Attitude and behavior towards internet shopping

Attitude and behavior towards internet shopping Studies on factors determining consumer attitude and behavior towards Internet shopping: Most of the studies conducted in the recent years in field of online shopping behavior and attitude have been focusing on the factors influencing the online shopping attitudes and behavior. But, different researchers have diverse opinions and focus, while studying the impact of these factors on the online consumer buying behavior and attitudes. For example, there is a segment of researchers who have tried to explain the consumer attitude and intentions for online shopping by taking theories like Theory of Reasoned Action, Technology acceptance model or Theory of Planned Behaviour as a basis and have tried to extend them further by adding more web specific factors to them(Cheung, Zhu, Kwong, Gloria, and Limayem, 2003), whereas there has been another segment who have derived relationships between various factors and customer satisfaction with reference to the Internet shopping experience in the form of dependent and independent variables. Further, there have been researchers who have f urther organized and compiled the previous researches done in this field so as to pave way for future researches. These researchers have also contributed in terms of designing structured frameworks for online consumer attitude, intention and buying behavior. Web experience The literature review done by Constantinides (2004) helps in identifying the web experience components and their role as the first step in shaping the online consumers behavior. He has added web experience as a controllable element in his model depicting factors that influence the online buying behavior. He has further explained web experience factor by classifying it in three sub-categories which are the building blocks of the web experience. These three sub-categories are Functionality factors (usability and Interactivity), Psychological factors (trust) and Content factors (aesthetics and Marketing Mix). The following figure as adopted from his article presents a brief description of the number of references in support of each of these factors: Source: Constantinides, E.(2004). Influencing the online consumers behavior: the web experience. Journal of Internet Research. Vol 14 No.2, pp. 114, figure 2. Literature review Li and Zhang (2002, p.508) have defined online buying behavior or Internet shopping/buying behavior as the process of purchasing products or services via the Internet; which according to Liang and Lai (2000), is similar to the traditional five steps process of consumer buying behavior (as cited by Li and Zhang, 2002). They have also defined online shopping attitude as the psychological state of the consumers in terms of Internet shopping (2002). Li and Zhang (2002) have analysed 35 empirical studies on online shopping attitudes and behavior conducted during the period of January 1998 to February 2002 and have finally identified 10 inter-related factors for which the reviewed studies have significant empirical evidences. These 10 factors have further been classified into five independent factors (viz. external environment, demographics, personal characteristics, vendor/service/product characteristics, and website quality) and five dependent factors (viz. attitude towards online shoppi ng, intention to shop online, decision making, online purchasing, and consumer satisfaction.) Another exhaustive literature review in this field has been by Cheung et al. (2003). They have examined a total of 351 articles in the area of online consumer behavior from 1994 to April 2002. They have attempted to link together the concepts of intention, adoption and continuance and form a base model- a Model of Intention, Adoption and Continuance (MIAC) for the development of an online consumer behavior framework. Further, the various factors as mentioned by various researchers in their study have been categorized under five major domain areas viz. individual/consumer characteristics, product/service characteristics, medium characteristics, and online merchant and intermediary characteristics. According to them, online purchase intention and adoption has been extensively studied and there are lots of empirical evidences available, but research on continuance or consumer online repurchase is in its infancy. The following figure describes the MIAC model as suggested by Cheung et al. Framework of online consumer behavior Source: Cheung, C.M.K., Zhu, L., Kwong, T., Chan, G.W.W. Limayem, M.(2003). Online Consumer Behavior: A Review and Agenda for Future Research. Proceedings of the 16th Bled eCommerce Conference, eTransformation. 