manette â€Å"(add quote where he condems darnay)† Even though he deeply cared for Manette, he would do anything, literally anything, to help the people of his country. He believes that sentencing Darnay to death is the right thing to do for France, and since he believes that, he will do everything in his power to make it happen. Defarge knew how bad this would hurt Doctor Manette, since Darnay was the Doctor’s son-in-law, but it was his and his wife’s duty to kill all aristocrats, therefore he couldn’t show and mercy. Defarge would even hurt a friend, in order to do what he thinks will help his country. Paragraph 4:  Even though it is kind of hard to see at first, Madame Defarge seems to have a great deal of power over her husband. â€Å"As to thee†, pursued madame, implacably, addressing her husband, â€Å"if if depended on thee-which, happily, it does not, thou wouldst rescue this man even now† Even though Monsieur Defarge wants to help Charles Darnay, she wouldn’t allow it. He wanted to help out the Manette’s and save Darnay, but after the revolutionaries were informed on what the Evermond’s did to Madame Defarge’s family, he was the only one who wanted to show mercy. Due to the fear of confrontation with his wife, he doesn’t speak of saving Darnay again. Ernest Defarge, from A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is portrayed as a great leader to the revolutionaries, but in reality, he is merely a puppet, with Madame Defarge as his puppeteer. Devotion can be a strong thing, sometimes so strong that it can lock up the kindness of a good heart, and throw away the key.

Relationship between prefrontal cortex and antisocial behaviour

Relationship between prefrontal cortex and antisocial behaviour The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is an essential aspect of the frontal lobes in the brain. Executive function is carried out by the prefrontal cortex: where abilities to differentiate among conflicting thoughts and to determine what is good or bad operate. The PFC is connected very compactly with the rest of the brain which allows the PFC to be responsible for guiding features such as memory, emotion, decision-making, planning actions, and attention. If the PFC is damaged and the activity in it is minimal then this affects many things. The PFC could be damaged by lesions or even due to the misuse of drugs or alcohol (Rogers et al., 2010). In turn the damage to the PFC can lead the brain to make irrational decisions; have loss of behavioural control or even have a complete personality change: all of which explain why people may perform antisocial behaviour (ASB). Lesions in the prefrontal cortex have massive effects on decision making. (Manes et al., 2001). ASB stems from the fact that a human being has taken the decision as to whether they should act in a way that is not seen as appropriate in society: therefore, the damage to the PFC may have led them to this decision. Manes (2001) carried out a study to examine this theory. Manes found that out of several different groups he had with lesions in different parts of the brain the group with large frontal lesions was the only group to exhibit risky decision making. This contradicts most other studies: including studies by Benjamin Libet and colleagues which showed that brain activity associated with deliberate decisions can be detected shortly before we are conscious of making the decision. (Libet, 1983) Participants were asked to note when they first felt the intention of making a movement by noting the position of a dot on a computer screen. The participants were first aware of their intentions about 200 milliseconds before actually acting. This is much later than the onset of readiness potential: meaning that the decision to act in a particular way in this study was risky. This experiment was heavily criticised for its accuracy. However, recent research has proven that if anything the actual onset of conscious intention is later. (Lau, 2006). The PFC can not only change the way somebody makes decisions -many studies have proven that lesions in the PFC can cause a complete personality change, where a good mannered personality can be changed instantly to an unpleasant one. (Chow, 2000) This was substantially displayed in the accident of Phineas Gage, (Harlow, 1848) where he survived a horrific accident after a large iron rod went completely through his head, destroying much of his brains left frontal lobe. This accident resulted in a vast personality change of Gage, which raised one of the first discussions as to whether damage to the prefrontal cortex can change a persons behaviour. This then led to even more studies into this issue which resulted in one of the largest studies of patients with brain damage. Grafman (1996) found that the patients that showed an increase in aggression were most strongly associated with PFC lesions in a sample of 279 veterans of the Vietnam War. However, the higher scores were mostly associated with verbal aggression rather than physical. This, yet again, supported Harlows observation of Gage. (Grafman, 1996) The PFC is essential for behavioural control; therefore, this is why PFC lesions lead to ASB. Anti-social behaviour can be described as behaviour that is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress to [others]. (Riley, 2007). Many studies have demonstrated the direct effect that the PFC has on determining ASB. Violent behaviour is connected with structural and functional shortages in the prefrontal cortex according to many brain imaging studies. A meta-analysis of these studies was carried out by Yang et al (2009), where 43 structural and functional imaging studies were looked at. Results showed an 11% reduction in PFC grey matter in patients with anti-social personality disorder (APD). From all of these studies it was concluded that there is reduced prefrontal structure and function in antisocial individuals. Anderson (1999) also investigated this he examined the long term consequences of PFC lesions before 16 months in two adults. It resulted in the two adults having severely impaired social behaviour despite basic cognitive abilities and also insensitivity to consequences of decisions. The two patients suffered from defective social and moral reasoning; showing attainment of complex social and moral rules had been impaired. This study explained that early prefrontal damage syndrome leads to syndrome resembling psychopathy. A great deal of empirical research demonstrates that mental illness is higher in incarcerated populations and estimates that as many as 25% of defendants evaluated for capability are medically and legally incompetent to stand trial. (Golding, 1984). With this fact in mind, many people argue that minds are simply what brains do (Minsky, 1948) If this is the case then people are controlled by their brain, therefore have little personal choice as to how they behave. It is clear that the PFC has a huge effect on behaviour of human beings. It can have such an effect that it changes a persons entire personality from positive to negative. Anything that minimises the activity in the PFC can lead to negative consequences. It can make somebody less effective at decision making; make people violent and entirely change somebody as a person. All of these things in turn lead to antisocial behaviour which raises huge debate as to whether people who are antisocial due to minimal activity in the PFC are criminals or are innocently mentally ill human beings. It is certain how important the PFC is to the brain and the research that has been carried out shows that we should not abuse the PFC (alcohol, drugs) as it is very significant to enable us to behaviour in a responsible manner.

