EXPLORING CONSUMER PERCEPTION ABOUT PREMIUM WATCHES IN INDIAN CONTEXT Essay

He had formulated several aspects of marketing mix strategies in the past to face diverse kinds of challenges. For Chakravarti, any challenge in the watch industry, especially in an emerging market such as India, was something he looked forward to, as it gave him immense satisfaction when he was able to find some insights. Xylys was a premium watch brand launched by Titan a few years ago; the brand was aimed at creating a unique perception among consumers. The challenge was to create and shape a perception unique to the brand, since premium watches in India were associated with the Swiss brands Omega and Rolex, or Tag Heuer and other similar brands, which were more contemporary in nature. There were several interesting possibilities for Chakravarti to consider. Would a conventional-positioning approach be sufficient? Was it necessary to obtain some insights regarding the application of the uniqueness aspect to the self-perception of consumers? How were such aspects of uniqueness related to other established brands? How important was the â€Å"Swiss-made† label? Did the buyers and prospective buyers of premium watches hold any specific stereotypical images of such watches? The case delved into several aspects of the perceptual fields associated with consumer behavior with the objective of finding the most appropriate approach to further the prospects of the Xylys brand. No tC The liberalization of markets, the rising disposable income, exposure to western lifestyles, and the need for the new generation to establish an identity for itself were some of the reasons for the growth of the luxury watch category in India. Consumers were buying not only durable categories that were useful to them and satisfied functional aspects, but also categories and brands that reflected their personality. India had 28 states and seven union territories with a population of 77.42 million urban households. The income levels were categorized as follows: 62.7 million households earned up to INR 1,50,000 (Indian Rupees) per annum (1 USD was equivalent to about 45 INR), 11.6 million households earned between INR 1,50,000 to INR 3,00,000 per annum, and 3.1 million households earned 1 more than INR 3,00,000 per annum. With respect to the spending of households on top 10 necessities across all 2  classes of consumers, watches figured at the eighth position, on an average. The latest McKinsey report on India’s consumer market pegged spending on personal products and service necessities (watches were included as the eighth most required item, as described above) at 8% share-of-wallet (SOW) in 2005; this was expected to climb up to 9% 3 SOW by 2015, and to 11% SOW by 2020. THE WATCH INDUSTRY IN 2011 Global 1 â€Å"The Marketing White Book 2010–11: One Stop Guide for Marketers,† BusinessWorld, New Delhi, 2010, pp. 52–54. Ibid., p. 63. 3 â€Å"The ‘bird of gold’: The rise of India’s consumer market,† McKinsey Global Institute, May 2007, http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/publications/india_consumer_market/images/India_Interactive1.swf, accessed on April 11, 2011. Do 2 S. Ramesh Kumar and Kasturi Baral prepared this case for class discussion. This case is not intended to serve as an endorsement, source of primary data, or to show effective or inefficient handling of decision or business processes. Copyright  © 2011 by the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. No part of the publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (including internet) – without the permission of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Page 2 of 15 rP os t A significant decline in the global production of watches was witnessed in 2005–2009, with the volumes in 2009 at a fifth of the expected numbers. 4 This was attributed to the plummeting demand in the recession-hit markets of the United States, Japan, and Europe, among others. The premium segment suffered the worst, with the exports of Swiss watches dropping by 22% in 2009, despite having risen to an unprecedented high the previous year. 5 However, what was inexplicable was that while the rest of the world found  even regular watches unaffordable, the developing markets of China and India were experiencing growth in consumer demand for luxury and premium watch products. India In five years, the Indian watch market had grown at an average rate of 8% per annum. 6 The recession during 2008– 2009 hindered the sector’s growth, with a drop in the sales of luxury and premium watches, which was compensated by the growth of volume in the economy segment. 7 Thus, despite the global trends, the value and volume figures for 2009 stood at 40.6 billion units and INR 54.6 billion, with a growth of 8.5 and 15.4% in volume and value, respectively. 8 op yo In terms of category sales, the highest share, as per value, involved watches priced between INR 500 and 3,000. The premium segment—retailed between INR 4,000 and 15,000—had been growing at an exponential rate of 20% annually. 9 Low per capita consumption on the one hand and the growing demand for luxury watches on the other constituted the factors that forecast the compounded annual growth rates of 7.3% and 13.7% in volume and value, respectively, for the period 2009–2014. 10 INDIAN WATCH INDUSTRY Historical Perspective tC The Indian watch industry had its origins in the 1960s, with HMT’s Janata being launched in 1962. Before HMT, watches were sourced exclusively from imports, and could be afforded by only a small number of consumers. HMT was the first major watch manufacturer in India, and the sole indigenous player,  until Titan Industries Limited—a Tata and TIDCO joint venture—was formed in 1984, and started retailing watches in 1987. Titan, with its focus on satisfying the customer’s unspoken needs, gradually wrested market power and shares from HMT and became the undisputed leader in the wristwatch segment over the last three decades. The only other major Indian player was P. A. Time, with its brand Maxima, which managed to survive despite fierce competition. Other indigenous brands such as Allwyn, Shivaki, and SITCO failed to keep up with Titan and languished, with marginal to negligible market shares. No In 1992, liberalization opened up the Indian market to foreign players, and Timex was the first on the scene. It was soon followed by Casio, Rolex, Citizen, Tissot, Omega, Rado, and TAG Heuer (the new export–import (EXIM) policy introduced in 1999 relaxed the hitherto stiff upper bar on imports of luxury wristwatch brands). After the foreign direct regulations were changed by the government to allow up to 51% of foreign direct investment in single-brand retail operations, global brands set up subsidiaries in India with apparel brands such as Esprit, Tommy Hilfiger, Benetton, and Levi’s, also launching brands of their own. Growth of Industry Do The Indian watch industry began in the 1960s with the public sector enterprise HMT, which was the government’s initiative to start the indigenous manufacture of watches. The import industry brought in the more fashionable watches, but the basic need for timekeeping was satisfied by the sturdy and reliable mechanical wristwatch models 4 â€Å"Watches in India,† Country report, http://www.euromonitor.com/watches-in-india/report, accessed on July 22, 2011. Ibid. 6 Ibid. 7 Ibid. 8 Ibid. 9 Ibid. 10 Ibid. 5 This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Page 3 of 15 rP os t manufactured by HMT. In the absence of other brands, HMT could afford to retain goodwill despite offering limited styling and choices to its customers. A few decades earlier (when HMT held a monopoly in the category), a watch was a product that anyone who had taken up a job aspired for. Traditionally, the penetration levels were quite low during this time; the notion of a â€Å"watch for the masses† was diffused in the psyche of consumers only after the late eighties, when the country witnessed major lifestyle changes. The nineties enhanced this perception as many brands entered the  market following the liberalization of governmental policies. The Tata group introduced the quartz watch in the 1980s under the Titan brand, and differentiated themselves on the basis of accuracy, style, choice, presentation, and vigorous push-marketing. 11 Timex, in collaboration with Titan, launched its range in India in the nineties, with a mutual understanding that the former would keep to the low-price plastic segment, while the latter would manage the high-price metal segment. Timex positioned itself with the tagline â€Å"You don’t have to be rich to afford a Timex,† and was well accepted by the market. After a few years, Timex became an independent brand and set up its own distribution channels, and emerged as a brand associated with the sports and casual wear segment. op yo Early in the twentieth century, many multinational players entered the market, which was made possible by the EXIM policies that raised the bar on the import of luxury watches in India. AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPETITION The single largest player was Titan, with a brand share of 20.6% in 2009. 12 The next player worth mentioning was Swatch, with a relatively small share of 5.9%. 13 Timex was a relatively strong multinational brand in the market. Rolex, PA Time, Citizen, and Casio had small significant shares, and HMT was also present in the Indian market. Despite the presence of many brands, the market was still primarily controlled by the unorganized sector (to the tune of 65%) even in 2009. The present competition arose from the increasing foray of multinational players into the lucrative luxury segment; however, the real challenge was to tackle the spurious imports being sold by the unorganized sector. tC Watches transformed from time keeping instruments to fashion accessories during the eighties and nineties owing to significant lifestyle changes; this was reflected in some of Titan’s advertisements. Watches as fashion accessories were in competition with a variety of other products such as apparel and fashion handbags; hence, watches had to have a clearly differentiated element of perceived utility apart from fashion. 14 SEGMENTATION OF THE WATCH MARKET The watch industry could be segmented according to various criteria: technology, benefit, and price. No Watches could be classified into three kinds based on technology: mechanical, quartz analog, and quartz digital. The first went out of vogue since the bulky mechanical format did not allow for elegant design; it dropped in volume shares from 7.2% in 2004 to 4.6% in 2009. The second kind was the largest in both value and volume, and was expected to remain the market driver for growth in 2009–2014. Digital watches suffered from the consumer perception of being low cost and lacking in style, and hence, the market for them had not yet picked up. The sales figures by value for these sub-sectors for 2009 were INR 3,000, 46,000, and 6,000 million, respectively. The major market players in these three sectors were HMT, Titan, and Casio, respectively. Do The second basis of classification was benefit, and the market could be divided based on use, namely, casual, formal, and sports. Many of the brands offered some options in all three segments, but most catered only to the first two segments; the sports segment remained a largely untapped segment. Nearly 35% of all watches retailed were casual, 60% were formal, and a mere 5% belonged to the sports segment. 11 â€Å"The Titan Story,† http://www.titanworld.com/titan_stories, accessed on November 29, 2010. â€Å"Watches in India,† Country report, http://www.euromonitor.com/watches-in-india/report, accessed on July 22, 2011. 13 Ibid. 14 Ibid. 12 This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Page 4 of 15 rP os t The watch market could be classified into economy, standard, premium, and luxury segments. 15 The mass market (i.e., the economy segment) accounted for nearly 67% of volume and 50% of value shares, and was catered to almost entirely by the unorganized sector. Popular (standard), with prices ranging from INR 500 to 1,200, was the lowest range offered by the organized sector (Titan and Timex, primarily). The premium segment consisted of watches in the INR 1,500–5,000 range, offered by almost all the indigenous and multinational brands. The demand from the middle and upper income groups promised to be the growth driver for this segment in 2009–2014. op yo A better explanation in terms of consumer behavior was the third basis of segmentation as defined by Yankelovich (1964). 16 He presented a scheme for the non-demographic segmentation of various product categories, including watches. Segmentation by value was considered to be particularly apt for this market. Thus, the authors arrived at three distinct segments, each offering the customer a different benefit and value than the others. As was stated earlier, the watch had always been a product that appealed to people, but the nature of the appeal and the associations related to watches changed with the changing environment. A watch or a specific brand in particular became a symbol of several associations that were in tune with the changing environment. These associations were generally glamour, fashion, sports, and fun, and the intensity of these associations became pronounced depending on the respective segment toward which a brand was positioned. Lifecycle stages also mattered—a school student would celebrate his/her first watch with neighbors and friends, a college student would garner attention among his/her friends with a recently bought watch, and an young executive who had been successful in his job might reward himself with a premium watch after a few years of hard work, and also â€Å"announce his arrival into a world of success† to the outside world. †¢ †¢ Value for money: Low/regular-priced watches that were accurate and sturdy. Owners tended to replace these when they failed.  