194-218 A recent study conducted by Kuczmarski and James (April 2008) further contribute to the available body of literature by adding that consumers prefer online stores to actual stores due to potential reasons like convenience, cost and selection. Trust as a factor Studies also indicate that trust remains a crucial factor in e-commerce and in influencing the purchase decision of online shoppers. Consumers prefer to shop from trusted websites. Researches reveal that trust is a factor which also helps in forming long-term customer relationships (Dwyer, Schurr Oh, 1987; Gefen Straub, 2003; Kim, Xu Koh, 2004). Some researchers like Lee (2002), Liebermann and Stashevsky (2002), McKnight et al.(2002), Suh and Han(2002) and Liang and Lai(2002) have even argued that a new step has been added to the online buying process and that is the step of building trust or confidence (as cited by Constantinides, 2004). The available literature explains that trust facilitates e-commerce and online transactions, but at the same time the consumers lack of trust in online vendors continues to remain a hindrance in the growth of e-commerce. (Ba Pavlou, 2002; Gefen and Straub, 2003; Gefen, Karahanna Straub, 2003; Kim, Xu Koh, 2004; Lim, Sia, Lee Benbasat, 2006; P avlou Gefen, 2004). Gefen(2002) and Kim, Xu Koh (2004) have stated that a key challenge to e-commerce is that creating trust typically requires multiple interactions and superior service over a period of time(as cited by Lowry et al., 2008). Brand has also been established as one of the factors influencing the customer trust for a website (Bart, Shankar, Sultan Urban, 2005; Yoon, 2002). Ward and Lee(2000) conducted a research to examine whether consumers use brands as sources of information when shopping on Internet and they concluded that branding can facilitate consumers acceptance of e-commerce. Lowry, Vance, Moody, Beckman Read (2008) have studied the impact of branding alliances and web-site quality on the consumer trust of e-commerce websites. They explored the usage of branding alliances and website quality by the less familiar websites to enhance the consumer trust and suggested that branding and web-site quality can significantly increase the initial consumer trust in the e-commerce websites. Ballantine(2005) has studied the effects of interactivity and the amount of product information provided by an online shopping environment on consumer satisfaction. A web-based experiment was conducted where respondents were exposed to a simulated online retail store. Findings indicate that these two factors had a significant effect on the consumer satisfaction. Tangibility also remains an important factor in influencing the purchase process of Internet shoppers. Melian-Alzola and Padron-Robaina(2006) have analysed the role and importance of the tangible elements of purchase processes in business to consumer(B2C) e-commerce, and the impact on overall perceived quality and the customers attitudes. Their research concluded that that four attributes navigation, signposting, tools and explanation explain the tangible dimension in electronic commerce. They revealed that design was an important factor of overall perceived quality and the willingness to recommend the purchase experience to others. Security of transactions is another factor that remains as a matter of concern for e-commerce consumers. According to a study conducted by American Banker in 2007, one-third of Canadians refused to shop online due to fear of identity theft. Web assurance services help in building up the trust and confidence of such consumers. In an experimental study undertaken by Mauldin and Arunachalam (2002), the impact of web assurance services and retailer disclosures on purchase intent was studied. They have defined web assurance as the measures taken to reduce information risks and increase online purchasing by improving the reliability of certain information on the website. Their findings indicate that web assurance. In this research they considered TRUSTe, WebTrust and VISA web assurance services for the study. Their findings indicate that there were no significant differences in intent to purchase among the three assurance providers. Mauldin and Arunachalam have also studied the impact of product and retailer familiarity on the buying behavior of online consumers in the above mentioned study and they suggest that web assurance is insignificant when product familiarity is higher, or in other words, where product familiarity is lower, intent to purchase is higher with web assurance. Retailer familiarity is not fou nd to be significant in any of the conditions. Further, their study also reveals that retailer disclosures are sufficient to impact buying intention of online consumers; the web assurance services studied in the above study did not provide any additional assurance beyond the retailer disclosures. They have further emphasized that comfort with the Internet, general intent to buy online, and website design played significant role in influencing purchase intention. Although security is a major concern of online buyers, their study indicates that information