Jordans back :: essays research papers

College athletics have always been one of American's favorite pastimes. We as Americans love the thrill of hard competition. College athletics have always been at the heart of this competitive rush. They have always been something more pure than professional athletics, more than just the money. In recent years, college athletics have changed for the worse. Players have drifted away from what it used to mean to play college sports. They have fallen into illegal activities and have left fans disappointed. One of the reasons for this change is the lack of funds for the players. There are many benefits to paying college athletes. In many cases, athletes who go to school on scholarships are treated differently than academic scholarship recipients. The N.C.A.A. should not have jurisdiction over a player’s earnings outside his sports participation. The rules need to be looked at and changed. Even if each and every one of its ruler-to-the-wrist regulations was written for a sound reason, the collective impact is that the NCAA’s treatment of the student-athlete has become unnecessarily punitive and hopelessly out-of-date (McCallum, 1996). One of the biggest complaints lately from college basketball fans is that too many athletes are leaving college early to enter the draft. Some athletes are even going directly from high school to the NBA and skipping college altogether. A record number of athletes who were still eligible to play college ball entered the National Basketball Association draft. There are also plans for two new professional leagues for teen-agers, which threaten to diminish the talent pool for college teams (Blum, 1996). This upsets college fans because they don't get to see the best guys play for their school. The nation’s top high-school player, Kobe Bryant, was one of a few high school seniors who declared themselves eligible for the draft (Blum, 1996). Fans like to get to know a team and support it but at the same time, become frustrated because of players leaving. Officials of big-time basketball programs are taking a new look at their sport, arguably the NCAA, the most popular and lucrative, because of worries that it can no longer hang on to or even attract the game's biggest stars (Blum, 1996). The biggest and most obvious reason for basketball players to skip out on college and to enter into the draft is because of the big money. Many players come from poor families and run down neighborhoods.

agape love :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hair Pulling on your hair with a brush, blow drying it, and using a flatiron to straighten curls can cause split ends, excess dryness, frizziness and breakage. To help your hair you should deep condition at least twice a month to moisturize and banish frizz. Short hair is healthier because you’re constantly cutting off the split ends. Cropped cuts also keep you hair from knotting and tangling. Turning tresses brown is definitely easier on your hair than becoming a blond. Hair needs time between treatments to recover and regain its natural oils. When you chemically straighten you hair wait at least six weeks before hitting the color bottle. The day before your dye job do a protein rich conditioning treatment to heal the hair cuticle. When you perm your hair hold off on the permeant color for six weeks. But you only need to wait two days before using a semi permeant color since they have lower ammonia levels and have no bleach. When you hate your new dye job, before you head back to the salon. Try using a semi permanent rinse, which you can do immediately. If your still unhappy wait for the semi permanent color to fade before going for a new dye job. Keep in mind that you might just need a few days to get used to your new hue. Why is it that 90% of hair products seem to be created to make your hair do the opposite of what it does naturally? We think everyone’s hair can be beautiful without all the fuss, including the pin straight variety. Its sophisticated, sleek and down right sexy. So whether you have bangs, a blunt cut, soft layers, or all one length style, unplug your hot rollers and embrace your kink free destiny. Straight hair really shows of the cut, so find a stylist you trust and get trims often. If you need help keeping your amazing cut smooth, rub in teeny bit of light stylist cream. And because this type of hair usually tends to shine on its own, you can skip the glossy sprays. Chances are, you already look like you belong in a shampoo commer cial. You may not believe it, but fine hair has many enviable qualities. For one thing, its the softest and silkiest in the world. For another, it dries in a flash. WE have one warning though, each strand is fragile, so you’ve got to be careful.