Premium watches: High-priced watches, with assured longevity, excellent workmanship, and good styling. Owners were ready to pay a premium for the benefits that accompanied these brands. Special watches: Extra benefits such as fine styling, brand name, and accessories (such as gold casings) were desired by potential customers. The watch, apart from being a fashion accessory, was part of a ritual gifting ceremony, and needed to encapsulate the emotional benefits required to succeed. No †¢ tC Symbolic and lifestyle categories that were created in the last 20 years or so included apparel, watches, mobile phones, portable music players such as iPods, cars, televisions, two-wheelers, and spectacles, to name a few socially conspicuous product categories; brands made use of such psychological needs of consumers to position themselves, with one category often competing with another. For example, a typical middle class household in India that had bought a TV (it is a well-observed fact that a TV is generally high on the purchase agenda of a middle class family) on installment basis (the installment plan allows a consumer to pay for the purchased product over a period of time through monthly payments to the seller/retailer) might postpone buying a new watch for a student in the family who was entering college, owing to financial pressures. Such instances would be rare in a developed market, especially with regard to the purchase of a watch. It was interesting to note that the lower end offerings (relatively lower end to be precise, when compared to the price of luxury watch brands) from brands such as Titan also used glamour, romance, and celebrity orientation for the positioning strategies of several of its brands (such as Titan, Fastrack, Sonata, and Ragaa). Titan was a leader in the organized quartz analog watch segment, and millions of pieces had been sold over the years. It was interesting to note that regardless of the price range or the benefit, watches held a symbolic appeal in the Indian context—an appeal that could be associated with the self-perception or the personality/style a consumer would like to project to the outside world. Luxury watches had a special appeal with regard to such an orientation among consumers. Do The watch market in India was divided into three broad segments: mass market (price below INR 1,000), midmarket (price between INR 1,000 and INR 10,000), and premium market (price starting at INR 10,000). Luxury watches in turn, were categorized into three sub-segments: 15 16 Ibid. Yankelovich, D., â€Å"New Criteria for Market Segmentation,† Harvard Business Review, March/April 1964. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context 2. 3. Premium watches: INR 10,000–50,000. This was the space where Xylys operated. The other prominent brands in this space were Tissot, Seiko, and Citizen, in addition to fashion brands such as Emporio Armani and Hugo Boss. Accessible Luxury: INR 50,000–3,00,000. The biggest Swiss brands such as Rolex, Omega, Longines, and Tag Heuer operated in this space. Exclusive Luxury: INR 3,00,000 and above. Very high-end brands such as Breguet, Patek Philippe, Audemars Piguet, Breitling, and Hublot populated this segment. rP os t 1. Page 5 of 15 From the point of view of look, there were four philosophies from which brands tended to choose and occupy, namely, dress, classical, fashion, and sport. For example, among sporty watches, Tissot, Tag Heuer, and Breitling were the brands in the premium, accessible, and exclusive luxury sub-segments, respectively. LUXURY BRANDS op yo The market for luxury watches was estimated to be 3% of watch retail, and was growing at almost 20% annually, which was more than twice the growth rate of the entire market. 17 Luxury brands were priced above INR 15,000, and primarily included imported brands offered by multinational players, such as Omega, Rado, Longines, Tag Heuer, and Tissot. Titan was the only Indian brand in this sector currently, with Xylys at the luxury end of its portfolio. Personal interviews with some managers at retail outlets suggested that the competition to the Xylys brand was from established brands such as Seiko and Tissot. 18 The main consumer of luxury brands was the new generation executive, who was set to move toward the prime of his/her career, and who had a keen sense of brand consciousness. These included an increasing number of young and middle-aged professionals in the upper strata of management in corporate houses, and also Indians who belonged to the higher socio-economic strata and had a penchant for luxury products. The major consumers of watches in the luxury segment included CEOs and senior professionals in their thirties and forties, new generation entrepreneurs, and young working professionals. tC Successful brands sold because they positioned themselves based on the benefits they offered to those who possessed them; such benefits could be functional, symbolic, or experiential. 19 Brand concept management 20 stated that for long-term success, the brand image needed to be based on a brand-specific abstract concept. The authors felt that such an orientation would help the long-term plans of luxury watch brands. No Functional brands provided tangible and practical benefits, and satisfied the real need for the product. Brands needed to necessarily satisfy functional needs, since these were the hygiene factors for acceptance in this category. Symbolic brands, on the other hand, catered to the consumers’ preference for brands that matched their own â€Å"selfconcept† 21 and their symbolic needs for self-expression, prestige, and the enhancement of self-image and sense of belonging. Experiential brands satisfied the owner’s need to experience sensory pleasure, variety, or cognitive simulation. Luxury watches were bought for their symbolic and experiential benefits as opposed to their functional ones. The selling points were the status and sophistication that the brand denoted when worn by the owner; although aesthetic appeal and durability were important, precision and price were not. Do Hence, the positioning diagrams for luxury watches would need to be based on factors such as status, prestige, and ego gratification.  The methodology was derived from earlier studies on the positioning of brands. 22 Three sets of questionnaires were used to record the respondents’ opinions on brands, adjectives and phrases related to brand symbolism, and more indepth queries regarding the characteristics of brands and their users. 17 â€Å"Watch industry in India to grow at 9%,† India Infoline News Service,  February 5, 2010. Interviews with Viraj, Branch Manager, World of Titan at Brigade Road, Bangalore and Saumya, Branch In-charge, Titan (multi-brand outlet) outlet at Jayanagar 4th Block, Bangalore. 19 Park, C. W., Jaworski, B. J., & MacInnis, D. J., â€Å"Strategic Brand Concept Image Management,† Journal of Marketing, Vol. 50, October 1986, pp. 135–145. 20 Ibid. 21 Malhotra N. K., â€Å"Self Concept and Product Choice: An Integrated Perspective,† Journal of Economic Psychology, Vol. 9, 1988, pp. 1–28. 22 Bhat, S., & Reddy, S. K., â€Å"Symbolic and Functional Positioning of Brands,† Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 15, No. 1, 1998, pp. 32–43. 18 This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context rP os t METHODOLOGY Page 6 of 15 The objective of the study was to analyze and link several aspects of consumer behavior, and to compare users and non-users of premium watches. Three sets of questions were prepared. One set of questions dealt with the selfconcepts of consumers, another was about the brand personality aspects of their watches, and the last set of questions was related to the  psychographics of individual respondents. Non-users were respondents who were potential buyers of premium watches in the near future. Scales were drawn from several resources available in the extant literature. 23 Forty current users of premium watches and forty potential users (prospective buyers) of premium watches were administered the questionnaire in April, 2011 in Bangalore, India. op yo Exhibits 1, 2, and 3 were associated with self-concept, brand preferences along with personality traits, and the activities, interests, and opinions (AIO) of potential users of premium watch brands. Exhibits 4, 5, and 6 dealt with the same factors of the present users of premium watch brands (self-concept, brand preferences along with personality traits, and AIO). The description of the positioning strategies of the various brands presented below is based on the authors’ perception of the advertisements of the respective brands. XYLYS Xylys was a premium Swiss-made watch brand from the house of Titan in India. Priced between INR 10,000 and INR 33,000, the Xylys range of watches was available in three collections—Contemporary, Classic, and Sport—and offered over 60 distinctive models. Xylys was available at select World of Titan showrooms, key multi-brand outlets, and at exclusive flagship boutiques in select cities. tC Xylys targeted the lower spectrum of the luxury watch segment. Titan, which was the market leader in the mid-price segment in India, felt that the upper end of their target customers was moving towards iconic global premium brands. The designs were created in collaboration with renowned Swiss designer Laurent Rufenacht, and Titan’s own design advisor, Michael Foley. It was manufactured in a state-of-the-art factory in Switzerland, which had a heritage of over 80 years in the art of watch-making. All Xylys watches were created with exquisite craftsmanship and impeccable detailing, were painstakingly made from carefully selected materials, and were crafted with a passion for detail. No While carefully analyzing the consumer behavior of customers of premium watch brands, Titan found that consumers were highly influenced by the â€Å"country of origin† association. Consumers loved the â€Å"Swiss-made† tag, and there was a huge association of quality, precision, premium, etc. with this tag. The insight was that it would be difficult for an â€Å"Indian-made† tag to impress the target segment. Do The name Xylys was designed to have only two syllables, a distinctive name in itself. The brand charter aimed to convey style, attitude, and power. Xylys was created for new generation achievers who went beyond the obvious. Xylys reflected their values, attitudes, and unique personal identities. The brand was targeted at today’s people, both men and women, who were supremely confident and conscious of the image they projected. These individuals actively sought new and unconventional experiences. Xylys, with its unique positioning of the â€Å"Power of X,† underlined the power of one’s attitude. This attitude stemmed from a person’s self-belief, which enabled one to achieve success through a passionate pursuit of one’s dreams. Xylys was launched as a contemporary brand targeting upwardly mobile, successful men and women. The brand segmented the market based on psychographic profiles. 23 Tian, K. T., Bearden, W. O., & Hunter, G. L., â€Å"Consumers’ Need for Uniqueness: Scale Development and Validation,† Journal of Consumer Research, June 28, 2001, pp. 50–66; Netemeyer R. G., Burton, S., & Lichtenstein, D. R., â€Å"Trait aspects of Vanity: Measurement and Relevance to Consumer Behavior,† Journal of Consumer Research, 21, March 1995; Schiffman, L. G., Kanuk, L. L., & Ramesh Kumar, S., Consumer Behavior, 10th Ed, Pearson Education, p. 143. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Page 7 of 15 rP os t Xylys defined its customers as contemporary, dynamic, successful people who had attitude and confidence. The brand wanted to celebrate their success with them. The customers of Xylys were highly individualistic persons who did what they loved. These people would love to express themselves and show their success to the world. The three brand ambassadors of Xylys came from varied fields and represented the attitude of the new generation achievers. Actor Rahul Bose (ad), international supermodel Saira Mohan (ad), and tennis star Carlos Moya embodied the attitude of living life fearlessly on their own terms, with a passion to pursue their dreams. Speaking at the launch, brand ambassador Rahul Bose said, â€Å"Like every movie I choose to be a part of, I have chosen to endorse this brand after careful thought. I can only support those products that I am fully convinced about. It is an exciting new brand from India’s leading watchmaker with an identity that reflects the attitude and values that I consider important—bold, unconventional, and distinctive.† In 2010, the brand changed its positioning from â€Å"Symbol of Success† to â€Å"Feeling of Love.