risk generally did not significantly influence purchase intention, which explains why web assurance is generally not significant in their study. Bruce, Katherine and Murphy (2008) have further explored the prior studies on web assurance models to provide detailed explanation on current reporting requirements, differences among web assurance services and perceptions of consumers regarding these services. The study concludes that consumers give importance to web assurance services, but younger consumers place greater value on these services rather than older consumers. Technology Acceptance Model as a basis for research on Literature review In an attempt to design a structured framework for the effects of different factors on consumer attitude towards Internet shopping and their intentions to shop online, Monsuwe, Dellaert and Ruyter (2004) have reviewed the various researches conducted in the field. They have used Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a base and suggested a framework based on previous research on consumer adoption of new technologies and services. The Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) has served as a basis for various researches conducted in the Information systems field. In order to support the selection of TAM as a basis for their research work, Monsuwe et.al, 2004 have cited Chen et al.(2002), Moon and Kim(2001) and Lederar et al.(2000) who suggest that although this model is specifically designed to understand the adoption of a new computer based technology in the job/workplace, it has also proven to be suitable as theoretical foundation for adoption of e-commerce as well. The Technology Ac ceptance Model (TAM) suggests the usefulness, ease of use and the later addition of enjoyment (Davis et al., 1992) as the determinants of consumers attitude towards adopting a new technology. This attitude, further, has a strong and positive effect on consumers intentions to actually use the new technology or system (Bobbitt and Dabholkar, 2001; Davis, 1993). While redefining the three constructs in context of online shopping Monsuwe et.al.(2004, p.107) have referred to usefulness as the consumers perceptions that using the Internet as a shopping medium enhances the outcome of their shopping experience. Similarly, they have redefined ease of use as the consumers perception that the process leading to online shopping will require minimum effort and will be easy. Further, according to them, the enjoyment construct refers to the fun and playfulness of the Internet shopping experience. While usefulness has a weak direct link to attitude, it shows a strong direct link towards intention t o shop online (Davis et al., 1989). It is also linked with ease of use to determine consumers attitude towards online shopping. Hence, ease of use has a direct as well as indirect effect on consumers intention to shop online. Using TAM as a basis for the study, the framework proposed by Monsuwe, Dellaert and Ruyter(2004) not only includes the functional/utilitarian and hedonic dimensions like ease of use, usefulness, and enjoyment which affect the consumers attitude and intention towards Internet shopping, but they have also included some of the exogenous factors recommended by various researchers in the framework such as consumer traits(Burke, 2002; Dhabolkar and Bagozzi, 2002; Brown et al., 2001; Eastin and LaRose, 2000), situational factors(Wolfinbarger and Gilly,2001; Avery, 1996), product characteristics(Grewal et al., 2002; Elliot and Fowell, 2000), previous online shopping experiences(Shim et al., 2001; Eastlick and Lotz, 1999) and trust in online shopping(Yoon, 2002; Lee and Turban, 2001) Monsuwe et.al. in their research, have mentioned about the various researches done in order to extend the TAM by suggesting additional factors. For example, Venkatesh (2000), who has proposed integrating factors like control, intrinsic motivation, and emotion into the existing Technology Acceptance Model which are considered to be strong determinants for ease of use construct of TAM. Dabholkar and Bagozzi (2002) have given an attitudinal model of technology based self-service by suggesting two exogenous factors like consumer traits and situational influences. Further, they have cited OCass and Fenech (2002) who have added seven key consumer characteristics namely opinion leadership, buying impulsiveness, satisfaction with websites, web shopping compatibility, shopping orientation, Internet self-efficacy, and web-security to the model. Further, they have substantiated their model by citing the classification given by Hirschman and Holbrook (1982) who have categorised Internet shoppers in two categories; one is of the problem solvers and other category is of those seeking for fun, fantasy, arousal, sensory stimulation, and enjoyment. Monsuwe et al. suggest that this classification also supports the basic three constructs of TAM which affect the