Tibetan Culture and Art :: essays research papers

Tibetan Culture and Art Tibetan culture and art possess a history of more than 5,000 years, and the Tibetan Buddhism has had the greatest influence on this culture. The development of Tibetan culture and art proceeded through four stages: prehistoric civilization before the 7th century; cultural stability during the Tubo Kingdom; high development during the Yuan Dynasty; and the height of cultural achievement attained during the Qing Dynasty. The prehistoric stage includes all development from the ancient civilization that appeared during the New Stone Age some 5,000 years ago to the founding of the Tubo Kingdom in the 7th century. A salient feature of this civilization is the founding and development of the Bon, an animist religion. Findings from the ruins of the Karub New Stone Age Site in Qamdo and rock paintings found in Ngari, which have been dated from all periods from the late Old Stone Age to the Tubo Kingdom in the 7th century, all display a concentrated expression of the achievements of prehistoric civilization and reveal the budding of prehistoric art. The Tubo Kingdom in the 7th century was an important period which witnessed the creation of Tibetan writing and the spread into Tibet of Buddhism from India and China's Tang Dynasty. Collusion and mutual assimilation of different cultures and arts constituted a major feature of this period. Cultural and artistic achievements made during this period of time include the Jokhang, Ramoche, Changzhug and Samye monasteries. These monasteries are a combination of architecture, paintings and sculptures, the styles of which were disseminated in accordance with the world model of Buddhism. The major architectural features of these monasteries were built using a style unique to Tibet, and also incorporating influences from India and the Central Plains of the Tang Dynasty. A unique culture was thus created and firmly planted in the soil of Tibet. During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the culture and art of Tibetan Buddhism developed rapidly. Tibet's first encyclopedia-like catalogue on Gangyur and Dangyur of Tibetan Tripitaka was compiled; Buddhist masters who played key roles in the development of Tibetan culture and art, including Sagya Pandit Gonggar Gyaincain, Purdain Rinqenzhub and Zongkapa, emerged. Works of historical significance created during this period of time include the History on Buddhism by Purdain, the Green Annals, the Red Annals, the New Red Annals and the Records on Five Sutras in Tibet. There was an exuberance of literary works, including mottos, philosophic poems, fables and stories.

Department Store Marketing Comparison

1. I have chosen to discuss and compare the department store industry. I have chosen this industry because I live in Southern California where the retail sector is a major part of business. Shopping malls are prevalent everywhere. I have seen and experienced all the differences among class and status. With a wide variety of demographics in Southern California, there are a number of shops and stores to choose from. Department stores range from discount warehouses such as Wal-Mart, mid-range stores such as JC Penney, and high-end stores like Nordstrom.I am going to discuss the department store industry specifically for Wal-Mart, JC Penny, and Nordstrom. Coming from a middle-class family, I have experienced shops at all ends of the department store spectrum. When it comes to the amount of department stores located throughout the United States, businesses are placed accordingly. High-end stores are placed in wealthy areas; where as low-end stores are placed in a suitable region. The amou nts of department stores, specifically for each status, are generally appropriate as well. 2. GeographicDemographicPsychographicBenefits SoughtJC PenneyJC Penney’s are located in most major shopping malls in a variety of communities. JC Penney has over 1,100 locations around the United StatesJC Penney tends to focus on the female demographic. More specifically mothers and middle-age womenTries to sell quality items at a low cost. Their new slogan is â€Å"fair and square pricing. † They try to emphasize that their prices are fair at market values. JC Penney is telling customers that they can benefit from their low prices. Don’t go to Nordstrom where everything is expensive or Wal-Mart where the quality is low Wal-MartWal-Marts are often located in low-income areas.Wal-Mart has over 7,000 locations in 15 countries. Wal-Mart targets people of all ages to shop at their stores. They offer children’s, women’s, and men’s clothing. Usually, familie s shop at Wal-Mart. The average annual income for a Wal-Mart shopper is $35,000-$45,000. Many minorities, as well as white decent are what make up the ethnicity of shoppers. Wal-Mart’s main goal is to provide a wide variety of discount priced items for their customers. Their slogans have included â€Å"Always low prices. Always. † and â€Å"Save money. Live better. † Rock bottom pricing and price match guarantees are the norm. Wal-Mart is here consumers go for the absolute lowest prices. If a price isn’t as low as another location, Wal-Mart will match it. NordstromNordstrom stores are much less common than Wal-Mart and JC Penney stores. They are placed in areas where the company knows there are enough individuals that want high end items. Nordstrom caters to the professional who is looking for higher end clothing that is made of quality materials. Nordstrom emphasizes quality and customer service. They pride themselves on offering the â€Å"best customer service of any retailer in America. Nordstrom offers quality items at a decent price.Customers don’t go to Nordstrom for rock-bottom pricing. They go for personal selling and upscale items. These three companies have very different approaches to retail. Wal-Mart is the one-stop shop that people go to for the lowest prices. JC Penney offers quality products at a low price. They usually have similar styles as places like Nordstrom but with lesser-known brands. Nordstrom carries high-end products and they stress customer service and quality. They each take up their own segment of the retail business. 3. Marketing Mix: The Four P’s ProductThe product is seen as satisfying what a consumer needs.It is a tangible good or intangible service. Intangible services are industries such as tourism. Tangible products are cars, razors, etc. PriceThe amount a customer pays for the product. Price determines a company’s profit and has an impact on marketing strategy. Marketers mu st be aware of the perceived value of a product when setting prices. PromotionThis represents the methods of communication that a marketer uses to provide information about their products. Promotion consists of advertising, public relations, etc. PlaceProviding the product at a place that is convenient for consumers. Place is the distribution aspect.JC Penney: Product: Like its two competitors, JC Penney offers a variety of tangible goods for sale. JC Penney caters to its customers with higher end products at an affordable price. It is similar to Nordstrom’s in the types of goods offered. It differs from Wal-Mart because it has less variety. JC Penney offers clothing, bed and bath products, home items, clothing accessories, and patio furniture. Clothing is the main area of production for JC Penney and accounts for more than 50% of sales. Price: JC Penney has recently decided to move to three kinds of prices: everyday, monthly specials, and clearances.They came to this strateg y through a variety of studies. First, using past sales data, the company looked at consumers' actual purchasing behavior, and came up with what it terms â€Å"Fair and Square† pricing, which means shoppers can expect lower prices in stores at all times. To reach this conclusion, research showed 72% of JC Penney's revenue came from selling items priced at least 50% off. Thus, in the example cited in most recent news stories about the â€Å"Fair and Square† strategy, a T-shirt that had retailed for US$14 but typically sold — after markdowns — at US$6, would now be priced at a US$7 every day.Part two of â€Å"Fair and Square† means monthly deals, and in the T-shirt example, the garment would now be marked US$6. The final piece of â€Å"Fair and Square† is called â€Å"best price,† which happens on the first and third Fridays of the month. Said T-shirt would now be marked $4, to clear out seasonal colors and bring in new merchandise. Bas ically, JC Penney focuses on â€Å"sale† items. They use sales to manipulate prices. A â€Å"sale† is really what price the marketer decides to sell an item for to continue making a profit. These sales are based upon how well certain items sell and their perceived â€Å"market values. Promotion: JC Penney focuses its advertisements around the four seasons and its holidays. For example, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc are when JC Penney promotes its items through television and print advertisements. JC Penney is also making a push towards â€Å"smart advertising. † Their promotions now appear in digital magazines, websites, mobile phone apps, etc. Place: JC Penney has more than 1,100 locations across the United States. Many of these locations are at large shopping malls where people go to buy clothes. There is easy access to JC Penney’s product.In addition to the stores, most of JC Penney’s clothing can be purchased from the official website. This gives customers two ways to purchase items on sale at JCP. Wal- Mart: Product: Wal-Mart markets itself as a store where one can walk in and literally purchase anything they need. They offer clothes, sporting goods, food, jewelry, electronics, patio furniture, toys, home improvement, music and movies, automobile parts, etc. The idea is for Wal-Mart to be a one-stop shop for anything a family needs. Price: Wal-Mart’s motto is â€Å"always low prices. † They aim to sell their products at a lower price than nearly every competitor.They usually stock lower quality versions of items at the cheapest price and they even offer a price-match guarantee. If another store is selling the same item for cheaper than Wal-Mart says they will match it. A new part of this guarantee is that customer’s do not have to have the information on hand. They merely need to ask for a price match and the associates should know through prior research. Wal-Mart also does not focus as much on sales but rather on â€Å"everyday† low prices. Promotion: Wal-Mart television advertisements focus on their price match guarantees and everyday low prices.A new Wal-Mart ad campaign bears the slogan â€Å"Low Prices. Every Day. On Everything† and features five 30-second commercials, including ads featuring an Easter egg hunt and a customer asking for a price match. The changes are bringing back local food favorites and national brands in household basics and general merchandise like consumer electronics. Some changes are tailored to local markets. In Phoenix, for example, shoppers will find pool supplies and lawn and garden items year-round. Place: Wal-Mart has 8,500 stores in 55 countries. It is the most recognizable one-stop shop in the world.Wal-Mart is present in many places around the United States that do not have other major retail outlets. For many communities, Wal-Mart is the place to go to find everything one needs to live. Nordstrom: Product: Nordstrom i s a large department store that focuses on upscale items. They carry items from mostly luxury clothing companies such as Hugo Boss, Chanel, etc. Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and in some locations, home furnishings. Price: Nordstrom’s customers care less about price and more about quality.The goods offered are not a bargain. They are meant for those in need of upscale items. Luxury products are defined in part by their price. Nordstrom is seeking to appeal to those people that want department store prices but not necessarily large sales and discounts. Promotion: Nordstrom's does not use a low price tag to attract customers; instead they use quality. While it is pricier to shop for clothes and home decor at Nordstrom's; most designer labels prove to be of better quality, uniqueness, and durability. Many of Nordstrom’s television ad campaigns focus on â€Å"re-defining† one. Their marketing strategy focuses on how people can approve their lives with quality clothing and accessories. Place: Nordstrom has 225 stores operating in 29 states. Nordstrom is much less ubiquitous than Wal-Mart and JC Penney. They are located mostly in shopping malls but the company makes sure to build their stores only where there are enough people that can afford luxury items. 4. JC Penney: The JC Penney website has a clean and easy layout. The top of the site has a search bar and then a number of tabs representing each department available to browse through.The website also uses color-coding. Anything representing the values and sales for May is written in purple. There are products on the front page with prices listed underneath. These prices are each in a purple box to show that the sale price is for May. There is one large picture that dominates the home page. It has the letters MOM with â€Å"it’s mother’s may† written above it. As I said before, JC Pe nney focuses its advertising on holidays. The site is user-friendly. Everything is easy to read and it is not too cluttered. The site has areas to find a store and a â€Å"best prices† section.On the upper right there are four logos: a cell phone, envelope, facebook, and twitter. JC Penney is keeping up with the times by including other types of websites and embracing social media. Wal-Mart: The Wal-Mart website is more cluttered than the JC Penney one. On the top there are 5 buttons that read: Value of the day, local ad, store finder, registry, and gift cards. To the right of this is an area to log into a Wal-Mart account and track your orders. On the left of the page is a column showing the major departments available on walmart. com. Under this are two more columns showing savings as well as new products.In the middle of the page there are color advertisements very similar to what one would find in print circulation ads from the mail. There are â€Å"specials† all o ver the front page. Under the advertisements there are two rows titled â€Å"more great ways to save† and â€Å"shop Wal-Mart best sellers. † The Wal-Mart website is cluttered and it is difficult to find what you’re looking for. There is an overload of information. Nordstrom: Nordstrom has the most simple website of the three. The top has tabs for Women, Men, Juniors, and Kids as well as all the brands offered at the store. There is also a sale tab.After hovering over each tab a pop-up appears. Under the of tabs is a large advertisement called the â€Å"perfect 10. † It is a list of Nordstrom’s 10 warm-weather essentials. Nordstrom’s seasonal advertising is apparent. They are in the midst of promoting the Summer line of clothing. Under the advertisements are links to connect the Nordstrom facebook and twitter pages. There is also a handy store and event locator at the top of the page. The website follows a mostly black and white theme with t he only color being on the clothing pictured. This makes the clothing pop on the page and offers good contrast. . JC Penney has positioned itself as a mid to high-end retailer with excellent sale prices. Wal-Mart is positioned as the one-stop shop with the lowest prices of any retailed. Nordstrom is the high-end retailer that pushes the quality of its clothing over cheap prices. Survey: 5 Questions, 20 people surveyed. Where are you most likely to shop: JC Penney, Wal-Mart, Nordstrom †¢JCP: 11 people, Wal-Mart: 3 people, Nordstrom: 6 people Which has the best prices: JC Penney, Wal-Mart, Nordstrom †¢JCP: 5 people, Wal-Mart: 13 people, Nordstrom: 2 people Which has the best quality: JC Penney, Wal-Mart, Nordstrom JCP: 6 people, Wal-Mart: 1 person, Nordstrom: 13 people Which has the best products: JC Penney, Wal-Mart, Nordstrom †¢JCP 8 people, Wal-Mart: 3 people, Nordstrom: 9 people Which is the best at advertising: JC Penney, Wal-Mart, Nordstrom †¢JCP: 9 people, W al-Mart: 7 people, Nordstrom: 4 people In the college student demographic, most people are likely to shop at JC Penney. I conclude that this is because JC Penney positions itself as offering â€Å"stylish† clothing at good prices. Wal-Mart is seen as the bargain bin and Nordstrom is too expensive for most students.It is evidenced through this survey that each company has a very differentiated place in the consumers’ minds. Wal-mart is seen as the price leader, Nordstrom’s as quality, and JC Penney as good quality at a low price. The consumer impressions of each company match how each of the competitors have positioned themselves in the marketplace. 6. SWOT AnalysisWal-Mart StrengthsWal-Mart’s strengths are centered on its â€Å"always low prices† motto. Wal-Mart positions itself as having the lowest prices of any competitor. They even guarantee to match any competitor’s price.The survey shows that people are getting this message and know tha t Wal-Mart is the cheapest. WeaknessesWal-Mart has a problem when it comes to the perception of the quality of their products. People see Wal-Mart as cheap but low quality. Good in the short-run but not long-lasting. OpportunitiesTo improve performance, Wal-Mart could create an advertising campaign to show how they have low prices AND quality products. They could possible create departments with higher-end goods. ThreatsCompetitors such as Costco and other one-stop shows are external elements that could threaten Wal-Mart.Other companies can also attack the quality of products and the methods Wal-Mart uses to get these prices. 7. Wal-Mart has new CRM strategies in place for the new decade. Wal-Mart president Lee Scott Jr. has addressed how he is trying to make Wal-Mart the â€Å"company of the future. † They are seeking to gain new clients while still keeping old ones. Wal-Mart’s CRM strategy stresses â€Å"corporate responsibility† and its five factors: ethical consumerism, risk management, transparency, accountability, and responsibility. Scott had detailed his company's approach to the social component of retail.Executives, he said, meet regularly with a panel of 50 young consumers, many of whom have cut their personal spending — at restaurants, movies, or shopping in general — and say they feel good about the money they're saving. That sentiment, Scott noted, will likely remain with this generation of consumers even after the economy bounces back, a factor that retailers have to be cognizant of. Despite the consumer preference for multiple touch points, each shopper still expects recognition as a single individual, which means retailers must create a seamless multichannel experience.A rising number of consumers are using two or more channels to research, evaluate, purchase, and return products, Janiak said, a phenomenon that has been made possible by the Internet. According to Forrester Research, by 2012, 49 percent of Uni ted States retail sales will be online or cross-channel sales. Even today, the importance of the online channel is significant, Janiak said, citing a recent Deloitte survey of retail executives that indicated every dollar of merchandise sold online influences as much as $3 in the store. Wal-Mart is committed to covering the Internet aspect of retail in the future.They know that mobile phones, tablets, and laptops are the consumer devices of the future. In addition, Walmart. com, the online division of Wal-Mart, has leveraged its consumer tracking tools to work out even more precisely what the value of each of its customers is. â€Å"They (Walmart. com) know when they put Valentine's Day flowers on sale how much it costs to send that message, what percentage of customers end up on that site because of that message, how much money they will spend, and what is the likelihood of that customer coming back and buying other things,† says Wharton marketing professor David Reibstein.T hey don't simply look at one-time purchases, but at all the purchases afterwards, and use that information to calculate the value of spending advertising dollars. â€Å"They have that down to a science for almost all of their advertising. † Wal-Mart is adept at tracking purchasing patterns and catering their advertising to specific consumers. Nordstrom is also adept at customer relationship management. They stress that they are the leaders in customer service excellence. They state â€Å"the company with the greatest reputation for customer service in the United States continues to be Nordstrom.One of Nordstrom’s leaders states: What that takes is courage, dedication, and the fact that customer service isn't a strategy, but rather a way of life. A couple of years ago a company called me to speak to the organization because [that year] they were focusing on customer service. That [begs] the question: What were you emphasizing last year and what are you going to emphasi ze next year? At Nordstrom, it's a realization that they're not in the apparel business, shoe business, or cosmetic business, they're in the customer business. JC Penney and its new CEO are also at the forefront of CRM.He says that â€Å"a greater impact may come from information systems the customer rarely sees, such as customer relationship management (CRM) software. â€Å"Apple reshaped the retail landscape and combined technology with customer know-how to change the customer experience,† Fader notes. â€Å"Now, every retailer wants to do that. Using technology and social media to enhance the shopping experience is all well and good, but there is lower hanging fruit by using technology to better target buyers. † Nordstrom and JC Penney department stores also have cards such as a â€Å"Nordstrom card† that offer sales and deals to those that shop at Nordstrom frequently.These cards are the company’s way of rewarding those that are frequent purchasers t hat offer a â€Å"lifetime value† to the company. The retailers also offer credit cards to purchase their items that can be paid off with payments instead of all at once. 8. The societal marketing concept holds that a company should make marketing decisions based on what the customer wants. It is closely linked with corporate social responsibility and sustainable development. Companies of the future are focusing on environmental concerns because this is what people care about.Hybrid cars and alternative fuels are hot topics in the modern political arena and corporations must address this. Wal-Mart has begun a food-labeling program that will add â€Å"great for you† to many of its products on the fruit counters. Wal-Mart is trying to stress that its fruits do not include harmful pesticides or fertilizers. Wal-Mart has had environmental problems in the past. They recently had to pay a $1 million dollar fine and develop and environmental management plans because they viol ated storm water requirements under the Clean Water Act. Wal-Mart has created a plan to cut 2. million metric tons of CO2 emissions by 2013 by making stores more efficient. They have also said that Wal-Mart now reuses or recycles more than 80 percent of the waste produced in its United States operations. Since 2005, the company has reduced greenhouse gases by 12 percent and increased its trucks’ fuel efficiency by 65%. It is evident that Wal-Mart is making a concerted effort to be more environmentally responsible. In terms of charity, the Wal-Mart foundation has worked for global women’s economic empowerment, hunger relief, education, military support, and disaster relief.They also have many scholarship programs. JC Penney has committed to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent per gross square foot by 2014 by increasing energy-efficiency improvements and implementing conservation practices. In 2009, the retailer prevented about 80 million pounds of greenhouse gas emi ssions due to its new energy-efficiency measures. The retailer has invested millions of dollars to install advanced metering technology, lighting retrofits, and high-efficiency HVAC systems in its stores. JC Penney was the first retailer to earn the Energy Star Award for sustained energy management.JC Penney has been a member of the ENERGY STAR program since 1999 and was recognized as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in 2007 and 2008. In addition, when the new ENERGY STAR efficiency benchmark for retail stores was introduced in October 2007, four JC Penney stores in Washington State became the first buildings to earn the Energy Star label for energy efficiency. Currently, 52 JC Penney stores, as well as the home office in Plano, Texas, have qualified for the ENERGY STAR Building Label. The retailer has set a goal to achieve ENERGY STAR certification for at least 200 stores across the country.Last year, JC Penney began using social media for charitable giving. They released several new digital initiatives. They also announced that since 1999, they have raised more than $100 million in scholarships and grants through its charity JC Penney Afterschool. Nordstrom is also committed to â€Å"sustaining the environment. They are working on resource conservation, recycling and waste management, packaging innovations, and organic cotton development. They have used 100% recycled bags and boxes since 2008. Nordstrom has perhaps the more radical approach to charity.They have opened a store in New York City at which all the profits have been committed to charity. Other than this, Nordstrom has the least about charity out of the three companies. Each of these three companies has been committed to environmental change. They have demonstrated a commitment to reducing waste and pollution. JC Penney is the most environmentally conscious of the three and was awarded an Energy Star. In terms of charity, Wal-Mart has the most charitable donations of the three. Based on these fi ndings all of the companies are focused on the â€Å"societal marketing concept. 9. With the economic collapse of 2008, the retail sector was one of the hardest hit. However, JC Penney, Nordstrom, and Wal-Mart have recovered remarkably. All three companies recently produced increased profit margins. Wal-Mart is #2 on the Fortune 500 list and isn’t in any foreseeable danger. I would say that of the three, Nordstrom is most in danger of hitting tough times. Although profits rose, Nordstrom caters to high-end retailers. If there is another economic collapse then Nordstrom may face danger. One retail giant that wasn’t so lucky was Mervyn’s.At its peak Mervyn’s had nearly 200 stores in 10 states. However in 2008, Mervyn’s began the process of liquidating its entire inventory and all stores were closed. Their liquidation shows the fragile nature of the retail business. If I could choose any product in this industry to close down I might have to go with Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is known for exploiting poor nations for resources and cheap labor. Additionally, employees get very few benefits and most are on minimum wage. I think they are too focused on low prices at the expense of quality and fair business practices.They also have a monopoly on the U. S. retail sector. In 2010 they had over $300 billion in sales. The next highest was Kroger at nearly $80 billion. The difference between Wal-Mart and its competitors is staggering. 10. Personal selling involves face-to-face interaction in which a seller persuades the customers to buy products or services. Wal-Mart has over 57,000 suppliers that use personal selling to get their products on Wal-Mart shelves. Wal-Mart has an online step-by-step process to become a supplier to the company.If Wal-Mart is interested in a supplier then they will try to meet the leaders of the supply business to see if they are capable. Suppliers must then sign a contract with Wal-Mart. The contract, commonly known as the vendor agreement, outlines the mechanics of how the supplier and retailer will work together. The agreement generally addresses sales and delivery timeframe, arbitration, and termination rights, and liability. As a rule, Wal-Mart uses a non-negotiable boilerplate. Charley Moore, CEO and founder of legal service RocketLawyer. om, says this means potential suppliers can study similar contracts online before meeting with the buyer. Wal-Mart generally starts out smaller suppliers in a local market, delivering goods to up to 50 stores, as a test run. If the supplier provides a high-selling product and proves reliable, it might be considered for national distribution. Bruce Zutler, CEO and co-founder of MCI Products Group, a New York-based company that specializes in new product development and overseas sourcing, recommends small suppliers think of the test-run as the time to prove they are capable. If you have a good product and you strengthen their sales, then the buyer will stay with you,† says Zutler. The test run is the time when suppliers must â€Å"sell† Wal-Mart on carrying a product. After all these efforts then the product may be picked up nationally and customers can find them at â€Å"everyday low prices† around the nation. 11. If I were the CEO of Nordstrom, I would get my best customers to order more by selectively having sales on items that were popular in the past. I would bring these items back in different styles and colors and place a seasonal sale on the items.This would encourage old customers to reacquire items that they previously liked, but that have acquired wear and tear over the years. I would also offer deals to frequent customers such as â€Å"Spend $200 and get 10% off. † This usually makes people spend more than they are planning on in order to get a deal. In addition to displaying similar clothes to what people ordered, I would follow the Land’s End method and offer matching accessories such as wallets, belts, shoes, watches, etc that go well with items that customers purchased.I would place these accessories close by to the clothing in the store so that people would be more likely to associate the accessories with products that they had already purchased. I would also offer incentives to frequent buyers. The more a person buys, the more â€Å"special† sales and opportunities they are offered. Nordstrom is one of the most successful retailers in terms of data analysis. They have updated their technology to bring SKU information much faster. The new technology also helps to analyze customer patterns and helped bring Nordstrom out it its slump. 12. The three companies have very different advertising efforts.JC Penney has released a new ad campaign called â€Å"say no to the status quo. † The ad campaign includes tv and outdoor ads as well as a Facebook page where visitors can scream their frustration at old types of advertisements. My favorite advertisement ou t of these three companies is the new JCP television ad shows people screaming at sales that ended early. They are overwhelmed at all the different numbers of sales and prices. JC Penney is saying that they are simplifying their sale structures. The campaign paves the way for the company’s new â€Å"fair & square† price structure.The ad is effective in because it has a comedic effect and addresses a legitimate concern for customers that are overwhelmed by the number of sales at retail outlets. Wal-Mart has recently committed to spending more on television advertising. In addition, Wal-Mart added thousands of screens in its retail locations that constantly show advertisements in different areas of the store. Wal-Mart is also trying to focus more on other aspects besides prices. They are beginning to advertise well-known national brands. Nordstrom’s advertising focuses on the quality of their product.Nordstrom's strives to meet customer satisfaction through offeri ng an array of products. â€Å"Our goal is to offer a well-edited range of products for a variety of lifestyles. â€Å". While they don't offer common, everyday needs like toiletries, groceries or cat litter; they do offer more upscale products such as apparel and home decor. Nordstrom, like Walmart, offer a private label–but without the notable discount. Nordstrom’s newest advertisement shows a woman opening the door to a man. The man drops his umbrella and looks at the girl in disbelief. The screen then shows the words â€Å"reinvent the complement. The advertisement is saying that by wearing Nordstrom clothes, people don’t even need to say anything. You can simply tell you are wearing quality clothing by their reaction to seeing you. 13. Retailers have to deal with a variety of factors in their supply chain management process. JC Penney is committed to offering merchandise and services that reflect the full range of their customers’ lifestyle prefer ences. To help them deliver on their brand promise of offering style and quality at a smart price, they pursue relationships with minority and women-owned suppliers that help provide for the needs of its diverse customers.They state that that sustaining a strong supplier base requires building relationships with suppliers they trust. That’s why, for more than 30 years, jcpenney has considered its Supplier Diversity program integral to business success. This program fosters relationships with qualified minority and women-owned suppliers, reflecting the diversity of associates, customers and community. Since its inception, the jcpenney Supplier Diversity Program has realized substantial growth in the purchases of merchandise, goods and services from minority and women-owned suppliers.JC Penney must deal with a variety of other things in its supply change management program. They have a US logistics operation that focuses on developing environmentally sound packaging, utilizing alternative energy sources and conservation to reduce cost and carbon footprint, and continued expansion of recycling and reuse projects. Wal-Mart is noted for the incredible speed of their supply chain. Wal-Mart’s legendary supply chain technology has allowed them to break the three-day barrier that some economists in the eighties felt was largely unbreakable.In other words, Wal-Mart is often able to replenish items on the Wal-Mart shelf in less than three days – not from the central warehouse to the shelf, but from the manufacturer to the shelf. With quick and reliable 2-day turn around, Wal-Mart is able to maintain lower levels of inventory and still meet customer demand. These lower inventory levels result in either a reduced floor plan with lower carrying costs and lower interest expense – or a greater diversity of products on the store shelves. Wal-Mart has over 7,000 factories worldwide that supply their products.Regulating these factories is an enormous practice. In the past, Wal-Mart has come under intense scrutiny because of working conditions in their factories as well as the presence of underage workers. Wal-Mart must deal with these challenges on a regular basis. Nordstrom’s supply chain starts with its vendors that they buy directly from. Once the regional buyers find out what products are needed to reach the target market, they go to the showrooms and order in bulk. The vendors then ship the products to warehouses across the country.They use a system called Accenture to determine their inventory. The inventory of each store is determined by Accenture, sent to each retail store, and purchased by customers. Accenture figures out which products are needed at each store. Nordstrom also uses the supply chain management software called SynQuest. SynQuest markets itself as a tool that facilitates planning, execution, and control on all orders. SynQuest uses financial optimization and real-time management. As it can be seen, Nordstrom and other companies use cutting-edge software to manage their supply chains.