† The brand talked about falling in love with Xylys. Xylys ran a campaign reflecting the new positioning, which was a significant deviation from the core positioning of the brand. The entire brand personality of Xylys was changed in the current campaign. op yo The new identity reflected the attitude, lifestyle, and personality of the new generation consumer. â€Å"You don’t possess a Xylys, it possesses you†: this reflected irrational desirability of the brand. The new creative expression was carefully designed to reflect the effect Xylys watches had on their consumers. It was this aspect that created an â€Å"irrational† desire to own the watch, strongly backed by the â€Å"rational† reasons, namely, that Xylys came from the house of Titan and was Swiss-made. After the launch in 2006, the brand saw the volume of sales doubling between 2006–2007 and 2007–2008, and sales grew at about 33% since then. In terms of value, Xylys grew at a compound annual growth rate) of 54%. Exhibit 7 displays an Xylys’ advertisement. TISSOT tC Tissot, with its signature â€Å"Innovators by Tradition,† pioneered craftsmanship and innovation since its foundation in 1853. Tissot was a member of the Swatch Group, the world’s largest watch producer and distributor. For over 155 years, the company had its home in the Swiss watch-making town of Le Locle in the Jura Mountains, and in 2011 had a presence in over 150 countries. As official timekeeper and partner of the International Basketball Federation, the Australian Football League, the Chinese Basketball Association, and MotoGP, and the World Championships of cycling, fencing, and ice hockey; Tissot was committed to respecting tradition, underlining its core values of performance, precision, and setting new standards. No The different collections of Tissot included Touch, Sport, Trend, Classic, Gold, Pocket, and Heritage; and the price spectrum was much wider than that of Xylys, covering both the affordable luxury and the premium luxury segment with ease. The Indian brand ambassador for Tissot was movie star Deepika Padukone, daughter of a former badminton world champion. Her Tissot watch was projected as a symbol of luxury and glamour complementing her multi-faceted lifestyle. The similarities between her personality and the Tissot brand were captured in the brand’s advertisements: â€Å"We are both adventurous, sophisticated and classy, yet very approachable.† Do Tissot’s subsequent advertising campaign revolved around the theme â€Å"In Touch with Your Time.† In its revolutionary new global campaign based on this theme, Tissot used a series of executions featuring brand ambassadors who presented luxury as being accessible rather than exclusive. The brand attributed its success to the trust customers all over the world had in the quality and pleasure offered by Tissot timepieces. Millions of wearers evidently refused to compromise, and the campaign specifically congratulated them on their discerning selection of a stylish Swiss-made watch. The campaign’s approach focused on the idea of â€Å"substance† (the unquestionable quality attached to traditional Swiss craftsmanship) and â€Å"style† (a truly appealing watch design). This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Page 8 of 15 rP os t The new global Tissot campaign captured real moments in the lives of its ambassadors where reality seamlessly merged with glamour. A variety of locations that were local to the ambassadors (e.g., Deepika Padukone in Mumbai, India) were used for the shoots, which enhanced the campaign’s integral authenticity. SEIKO Do No tC op yo SEIKO Watch India Private Limited is a 100% subsidiary of SEIKO Watch Corporation, Japan set up in 2007; it is headquartered in Bangalore. Over the years, SEIKO has established its leadership position in a number of countries. Backed by such experiences and with India being one of the prioritized markets, the brand is expected to bring its â€Å"total SEIKO brand experience† through its â€Å"flagship stores† that will also provide good customer service. 24 The brand is available at several higher-end  multi-branded watch outlets in the country. SEIKO’s technological development is focused on the creation of â€Å"emotional technologies† 25. While the brand may be positioned below Tissot or Xylys (based on the observation of price points at retail outlets by one of the authors), the brand is likely to be perceived as a brand with strong value given its heritage of technology and innovation. 24 25 http://www.seiko.in/corporate/india.html accessed on October 26, 2011 http://www.seikowatches.com/story/index.html accessed on October 26, 2011 This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. Exhibit 1 Page 9 of 15 rP os t XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Self-concept (Potential users of premium watch brands) I would feel embarrassed if I was around people and did not look my best. 3.775 It is important that I always look good. 3.275 People notice how attractive I am. 3.675 My looks are very appealing to others. I want others to look up to me because of my accomplishments. 3.075 3.075 4.15 Achieving greater success than my peers is important to me. 3.475 op yo I am more concerned about professional success than most people I know. 3.575 In a professional sense, I am a very successful person. 3.825 My achievements are highly regarded by others. 3.4 Others wish they were as successful as me. 3.675 I am a good example of professional success. 3.25 I often look for unique products or brands so that I create a style that is all my own. 3.225 The products and brands that I like best are the ones that express my individuality. 3 tC I want my achievements to be recognized by others. 3.375 I enjoy challenging the prevailing taste of people I know by buying something radical. 2.95 I often think of the things I buy and do in terms of how I can use them to shape a more unusual personal image. 3.05 No I rarely act according to what others think are the right things to buy. When a product I own becomes popular among the general population, I use it less. 2.625 Concern for being out of place does not prevent me from wearing what I want to. 2.85 Source: The results were based on the questionnaires administered to users and non-users of premium watch brands. Do Note: The statements were measured on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree for each respondent, and the values were coded as Strongly Agree = 5, Agree = 4, Neither Agree nor Disagree = 3, Disagree = 2, and Strongly Disagree = 1. The mean values were the average of the same across all the respondents. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. Exhibit 2 Page 10 of 15 rP os t XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Brand and user personality (Potential users of premium watch brands) Brand Factors User Factors 3.525 Up-to-date 3.525 Reliable 4.075 Reliable 4.125 Down-to-earth 3.65 Down-to-earth 4 Honest 3.8 Honest 3.85 Daring 3.125 Daring Spirited 3.775 Exciting 3.625 Imaginative 3.7 Successful 3.825 Upper class 3.325 Tough 3.2 op yo Up-to-date 3.8 3.675 Exciting 4.05 Imaginative 3.975 Successful 3.625 Upper class 3.5 Tough 3.5 tC Spirited Source: The results were based on questionnaires administered to users and non-users of premium watch brands. Do No Note: The statements were measured on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree (5) to Strongly Disagree (1) for each respondent. The mean values were the average of the same across all the respondents. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Page 11 of 15 rP os t Exhibit 3 Activities, interests, and opinions (Potential users of premium watch brands) When I must choose between the two, I usually dress for fashion, not for comfort. 3.25 I try to arrange my home for my children’s convenience. 2.975 I take a lot of time and effort to teach my children good habits. I like parties where there is lots of music and conversation. I would rather go to a sporting event than a movie. I like to work on community projects. 2.85 3.075 3.425 3.4 3.7 I think I have more self-confidence than most people. 2.55 I am more independent than most people. 3.725 I think I have a lot of personal ability. 3.8 I like to be considered a leader. 3.95 op yo I have personally worked in a political campaign, or for a candidate, or for an issue. 3.7 I sometimes influence what my friends buy. 3.85 People come to me more often than I go to them for information about brands. 3.5 tC My friends or neighbors often come to me for advice. 3.25 I spend a lot of time talking with my friends about products and brands. 3.575 I would like to spend a year in London or Paris. 3.175 I would like to take a trip around the world. 3.825 I will have more money to spend next year than I have now. 4.375 I spend more than an hour everyday reading the newspaper or watching the news. 4.025 I like to meticulously plan for future savings and expenditures. 3.175 No I often seek out the advice of my friends regarding which brand to buy. Do Source: The results were based on questionnaires administered to users and non-users of premium watch brands. Note: The statements were measured on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree (5) to Strongly Disagree (1) for each respondent. The mean values were the average of the same across all the respondents. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. Exhibit 4 Page 12 of 15 rP os t XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Self-concept (Present users of premium watch brands) I would feel embarrassed if I was around people and did not look my best. It is important that I always look good. People notice how attractive I am. 3.325 3.75 3.45 My looks are very appealing to others. I want others to look up to me because of my accomplishments. I am more concerned about professional success than most people I know. op yo Achieving greater success than my peers is important to me. I want my achievements to be recognized by others. In a professional sense, I am a very successful person. 3.425 3.65 3.75 3.925 4.225 3.65 My achievements are highly regarded by others. 3.6 Others wish they were as successful as me. 3.4 I am a good example of professional success. 3.7 3.225 The products and brands that I like best are the ones that express my individuality. 3.325 tC I often look for unique products or brands so that I create a style that is all my own. I rarely act according to what others think are the right things to buy. 2.75 2.925 I often think of the things I buy and do in terms of how I can use them to shape a more unusual personal image. 3 No I enjoy challenging the prevailing taste of people I know by buying something radical. When a product I own becomes popular among the general population, I use it less. Concern for being out of place does not prevent me from wearing what I want to. 2.825 3.2 Source: The results were based on questionnaires administered to users and non-users of premium watch brands. Do Note: The statements were measured on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree (5) to Strongly Disagree (1) for each respondent. The mean values were the average of the same across all the respondents. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. Exhibit 5 Page 13 of 15 rP os t XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Brand and user personality (Present users of premium watch brands) Brand Factors User Factors Up-to-date 3.775 Up-to-date Reliable 4.275 Reliable 3.8 4.025 3.35 Down-to-earth Honest 3.95 Honest 3.925 Daring 3.6 Daring 3.675 Spirited 3.75 Exciting 3.95 Imaginative 3.925 Successful 4.125 Upper class 3.975 Tough 3.975 3.65 op yo Down-to-earth Spirited 3.875 Exciting 3.9 Imaginative 3.6 Successful Upper class Tough 3.725 3.7 3.625 tC Source: The results were based on questionnaires administered to users and non-users of premium watch brands. Do No Note: The statements were measured on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree (5) to Strongly Disagree (1) for each respondent. The mean values were the average of the same across all the respondents. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. Page 14 of 15 rP os t XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Exhibit 6 Attitudes, interests, and opinions (Present users of premium watch brands) When I must choose between the two, I usually dress for fashion, not for comfort. 2.775 I try to arrange my home for my children’s convenience. 3.725 I take a lot of time and effort to teach my children good habits. I like parties where there is lots of music and conversation. I would rather go to a sporting event than a movie. op yo I like to work on community projects. 3.95 3.075 3.225 3.325 I have personally worked in a political campaign, or for a candidate, or for an issue. 1.725 I think I have more self-confidence than most people. 3.625 I am more independent than most people. 3.975 I think I have a lot of personal ability. 3.775 I like to be considered a leader. 4.125 My friends or neighbors often come to me for advice. tC I sometimes influence what my friends buy. People come to me more often than I go to them for information about brands. 3.75 3.325 3.3 2.95 I spend a lot of time talking with my friends about products and brands. 2.875 I would like to spend a year in London or Paris. 3.175 No I often seek out the advice of my friends regarding which brand to buy. I would like to take a trip around the world. I will have more money to spend next year than I have now. 4.2 3.925 3.75 I like to meticulously plan for future savings and expenditures. 3.65 Do I spend more than an hour everyday reading the newspaper or watching the news. Source: The results were based on questionnaires administered to users and non-users of premium watch brands. Note: The statements were measured on a Likert scale ranging from Strongly Agree (5) to Strongly Disagree (1) for each respondent. The mean values were the average of the same across all the respondents. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860. Page 15 of 15 rP os t XYLYS: Exploring Consumer Perception about Premium Watches in the Indian Context Exhibit 7 Do No tC op yo Advertisement for Xylys The authors would like to thank Mr. Manoj Chakravarti, Senior Advisor, Ms. Superna Mitra, Head, Global Marketing, Titan Industries Limited and Prof. Dinesh Kumar, Chairperson, Research & Publications, IIM, Bangalore for the support provided to this case study initiative. This document is authorized for use only by Arijit Santikary at Siva Sivani Institute of Management until December 2013. Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Permissions@hbsp.harvard.edu or 617.783.7860.