consumers attitude towards Internet shopping as ease of use and usefulness reflect the utilitarian aspect and enjoyment is in sync with the hedonic aspect of the model. The above explanation given by Monsuwe et al. is similar to the categorization of the shopping orientations by Bellenger, Robertson and Greenberg(1977) as convenience versus recreational orientation (as cited by Kim, LaRose, 2004) Various researches have been conducted to identify the underlying dimensions for the basic constructs of the TAM model. These latent dimensions can be further used to understand how these constructs get influenced by various exogenous factors. For example, Mathwick et al. (2001) have added two interesting latent dimensions to the usefulness construct Consumer Return on Investment(CROI), and service excellence. Monsuwe, Dellaert and Ruyter (2004) have defined CROI as a perceived return on cognitive, behavioural or financial investment made by the consumer. Whereas, service excellence evaluates the delivered promises against the performance. If both these dimensions are satisfied, then consumers will judge the Internet shopping performance positively (Mathwick et al., 2002) which adds to the perceived usefulness. Zeithamal et al. (2002) have stated that site characteristics such as search functions, download speed and navigation also acts as a determinant in shaping ease of use constru ct of the TAM model. But, Monsuwe et al. (2004, p.109) have a different opinion regarding this dimension. They have stated that these site characteristics merely influence the ease of use of a particular web site or online store, and not the Internet as a shopping medium in generalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Online Shopping orientations Kim and LaRose (2004) have defined shopping orientation as a shoppers attitude toward shopping activity that may vary with the situation rather than an invariant personality trait of the shopper. They have cited the categorization given by Bellenger, Robertson and Greenberg (1977) which classifies shoppers on the basis of their shopping orientation into convenience versus recreation oriented. Kim and LaRose (2004) also posit that shoppers may possess multiple orientations depending upon the expected outcome of a shopping experience and may demonstrate a regulated/utilitarian or an unregulated/recreational shopping orientation depending upon the environmental stimuli. Their study also shows that these two shopping orientations are not mutually exclusive and interactive web features may draw shoppers with convenience orientation into unregulated buying. Li, Kuo and Rusell(2006) have also studied the impact of shopping orientations on online consumer behavior alongwith other factors like demographics, channel knowledge and perceived channel utilities. Primary data was collected by a research company using an online survey of 999 U.S. Internet users. They have classified Internet users as frequent, occasional and non-buyers. Findings indicated that frequent web buyers have a higher degree of perceived channel utility for the purpose of communication, distribution and accessibility. Similarly channel knowledge also has a positive effect on the Internet buying and it also has a reciprocal influence on the perceived channel utilities. Their study also indicates that frequent web buyers value convenience more than experience(touch and feel of the product) whereas those who are non-web buyers have a higher degree of experience orientation. Recreation and economy orientation are found to be similar for the three types of Internet buyers. Th e study of the demographic factors revealed that male are more frequent web buyers than women, better-educated consumers shop more frequently online and consumers with higher income are more likely to be in frequent web buyer category. Age was not significant as far as frequency of web buying was concerned. Note: Most of the researchers feel that the classical consumer behavioral theories used for can only act as a starting point for understanding the online consumer behavior. There is no structured framework for explaining the online consumer behavior; the studies are mostly fragmented. Researchers have suggested different factors and frameworks, but there is a lack of a cohesive theoretical base to the online consumer behavior. Ba, S.L., and Pavlou, P.A. Evidence of the effect of trust building technology in electronic markets: Price premiums and buyer behavior. MIS Quarterly, 26, 3 (2002), 243-268. Gefen, D., and Straub, D.W. Consumer trust in B2C e-commerce and the importance of social presence: experiments in e-products and e-services. Omega: The International Journal of Management Science, 32, 6 (2004), 407-424. Gefen, D.; Karahanna, E.; and Straub, D.W. Trust and TAM in online shopping: An integrated model. MIS Quarterly, 27, 1 (2003), 51-90. Kim, H.-W.; Xu, Y.; and Koh, J. A comparison of online trust building factors between potential customers and repeat customers. Journal of the AIS, 5, 10 (2004), 392-420. Lim, K.H.; Sia, C.L.; Lee, M.K.O.; and Benbasat, I. Do I trust you online, and if so, will I buy? An empirical study of two trust-building strategies. Journal of Management Information Systems, 23, 2 (Fall 2006), 233-266. Pavlou, P.A., and Fygenson, M. Understanding and predicting electronic commerce adoption: An extension of the theory of planned behavior. MIS Quarterly, 30, 1 (2006), 115-143. Dwyer, F.R.; Schurr, P.H.; and Oh, S. Developing buyer-seller relationships. Journal of Marketing, 51, 2 (1987), 11-27. Everard, A.P., and Galletta, D.F. How presentation flaws affect perceived site quality, trust, and intention to purchase from an online store. Journal of Management Information Systems, 22, 3 (Winter 2005-6), 56-95 Kuczmarski, James (2008, Apr). JOURNAL-IST: Freedom of Choice. Fast Company, Issue 124, 43-43, 1/2p Runyan, B., Smith, K.T., Smith, L. M.(2008, Mar). Implications of Web assurance services on e-commerce. Accounting Forum (Elsevier), Vol. 32 Issue 1, 46-61 Gefen, D. Customer loyalty in e-commerce. Journal of the AIS, 3, 1 (2002), 27-51. Bart, Y.; Shankar, V.; Sultan, F.; and Urban, G.L. Are the drivers and role of online trust the same for all Web sites and consumers? A large-scale exploratory empirical study. Journal of Marketing, 69, 4 (2005), 133-152. Yoon, S.-J. The antecedents and consequences of trust in online-purchase decisions. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 16, 2 (2002), 47-63. Lowry, P.B., Vance, A., Moody, G., Beckman, B. Read, A. (2008). Explaining and Predicting the Impact of Branding Alliances and Web Site Quality on Initial Consumer Trust of E-Commerce Web Sites. Journal of Management Information Systems / Spring 2008, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp. 199-224. American Banker(2007, 17 Dec), Vol. 172 Issue 241, p17-17, 1/9p Monsuwe, T.P., Dellaert, B.G.C. Ruyter, K.D.(2004). What drives consumers to shop online? A literature review. International Journal of Service Industry Management.Vol.15 No.1, pp.102-121 Ward,M.R. Lee, M. J.(2000). Internet shopping, consumer search and product branding. Journal of Product and Brand Management, Vol.9 No.1, pp.6-20 Ballantine, P.W.(2005). Effects of interactivity and product information on consumer satisfaction in an online retail setting. International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, Vol.33 No.1, pp.461-471 Melià ¡n-Alzola, L. Padrà ³n-Robaina, V. (2006). Tangibility as a quality factor in electronic commerce B2C. Managing Service Quality. Vol.16 No.3,pp.320-338 Li,N. Zhang, P.(2002). Consumer Online shopping attitudes and behaviour: An assessment of research. Proceedings of the Eighth Americas Conference on Information Systems. 508-517 Constantinides, E.(2004). Influencing the online consumers behavior: the web experience. Internet Research. Vol 14 No.2, pp. 111-126 Cheung, C.M.K., Zhu, L., Kwong, T., Chan, G.W.W. Limayem, M.(2003). Online Consumer Behavior: A Review and Agenda for Future Research. Proceedings of the 16th Bled eCommerce Conference, eTransformation. 194-218 Li, H., Kuo, C. Rusell, M.G.(2006, Jun). The Impact of Perceived Channel Utilities, Shopping Orientations, and Demographics on the Consumers Online Buying Behaviour. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. 5(2). Retrieved July, 1, 2009, from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/120837782/HTMLSTART Mauldin, E. Arunachalam, V. (2002). An Experimental Examination of Alternative Forms of Web Assurance for Business-to-Consumer e-Commerce. Journal of Information Systems. 16. 33-54 Abstract: Customers in an Internet shopping environment actually play dual roles. One is the role as a customer in a shopping place, and the other is the role as a user of information technology. In both cases, the level of satisfaction is of great concern. In this vein, a way of measuring the satisfaction level that takes both roles into account is needed. However, in past research indexes for consumer satisfaction and indexes for user information satisfaction have been developed separately in the fields of marketing and management information systems. Because of this lack of interaction between the two streams of research, an index for electronic commerce consumers that has its base in the dual roles has not been developed and tested. In this research, an instrument for measuring electronic commerce consumer satisfaction was proposed and validated using a sample of over 400 customers. The relationship between the index and consumers purchasing intention was also examined. Title: Development of electronic commerce user-consumer satisfaction index (ECUSI) for Internet shopping Author(s): Namjae Cho, Sanghyuk Park Journal: Industrial Management Data Systems Year: 2001 Volume: 101 Issue: 8 Page: 400 406 ISSN: 0263-5577 DOI: 10.1108/EUM0000000006170 Publisher: MCB UP Ltd Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of consumers shopping orientation on their satisfaction level with the product search and purchase behavior using multi-channels. Design/methodology/approach A total of 181 students in a large US mid-western university provided usable responses to the survey. Exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analyses were employed to examine the research questions. Findings The results showed that more than three quarters of the respondents shopped via the internet and catalogs, and about 95 percent shopped at non-local retailers. About 60 percent reported that they never shopped from TV shopping channels. Confident/fashion-conscious shopping orientation and catalog/internet shopping orientation were found to be key predictors of customer satisfaction level with information search via multi-channels. Both confident/fashion-conscious consumers and mall shopping-oriented shoppers were more satisfied with store-based retail channels for apparel purchases, whereas non-local store-oriented shoppers and catalog/internet-oriented shoppers were more satisfied with non-store-based retail channels for their apparel purchases. Research limitations/implications The sample of this study was biased by gender and age. For the apparel retail industry, this paper offers practical knowledge about the relationships between shopping orientation and consumer search and purchase behavior in a multi-channel retailing context. Originality/value No study has utilized the shopping orientation framework to explain consumer behavior in a multi-channel environment. This study provides understanding of consumer product information search behavior on four dimensions (price, promotion, style/trends, and merchandise availability) via multi-channels. Title: The effects of shopping orientations on consumers satisfaction with product search and purchases in a multi-channel environment Author(s): Hyun-Hwa Lee, Jihyun Kim Journal: Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Year: 2008 Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Page: 193 216 ISSN: 1361-2026 DOI: 10.1108/13612020810874881 Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Article Information: Title: Attitude toward internet web sites, online information search, and channel choices for purchasing Author(s): Yoo-Kyoung Seock, Marjorie Norton Journal: Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Year: 2007 Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Page: 571 586 ISSN: 1361-2026 DOI: 10.1108/13612020710824616 Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Document Access: Existing customers: Please login above. You do not have rights to view the article Purchase this document: Price payable: GBP  £13.00 plus handling charge of GBP  £1.50 and VAT where applicable. Purchase Request this document: Print or e-mail a document request to your librarian. Request Reprints permissions: Request Abstract: Purpose This study aims to examine the influence of attitudes toward particular clothing web sites, specifically favorite ones, on information search at those web sites and on the choice to purchase items from those web sites and from non-internet channels after finding the items at the web sites. Design/methodology/approach Using survey data from 414 US college students who had online shopping experience and favorite clothing web sites that they especially like to visit, hypothesized relationships among attitude toward internet web sites, online information search and channel choices for purchasing were tested using path analysis. Findings Results showed that participants attitudes toward their favorite clothing web sites had a direct, positive effect on their intentions to search for information at those web sites as well as intentions to purchase clothing items from those web sites after finding the items there. Additionally, operating through information-search intentions at the web sites, participants attitudes toward those web sites had an indirect, positive effect on their intentions to purchase clothing items from non-internet channels after finding the items at the web sites. Research limitations/implications Results cannot be generalized to the larger population of young consumers and to other consumer groups. Future research should include other population groups. Practical implications This research provides insights into how college students attitudes toward internet web sites affect their information search at the web sites and their channel choices for purchasing. Our results suggest potential benefits of multi-channel retailing for online clothing retailers targeting US college students and the importance of building effective web sites to elicit those consumers positive attitudes toward the web sites. Originality/value This study is the first to investigate young adult online shoppers attitude towards internet web sites and their information search and channel choices for purchasing. Keywords: Consumer behaviour, Information retrieval, Internet shopping, Purchasing, United States of America Article Type: Research paper Article URL: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/13612020710824616 Article Information: Title: Do determinants of online shopping differ for personal shoppers and professional shoppers? Author(s): Amit Bhatnagar Journal: EuroMed Journal of Business Year: 2007 Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Page: 87 102 ISSN: 1450-2194 DOI: 10.1108/14502190710749974 Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Document Access: Existing customers: Please login above. You do not have rights to view the article Purchase this document: Price payable: GBP  £13.00 plus handling charge of GBP  £1.50 and VAT where applicable. Pu

The Links Between Child Abuse and Psychological, Emotional, Behavioral,

Abuse of children has become a major social problem and a main cause of many people's suffering and personal problems. Neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse have an immediate and long-term effects on a child's development. The long-term effects of abuse and neglect of a child can be seen in psychiatric disorders, increased rates of substance abuse, and relationship difficulties. Child abuse and neglect is a huge problem. Parents who abuse are people who have been abused and neglected themselves as children(Long Term Consequences). There are links between neglect and abuse and later psychological, emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal disorders. The basis for this linkage is the impact that abuse and neglect have on brain development. Researchers have found important links between interpersonal experiences and neurobiological development. Children who have been sexually abused are at significant risk of developing anxiety disorders (2.0 times the average), major depressive disorders (3.4 times average), alcohol abuse (2.5 times average), drug abuse (3.8 times average), and anti-social behavior (4.3 times average)(Crouch). Generally the left hemisphere of the brain is the site of language, motor activity on the right side of the body, and logical thought based on language. The right hemisphere of the brain is responsible for motor activity on the left side of the body, context perceptions, and holistic perception. The orbito-frontal cortex (the part of the brain directly behind the eyes) is responsible for integrating emotional responses generated in the limbic system with higher cognitive functions, such as planning and language, in the cerebral cortex's prefrontal lobes(Culp). The left orbito-frontal cortex is responsible for memory creation while the right orbito-frontal cortex is responsible for memory retrieval. Healthy functioning requires an integrated right and left hemisphere. A substantial number of synaptic connections among brain cells develop during the first year of life. An integrated brain requires connections between the hemispheres by the corpus callosum. Abused and neglected children have smaller corpus callosum than non-abused children. Abused and neglected children have poorly integrated cerebral hemispheres. This poor integration of hemispheres and underdevelopment of the orbitofrontal cortex is the basis for such symptoms as... ...ren. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 20(1), 49-65. Culp, R. E., Watkins, R. V., Lawrence, H., Letts, D., Kelly, D. J., & Rice, M. L. (1991). Maltreated children's language and speech development: Abused, neglected, and abused and neglected. First Language, 11(33), 377-389. Dong, M. (2004). The interrelatedness of multiple forms of childhood abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. Child Abuse & Neglect, 28(7), 771-784. Greenfield, E. A. (2010). Child abuse as a life-course social determinant of adult health. Maturitas, 66(1), 51-55. Larkin, H. (2009). Adverse childhood experiences linked to health risk behaviors. Policy and Practice of Public Human Services, 67(3), 14-16. Sylvestre, A., & MÃ ©rette, C. (2010). Language delay in severely neglected children: A cumulative or specific effect of risk factors? Child Abuse & Neglect, 34(6), 414-428. Trickett, P. K., & McBride-Chang, C. (1995). The developmental impact of different forms of child abuse and neglect. Developmental Review 15, 311-337. Twardosz, S., & Lutzker, J. R. (2010). Child maltreatment and the developing brain: A review of neuroscience perspectives. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 15(1), 59-68.

Marketing Plan for Compost in Nepal

INTERNATIONAL AMERICAN UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTIAL BUSINESS SCHOOL Buddhanagar, Kathmandu A Report on Marketing Plan of Nepal Recycling Company Ltd. In partial fulfillment of the MBA IInd semester project submission requirement Submitted to : Submitted by : Mr. