The Woman With No Name free essay sample

There is a rusted iron ring where ponies used to be tied, developed into the ground close to the Green. Perhaps, with eyes shut, warriors penetrating could be envisioned before the Congregational church, the paint on the Green’s white picket fence still new. Considering this picture, I can feel my little town’s history breathing as I bike through the Village with my sister next to me. We have consistently carried on a short ride away from the Center of Town and in the previous year, since my mother moved into her own home, a brief walk. I even work at the Town Library, a notable structure on Main Street. We park our bicycles at the General Store; throughout the late spring the store is our ice-tea provider, however that’s by all account not the only motivation to visit. We get our beverages and approach the counter, the clerk turning. We will compose a custom article test on The Woman With No Name or on the other hand any comparative subject explicitly for you Don't WasteYour Time Recruit WRITER Just 13.90/page She grins broadly as she sees us and shouts, â€Å"My young ladies! How are you?† We smile at the short, white-haired older lady and we pause for a moment to talk. This lady knows our evaluations in school, our interests for writing. She is aware of our adoration to travel, particularly to noteworthy areas. She gets some information about our tentative arrangements, if I’m as yet thinking about brain research, and how my Girl Scout troop is faring in our last, and thirteenth, year together. Indeed, even with every one of these trades, notwithstanding, there is one defect: I don't have any acquaintance with her name. We have never traded our names, content with our jobs of the clerk and the sisters. It’s an amusing thing, however, how time can finish your image of an individual. I started to see easily overlooked details about her each time we talked, for example, how she doesn’t have a ring. It was uncovered that she generally needed to resign with her sister however the sister got marriedâ€even along these lines, they ride at her sisterâ⠂¬â„¢s horse homestead and the two of them live around. I can quantify my development by our relationship, how easygoing contact all through summers has uncovered little subtleties. It’s an odd thing to understand your own advancement, how the grown-ups around you begin to quantify your development by the things they trust. This lady with no name has consistently been an essential feature of my life, as perpetual as the old fashioned houses. In any case, I have figured out how to gauge time and I have shed my concept of everlasting status, just from perceiving how her hands tremble somewhat more than a year ago, and the new wrinkles that fan from her eyes. Nothing is perpetual, not even the lady with no name. The lasting component, in any case, is the engraving she has made on my youth. She was an ameliorating schedule that showed me the exercise of time and temporariness, and how a straightforward relationship can affect an individual. I realize that when I return from schoo l to visit, she may not be there any longer. In any case, before that happens, I might want to request her name. She might be the lady with no name in my recollections, yet at any rate I can utilize her name to express gratitude toward her for the distinction she has made.

Demographic Factors Research Free Essays

string(78) chiefs are prepared through an exhaustive Management Development Program. Running head: DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS RESEARCH Demographic Factors Research University of Phoenix MMPBL 560 Managing in a Cross-Cultural Environment October 19, 2009 Organizations around the globe are encountering the impacts of social and worldwide assorted variety. Kellogg, Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Arbor are four organizations presented in this paper. They have been examined so as to recognize how each organization is influenced by segment factors, how these components are overseen, and what frameworks are executed to upgrade the achievement of the business; accordingly, this paper shows the key course ideas and their application to the accepted procedures of these organizations. We will compose a custom exposition test on Segment Factors Research or then again any comparative subject just for you Request Now The elements and measurements of assorted variety in an undeniably worldwide business condition can challenge the segment elements of most associations. Fundamentally, Kottak and Kozaitis (2003) announce, â€Å"In the 21st century, the mind greater part of the world’s populace, alongside a huge level of the populaces of the United States and Canada, will be relatives of the non-Western groups† (Ch. 1, p. 29). As it were, associations should figure out how to deal with the complexities of a different workforce. Among these complexities, associations will experience segment factors, for example, age, race, instruction level, religion, ideological group inclination, sexual direction, and sex (Kottak Kozaitis, 2003). As a result of these differing factors, associations should be set up to perceive the individuals’ conduct that is affected by culture, qualities, and convictions. To represent, culture alludes to people’s personality in their conventions, customs, and lifestyle (Kottak Kozaitis, 2003). Truth be told, Kottak and Kozaitis (2003) pronounce that culture is comprehensive. Fundamentally, it is significant for associations to realize that people are impacted by mainstream society too. In this way, people in a different working environment need to comprehend and regard each other’s contrasts. It isn't sufficient to realize that the work environment is made out of individuals with various perspectives throughout everyday life, qualities, and mentalities. Kottak and Kozaitis (2003) express that â€Å"Ethnic assorted variety might be related with positive gathering connection and conjunction or with conflict† (Ch. 5, p. 12). Realizing that decent variety can be advantageous to the association will assist the executives with coordinating suitable worth frameworks inside the organization. In any case, in the occasion that contention exists because of assorted variety, the executives would need to think about elective accepted procedures to address the authoritative clash. Given the complexities of a various workforce, associations need to look at continually elective answers for assist them with dealing with the segment factors inside the organization. Kottak and Kozaitis (2003) proclaim that â€Å"Failure to accomplish an exact record and energy about a race-based gathering of individuals results in racism† (Ch. 6, p. 3). Unquestionably, associations need to relieve any potential and unwanted results that can contrarily influence the notoriety and gainfulness of the business. To put it in an unexpected way, â€Å"The extraordinary sociopolitical conundrum of the contemporary world is that both joining and breaking down are increasing† (Kottak Kozaitis, 2003, Ch. 3, p. 5). Also, globalization is adding to the workforce decent variety around the globe, and associations are ceaselessly being tested to learn better approaches to deal with these changes. Associations are tested with interior changes as well as with outer powers, for example, monetary and political elements. The significance of understanding the nearness and impact of assorted variety that influence the contemporary American culture can demonstrate colossally advantageous for any association. As a result, associations need to figure out how to successfully deal with the impacts of segment factors including their arranging and dynamic in inspiring and remunerating people (Kottak Kozaitis, 2003). Consider for example, Kellogg began its business over 100 years prior and has immediately ventured into new topographies, prompting a stead quick development plan that gave them a worldwide business, which despite everything remains steadfast today. While staying a predominant worldwide food organization, Kellogg’s the executives understood that they needed to have the most grounded potential assets to help their business development in a different and serious condition (Kellogg, 2009). In like manner, Starbucks is dealing with its opposition challenges; the current monetary conditions are factors that Starbucks needs to consider so as to advertise the new items to save its demographic and get new clients. Subsequently, Starbucks is savvy to utilize the four P’s model; Price, Product, Place, and Promotion, to decide the game-plan most appropriate to remain in front of the opposition. All things considered, both Kellogg and Starbucks are dealing with the impacts of postmodernity; that is, â€Å"postmodertnity portrays our time and situationâ€today’s world in transition, with individuals progressing who have figured out how to deal with different personalities relying upon place and context† (Kottak Kozaitis, 2003, Ch. p. 29). To deal with the impact of postmodernity inside the setting of segment variables, Kellogg and Starbucks are executing key ways to deal with help them in their prosperity including worldwide and social assorted variety. For instance, Kellogg conceded to building up an extensive and notable provider assorted variety program. This program was to develop key obtainment associations with W/MBE-claimed, controlled and worked organizations while providing items and administrations Kellogg bought; this would permit them to cultivate the development of their business while promoting the drawn out development of (Kellogg, 2009). Likewise, Starbucks extended the menu to incorporate items to target non-espresso consumers, with the presentation of mixed or frosted cold espresso drinks, frappuccino’s, lattes, mocha’s, and teas. Starbucks imaginatively coordinated a different menu comprising of intense smells to smooth sweet flavors, pulling in a scope of clients to Starbucks at different occasions and for different reasons. Starbucks’ goal to fulfill the segment factors has incited the board to include things the menu for anybody ready to attempt; among them, Professionals going to an early daytime meeting requiring a â€Å"stout† mug of espresso, housewives halting for a late morning latte with companions subsequent to dropping the kids at school and the secondary school and understudies looking for Wi-Fi association and bite (Kembell, 2002). Another organization that has kept on taking a stab at social flexibility in an assorted worldwide condition is McDonald’s. This organization is an association that can be found in each nation, overhauling about 47 million clients around the globe. Due to McDonald’s novel segment factors, chiefs are prepared through an extensive Management Development Program. You read Segment Factors Research in classification Free Research Paper Samples This program incorporates McDonald’s fundamental beliefs and standards alongside the devotion to serve clients, the network, and representatives (McDonald’s, 2009). One of the segment factors influencing McDonald’s the board arranging includes the maturing populace in Australia. At the end of the day, McDonald’s the board is tested with changing its advertising approach so as to arrive at the recently recognized gatherings (Monash University, 2009). Like Kellogg and Starbucks, McDonald’s the executives is scanning for powerful frameworks to help the organization in tending to the expanding changes in socioeconomics. Luckily, McDonald’s keeps on discovering quality on its plans of action in which McDonald’s the board is â€Å"committed to surpassing [†¦] customers’ desires in each eatery each time† (McDonald’s, 2009). In like manner, McDonald’s the executives perceives that the company’s fundamental beliefs go past socioeconomics, consequently, McDonald’s reasoning pronounces, â€Å"We will hold onto each chance to advance and come out on top for the benefit of our customers† (McDonald’s, 2009). Adequately, the prescribed procedures of McDonald’s, Starbucks and Kellogg show the devotion and responsibility to learn and receive fruitful frameworks that will assist them with serving clients paying little heed to segment factors. Obviously, these associations need to likewise incorporate prizes and inspiration frameworks to assist them with supporting a various workforce anyplace on the planet. For instance, Arbor Education and Training is a main supplier of workforce improvement administrations to work searchers, laborers, businesses, and networks across the country (Arbor E T, 2009). Arbor representatives originate from a wide range of different backgrounds, workers all things considered, religions, and different components; these workers are dealt with similarly inside the association in choices concerning prizes and execution. Kottak and Kozaitis (2003) express that â€Å"Cultural decent variety alludes to variety in organizations, conventions, language, customs, ceremonies, convictions, and values† (Ch. 4, p. 6). In synopsis, associations are required to consistently examine their business condition so as to recognize the difficulties that accompany a various workforce. By and large, Kellogg, Starbucks, McDonald’s, and Arbor are tested with social decent variety, yet each organization is finding the best approach to incorporate effective prescribed procedures in the work environment. As noticed, the elements of decent variety according to every segment factor assume an essential job in how Kel

Prime Minister of Vietnam Essay Example for Free

Head administrator of Vietnam Essay The Republic of Indonesia in the South East Asia is the world’s biggest archipelago. It has in excess of 17,500 islands and the world’s fourth most populated nation with more than 200 million occupants. Lion's share of which are Muslims. Its capital is Jakarta and it shares land outskirts with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia. Blasting with normal assets, numerous outsiders have attempted to attack Indonesia. These heros extend from the Indians that achieved the ascent of Hindu and Buddhist realms in the early hundreds of years AD, the Muslim merchants who presented the religion of Islam during the medieval occasions, and the Europeans who battled for syndication of the zest exchange during the Age of Exploration. It was distinctly in 1945 that Indonesia announced its autonomy. After four years, it was then perceived as a free republic. ? Government and Politics in Indonesia The witticism Bhinneka tunggal ika (Unity in decent variety, got from Old Javanese) controls the organization of Indonesia in general. A unitary state comprising of various particular ethnic, phonetic, and strict gatherings, Indonesia has encountered a great deal from expansionism to resistance. Being a unitary state, power rotates around a presidential framework and is gathered in the national government. Since 1998 be that as it may, the Indonesian political and legislative set-up have experienced a progression of significant changes. After its revelation of autonomy in 1945, the Constitution, which has been affirmed in 1945, has been corrected multiple times in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 prompting the making of a recently liberal fair political framework. In the current configuration, the President of Indonesia is the head of state and president of the Indonesian military. The president is additionally liable for delegating a board of clergymen that are not required to be chosen individuals from the council. Likewise, the Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR) fills in as the most elevated delegate body at national level. It has two lower House of Representatives: the Peoples Representative Council (DPR) with 550 individuals and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) with 168 individuals. ? Economy of Indonesia In 2005, Indonesia set 110th in the overall positioning as far as Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It had a GDP of US$287 billion and a for every capita GDP (PPP) of US$4,458. In 2005, Indonesia’s GDP was contributed as follows: the administrations segment, 45. 3%; industry area, 40. 7%; and the agribusiness area, 14%. Regardless of the low commitment to national GDP, the agribusiness segment fills in as the country’s biggest manager (46. 5% of the 95 million-in number workforce) trailed by the administrations part (41. 7%) and industry (11. 8%). Indonesia’s primary industry highlights oil and petroleum gas, materials, attire, and mining while palm oil, rice, tea, espresso, flavors and elastic make up the major rural items. These in any case, are only some of the broad characteristic assets that Indonesia offers: unrefined petroleum, gaseous petrol, tin, copper, and gold. In the fare and import industry, Indonesias significant imports incorporate apparatus and hardware, synthetic compounds, energizes, and groceries. Additionally in 2005, its primary fare markets are Japan (22. 3%), the United States (13. 9%), China (9. 1%), and Singapore (8. 9%), while its significant providers of imports are Japan (18. 0%), China (16. 1%), and Singapore (12. 8%). Vietnam ? Significant Features The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula. Circumscribing the Peoples Republic of China toward the north, Laos toward the northwest and Cambodia toward the southwest, Vietnam has a populace of around 85 million of every 2005, making it one of the most thickly populated countries in Southeast Asia. ? Government and Politics in Vietnam The 1975 Constitution of Vietnam was supplanted as of late by the current state constitution endorsed in April 1992. In spite of the fact that a Socialist Republic, the responsibility of the current administration of Vietnam to the said philosophy began to reduce since the 1990s. Presently a solitary gathering state, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam attests the focal job of the Communist Party in all organs of government, legislative issues and society. In accordance with this, solitary political associations subsidiary or embraced by the Communist Party, for example, the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, laborers and exchange unionist parties, are allowed to challenge decisions. As like in many nations, the President of Vietnam is the main head of state and the ostensible president of the military of Vietnam, leading the Council on National Defense and Security. Then again, its Prime Minister of Vietnam fills in as the head of government, managing a chamber of pastors made out of 3 agent leaders and the heads of 26 services and commissions. The unicameral lawmaking body of the administration, the National Assembly of Vietnam made out of 498 individuals is better than both the official and legal government branches. With respect to the legal framework, the Supreme Peoples Court of Vietnam, fills in as the most elevated court of request in the country. Under the Supreme Peoples Court are the common civil courts and the neighborhood courts. Another ground-breaking part of the legal executive are the military courts that have unique ward in issues of national security. ? Economy of Vietnam At present, Vietnam is the biggest maker of cashew nuts with a 33% worldwide offer and second-biggest rice exporter on the planet. Other than rice, its other key fares incorporate espresso, tea, elastic, and fishery items. Because of its various land changes and projects, Vietnam has the most noteworthy percent of land use for perpetual yields (6. 93%) among any country in the Greater Mekong Sub area. Notwithstanding being a significant patron in the fare business, agribusinesses portion of monetary yield in GDP has declined from 42% in 1989 to 26% in 1999. Be that as it may, creation in different divisions of the economy has kept on rising. Experiencing a progress to a market economy, Vietnam refreshed its protected innovation enactment to consent to TRIPS in 1996. In 2006, its acknowledgment to the WTO denoted another milestone in Vietnam’s move towards financial advancement. Vietnams head exchanging accomplices incorporate Japan, Australia, ASEAN nations, the U. S. what's more, Western European countries. In 2006, the nation is recorded among the Next Eleven economies. Having a GDP development of about 8% in 2006, Vietnam had the second quickest development rate from among all nations in East and Southeast Asia. Presently, Vietnam gloats of the assembling, data innovation and cutting edge businesses as quickly developing and major contributing areas to the nation’s monetary advancement. References: Indonesia. (n. d. ) Accesssed February 13, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. organization/wiki/Indonesia Vietnam. (n. d. ) Accesssed February 13, 2007 from http://en. wikipedia. organization/wiki/Vietnam

Identity Crisis Juxtaposition in Leningrad - Literature Essay Samples

â€Å"Leningrad,† a poem by Osip Mandelstam detailing the harsh reality in post-war Russia, examines the effect of the changes on the identity of the narrator, who is forced to consolidate his old memories of his hometown of Petersburg and the unfamiliarity of the new Leningrad following his return. This internal contrast is not only present in the theme of the poem, but also in its very structure, as Mandelstam relies on using opposition in his language to depict the internal disparity faced by the narrator. Juxtaposition is a technique at the core of Osip Mandelstam’s composition of the poem â€Å"Leningrad†, which contrasts familiarity and change to illustrate the way personal identity is relative to surrounding. Throughout the piece, Mandelstam uses words and phrases that give a sense of nostalgia and familiarity, but follows them with harsher phrases that give negative feelings. An example of this technique can be found in the first stanza, where it reads, â€Å"These are my old tears, / my own little veins, the swollen glands of my childhood† (Mandelstam 1-2). The concepts of the past, belonging, and childhood are brought up, but placed next to words and phrases with a much more negative connotation, such as tears, veins, and swollen glands. This juxtaposition of the nostalgic and oftentimes quaint memories of childhood and home placed with other harsh phrases creates a picture of a bitter disconnect when the narrator returns to his hometown. Mandelstam creates another contrast between seemingly harmless commands one might hear in childhood and negative experiences. In the second stanza, it reads, â€Å"Open wide. Swallow / the fish-oil from the river lamps of Leningrad† (3-4). Just as children have much difficulty swallowing medication at the doctor, Mandelstam indicates that the narrator is having an equally difficult time accepting the changes that have occurred in his hometown. This is seen in stanza three as well, where it states, â€Å"Open your eyes. Do you know this December day, / the egg-yolk with the deadly tar beaten into it?† (5-6). Mandelstam uses another command, and once again uses the egg yolk as imagery from childhood, and shows the negativity of his experience with the â€Å"deadly tar†. His use of the typical memory of the past with the addition of a disturbing element demonstrates how his past has been clouded by the negative changes around him. Mandelstam’s use of the tech nique of placing an innocent sensory command alongside an unpleasant experience gives the reader the visceral impression of the events experienced by the narrator. The author uses juxtaposition another time in stanzas four and five, where he contrasts the former facets of his identity in his city with the idea of death. Impermanent aspects of identity, such as phone numbers and addresses, are mentioned. In stanza four, Mandelstam writes, â€Å"Petersburg! I don’t want to die yet / You know my telephone numbers† (7-8). The narrator describes his unwillingness to let go of the past by stating that he does not want to die, despite the fact that the familiar things, such as telephone numbers from the past, have likely changed. The author also writes, â€Å"Petersburg! I’ve still got the addresses: / I can look up dead voices† (9-10). Mandelstam once again uses the familiarity of the addresses, and uses the phrase â€Å"dead voices†, which likely describes friends and family who have either relocated or died during the time that the narrator was away. In the two stanzas, the narrator speaks of facets of his identit y in specific relation to his hometown, such as phone numbers and addresses of himself and loved ones, yet he also brings up the idea of death, forcing him to both literally and figuratively examine how the things and people he used to know are no longer there. The way of contrasting these ideas of familiarity and change within the same stanzas works to showcase the internal struggle the narrator faces when grappling with the changes around him. The final two stanzas highlight the internal contrast that the narrator experiences by comparing his fond memories of the past with imprisonment. In the sixth stanza, Mandelstam writes, â€Å"I live on back stairs, and the bell, / torn out nerves and all, jangles in my temples† (11-12). This stanza implies that, although he hides from the past by living â€Å"on back stairs†, the narrator still faces a constant and painful reminder of the drastic changes that have occurred in the place he had called home, akin to the constant sounding of a bell disturbing his mind. The final stanza takes on a similar view, reading â€Å"And I wait till morning for guests that I love, / and rattle the door in its chains† (13-14). This stanza intensifies the sentiments in the previous one by using stronger disconcerting imagery, such as that of rattling â€Å"the door in its chains†. It is still indicated that the narrator longs for the familiarity of the past and his loved ones who were once there, but this passage conveys the way the past imprisons the narrator. Because the narrator is always forced to juxtapose the changes in the present with his fond memories of his past, he faces a crisis of identity. What the poem â€Å"Leningrad† examines at the core is the idea of personal identity being tied to a sense of place and home, and the composition of this piece is integral to the illustration of this concept. The juxtaposition used throughout the poem creates a sense of disparity, which is indicative of the struggle of the narrator, who is forced to constantly contrast his own past memories with the new unfamiliar circumstances. The contrast used in the ideas and language of each stanza is not only helpful, but necessary to the full comprehension of the work. Osip Mandelstam’s use of juxtaposition in the composition of â€Å"Leningrad† highlights the disaccord between the past and the present in order to illustrate the internal experience of the narrator and the way identity is affected by place and environment.

Consumer Shopping Behaviour

Sample details Pages: 19 Words: 5603 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? Literature Review Introduction Satisfaction of consumer needs and wants is the definitive goal for triumph in business. Hence, an effectual marketing strategy must spotlight on serving consumers/customers better than the competitors. The marketing manager should be interested in revealing the complexities of an individual buyer, the dynamics of consumer behavior and should also try to understand consumers individual differences so that he/she can segment the total market in terms of those differences Nisel (2001). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Consumer Shopping Behaviour | Marketing Dissertation" essay for you Create order Buyer decision making should be carefully studied by organizations and marketing managers to have a full understanding of how buyers obtain information, how they form their beliefs, and what specific product-choice criteria are sued by customers. Specific products/services can then be cultivated that will fulfill the appropriate requirements of these groups. Therefore, finding the motives that lead to differences in consumers decision-making processes is a critical factor for a company in accomplishing its marketing objectives in order to satisfy its customers Nisel (2001). Differences in consumers decision-making processes can aid the managers in classifying individuals into meaningful homogeneous subgroups. Olson Peter, 1994 defined consumer behaviour as the dynamic interaction of affect and cognition, behaviour and environmental events by which human beings conduct the exchange aspects of their lives. Every organization is interested in consumer behaviour for the sake of strategizing and streamlining their marketing mix to meeting the needs of their target market. Business entities have special interest in consumer behaviour for the reason that they can develop marketing strategies to induce consumers to purchase their products based on consumer research and analysis. For a companys marketing strategy to hit the success mark, it will largely depend on how well the strategy is tailor measured to buyers needs and wants and how these buyers react to the strategy. Companies can find out what satisfies their customers by mandating their marketers to examine the main influences on what, where, when and how customers buy goods and services Dibb et al (2001). When these factors are well under stood, companies through theirmarketers can better be able to predict how consumers will respond to the marketing strategies of the firm. In the null shell, the information gathered through the market research and analysis will position the firm to compete more effectively in the marketplace, afford it will greater market share and better customer service delivery which will lead to customer satisfaction. This chapter which looks at the literature review will primarily center on why buyers behave the way they behave, their purchase decision process, the influencers of their decision, gathering knowledge for purchase decision, effective segmentation by supermarket operators, how to cultivate a good behaviour for shoppers, shopping convenience among other things. This is an attempt to develop a framework for the study buyer behaviour as a determinant for purchase. Shopping Motivation Shopping has become a part of everyday living for most people both home and abroad. Regardless of the increase of various home delivery shopping services, shopping for most reasons means physical visits to a shopping site. The place most repeatedly visited is either the supermarket or the shopping mall. In fact, going shopping is a major source of relaxation as well as a household chore according to Dholakia (1999). Oakley (1974) asserts that shopping is one of the activities with the most positive attribute of being able to talk to others while doing work. Shopping is widely regarded as a major leisure-time activity Reid and Brown (1996). Cullen (1990) emphasized that, shopping is second only to TV watching in the pantheon of British leisure. Others such as Bloch et al (1992) and Macalister (1992) have also generally and similarly supported that with statistical data. Shopping may or may not be a leisure or recreational activity Howard (2007). Theories of recreation and its meaning are numerous and often times they come with a moral factor. Bronowski (in Howard, 2007) for instance believes that, leisure brings a promise that: . . . A deep sense of appreciation envelopes us and lifts us to a higher plane, where we discover that there is peace and beauty and joy in the world. And that may carry over into increasing appreciation of life itself. Shopping motivation may be due to buyer leisure and an important factor to this can be attributed to be attitude to time by diverse consumers on special occasions. This assertion has had some exploring work on them (Davies, 1994; Whysall, 1991, Howard, 2007). There are a lot of scholars who have pointed out that, there is a nascent sense of time pressure on consumers/customers and these tend to be more affluent than the normal citizenry (Lewis and Bridger, 2000 and Howard, 2007). Schiller (1999) make a case that mainstream retailing (consisting of routinely and regularly purchased goods) is increasingly being put under a time squeeze, partly because of longer working hours and higher female participation rates in the labour market, and partly because holidays and other leisure activities are taking an increasing share of consumers time and money. Schiller (1999) explain leisure shopping as the mirror image of mainstream retailing where the outing is not so much a means to an end as the whole point, and shopping is only part of the experience. There is evidence of an increasing proportion of people saying that they spend time looking around the shops as a leisure activity (Mintel, 2000). Tauber 1972 gave two categories of shopping motives to be role playing and Social experience outside the home. The table below shows nine shopping motives which have been grouped under two main categories. Table I Shopping Motivation Role playing Social experience outside the home Diversion Communication with others with similar interests Learning about new trends Peer group attraction Physical activity Enjoying status and authority Self-gratification Pleasure of bargaining Sensory stimulation Source: Tauber (1972) In his research, Dholakia, (1996) empirically determined three motives for going shopping based on factor analysis of 13 statements. These three motives were labeled as: Interactions with family Utilitarian and Shopping as pleasure Shop attractiveness The shop must be attractive to meet the expectation of the target customer. Shop attractiveness may come as a result interplay of multiple of factors. A customer may find a shop attractive due to its versatility in terms of product assortment and variety, physical evidence, tailor-measured customer service, fast service recovery rate, longetivity, location convenience, one-stop shopping advantage among other things. Howard (2007) asks what she terms as the obvious question of shopping as just what makes shopping a pleasurable or leisure experience. Amongst the work on particular environments and factors have appeared some interesting ideas about browsing (Bloch et al., 1991, 1994; Lombart, 2004, Howard, 2007). Jones (1999) looked at the array of factors involved in entertaining shopping experiences. Jones observed retailer factors (prices, selection, store environment and salespeople) and customer factors (social aspects, tasks, times, product involvement and financial resources) tog ether. There have been a few empirical studies done to analyze the motivational aspects of consumers to explain their attraction to shopping malls (Bodkin and Lord, 1997; Ruiz, 1999; Dennis et al., 2001; Nicholls, et al., 2000, 2002, El-Adly, 2007). Ruiz (1999) puts the starting point of some shoppers attractiveness to shops on the motives of purely economic motives; while others are attracted due to emotional motives and other due to multi-purpose shoppers which are the combination of these motives. In Nicholls et al. (2000), he found that Chilean consumers visit malls for fundamental reason of purchasing factors and also he found USA consumers visit to shopping malls is for diverse reasons which largely revolves around entertainment. Wakefield and Baker (1998) found that the mall environment influences the desire to stay and re-patronage intentions to the mall. Bloch et al. (1994) on the other hand in his paper investigated the consequence of shopping mall physical environment on consumer s emotional states. His research reviewed that malls were viewed by consumers as a place for shopping as the basic reasons; however, entertainment played a role among other things in the view of consumers about the shopping mall. Nicholls et al. (2002) added to entertainment motives when he observed that todays mall patrons tend to be more leisure driven than shoppers in the early 1990s. Finn Louviere, 1996; and Sit et al., 2003 in their studies have given the indication that, the significance of the shopping centre image is a decisive determinant on consumer patronage decisions. Terblanche (1999) was concerned about the impact of four dimensions on shopping centre patronage. His four dimensions of shopping center patronage included, functional, recreational, socializing, and convenience dimensions. He based on these dimensions to be the perceived profit that consumers enjoy when visiting a super regional shopping centre or a shopping mall. His findings showed that recreation (entertainment) appears to be the major benefit pursued by shoppers that patronize a super regional shopping centre. Bellenger et al., 1977; Bloch et al., 1994; and Roy, 1994 also looked at demographic and psychographic characteristics of mall patrons. Martin and Turley (2004) studied the attitudes of the young segment of shoppers towards malls, and factors arousing utilization. They found that they were more likely to be objectively rather than socially motivated to patronize. In addition to the effect of malls internal attributes on patronage, other attributes such as travel components that include comfort, reliability of transport mode, effort, tension, distance, and value were significant in affecting shopping centers patronage (Ibrahim, 2002). Segmenting the consumer market of shopping mall Over the last three decades, there has been a substantial amount of research on market segmentation for consumer goods and services El-Adly (2007). As competition in the retail marketplace increases, the need for more precise segmentation tools becomes greater Chetthamrongchai and Davies (2000). However, segmentation research in retailing was very rare and concentrated on individual stores, not on the mall itself (Frasquet et al., 2001; Ruiz et al., 2004). Demographic variables alone provide a narrow perspective of consumer behaviour and thus market segmentation (Boedeker and Marjanen, 1993). Methods using shopping motivation as the basis for distinguishing between individuals offer a more grounded approach in classifying shoppers, Stone (1954), Tauber (1972), Westbrook and Black (1985) and Bellenger and Korgaonkar (1980). Retail market segmentation is necessary and often critical to the development of effective marketing strategies in todays competitive marketplace Segal and Giacobb e (1994). Segal and Giacobbe (1994) further posit that, the impetus for a market segmentation strategy is basic: customers exhibit heterogeneous needs and purchase patterns, and thus respond differently to different marketing stimuli. El-Adly (2007) suggest that there are two segmentation approaches that have been introduced in the marketing literature, a priori and cluster-based segmentation (also called post-hoc). Priory segmentation has been subject to criticism in that it focuses on the external characteristics of consumers (e.g. sex, age and social class) in describing the differences between segments behaviour El-Adly (2007). Harrison, (1995) asserts that, these external characteristics are not necessary determinants of buying behaviour. Thus, it is found that, just a few researchers have used this approach in shopping centre segmentation Chetthamrongchai and Davies (2000). Lee et al. (2005) as an instance studied shopping centre factors that have an influence on shopping enjoyment of male segment. They found that shopping-centre features, ancillary facilities, value-added features and special events are momentous in shaping male shoppers pleasure. Dennis et al. (2001) in a part of their study used different subsets of a priori segmentation pairs: male/female, higher/lower socio-economic groups, higher/lower household income, older/younger and auto/public transport. Dennis et al. (2001) however, the finally based their study on post-hoc segmentation. Service and shops were identified groups importance of motivation, which were seen as more useful than conventional a priori segmentation roots in modeling spending behaviour among shoppers. Compared with a priori segmentation, the post-hoc or cluster-based approach has obtained much attention in shopping mall segmentation El-Adly (2007). Using this approach, a heterogeneous population is segmented on the basis of homogeneous responses from within the population (Gwin and Lindgren, 1982). In this concern, Finn and Louviere (1990) identified shopper segments based on differences in shopping mall consideration sets and investigated the differences in mall choice parameters for these segments. At the same line, Boedeker (1995) segmented shoppers on the basis of their general choice criteria of a retail outlet, into two groups the new type shoppers who value both the recreational and economic/convenience characteristics of a retail outlet and the traditional shoppers who were much lower in their desire for the recreational aspects. Mall attributes have been used by Reynolds et al. (2002) to segment malls into five segments namely enthusiasts, basic, apathetic, destination an d serious. Sit et al. (2003) used the mall image attributes to segment shoppers into six market segments labeled as the serious shopper, the entertainment shopper, the demanding shopper, the convenience shopper, the apathetic shopper, and the service shopper. Stone (1954) suggested that consumers engage in the shopping process for a variety of reasons which can be identified with one or more of four shopper-orientation profiles, namely economic shoppers, who view shopping as a necessary task; personalising shoppers, who value the social networking integral to shopping; ethical shoppers, who see shopping as an activity influenced by their views as to what is right or wrong, and apathetic shoppers, who dislike the activity. Other researchers have advanced and refined the notion of shopping motivation using the same or similar conceptualisations (Tauber, 1972; Buttle and Coates, 1984). Boedeker (1995) found that shopping profiles can be classified into two main types, new-type shoppers and traditional shoppers. Boedeker (1995) put forward that the main differences between these factions lie in their fondness for the use of leisure time and their experiences while shopping. New type shoppers refer to those consumers who simultaneously value both the recreational and economic/convenience characteristics of a retail outlet Chetthamrongchai and Davies (2000). They further posit that traditional shoppers tend to enjoy the experience more. Bellenger and Korgaonkar (1980) argue that, for some people, shopping may even be a very enjoyable use of time without the purchase of goods or services. These shoppers can be referred to as the recreational shoppers; they usually embark on non-planned shopping and are more likely to persist to shop even after making a purchase. Convenience shoppers on the other hand, may seek to minimize the time required for shopping Chetthamrongchai and Davies (2000). While most studies have considered shopping for any type of product, some previous studies have focused specifically on food shopping behaviour, the product sector of interest here. Cluster analysis has been used to identify market segments who share similar views (Darden and Ashton, 1974; Herrmann and Warland, 1990). Purchase decision process Trout and Rivkin (2000) estimate that there are now more than one million stock-keeping units (SKUs) in America, and that an average supermarket stocks 40,000 SKUs. The complexity of consumer decisions is increasing: in the 1960s a consumer chose between approximately 100 models from four car manufacturers now there are 260 models from 20 manufacturers (Trout and Rivkin, 2000). Lye et al (2005) in their study have done an in-depth review of both empirical and theoretical studies on consumer decision making. Lye et al (2005) comprehensive analysis of consumer decision is being adopted by this study. They analyzed the works of Kotler, 1972; Schramm, 1971; Howard (1963); Nicosia (1966); Engel et al., 1978; Engel et al. (1968); Farley and Ring, 1970; Lutz and Resek, 1972; Hunt and Pappas, 1972; San Augustine et al., 1977; Hunt and Pappas, 1972; Rau and Samiee, 1981 They posit that the simplest and perhaps earliest theoretical form of consumer decision model was the black box (Kotler et al., 2004, p. 244). Lye et al (2005) explained that, the black box provides a simplified model focused on exogenous variables. The black box model avoided any supposition associated with identifying processes and variables embedded in the minds of consumers. It is essentially a stimulus-response model based on early communication research, including the work of Ivan Pavlov (Kotle r, 1972, p. 104). Schramm argues that: . . . most of the communication process is in the black box of the central nervous system, the contents of which we understand only vaguely [. . .] we are therefore dealing with analogies and gross functions [. . .] [not] a true copy of what happens in the black box, a matter of which we cannot now speak with any great confidence (Schramm, 1971, pp. 24-5). The early integrated models of consumer decision-making attempted to unpack the black box to provide an understanding of the internal consumer decision process for marketing purposes Lye et al (2005). Howard (1963) presented an integrative model of buyer behaviour that was modified and became the well-known Howard and Sheth model (1969). Nicosia (1966) published an influential model that used a diagram and equations to explain the decision process. However, a lack of empirical support or subsequent modifications (Engel et al., 1978) resulted in Nicosias model disappearing from marketing texts. The Engel et al. (1968) buyer behaviour model survives today, albeit in a modified form. Although other models have been published, these early models were ground-breaking: they evolved and two of the three have survived for over 30 years Lye et al (2005). These integrated buyer behaviour models comes with some criticisms, and empirical testing has proved problematic (Farley and Ring, 1970; Lutz and Resek, 1972; Hunt and Pappas, 1972). However, support for parts of the models has been published (e.g. San Augustine et al., 1977). The greatest empirical challenges have been creating a clear definition of the model boundaries, identifying the relationship between the variables and determining the best proxies by which the variables can be operationalized (Hunt and Pappas, 1972; Rau and Samiee, 1981). The purpose of the early consumer decision models was to illustrate conceptually an integrated decision model rather than develop a precise, comprehensive research roadmap. The stated purpose of the Howard-Sheth model was the description, application, and assessment of those elements of the theory of human behaviour which they believe to be essential in understanding the range of activities that they call buying (Rau and Samiee, 1981, p. 307). Our current powerful analytical techniques may allow us to test these holistic early models, but should we do so? Should we impose 35 years of empirical research on these foundational conceptual models and expect empirical validity, when their stated purpose was a conceptual description? Lye et al (2005) asked what they call the fundamental question of whether the existing decision models reflect the reality of current decision making. They answered both in the affirmative and in the negative citing that, in the affirmative, decision models have been found to reflect decision-making within the context of a single decision that is under examination within the empirical research. In the negative they cited lack of generalization across decision contexts. The psychology world of the decision maker is seen to be influenced by a set of expectations that are in turn a function of the background of dependent on product and company specific factors as well as on the process of joint decision making. Howard and Sheth also called attention to the critical factors in organizational buying. Consumer Decision theory Consumer decision theory has been developed simultaneously in the psychology, organizational behaviour and marketing disciplines, with each trying to understand the decision-making of individuals, albeit for different purposes and from different perspectives Lye et al (2005). There are three main sets of groupings of consumer decision theory; they are; (1) Normative decision theory (von Neumann and Morgenstern, 1947; Savage, 1954). The normative decision theory gives a prescription of how the person making the decision should behave to obtain maximum utility (Edwards, 1954; Simon, 1955; Fischhoff et al., 1983; Beach, 1998). The expected utility theory (von Neumann and Morgenstern, 1947) and subjective expected utility theory (Savage, 1954) are examples of the normative decision theory. Fischer et al., (2000) asserts that the normative decision theory permits decision makers to be uncertain about the occurrence of events in the external environment, but assume that decision makers know their own preferences with certainty. (2) Simon (1955) has challenged the normative decision theory. He argued that the decision maker has only bounded rationality (March, 1978) and is seeking to satisfice, not maximize. Based on that, the behavioural decision theory has been formed (Payne et al., 1988, 1993). Payne et al in both of researches has found that consumers are adaptive decision makers and their preferences are highly dependent on person-, context-, and task-specific factors (Tversky, 1969; Lichtenstein and Slovic, 1971; Simonson, 1989; Slovic, 1995; Luce et al., 1997; Luce, 1998; Swait and Adamowicz, 2001). This constructive view of decision-making differentiates between behavioural and normative decision theory (Payne et al., 1992). In reality, not all decision makers have well-established preferences. Hence researchers argued that consumer preference uncertainty leads to contingent use of decision strategies (Payne, 1976, 1982; Christensen-Szalanski, 1978; Payne et al., 1995) and contingent weighting of att ribute importance (Tversky et al., 1988; Fischer et al., 2000) by consumers. Behavioural decision research has identified many decision strategies. Satisficing (Simon, 1955) is arguably the most well known behavioural strategy. (3) The third theory is the naturalistic decision theory (Klein et al., 1993). This has evolved out of the principle that decision behaviour should be observed in its natural settings and decision models be developed from the observed real-life decision behaviour (Beach, 1998). Naturalistic decision theory approaches decision making from both a process and outcome perspective Lye et al (2005). Lye et al (2005) posits that, the naturalistic theory begins with a situation assessment and offers multiple paths to a purchase decision depending on the consumers assessment of that decision situation. Each decision theory category has developed in response to a need to understand the consumer decision process within the black box, with many different decision strategies providing insight into how consumers make decisions Lye et al (2005). Consumer Decision Strategies Consumers in making purchase decisions go through processes which will eventually will them to the choice of a decision alternative (Svenson, 1979, Lye et al., 2005). The strategies that consumers go through can be categorized by using two factors which are the compensatory versus non-compensatory comparisons; and alternative-based versus attribute-based (Bettman et al., 1998) comparisons. Lye et al., (2005) have tabulated the comparative summary of normative and behavioural decision theories which I present in table I below. Table I: Classification of decision strategies Compensatory Non-compensatory Alternative Additive models Equal weighting models Weighted adding Conjunctive Equal weight Satisficing Disjunctive Attribute Additive difference models Differential weighting models Majority of confirming dimensions Lexographic Elimination by aspects Lye et al., 2005 All normative decision strategies fall within the additive group, reflecting a process of analyzing each option in detail. Compensatory strategies require consumers to make a trade-off between differing values on multiple attributes (Stevenson and Naylor, 1990). Compensatory strategies require extensive information processing because substantial detail is gathered to analyze the trade-offs Lye et al (2005). Non-compensatory strategies do not involve trade-off rather, they focus on whether or not an attribute meets a predetermined cut-off level (Stevenson and Naylor, 1990). Alternative-based processing refers to a consumer selecting a product/brand and examining all of its attributes before considering the next product (or alternative) Lye et al (2005). The consumer as an adaptive decision maker and does not have a master list of preferences, creating challenges when they choose in an unfamiliar environment Lye et al., (2005). Payne et al. (1993), proposing an accuracy-effort framework, found that consumers are adaptive decision makers. No single strategy is the more efficient across all decision environments (Payne et al., 1995), and therefore consumers constantly adjust their behaviour and their decision strategy in a way that represents reasonable accuracy-effort trade-offs (March, 1978; Payne et al., 1990). Bettman et al. (1998) have proposed an extension of the accuracy-effort framework. They made a case that, in addition to maximizing decision accuracy and minimizing cognitive effort, consumers would also want to minimize negative emotion and maximize ease of justification for the purchase made; i.e. a combination of four meta-goals contributes to consumers contingent decision behaviour. Empirical research has revealed that consumers use a decision strategy based on task complexity (Payne, 1976; Olshavsky, 1979), cognitions (Pennington and Hastie, 1986, 1988; Shanteau, 1988; Hammond, 1990) and feelings or emotion (Garbarino and Edell, 1997; Luce et al., 1997). Research reveals the consumer may be an adaptive decision maker, utilizing different strategies in purchase decisions Lye et al., (2005). Buyer Behaviour Rational buyer behavior is based on the decision process, which involves the set of rules that the buyer employs to match his motives and his means of satisfying those motives (Howard and Sheth, 1969). Different studies have shown that consumers showing differences in their characteristics have different needs and wants, so the variation becomes observable in the decisions they take during buying a product (Zeithaml, 198; Zeithaml, 1988; Stanton et al., 1994). In view of that, a number of buyer behaviour models have been developed and discussed in the literature. I will therefore at this point give the state of affairs in the marketing and economics literature concerning behaviour models. Buyer behaviour models The buyer behaviour models on the present days literature are extensive and divergent in their methodology and usefulness. Nicosia (1968) and Engel et al. (1978) are among the very ones that are mostly used by researchers and in an attempt to arrive at a more purposeful model, there has been modification and improvement since they were introduced. The foundations of current consumer decision theory were laid in the 1960s with the Nicosia (1968), Engel et al. (1968) and Howard and Sheth (1969) integrated models of consumer decision making. Despite increasing purchase complexity, two of these models have been remarkably resilient and have remained as the basis for current marketing texts and marketing education (for examples, see Kotler et al., 2004; Sheth and Krishnan, 2005). The Nicosia model (1968) has its focus on the processes that proceeds purchases and followed by the act; and not necessarily on the act of purchasing itself, `The act of purchasing is only one component of a complex ongoing process; a process of many interactions amongst many variables Vignali et al, (2001). Vignali et al, (2001) asserts that, the firms attributes lead to a message being sent out to the consumer, who in turn translates the message based on their own attributes and needs. The Nicosia (1968) model assumes that no prior consumer knowledge or experience with the product exists. Researchers such as Loudon, 1988; Chisnall, 1992; and Solomon, 1994 believe that, the search and evaluation processes considered in this model are over-rational Vignali et al, (2001). They alluded to high-cost products as opposed to low-cost products. Therefore, the use of this model to study food buyer behaviour is limited. Howard and Sheth (1968) also developed a model which was more or less a black box model. This model ended up categorizing three variables which determine and influence an individuals buying decision. These categories are; institutional environmental characteristics; societal environmental characteristics; personal characteristics. This model involves information processing, perception and purchasing processes which are a result of motives Vignali et al, (2001). The next commonly used model is the Engel, Kollat Blackwell model (1978) which originated in 1968. This model in 1973 went through some development and was further revised in 1978. The model portrays a series of ongoing processes where products are sought and evaluated in terms of the competitive environment Vignali et al 2001. The model asserts that future purchases are influenced by prior experience of manufacturers or competitive influences Vignali et al (2001). General motivating influences, such as personality or life-style, are also included Vignali et al (2001). Sternthal and Craig, (1982) criticized the model as being too simplistic and too mechanical which therefore does not recognized the complexities and the changing nature of human behaviour. Purchase Situation of the Buyer The purchasing situation is a significant aspect and determinant of buyer behaviour (Robinson et al., 1967). In general, Purchasing Situation models describe the product, market and buyer characteristics that are present for a specific purchase Sproule and Archer (2000). Sproule and Archer (2000) asserted that, as a starting point for the agent development framework of the purchasing situation is used to indicate domains where agents are most applicable. Marketing research has explored how both frequency of purchase and perceived risk affect the search and choice behaviours of the buyer Sproule and Archer (2000). I will at this point discuss how purchase choice is made and the activities involved in different purchase situations. Search behaviour Klein, (1998) posits that the buyer searches for information and can be characterized by its extent (the number of sources used, depth and breadth), its duration, and the types of sources consulted (retail, media, neutral, interpersonal). Economic principles argue that buyers will search for information until the marginal cost of further search exceeds the marginal benefits Sproule and Archer (2000). By reducing search costs, Sproule and Archer (2000) reason that, the Internet is an instrument that increases the extent of search activities over all types of purchasing situations. The Internet is a powerful tool that has the capacity to give buyers numerous ways to share needs and experience with products and service. Marketing research has explored how buyers use various types of information sources and how buyers allocate search effort among sources. However, marketing research does not yet understand how buyers will value these new sources or how the new mix of sources will be used (Klein, 1998; Hauser et al., 1993). Sproule and Archer (2000) describe the search behaviour of the buyer as regards familiar and unfamiliar products in the following word; a buyer who is unfamiliar with a product needs concept-forming information, to learn about the relevant attributes of the product category and determine the appropriate choice criteria. Once the choice criteria are formed, the buyer collects brand-specific information to compare the important attributes to these criteria. Through this process, the original set of alternatives is limited to a manageable set of potential brands. A buyer familiar with a product category, but buying infrequently, will continue to use previously developed choice criteria, but needs new information about relevant brand attributes. In the case of frequent purchases, the information of the buyer needs is reduced to a small set of situational attributes, such as price or availability, to compare between acceptable brands (Kaas, 1982). Thus, the information requirements change from unstructured to structure as the buyer accumulates knowledge about the product category Sproule and Archer (2000). The information required in the purchase situation of unfamiliar products is expected to be longer in an attempt to reduce the risk. This sometimes can be very long to the extent of deferring purchase (Taylor, 1974). Storage, memory aids, and the continued timeliness of the information will be important considerations in these situations Figure 1:Information requirements and frequency of purchasing Brand Information (Semi-Structure) Situational Information (structured) Concept-Forming Information (Unstructured) New Product Purchase Frequent Purchase Source:Kaase, 1982 Marketing research tells us that acquiring and processing additional information is also a common strategy that buyers use to reduce perceived risk (Cox, 1967; Taylor, 1974; Webster and Wind, 1972). In a high-risk situation, the buyer wants in-depth information about potential outcomes and consequences so that the uncertainty associated with these factors can be reduced Sproule and Archer (2000). In contrast, low-risk situations are characterized by shallow search behaviour Sproule and Archer (2000). The credibility of a source is related to both its expertise and its trustworthiness (Levitt, 1967; Webster and Wind, 1972). Search support Sproule and Archer (2000) in their agent search buying behaviour asserted that, agent development must recognize that individual buyers have varying levels of familiarity with a product category and different perceptions of the risks involved in a purchase. Frequent buyers of a product have structured situational information requirements Sproule and Archer (2000). In a simple shopping situation, the buyer search a limited set of brands and shops and return comparative information on a limited set of situational attributes. For this reason, Bokos (1998) posits that the seller (in this study the retailer) must ensure that that the information infrastructure allows for both price and product differentiation buyers experience and risk profile, allowing the buyer to select or rank the types of sources would be a useful feature Sproule and Archer (2000). Buyer-Choice Behaviour Once the relevant information has been retrieved, the buyers choice task consists of a set of alternatives, each described by a series of attributes Sproule and Archer (2000). There are varying attributes in this case; they include among other things such as desirability, consequences and the consumers willingness to trade off one attribute for another. Uncertainty is introduced when the consumer does not have all information about some attributes (Bettman et al., 1998). Rational choice theory assumes that the buyer determines the expected utility of each alternative and chooses the alternative that maximizes this function by using techniques such as those described in multi-attribute decision theory Sproule and Archer (2000). The information processing method acknowledges that, the cognitive restrictions of human decision-makers and describes commonly observed, less rational, choice behaviour such as constraint-based elimination Sproule and Archer (2000). Theories of constructive choice assume that consumers do not always have known preferences, but rather construct them when required in the choice process (Bettman et al., 1998). In a repetitive purchasing situation, there is little uncertainty Sproule and Archer (2000). Buyers know the attributes that are important, and have limited the alternatives to those products with the necessary values in these attributes. Buyers often use a staged approach where a constraint-based approach is used initially to limit the number of alternatives. A strategy employing more extensive information processing can then be applied to this limited set of alternatives (Bettman et al., 1998). When there is risk involving serious potential consequences or difficult trade-offs, buyers choose one of two coping mechanisms. In problem-focused coping, a strategy that involves more extensive information processing is chosen. In emotion-focused coping, a strategy that avoids trade-offs is chosen (Bettman et al., 1998). Buying Behaviour and Purchase Framework From the review of the above literature, it is very clear that the buyer goes through processes before arriving at the purchase point (situation). This therefore gives a cause for the development of a framework for the study of buying behaviour as a purchase determinant. My focus for the framework will be on how the buyers gather information from the need recognition point to the how the purchase is made. I will further assess with the framework the post purchase behaviour to analyze the possibility of repeat purchase.

Everlast Song Argument What Its Like - 1562 Words

Sydney Sanders English 305 Professor Michael Harrold 1 February 2011 Song Argument Essay â€Å"What it’s Like† by Everlast is a song that tells not one but three different stories. It touches on homelessness, abortion and drug violence. Three very relevant topics, despite its 1998 release date. The song cautions those who are quick to judge and reminds us all, to take second look. The song also argues that the listener may one day find themselves in a similar situation and they may one day be the homeless person, the girl walking into the clinic or the family member of a drug dealer. Everlast does something very effective when making any argument; he puts a face to the issue he is discussing. The argument in this song is maybe not as†¦show more content†¦I believe this makes the songs argument much stronger, and much more human which is extraordinarily important when one is arguing about human issues. Everlast is not a band with several members; it’s actually the solo project of Erik Schrody who was a former member of an Irish Hip-Hop group called House of Pain. The group ended in 1996. What It’s Like was Schrody’s first single after his exit from the group and became his most well-known. The song was released as a single first and then later on an album titled â€Å"Whitey Ford Sings the Blues†. The song was released after Schrody quit drinking and found religion. A listener knowing this might realize why he was so reflective and cautioning those who felt they could never be â€Å"one of those people†. He knew exactly how the characters he created felt. The style of the song is very crucial in how it comes across to the listener. It is a simple song with a mellow sound and a focus on the lyrics. The song consists of Everlast’s deep, dark voice and use of often graphic words. This song is consistent with the artist’s usual style and combines elements of hip-hop and blues. The sound of the acoustic guitar and the steady beat of the drum highlight the story being told instead of drowning it out, like many songs do. The edgy style of the song lends itself to the message being sent. Great songs are ones that are never outdated, they are songs that generations later, remain relevant and worth

Human Resource In Global Economy †Free Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Human Resource Management In Global Economy. Answer: Introduction As organizations seek to improve their market share and presence, globalization has become an important consideration for organizations. Organizations have shifted their focus on capturing new markets in order to improve their profit ratios as well as gain competitive advantages in the modern corporate world that has been faced with high rates of competition. However as organizations diversify their operations and venture into new markets to gain a competitive advantage they still continue to face a number of challenges with the management of human resources within the global context .Majorly these challenges are related to management of human resources in the global context and organizational culture. Global human resource management refers to all sets of activities directed at managing human resources at the international level. The purpose of this report will be to analyze the various issues experienced by No Name Aircraft as explored in the case study. The report will first explo re the International management issues faced by the Aircraft, issues with training and performance management and finally provide conclusion on major issues and strategies and recommendations that can be used by the company. International management issues No name faces a number of international management issues such as customer-related issues, staffing issues, customer related issues and cross-cultural operation issues Cross-cultural operation issues Cross-cultural management refers to the study of behavior of people located in different cultures and countries around the world. As organizations become global the more they are faced with cross-cultural issues. It is important for organization operating in the global context to put in place measures to facilitate understanding, peaceful coexistence and collaborations among diverse employees at the workplace (Holden,2012). No name is facing a serious with regard to collaborations between and communication teams and the management .The main issue that is facing the organization is an unhealthy culture that is more focused more on individualism rather than teamwork as part of this communication has been majorly affected. No name has its headquarters in Australia and subsidiaries in three other countries including china, Vietnam and Singapore. These are countries possessing different cultures which need to be considered by the management. As part of globalization interaction of people from different cultures cannot be avoided. These Interactions can lead to conflict and cooperation at times. Communication challenges in global organization are not only because of language barriers but also because of different cultures among these people. The organization is faced with a major communication challenge that has affected communication that has affected communication not only at the headquarters but also between the headquarters and the subsidiaries (Barry, Dion Johnson,2008). Lack of integration among teams has made it relatively hard to function effectively within the organization. Lack of strategies to facilitate understanding between cultures has led to a disconnect both in communication and operations between the headquarters and subsidiaries. The low profitability of the company has been partly because of this Negative culture that has failed to promote cross-cultural operations in the organization. Customer related issues Customers are an important part of any organization, to some extent the success of an organization is dependent on the relationships that exists between the organization and its customers. Examples of customer issues include unsatisfactory services, unfulfilled promises, poor quality of goods and services, rude employees, being subjected to extra charges. Being given conflicting information among others (Knox van, 2014).These are serious issue which can cost an organization greatly because of its inability to attract and retain customers. No name is facing a serious issue from its customers related to the quality of products .The numbers of complaints from its customer who include both governments and non-governments have continued to increase. For an organization like No name which has established an international reputation customer complaints can significantly hurt its operations. Although complaints are natural in business operations but what matters is the extent and how organi zation react to them. Consumer complaints are used by organizations to establish their problems and be able to come up with strategies to enable retention of customers. It has been found out that customer who complain have a higher level of repurchase intention than those who do not complain. The organization is faced with a challenges of dealing with customer complaints emanating from poor quality of its goods for it to maintain global standards and reputation (Taleghani,et al,2011). Staffing issues Staffing refers to the process the management function that is concerned with the acquisition, training and development, appraisal and employee compensation. It facilitates having the right people in the right jobs and smooth operation of an organization. Due to the important nature of staffing as a management function, managers at all levels are required to continuously be engaged in the staffing function through recruitment, selection, training, appraisal and development of subordinates. No name is faced with a number of staffing issues. First the organization has a discriminative recruitment process whereby qualified people with disabilities are not considered for position within the organization. This is a serious issue that can lead the organization to legal disputes (Shen, 2009).Three is also a serious issue with the companys training and development. The level of performance in the organization indicates that there is a serious need for training and development however; there are no serious strategies to facilitate training and development. Employee training needs have not been met and there has been no attempt to understand each individual employees training needs. Training for expatriates is only undertaken for half a day which is hardly enough to facilitate effective functioning of employees in the new environment. Additionally there has been no attempt to understand each individual employees training needs with the assumption being that all employees have similar training needs. There has been an issue in that senior managers have not taken it upon themselves to develop junior employees to take up senior roles for fear of being sidelined for promotions. This is a serious issue that can hurt the organizations future success. Employee training and development can lead to increased job motivation and satisfaction among the employees, reduce employee turnover and increase organizational efficiency which generally contribute to financial success of an org anization (Korte, 2007).Lack of employee training and development has caused so much uncertainty among employees regarding their future career prospects and has resulted to poaching of some reliable employees from the company by other companies. Employee Intolerance issues Employee diversity means the act of possessing different attributes by employees at the work. Apart from cultural diversity teams within organization may possess other diverse attributes with regard to their age as well as their position within the organization (Dollard Bakker, 2010). There is a very high rate of intolerance among employees from different generations within the organization. Although there is a policy at the organization that requires employees to respect each other, the organization is particularly at its headquarters faced with the issue of intolerance towards working with employees from different generations in the organization. The most affected have been the apprentices whose relationships with senior staff have been strained. There has also been intolerance towards working with people with disabilities with their applications being ignored by the management. Every employee in an organization is important irrespective of the position that they occupy in the org anization. Employee intolerance hinders cooperation at the workplace which is quite important towards employee productivity. Lack of tolerance can also have an impact on organizational reputation and competitiveness (Markos Sridevi, 2010). Issue with performance and training management No name is facing a serious issue related to employee training and development .There is a general lack of emphasis on employee training and development. Performance Management Issue There are a number of issue that have led to the performance management challenges that are a facing the organization. Among the factors that have been attributed to improved performance in organizations are cultures, effective communication, an environment that encourages teamwork, employee feedback and programs that promote employee growth. However in order to manage organizational performance organizations need to have strategies in place that are aimed at improving the performance of employees. Performance appraisal is of the strategies that can be used to manage performance in an organization. Performance appraisal refers to the evaluation of employees performance in order to understand their individual abilities, identify areas of improvement and ascertain their training needs (Luthans, et al,2008) The organization has an inconsistent approach towards employee performance reviews where the organization subsidiaries have no performance reviews for their employees. While the orga nization is supposed to act as a unit that has employees doing similar roles in different countries, it is supposed to have similar strategies for employee performance management so that any expatriates find it easy adapting to new working environments. Lack performance reviews have also denied the abilities to understand the abilities of their employees in order to effectively meet their training and development needs. There has also been a disconnect as a result of poor decision making from the headquarters regarding performance management. As a result of having all decision making authority concentrated at the headquarters and having subsidiaries to rely on decisions made at the Australian headquarters has caused a lot of confusion in terms of performance outcomes. Performance management issues have also been caused by the organization's lack of policies to promote management within its Australian Branch as well as other subsidiaries as well as the lack of clear performance measures across the organization. Lack of cultural consideration when making a decision for the subsidiaries has also been a cause of the performance management issue facing the organization (Lin Lee, 2011). The cause of this has been a lack of effort towards achievement of similar objectives across the organization. Training and development There are a number of strategies that organizations can use to meet employees training and development needs. Performance management Employees form an integral part of organizations. Performance management is an integral part of organizational success, failure to recognize the important role played by employees in an organization can cause serious problems to an organization. It is the process through which a work environment or setting that enables optimal performance of employees is created According to ( Arguins , 2009) the main focus of human resource management in organizations is to optimally utilize an organizations human resources for the achievement of organizational targets. Performance management is meant to achieve this objective through maintaining, developing and motivating employees. An organization that focuses on performance management can attain a competitive advantage over its competitors. By adopting performance management as a strategy for fostering employee training and development the organization can be able to have an adequately motivated workforce attain better results, survive grow and e xcel in performance. The organization can focus on performance management to facilitate a meeting of both employee and organizational goals efficiently. This, in this case, can be achieved through focusing on employees performance. By creating an enabling environment the organization can be able to promote training and development of its employees (Jaksic Jaksic,2013). Mentorship Mentorship also plays an important role in improving the competencies of employees as it facilitates employees to become more competent in their jobs through skill advancement. According to (Hester Setzer, 2013).Mentorship facilitates a transfer of knowledge and experience from the very experienced in the organization to the least experienced in the organization. Mentorship facilitates demonstration performance of tasks, enables guidance through problem-solving or positive criticism of employees work. Mentorship may facilitate more engagement at work, facilitate career growth and enable network building within an employees profession (Mundia, 2014).The organization should adapt mentorship programs at the workplace to facilitate training and development of its employees. Conclusion and Recommendation Conclusion In conclusion, No Name is facing major challenges that have a likely impact on its operations. The organization is faced with issues such as unhealthy organization culture, lack of performance strategies, high levels of intolerance and lack of inclusivity the workplace. It is also faced with the challenge of quality maintenance, lack of employee training and development programs, especially at the subsidiaries. The organization can adopt mentorship programs, training and development strategies to solve the current issues affecting it. Recommendations Frequent performance reviews The organization should put in place strategies to facilitate regular performance reviews for its employees in both its headquarters and subsidiaries. The performance review programs should be similar. Performance reviews will ensure that the employees are able to check the progress of their performance besides facilitating identification of employee training needs. Promote diversity The management should also encourage diversity at the workplace. The can do this by setting an example by giving an equal chance to all people especially during the recruitment process. One of the issues identified is that the managements failure to consider applications for people with disabilities, by adopting a non-discriminative approach towards employment, the management can demonstrate the need for valuing diversity and establish an environment where diverse people can thrive. Holding regular meetings for all employees As identified in the case study there is a serious challenge of various groups of employees getting along well, additionally, employees to do not effectively understand each other. By coming up with programs where employees interact on frequent meetings where employees meet to interact and exchange ideas can create the much-needed cohesion at the work and promote more understanding between the diverse teams t the workplace References Hester, J. P., Setzer, R. (2013). Mentoring: Adding Value to Organizational Culture. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 6(1), 4. Barry, J. M., Dion, P., Johnson, W. (2008). A cross-cultural examination of relationship strength in B2B services. Journal of Services Marketing, 22(2), 114-135. Holden, N. (2012). Cross-cultural management: A knowledge management perspective. Pearson education. Taleghani, M., Largani, M. S., Gilaninia, S., Mousavian, S. J. (2011). The role of customer complaints management in consumers satisfaction for new industrial enterprises of Iran. International Journal of Business Administration, 2(3), 140. Knox, G., van Oest, R. (2014). Customer complaints and recovery effectiveness: A customer base approach. Journal of Marketing, 78(5), 42-57. Markos, S., Sridevi, M. S. (2010). Employee engagement: The key to improving performance. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(12), 89-96. Dollard, M. F., Bakker, A. B. (2010). Psychosocial safety climate as a precursor to conducive work environments, psychological health problems, and employee engagement. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 83(3), 579-599. Shen, J., Chanda, A., D'netto, B., Monga, M. (2009). Managing diversity through human resource management: An international perspective and conceptual framework. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20(2), 235-251. Korte, R. F. (2007). A review of social identity theory with implications for training and development. Journal of European Industrial Training, 31(3), 166-180. Lin, J. S., Lee, P. Y. (2011). Performance management in public organizations: A complexity perspective. International public management review, 12(2), 81-96. Luthans, F., Norman, S. M., Avolio, B. J., Avey, J. B. (2008). The mediating role of psychological capital in the supportive organizational climateemployee performance relationship. Journal of organizational behavior, 29(2), 219-238. Aguinis, H. (2009). Performance management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Jaksic, M., Jaksic, M. (2013). Performance management and employee satisfaction. Montenegrin journal of economics, 9(1), 85. Mundia, C. N. (2014). Role of Mentoring Programs on the Employee Performance in Organisations: A Survey of Public Universities in Nyeri County, Kenya. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 4(8), 393