Implementing the E-World Essay

Technology in the past years has develop rapidly and has help people learn and develop new ways to do different things that used to take a lot of hard work and time. IT gives business new ways to compete and more tools for employees to get the job done. Nowadays is easier for employees to use IT since everybody is familiar with new technologies such as smart phones, tablets, laptops, software, hardware and networking and many other incredible programs and devices that make our world interconnected and easier to live in. In order to success in today’s world, companies are aware that they need to use the best e-business possible to give customers the best services and products. At the same time, having a portable device means that employees can work 24/7 without even feeling it. IT has help develop products, information and also shortened the time of hard work. Companies have multiple office locations and the presence of high technology has help employees communicate and share data inside the company to work at their best. A disadvantage in the e-world would be the availability of internet. In some parts of the world internet access is not available or is too slow to download data or communicate with employees in the other side of the world. In the other hand, this is changing and is just a small percentage of consumers. These days’ companies join the e-world in order to be able to compete with other companies. IT facilitates work and also helps companies to differentiate from others. With the use of the internet, employees are able to look all over the world for cheaper and better supplies or even learn from others. Definitely, a company without the right technology would not be able to success in todays globalize world. Implementing e-world is a very important task for all of us. It will leads us to better things, improving our ways to communicate and facilitating jobs with many different software, hardware and networks. Businesses would be able to save money since employees would do the job faster and with more information. At the same time employees may be able to work from home or even on their way to a business meeting. E-business helps business promote their product, establish a relationship with customers and inform customers about the company. Customers are more dependent to technology because it simplifies their lives. We live in an e-world because we as customers and owners of businesses depend on technology. In order to compete in today world, organizations must deal with IT. Dealing with IT means that organizations must learn how to manage three types of IT resources; technology infrastructure, human resources and business/ IT relationships (Brown et al. 5). Technology infrastructure involves build, plan and operate computers and software and hardware to share data between units and business alliances (Brown et al. 5). Human resources means that organizations must find the best personnel not only in IT but also have a mix of business knowledge and interpersonal skills (Brown et al. ). Business/IT relationship connects business and IT workers. This means that the IT department is working on programs that would benefit the organization (Brown et al 6. ) To conclude, every well establish company has invest in IT given that organizations are aware that e-business is elemental in today’s e-world in order to compete. Every day the use of internet, portable devices and software is increasing and people are depending more in technology. Managing IT is the key for organizations in order to success.

Magic Realism and how it differs from surrealism Essay

Magic Realism and how it differs from surrealism - Essay Example The paper "Magic Realism and how it differs from surrealism" focuses on the realism and surrealism. This final unification is the supreme aim of surrealism: interior reality and exterior reality being, in the present form of society, in contradiction (and in this contradiction is the very cause of man’s unhappiness)†¦Ã¢â‚¬  From this definition, it is clear that surrealism delves into the conscious and subconscious of the human mind. Thus the element of reality is the social reality in which the character in the film is immersed in. The fantastic element is depicted in the subconscious state or dreams. Los Olvidados presents the stark reality of living in the slums of Mexico City. The film opens the eyes of the viewer to the exterior reality by letting him experience the cruelty and bullying. The viewer is bullied with the presentation of a boy charging directly at the camera and the throwing of an egg with the splashing of the yolk against the lens of the camera. The us e of monochrome or â€Å"black and white† film contributes to the theme of showing reality as it is without the trifles of color. The music used also matches the mood being depicted. It helps delineate the reality from the dream. The interior reality is introduced by the alteration in sound coupled with the technique of â€Å"slow motion† and â€Å"dream sequences† particularly in the dream of Pedro, wherein he sees Julian’s bloody dead body under the bed. His mother tried to sooth him by saying, â€Å"Listen, you’re not that bad.† ... His mother's words consoled him and justified his actions of keeping the same a secret out of fear of Jaibo. In the dream he offers to help support his mother but she refused and instead, walking in slow motion, offers him a rotting slab of diseased-looking meat in her hand. This was taken by a hand which emerged from under the bed to be later revealed as that of Jaibo. Even in his subconscious state his fear and impression of Jaibo persists- Jaibo who will take life and money without remorse as he did to Julian and which, he can also do to Pedro. The film was successful in depicting surrealisms end goal that the presentation of both forces leading to a level of understanding that would provide cause for the reasons for the individual character to move and make decisions as such. The film ends there. The viewer is left with nothing. There are no happy thoughts, no impressions of hope or sentimental feeling. There is just the note of understanding that "that is just the way it is." Ac cordingly to Surrealists, this is what liberates the mind.3 In contrast, a film using Magic Realism leaves the viewer feeling alive and appreciative of the world around him. Magic realism gives a "fresh presentation of the everyday world we live in. The artist may choose unusual points of view, mysterious juxtapositions or common objects presented in uncanny ways. However everything we see is within the realm of the possible, although sometimes unlikely."4 It is for this reason that there is an infusion of beliefs and superstitions of different cultural groups.5 "Magic Realism presupposes that the individual has a bond with traditions and the faith of the community, that s/he is historically constructed and connected."6 This is clearly seen in the film Like Water

Assignment 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

1 - Assignment Example Financial managers aid in efficient allocation of available resources, thus boosting the procurement function. The involvement allows the various departments to participate, leading to optimal decisions that benefit the organization. This method poses a threat of death on a supplier who fails to deliver the required consignment. Given that no one would want to die, a supplier had to ensure that the goods were delivered on time. Consequently, the method led to the constant and prompt delivery of goods, thus enhancing operations in Sweden. On the other hand, the crude method caused suppliers to fear for their lives, which does not promote good relations in business. Non-performance in modern day can be handled in ways that are more sophisticated. Examples include the cancellation of supplier contracts, and awarding them to other suppliers who can manage to deliver. The skill of negotiation serves a critical role in the field of purchasing. It allows the buyer to bargain for a favorable and lower price, compared to the price being offered by the seller. Therefore, negotiation enables organizations to acquire quality products at considerable prices, which help in reducing costs. Communication also plays a critical role in procurement. It ensures that orders are placed in the right way, and in the right quantities. The skill, further, allows the company to trace the goods, thus ensuring their timely delivery. This leads to customer satisfaction as they acquire goods when and where there need them, without inconveniences. Computer proficiency promotes the ability of an organization to compete successfully in the market, through adoption of technologies that promote the efficiency of an organization. Technological advancements allow a public organization to improve the efficiency of procurement by reducing the costs associated with the process. E-procurement, for example, leads to the employment of a few employees, thus saving on expenses. More to

Health care provider and faith diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health care provider and faith diversity - Essay Example This means that the caregivers are given the liberty on how to deal with the patient as long as the procedure is aimed at treating the patient. Medicine and prayer should form part of the treatment package for Baha’i followers. Christians believe that in as much as caregivers offer vital services, it is God who heals the sick. Christianity favors medicine and medical practice, faith and prayer during patient care. The paper will discuss the various beliefs in relation to healthcare from various spiritual perspectives. The practice of healthcare at all levels allows nurses to meet and attend to patients from various religious backgrounds and some of them could be holding to beliefs that are different from those held by the nurse. The development of good rapport with the patients is critical for nurses as it allows them to secure maximum cooperation with them. This therefore requires that a nurse should be able to accept diversity of faith expressions among their patients. In this paper, I make analyses of the philosophy/spiritual perspective of care in three faiths namely Buddhism, Sikhism and Baha’i and compare them with the Christian perspective and my personal perspective. The Buddhist approach to healing and health is in regard to its emphasis on spiritual practice, and patient care for Buddhist patients follows the same philosophy. Meditation, belief and spiritual practice are three critical healing components in Buddhism. One of the beliefs is that spiritual practice enables the individual to realize the opportunity for practice in times of adversity like sickness and how to use this opportunity to attain personal transformation and transcendence. This practice replaces the feelings of being a victim with feelings of being a victor. Buddhists also belief that a sick person cannot change their past but can control the future by acting with clarity and skill (Bhikshu, 2006). This requires

Research proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Research proposal - Essay Example Since obesity will be dealt as more of a social issue, thus the social definition of the concept will be defined, however to get a more concrete definition indicators of obesity for instance, the Body Mass Index (BMI) will also be explored. Also, the life style issues which owe much to obesity for instance the intake of junk food, less exercise etc will be discussed and the side effects of obesity in context to the social life as well as health hazard relevant to these social aspects will be discussed in detailed. Also, the entire discussion will be based on the context of the American Society in general to identify how the society contributes in enhancing the issue. My paper intends on pointing out the societal indicators after thorough study to explore how the society we live in contributes in inducing obesity in individuals which is why the issue is increasing day by day, thus people need to be aware of these factors to eliminate the effects and causes. The information revealed in this people will be of value to the general public and the mass audience as the endemic can affect any of the individuals as they are part of the society. Areas to be Investigated Some of the perspectives which will be explored in this paper include; 1. What comprises the concept of obesity? 2. ... 8. How can one deal with obesity to minimize its side effects? 9. What are some of the lifestyle changes that can lead towards a healthy lifestyle? 10. How can the cause and effect relationship between variables related to obesity be seen in the context of the society? Thus, my study will deal with the cause and effects of obesity in the context of the life styles of the individuals being examined and the societal factors contributing in the increase of the endemic. Methods of Research My study will be based on the archival sources present on obesity. For this reason, both online papers, journals, reports etc will be studied, and alongside, other documents like newspapers, books, hardcopies of thesis and journals etc will be analyzed to come up with unbiased and a generic conclusion regarding the study. For this reason, the nearby library sources will be utilized, and the online sources which can be accessed for this purpose. While I searched online for the various sources on obesity to continue my study, millions of results showed up, however, my research questions helped me narrow down my focus, based on which I have specified about 11 sources which will thoroughly be analyzed for this purpose. Moreover, the gaps of knowledge left by the archival research will be addressed by conducting first hand surveys from a sample which will be designed to find relevant data to make the study more credible and informative. References Heinberg, Leslie J, and J K. Thompson.  Obesity in Youth: Causes, Consequences, and Cures. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2009. Print. Nakaya, Andrea C.  Obesity: Opposing Viewpoints. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Print. Wolin, Kathleen Y, and Jennifer M. Petrelli.  Obesity. Santa Barbara, Calif:

Cicadas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cicadas - Essay Example The female lay 4-5 mm long egg on the ventral thorax. Their life cycle takes 17 years in northern species and 13 years in southern species; the two types overlap in parts of the United States. In about six weeks the wingless, scaly larvae, or nymphs, burrow into the ground, where they remain for 13 or 17 years, feeding on juices, the xylem sap, sucked from roots of the flora present in that area encompassing grasses, forbs or trees. The nymphal development takes numerous years. The nymphs molt periodically as they grow; finally the full-grown nymphs emerge, climb a short distance reaches the tree trunks, herb stem and fences, anchors itself with the help of its tarsal claws to protect itself and molts or shed their last larval skin. The winged adults generally emerge together in large numbers, live for about one week. Its nymphal shell remains as proof indicating the transition in the life cycle of the cicadas. This is also a transition from its restricted life to free life where it has freedom to fly. Cicadas are known as strong fliers with a high visual alertness. Adults feed on xylem sap and have a life span of a few weeks. Different broods mature at regular intervals, so that at least one colony is conspicuous in some part of the United States each year, and even in a given locality a brood may appear every few years. Other North American cic

Gay Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gay Marriage - Essay Example However, there are researchers who argue that it is not desirable to force homosexuals to engage in heterosexual marital affairs as this would ruin their personal and familial life. In this respect, Andrew Sullivan purports that â€Å"homosexual fathers and mothers who are encouraged in to heterosexual marriages subsequently find the charade and dishonesty too great to bear: spouses are betrayed, children are abandoned, families are broken and lives are ruined† (Persily). Thus, the proponents of gay marriage argue that it is better that homosexuals engage in gay marriage as they are unable to lead a normal heterosexual married life. They also argue that the homosexuality is not a mental illness and is an inherent character of humans which should be treated similarly as the case of heterosexuals. Both morality and religion condemn gay marriages; the concept of gay marriage is against the teachings of Christianity as it upholds that God has designed human beings as men and women to complement each other and marriage is the primary institution that unites both men and women.

Reading assignemn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reading assignemn - Essay Example Mahmud thus is against America’s pretence of being secular and impartial toward religion but it’s in fact so much involved in religious and politics already. Mahmud regards America’s involvement in religious politics, its support of Israel and for â€Å"enemies of Islam† such as Egypt, is not the result of Christianity. Rather it was due to America’s ideology of secularism which Mahmud regards as hostility toward religion, especially Islam. Religion is deeply involved and in fact it is firmly entrenched in this whole issue. 2. Rantisi claims that Hamas is in a state of war simply because of Israel’s stance toward Palestine-especially toward Hamas concept of an Islamic Palestine. Thus Israel wants to destroy Islamic nationalism. Rantisi explains that the bombings are a moral lesson and the actions of self-martyrs are understandable and simply responses to the oppression brought about by the Israelis. Unlike other movements, Hamas was purely founded on religious principles. Muslims can legitimately use violence while responding to attacks and other forms of violence from the Israeli side, acts that frequently affect innocent civilians. In this sense they are defensive since they are victims in this struggle and not the cause of it. 3. Some of the modern Islamic justifications for the use of violence claim that in case of aggression, or usurping of a Muslim land, they must call for hitting the attacker and the aggressor to end the aggression. Killing of an enemy of Islam is also justified. Use of force is also consistent with Islamic principles and Khomeini of Iran claims that he knows of no command more binding to the Muslim than the command to sacrifice life and property to defend and bolster Islam. There are some Islamic tenets that condone struggle and the use of force. There are therefore some Muslim principles that justify killing as in the defense of

Empirical Asset Pricing Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Empirical Asset Pricing Theory - Assignment Example In other words, the paper will look at the negative covariance of SDF and excess returns. The paper will also outline the Fama-French factors. This will include entailing how these factors work, and the motives behind choosing or selecting of models. Finally, the paper will discuss how the technique used by Pastor and Stambaugh differ from the ones used by Fama-French factors. Stochastic Discount Factor Pricing Model SDF as a Factor Pricing Model According to Fama and French (25 - 30) this model helps in the formulating of n econometric analysis that is used in the pricing of assets. The methods included this model include the capital asset pricing model that was proposed by Sharpe in 1964 and other as well as the consumption based inter-temporal capital asset pricing models (CCAPM). Stochastic discount factor (SDF) uses both of the approaches that are used in asset pricing. This includes the absolute and the relative pricing of asset. The absolute pricing of asset involve the pricin g of an asset relative to the sources that expose it to the macroeconomic risks. The relative pricing of asset entails pricing assets according to how other assets are priced. The pricing equation that is used to estimate the stochastic discount factor is normally assumed. The limitations that are imposed on the behavior relating to the stochastic model are assumed to be standard. Based on the pricing equation assumptions the model, the price of n asset which is denoted as ‘t’ is calculated through discounting the value of the assets in the period of paying off. The equation for determining the price of the asset is: Pt=ET (Mt+sXt+s). The assets pay off is represented by Xt+s while the discounting factor is represented by Mt+s. the part denoted as ET represents the expectation given the information that is available at a given time t. The discounting factor represents the stochastic variable (Renault and Hansen 3-15). The assets that can be priced using this model inclu de a stock that pays a dividend of DT+1. This stock should also have a resale value and a pay off period. A treasury bill is also applicable if only it pays only one unit of goods or a good being consumed. This equates the payoff to 1. A bond whose coupon payment is constant and yet can be sold is applicable for pricing using this model. This model can also price bank deposits that pay the risk free return rate and equate the pay off period to 1+ rft. Finally the call option whose price is Pt and gives the holder of the option the right of purchasing any stock at the price exercised (Renault and Hansen 12-21). Assumptions Relating to the Form of SDF In the development of the stochastic estimator, there are four assumptions that are taken into considerations. The first assumption is that the pricing equation 2 always holds. This equation is equivalent to the law of one price. The assumption here is that all the securities that have the same pay off should bear the same price. There a re no choices of the preference. The second assumption states that the stochastic discounting factor labels Mt to be greater than zero. The same applies even to mimicking portfolio. The implication here is that no arbitrage opportunities exist. The third assumption states that the risk free rate exists. The risk free rate is measurable relative to sigma-algebra. The conditioning set that is also used in the computation of the conditioning moments generates this algebra. The existence of this rate allows for payoff space that is

Reading Response to Introduction in Handbook of Race and Ethnic Studies Essay Example for Free

Reading Response to Introduction in Handbook of Race and Ethnic Studies Essay Upon reading the Collins and Solomos introduction to their Handbook of Race and Ethnic Studies, I soon realized that the field of race and ethnicity is a diverse, living thing that is constantly evolving. The authors make reference to the fact that the civil rights movement has been working for decades and it appears at times that no progress has been made. They make this point by mentioning the nightly newscasts on television that show global atrocities brought on by policies of ethnic cleansing or other forms of hate. This is proof that more work has to be done and we must continue to seek and promote understanding and equality. Collins and Solomos also mention the rise of more right-wing political groups that they refer to as the new right. These groups use the media to promote their ideas of an ideal state. They state that `for the new right` the appeal is by and large no longer to racial supremacy cultural uniformity` and they get around this by  ¨parading under the politics of nationalism and patriotism ¨. This reminded me of my history classes in school where I first learned of Hitler and how he used extreme nationalism as one of his tools to gain influence and power over a economically struggling Germany. There seems to be a great many voices and perspectives out there that may contradict one another at times, but I feel that the study or race and ethnicity must continue to be pursued.

Health Belief Model and Hypertension Treatment Compliance

Health Belief Model and Hypertension Treatment Compliance The health belief model and compliance with hypertension treatment Running title: Health Belief Model and Compliance in Hypertension Pauline E. Osamor and Olanike A. Ojelabi Pauline E. Osamor,  Institute of Child Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, Olanike A. Ojelabi,  Worcester State University, Urban Studies Department, Worcester, MA 01605, USA Author contributions: Osamor PE, contributed to the conception and design of the study; all authors contributed to the writing and critical revision of the manuscript. Biostatistics statement: The study was designed, analysed and data interpreted by the authors. Data available in this manuscript did NOT involve a biostatistician. Conflict-of-interest statement: The author reports no conflicts of interest in this work. Data sharing statement: No additional data are available Abstract AIM: To explore the use of the Health Belief Model (HBM) in evaluating care seeking and treatment compliance among hypertensive adults in south-west, Nigeria. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire to obtain information from 440 hypertensive adults in an urban, low-socio-economic community, situated in south west Nigeria. Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted with a subset of the population. The relationship between treatment compliance and responses to questions that captured various components of the HBM was investigated using chi-square tests. Content analysis was used to analyze data from the FGD sessions and to provide context to the survey responses. Data entry and management was carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.0. RESULTS: The components of the HBM reflecting Perceived Susceptibility components were significantly associated with treatment compliance. On the other hand, HBM Perceived Seriousness components were not significantly associated with compliance. The main HBM Perceived Benefit of Taking Action component that was prominent was the belief that hypertension could be cured by treatment, a theme that emerged from both the survey and the FGD. CONCLUSION: Use of the HBM as a framework is helpful in identifying perceptions and behaviors associated with hypertension treatment compliance. Key words: Health belief model; Compliance; Hypertension; Community-based; Nigeria Core tip: Hypertension is a major health problem in developing and developed countries, and treatment compliance for such chronic conditions is often poor. In this study, the Health Belief Model (HBM) was used to evaluate care seeking and treatment compliance among hypertensive adults. HBM proved to be a valuable framework to develop and modify public health interventions and also serves to improve treatment compliance and reduce the risk of complications. Osamor PE, Ojelabi OA. The health belief model and compliance with hypertension treatment. World J Hypertension 2017; INTRODUCTION Hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure, is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease (CVD) worldwide[1]. The proportion of the global burden of disease attributable to hypertension has significantly increased from about 4.5 percent (nearly 1 billion adults) in 2000 to 7 percent in 2010[2-9]. This makes hypertension a major global public health challenge and the single most important cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The prevalence of hypertension in Nigeria may form a substantial proportion of the total burden in Africa. This is because of the large population of the country currently estimated to be over 170 million[3,6,10]. In Nigeria, hypertension is the commonest non-communicable disease with over 4.3 million Nigerians above the age of 15 classified as being hypertensive using the erstwhile national guidelines (systolic BP > 160 mmHg and diastolic BP > 90 mmHg)[12-15]. Treatment of hypertension rests on a combination of lifestyle interventions and use of antihypertensive medication. However, poor compliance with treatment is often common in hypertension. Studies of treatment compliance have explored the role of various factors, including demographic and socio-behavioral features of patients, the type and source of therapeutic regimen, and the patient-provider relationship[16]. Yet, a common framework for evaluating such factors is often lacking. One such framework is the Health Belief Model (HBM),which has shown utility in evaluating compliance with antihypertensive medications[17-20]. Health Belief Model The Health Belief Model (HBM) is an intrapersonal health behavior and psychological model. This model has been commonly applied to studying and promoting the uptake of health services and adoption of health behaviors[21]. Recently, a National Institutes of Health publication, Theory at a Glance, A Guide for Health Promotion Practices proposed that the HBM may be useful in the examination of inaction or noncompliance of persons with or at risk for heart disease and stroke[24], suggesting a natural fit for this study. The HBM is a value-expectancy model [17]. It attempts to explain and predict health behaviors by focusing on the attitudes and belief patterns of individuals and groups. The modelconsists of six dimensions: perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action and modifying factors. While the HBM has been criticized for overemphasizing the logical order and rationality of ones health behaviors[28], it is considered to be one of the most influential models in the history of health promotion practice[29], and has shown usefulness in predicting health behaviors among population with or at risk for developing cardiovascular disease. With respect to care-seeking and treatment compliance, a hypertensive patients ability to see a physician and comply to medical treatment regimen is a function of a various factors. These include patients personal knowledge, benefit and perceptions, modifying factors, and cues to action[30]. Therefore, the goal of this study is to explore the use of the HBM as a framework for evaluating care-seeking and treatment compliance in hypertension in south-west Nigeria. Rationale Uncontrolled hypertension is caused by non-adherence to the antihypertensive medication, patients understanding their drug regimens and the necessity to adhere to this regimen will help to improve their adherence, thus help prevent the complications of hypertension that are debilitating and if not prevented can increase the burden of a disease that is already on the increase[31]. Knowledge and beliefs about hypertension have been frequently examined in efforts to better understand the disparities in blood pressure control[33,34]. Relatively few studies, however, have attempted to identify individual factors associated with the adoption of hypertension control behaviors using a health behavior model as the theoretical framework. Thus, this study aims to explore the use of the HBM- an intrapersonal health behavior and psychological model in evaluating care seeking and treatment compliance among hypertensive adults in south west Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS This community-based cross-sectional study was carried out in an urban, low-socio-economic community in Nigeria. Most of the residents belong to the Yoruba ethnic group and the dominant religion is Islam. The health facilities in the community include an outreach clinic run by the Department of Preventive Medicine and Primary Care of the University of Ibadan, four private clinics and a small dental clinic. Other sources of health care in the community include Patent Medicine Vendors (PMVs) and three traditional healing homes. The study site was selected for three specific reasons: Firstly, the community has been the site of previous research studies where people were screened and therefore know of their hypertension status. Secondly, a community study approach (instead of a clinic-based approach) was chosen because selecting participants from a clinic or hospital will only select those who are attending clinic or complying, thereby introducing a selection bias and thirdly, the commun ity has a variety of sources of healthcare located within the community, implying that residents have options when seeking healthcare. The study is a community-based cross-sectional study which enrolled hypertensive adults (age 25 years and above) in the community. It utilized both the survey and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) to collect primary data from the respondents. The participants for this study were selected from a list of known hypertensive adults residing in the community that was developed from a previous hypertension study[35] and updated for the present study during home visits. Four hundred and forty (440) hypertensive subjects were enrolled using a consecutive sampling method. After obtaining informed consent, subjects were administered a semi-structured questionnaire that had items on several issues, including knowledge on causes, prevention and severity of hypertension, healthcare seeking for hypertension, their beliefs and perception about hypertension and compliance with treatment including keeping clinic follow-up appointments and regularly taking their antihypertensive medications. Eight FGDs were conducted, each with 6-8 discussants. The dimensions of the HBM were operationalized as described in table 1, where each dimension was framed as a series of questions, which were asked in the survey and/or discussed as a topic in the FGD. Data entry and management was carried out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.0[36]. Univariate analyses were employed in interpreting socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents, while a bivariate analysis was used in cross tabulating variables. The transcription of the qualitative data was carried out immediately after each FGD session. This was essential since the memory of the interviewer/note taker was still fresh and it was easier to reconcile written notes and the interview transcripts. Content analysis was used to analyze data from FGD sessions. RESULTS Socio-demographic characteristics A total of 440 (including 287 women) respondents were studied. The ages of respondents ranged from 25 to 90 years, with a mean of 60 (SD 12) years. Most (71%) of the respondents were married and 61.4%, Muslims. Slightly over half of the respondents (51.1%) had no formal education. About half (50%) of the respondents were traders, while those who have retired and not working constituted 25.7%. Prevalence of compliance with clinic visits and taking medication The prevalence of self-reported compliance with clinic appointments was 77.5% and that of good compliance with treatment was 50.7% of respondents. 41.5% reported poor treatment compliance at different levels ranging from regularly missing taking their medication to fairly regularly, sometimes and rarely taking their medication. Perceived Susceptibility to hypertension In response to being asked what they understood by the disease hypertension, most respondents defined hypertension as an illness of anxiety and stress (60.9%). Nearly one in twelve (7.3%) said they did not know what hypertension meant. A few of the respondents (4.1%) believed that hypertension means too much blood in the body, thereby causing tension in the blood. Roughly two percent of respondents said hypertension was in everybodys blood. A quote from one of the FGDs is illustrative: Hypertension is in everybodys body and blood. When we exert undue stress on our body, think too much and do a lot of wahala (stressful things), hypertension will start. This statement clearly articulates the notion that everyone is predisposed to hypertension but the condition only becomes apparent or manifests itself when the person experiences a lot of stress. This could either mean that everyone is predisposed to having hypertension or that hypertension is hereditary. Perceived Severity of hypertension A large proportion 89.8% of the respondents knew that hypertension could lead to other serious health problems or complications. Only 1.1% did not affirm that it will lead to serious problem, while 9.1% did not know if hypertension could lead to other health problems. Other health problems that could result from hypertension mentioned by respondents include: stroke (47.5%); death (25.5%); severe headache (5.2%) and heart attack (5.0%). In the FGD sessions conducted, respondents were asked if they perceived hypertension to be a serious health problem. The general response was that hypertension is a serious health problem. One of the FGD discussants summed it this way: Hypertension is a very serious sickness. It is not sickness we should take lightly. It can lead to quick death. One of my younger brothers who worked in the bank had hypertension. He suffered attacked from hypertension while in the office and before they got to the hospital, he died. Hypertension kills fast. But it has drugs that can control it and if one is not taking the drugs regularly, it will cause serious problem. A fifty-two years old woman used her personal experience to buttress the magnitude of hypertension. She stated that: This sickness they call hypertension is a very serious sickness. I was not taking any drugs because I did not have money to buy it and I was not worried because I was not feeling sick. In 2003, I was sick just for a week and before I knew what was happening I could not walk or move my body. I was rushed to the hospital and they told me my blood pressure was very high. I was in the hospital for almost a month and my children spent a lot of money. I am better now, but am still using walking stick because the hypertension made my body stiff. I am taking my medication always now so that I do not die quickly because it can kill. The general perception of the respondents and focus group discussants on the complications from hypertension is that hypertension itself is a very serious health problem and that any complications arising from it could be very severe. Perceived benefit of treatment compliance Nearly three quarters (73.2%) of the respondents believed that hypertension could be cured with treatment. Most (72.0%) of the respondents reported that it is not good to wait until one feels sick before taking antihypertensive medication and the reason given by a large proportion (30%) of these respondents is that taking medication regularly will prevent reoccurrence of hypertension. Despite the fact that respondents believe they needed to take medication as prescribed (and not only when they are sick), only a relatively small proportion (a little above 50%) of the respondents did take their medication as prescribed. Perceived barriers to complying with treatment Among the respondents, 41.5% had poor compliance at different levels ranging from regularly missing taking their medication to fairly regularly, sometimes and rarely taking their medication. Of these respondents who were non-compliant with their medication, 11.4% said they felt better and therefore had no need to continue taking their medication. Only 0.5% said they were tired of taking drugs, while 6.8% stopped because of lack of funds to purchase drugs. Other factors included side effects of drugs (6.1%), forgetfulness (8.4%), busy schedule and limited medication (3.6%). A major theme from the survey and FGDs is that respondents were apprehensive of the long term effects from antihypertensive medication and the possibility of being stuck with it for the rest of ones life or the medication causing other illness or complications. Negative feelings were elicited in some cases, as antihypertensive drugs were perceived as being damaging or not good for the body. The FGDs highlighted fac tors that hindered good compliance to treatment despite the general acceptance of the necessity to take antihypertensive medications. One of the discussant said: I do not take my medicine every day. People do not always follow what doctor say. It is not only for hypertension, even for other sickness. If they say take medicine for five days, once we feel better by thethird day, the person will stop. Even the doctors themselves, will they swallow medicine every day? A discussant in another session stated: Let me tell you the truth it is not easy to be taking drugs every day. Sometimes, we forget especially when you are rushing to go out. Sometimes we do not have the money to buy it. Another respondent added details about what often happens as a result of the financial obstacles: That is what we have all been trying to say. Money is the major problem. In the hospital, they will ask you to pay for ordinary card, before you see the doctor. When they write drugs for you there is no money to buy all. If you do not have money and you go to a private hospital, they will not even attend to you. That is why some people prefer to just go to chemist and buy what they can afford and some others prefer traditional medicine because you do not have to drink it every day and it is less expensive. Cues to action An important source of cues to action includes the individuals cultural conditioning of available treatment options. In this study family and friends were a major source of cues to action. Overall, 19.3% of respondents reported that family members were very concerned about their hypertension while 74.8% said family members were extremely concerned about their hypertension. Also, 20.2% and 73.2% respectively reported that family members were very helpful or extremely helpful in reminding them about taking their medication. Regarding support from friends, 26.4% of respondents reported that friends were very concerned about their hypertension while 28.9% said friends were extremely concerned about their hypertension. Out of the 440 respondents, 91 and 150 (20.7% and 34.1%) respectively reported that friends were very helpful or extremely helpful in reminding them about taking their medication (Figure 1). DISCUSSION Hypertension is a condition of sustained high blood pressure which can only be confirmed after blood pressure measurements that meet the criteria for the condition. The cause of hypertension is not known in most cases[1] hence the term essential hypertension. In the present study, hypertension is perceived primarily as an illness of anxiety and stress. This finding is consistent with a previous study of hypertension in Nigeria[38] which revealed that over 60% of their respondents irrespective of the educational background believe that psychosocial stress is the main cause of hypertension. Similarly, Koslowsky et al[39] found that stress and tension were most commonly stated as causes of hypertension. Majority (more 90%) in this study believe hypertension is a serious condition and two-thirds (66%) believe that hypertension can be prevented. Contrary to findings and reports from previous studies[38,40,41], nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents in the present study believe that hy pertension is curable. Almost half of the respondents claim good compliance with respect to drug treatment and 86% claim good compliance with keeping their doctors appointment. Reasons for compliance to treatment include fear of the complications of hypertension and the desire to control blood pressure. Benson and Britten[42] reported that patients comply with medication regimen for a variety of reasons including perceived benefits of medication; fear of complications associated with hypertension and feeling better on medication. The latter reason is contrary to the generally held belief among physicians that hypertension is a largely asymptomatic disease[43]. One central theme that runs through the data in this study is the issue of socio-economic status of the respondents. This suggests the importance of considering other variables that can help form individuals perception including health care costs and some sort of lay consultation that takes place before they resolve to take a recommended health action[27]. Financial hardship is a barrier which should not be ignored as it is a contributory factor to noncompliance. This finding corroborates the observed association between poor compliance, ignorance and lack of funds for purchase of drugs[44]. Failure of patients to keep scheduled appointments is an important obstacle to the provision of effective healthcare. By missing appointments, individuals deprive themselves of professional services. Interestingly, 77.5% of the respondents in this study claim they comply with keeping their follow up clinic appointments every time. Several studies have investigated HBM and appointment-keeping for chronic disease management. Nelson et al[20] and also Landers et al[45] found HBM variables to be unrelated to keeping clinic appointments for hypertension. Social support networks are important in the long-term management of chronic conditions such as hypertension, which require a radical and life-long change in the lifestyle of the affected person. In this study, those who had support from friends or family members (concerned about their illness, giving reminders about medication) showed better treatment compliance than those who did not, although this difference was greatest for those that had the support of friends. This is an important finding and is consistent with what has been reported for multiple chronic diseases in several parts of the world[46]. A summary of the major findings in this study in the context of interpreting compliance using the significant components of the HBM shown in Figure 1 suggests that HBM Perceived Susceptibility components tested were significant predictors of compliance. On the other hand, HBM Perceived Seriousness components were not significantly associated with compliance. The main HBM Perceived Benefit of Taking Action component that was prominent in this study is the belief that hypertension can be cured. This is a recurring theme in all the components of the study (survey and FGD) and most respondents believed that taking the medication for some time led to a cure and one could stop taking medication. This finding agrees with studies of Kamran et al[47], which showed a relationship between HBM constructs and treatment compliance. The constructs that were significantly showing relationship in their study were perceived susceptibility, perceived benefit of using the medicine and perceived barrier to treatment. This has major personal and public health implications because hypertension can only be controlled (not cured) and stopping medication can lead to complications. More importantly, it highlights the discrepancy between healthcare providers and their patients in the perceived goal of treatment since the former are working towards control while the latter believe compliance can lead to cure. Most of the HBM Barriers to Taking Action components emerged during the FGD sessions. These barriers are practical issues that loom large and prevent the patients from making optimum use of the hospitals and medications that are available. In other words, the option of a university teaching hospital is available but is not accessible because of costs and inconvenience. Similarly, known medications that work well in hypertension are available but the costs are too high for the patients to comply with the prescriptions as written. It is noteworthy that believing that one can stop taking the medication after some time can also serve as a barrier to compliance because the individual now believes there is no need for more medication. Another major finding from this study is that HBM Cues to Action are extremely important in predicting compliance with hypertension treatment in this community. These cues are centered on patients having family members and/or friends who are concerned about the individuals health and treatment. This finding is important because, as noted by Harrison et al[48] in a meta-analysis, cues are often not included in Health Belief Model studies. Indeed, these authors limited their review to articles to the four major components of the HBM (susceptibility, severity, benefits and costs) because in their words: Cues to action have received so little attention in empirical studies that we excluded this dimension. However, the findings of this study shows that cues are an important dimension in these types of study. While the specific cues that are important may vary between locations, cultures, and environments, they emphasize the social context in which health behavior takes place. As expected, attending clinic regularly is an important predictor of compliance in the present study. It provides an opportunity for multiple cues that can improve compliance, including blood pressure checks, discussing actions to control blood pressure, and reminders to take medication. CONCLUSION Components of the HBM show variation in association with treatment compliance for hypertension in this Nigerian community. The findings provide useful baseline data for future studies of the Health Belief Model in hypertension and other chronic conditions in similar societies. Strength and limitations of the study Strengths of this study include: the use of both survey and FGD methods; inclusion of a large set of variables and focus on the components of the HBM to a non-communicable disease (hypertension) in a developing country context. A potential limitation is that the study did not formally investigate the modifying factors dimension of the HBM. Nonetheless, the findings provide clues to care-seeking and compliance issues, while suggesting potential intervention points (e.g. breaking the cost barrier, including social networks in treatment plans) that could be further studied and tested. Ethical Approval Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Joint University of Ibadan /University College Hospital Ethical Committee. Acknowledgment The authors are grateful to the study participants and community leaders of Idikan community, Ibadan. The input of Dr. Bernard Owumi and Dr. Patricia Awa Taiwo of the Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, is hereby acknowledged.    REFERENCES 1Mukhopadhyay, B. Detecting and preventing hypertension in remote areas. Ind. J Med Ethics 2006; 3(4): 124-5 2 Lim SS, Vos T, Flaxman AD, Danaei G, Shibuya K, Adair-Rohani H, et al. A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2010. The Lancet. 2012; 380(9859): 2224-60 [DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61766-8] 3 Adeloye D, Basquill C, Aderemi AV, Thompson JY, Obi FA. An estimate of the prevalence of hypertension in Nigeria: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Hypertens 2015; 33: 230-242 [PMID: 25380154 DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000000413] 4 Beaglehole R, Bonita R, Alleyne G, Horton R, Li L, Lincoln P, et al. UN high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases: addressing four questions. The Lancet 2011; 378: 449-455 [PMID: 21665266 DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60879-9] 5 Alwan A, Armstrong T, Bettcher D, Branca F, Chisholm D, et al. Global status report on non-communicable diseases 2010. WHO 2011: Available online: http://www.who.int/nmh/publications/ncd_report_full_en.pdf 6 Lozano R, Naghavi M, Foreman K, Lim S, Shibuya K, et al. Global and regional mortality from 235 causes of death for 20 age groups in 1990 and 2010: a systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study 2010. The Lancet 2012; 380(9859):2095-128[DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61728-0] 7 Whitworth JA. 2003 World Health Organization (WHO)/ International Society of Hypertension (ISH) statement on management of hypertension. J. Hypertens 2003; 21(11): 1983-92 [PMID: 14597836] 8 Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, Cushman WC, Green LA, et al. The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on prevention, detection, evaluation and treatment of high blood pressure: the JNC 7 report. JAMA 2003; 289(19): 2560-72 [PMID: 12748199] 9 Kearney PM, Whelton M, Reynolds K, Muntner P, Whelton PK, He J. Global burden of hypertension: analysis of worldwide data. The Lancet 2005; 365(9455): 217-23 [PMID: 15652604] 10 WHO Regional Committee for Africa. Cardiovascular diseases in the African region: current situation and perspectives-report of the regional director 2005. Maputo, Mozambique: The WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFR/RC55/12). Available online: http://www.afro.who.int/en/fifty-fifth-session.html 11 Mocumbi AO. Lack of focus on cardiovascular disease in sub-Saharan Africa. Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy 2012; 2(1): 74-7 [PMID: 24282699 DOI: 10.3978/j.issn.2223-3652.2012.01.03] 12 Kadiri S. Management of hypertension with special emphasis on Nigeria. Arch Ibadan Med 1999; 1: 19-21 13 Akinkugbe OO. Current epidemiology of hypertension in Nigeria. Arch. Ibadan Med 2003; 1: 3-5 14 Iyalomhe GBS, Omogbai EKI, Ozolua RI. Electrolyte profiles in Nigerian patients with essential hypertension. Afric. J. Biotech 2008; 7(10): 1404-1408 15 Ike SO. Prevalence of hypertension and its complications among medical admissions at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria (Study 2). Niger J Med 2009; 18(1): 68-72 [PMID: 19485152] 16 Haynes RB, Taylor DW, Sackett DL, (1979). Compliance in health care. Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD. 17 Becker MH, Maimon LA. Sociobehavioral determinants of compliance with health and medical care recommendations. Med. Care 1975; 13(1): 10-24 [PMID: 1089182] 18 Rosenstock IM. (1990). The health belief model: explaining health behavior through expec

Factors that influence individual and group dynamics

Factors that influence individual and group dynamics Introduction Organizational Behavior has become a challenging hot topic among many groups who are interested to study the individual and group behavior of people working as teams in organizations. The term organizational behavior may have many definitions. According to Debra (2008), Organizational Behavior is the study of individuals and their behavior within the context of the organization in a workplace setting. She describe it is an interdisciplinary field that includes sociology, psychology, communication and management. There are also views that it is not only the study of how organizations behave, but rather the study of individual behavior in an organizational setting. This includes the study of how individuals behave alone, as well as how individuals behave in groups. The purpose of this essay is to gain a greater understanding of those factors that influence individual and group dynamics in an organizational setting so that individuals and the groups and organizations to which they belong may become more efficient and effective. It also includes the analysis of organizational factors that may have an influence upon individual and group behavior. However the literature review help the author of this essay to realize that much of organizational behavior research is ultimately aimed at providing human resource management professionals with the information and tools they need to select, train, and retain employees in a fashion that yields maximum benefit for the individual employee as well as for the organization. Going beyond that this essay will discuss Leadership and change management aspects of organizational behavior. Author V.G.Kondalkar describes Organizational behavior is a field of study that investigates the impact that individuals, groups and organizational structure have on behavior within the organization, for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organizational effectiveness. There for organization behaviors can be discussed in different levels including Individual, group and organization structure. Individual Group Structure Studying these distinct different levels, may helps to understand the organizational behavior at a broader way so that it could see the different aspects at each level which the managers can use to facilitate their day-to-day job. Individual level of analysis At the individual level of analysis, organizational behavior involves the study of learning, perception, creativity, motivation, personality, turnover, task performance, cooperative behavior, deviant behavior, ethics, and cognition. At this level of analysis, organizational behavior draws heavily upon psychology, engineering, and medicine. Taking Google as an example to this, Google recruit individuals with best academic and analytical capabilities. By this they expect a knowledge organization. The individuals coming from this kind of back ground will naturally bring in a studious learning culture. There will not be an explicit necessity to motivate them towards learning. Their business is that they invent technologies specially related to internet. Business gets the competitive edge over its competitors by their innovations. To align this strategy they also recruit above kind of people. They always encourage an entrepreneur culture where they expect a flatter structure and less power distance between individuals. So that they expect ideas coming from bottom to up to generate always creative ideas. Individuals can be motivated by different means. Motivation towards expected behavior is where organization can most benefit. Herzberg came up with two factor theory where he define both implicit and explicit factors for motivation. Providing examples to the effectively of indirect motivating factors, organizations like Google offer 20% of their employees work time to involve in a project which each individual like. Given more facilities to child care, good food, health and entertainment Google wants to provide as many as intrinsic motivators. This was very successful as they fulfill the individual needs to a greater extent so that employees can involve their work with their Saul morality. It was one Einstein said people who work if it is just to avoid punishment or to gain the rewarding of good work as like in most religious teachings; they will address the morality of individuals. It is just the fear that makes that work done. There for this essay argue if organizations can really address the morality of individuals like what Google successfully did, they can have the most effective and pleasant work force. It was also highlighted in order to have a moral organization it should recruit people who are capable and self disciplined. On the other hand it will definitely need the support from organization Leadership and culture. However individuals form groups. In other words group behavior is influenced by individual behavior. But obviously group behavior has more power and has more strength. There for to have the best fitting group behavior for the organization it must have the right individuals. This individual behavior paves this essay to the way towards how an organization can best benefit the group behaviors. Group level of analysis At the group level of analysis, organizational behavior involves the study of group dynamics, intra- and intergroup conflict and cohesion, leadership, power, norms, interpersonal communication, networks, and roles. At this level of analysis, organizational behavior draws upon the sociological and socio-psychological sciences. When there are groups it is naturally the first thing come to mind is leadership. Organizations can have many different groups. Sometimes they can be formal and obvious many times they are informal. These groups plays a vital role in an organization as these groups can be treated as energy cells, which concentrate some pockets of power. These pockets are very important to determine the success of organization. On the other hand this is where organizational politics and leadership comes in. As far as organizations are concerned most critical decisions are coming from director board. For example these decisions can be approved only by majority. To make decisions effective and comes in to play they have to get the support of subordinates. As the research to Prof Robert Reich, he finds that many times the subordinates do not support to the logical accuracy of decisions, but they support to the personal traits or any other leadership traits. There most the time subordinates address issues with gut feelings. This is why group behavior is so important. If organizations can form groups which doesnt obey only to the gut feeling but put some effort to overcome mental resistances and come to some rational decisions; such kind of organizations do better in business. Richard trading, one local company once employed only board members from two families. At the board they always had this power struggle. But ultimately the board was introduced with professionals and the group started performs than never before. Because their group directors didnt stop to their gut feeling. This provides how group behaviors can be best effective to organizations. If an organization really focus on these group behaviors they can turn them in to their benefits. Most the time informal group behaviors seen bringing negativities to the organizations. But effectively used these behaviors can be used for organizations advantages. Human resources if managed well hold the key to the success of the organization. According to (Cranny, Smith Stone, 1992 ) human resources output is higher when the employee s function as a team than it is the case when employees do not work as teams . A synergetic effect is what results when organizations embrace team spirit. However creating functional and efficient teams calls for expertise, tolerance and a lot of motivation on the part of the organization. Teams enable employees to exploit their potential and therefore increase job performance. A team consists of members with diverse experience, skills and qualification. These diverse work group and synergy effects have contributed effectively to the organizations like Microsoft to gain competitive advantage by means of creativity and different thinking. It is accepted around the world that diverse work forces are helping to facilitate new idea generation and creativity. As understood the benefits of group behaviors to the organ ization enhanced through essence of diversification, companies like Microsoft earned best advantages. Microsoft in their web site acknowledges that they encourage synergy effects to the organization in the ways and means of diversity. Communication is also another area that organizations can vastly advantage of. Group and team theory of communication have also been studied to determine the best ways to form groups . The choice of communication model is driven by the target recipient . It is important for organizations to understand the dynamics of each form of communication which will enable them to send messages effectively .Communication being an integral part of human existence is the medium through which understanding is gained. In an organization , communication is important since it is the means by which people are able to work together to achieve common goals .Schermerhorn , Hunt , and Osborn (2005 ) defines a team as a formal group of people working together with an aim of achieving common goals . Teams are important in that, they improve performance in an organization , they enhance communication and they make an organization more competitive in that they draw from a wide range of talent . This paper look s at conflict resolution process in teams with an aim of analyzing how conflicts affect teams. Provided above this section of the essay argue that today organizations can best advantage if they effectively manage the effects of organization politics, synergy, diversity and communication at organizations group behaviors. Organization level of analysis At the organization level of analysis, organizational behavior involves the study of topics such as organizational culture, organizational structure, cultural diversity, inter-organizational cooperation and conflict, change, technology, and external environmental forces. At this level of analysis, organizational behavior draws upon anthropology and political science. But the evolution of political nature was described during the group level analysis. Diversity and Cultural level things will be discussed in the latter part. However this section mostly focuses in to the structural impact to the organization behavior. Structure in simple is the degree of complexity, formalization and centralization in the organization. Complexity is the degree of vertical, horizontal and spatial differentiation in an organization Formalization is the degree to which jobs within the organization are standardized. Centralization is the degree to which decision making in concentrated at a single point in the organization Provided above elements of structure it is obvious the structure may interact to people in terms of span of control and power distribution. As discussed before power is coming from others, or subordinates. The reason to power can be different. It can be informal like referent, expert, charismatic, or it can be formal Coming from position. Any way the correct planning of power may help organization to achieve their desired results. Elements of Organizational Behavior The organizations base rests on managements philosophy, values, vision and goals. This in turn drives the organizational culture which is composed of the formal organization, informal organization, and the social environment. The culture determines the type of leadership, communication, and group dynamics within the organization. The workers perceive this as the quality of work life which directs their degree of motivation. The final outcome are performance, individual satisfaction, and personal growth and development. All these elements combine to build the model or framework that the organization operates from. Cultural element A social system is a complex set of human relationships interacting in many ways. Within an organization, the social system includes all the people in it and their relationships to each other and to the outside world. The behavior of one member can have an impact, either directly or indirectly, on the behavior of others. Also, the social system does not have boundaries it exchanges goods, ideas, culture, etc. with the environment around it. Culture is the conventional behavior of a society that encompasses beliefs, customs, knowledge, and practices. It influences human behavior, even though it seldom enters into their conscious thought. People depend on culture as it gives them stability, security, understanding, and the ability to respond to a given situation. This is why people fear change. They fear the system will become unstable, their security will be lost, they will not understand the new process, and they will not know how to respond to the new situations. Individualization is when employees successfully exert influence on the social system by challenging the culture. But when challenging culture it must be careful because normally culture is seen as an iceberg to most management specialists. This nature of culture is very illusive and organization must best understand the culture if they are to do best in business. Cultural dimensions will be different from country to country and also from region to region, may be from organization to organization. This best explains why the same model may be success in one culture but not will be success in another culture. Models of Organizational Behavior There are four major models or frameworks that organizations operate out of, Autocratic, Custodial, Supportive, and Collegial: Autocratic The basis of this model is power with a managerial orientation of authority. The employees in turn are oriented towards obedience and dependence on the boss. The employee need that is met is subsistence. The performance result is minimal. Custodial The basis of this model is economic resources with a managerial orientation of money. The employees in turn are oriented towards security and benefits and dependence on the organization. The employee need that is met is security. The performance result is passive cooperation. Supportive The basis of this model is leadership with a managerial orientation of support. The employees in turn are oriented towards job performance and participation. The employee need that is met is status and recognition. The performance result is awakened drives. Collegial The basis of this model is partnership with a managerial orientation of teamwork. The employees in turn are oriented towards responsible behavior and self-discipline. The employee need that is met is self-actualization. The performance result is moderate enthusiasm. Although there are four separate models, almost no organization operates exclusively in one. There will usually be a predominate one, with one or more areas over-lapping in the other models. The first model, autocratic, has its roots in the industrial revolution. The managers of this type of organization operate mostly out of McGregors Theory X. These kind managers does believe that employees are not good, cannot work their own and should be kept under tight controls etc. The next three models begin to build on McGregors Theory Y who believe employees are capable, and they must be provided with good environment to work as a result they will work and produce good result. However each models has evolved over a period of time and there is no one best model. In addition, the collegial model should not be thought as the last or best model, but the beginning of a new model or paradigm. Change In its simplest form, discontinuity in the work place is change, (Knoster, Villa, 2000). According to Lord Buddha there is no certainty everything is subjected change. This will not only explain the uncontrollable and unexpected but eternal law of change, but also its describe change is unavoidable. There for organization also cant deny this truth. When the attitudes, expectation, trends and styles, change with people factor, the other PESTEL variables can also be change as a result. As a result facing change itself is become a big challenge for many organizations. However the researches evident that 70% of change processes are unsuccessful. Thus change is inevitable for organizations. Almost all people are nervous about change. Many will resist it consciously or subconsciously. Sometimes those fears are well founded the change really will have a negative impact for them. In many cases, however, the target population for the change will come to realize that the change was for the better. The pace of change is ever increasing particularly with the advent of the Internet and the rapid deployment of new technologies, new ways of doing business and new ways of conducting ones life. Organizational Change Management seeks to understand the sentiments of the target population and work with them to promote efficient delivery of the change and enthusiastic support for its results. There are two related aspects of organizational change that are often confused. In Organizational Change Management we are concerned with winning the hearts and minds of the participants and the target population to bring about changed behavior and culture. The key skills required are founded in business psychology and require people people. Provided the significance of peoples factor, as discussed throughout this essay it is ultimately peoples behavior which may affect the organizations behavior at the most severest context. There for it is only the effective leadership which can address these diversities of people behaviors may brings the most success to the organization. Following will discuss how leadership is best effective at todays organizational behaviours. Leadership and Organizational Behavior One can also argue that Organizational Behavior is the study and application of knowledge about how people, individuals, and groups act in organizations. It does this by taking a system approach. That is, it interprets people-organization relationships in terms of the whole person, whole group, whole organization, and whole social system. Its purpose is to build better relationships by achieving human objectives, organizational objectives, and social objectives. As you can see from the definition above, organizational behavior encompasses a wide range of topics, but ultimately its the leadership which can make determine the successful integration of all these variable to produce more optimum results. To begin with, the concept of organizational leadership, as described here, is not entirely new. For almost a century, various observers have glimpsed the self-organizing characteristics of groups, and their natural tendency, more or less of their own accord, to design and direct their own affairs. More than that, there have also been suggestions in the literature that leadership and authority are to be viewed as distinctly separate phenomena. In an intelligently managed organization, that leadership isnt a randomly operating process; its a propulsive force given motion by purpose, and by a joint effort to accomplish it. That is its natural tendency, its bias. But it is managements role to ensure that this organizational leadership has a substantive and meaningful core around which to form itself and to give it traction for advancing the organization toward its stated ends. Using these as a basis, organizational leadership can provide the functions of leadership to an organizationally beneficial degree that cannot be matched by individual charismatic leaders alone. It is also far more reliably focused on the organizations ability to accomplish its own purposes and ensure its own sustainability (rather than resulting in the perversion of those to the interests of senior executive leaders). Conclusion This essay critically analyses the effects of organization behavior in todays context by different aspects. It very clearly proves people are the key factor of the determination of organization behavior. Individual behavior will influence the group behavior. Formations of groups may crates pockets of power. Power can be formal or even informal. But the powerful personalities can influence more effectively the organization. Leadership is best effective where if organization gather many power groups around the personality which can thrive the business to the most effective direction. However organizations are always to change. People create resistive forces most the time to the change. Leadership is successfully useful to reduce the resistive forces to the organization change objectives.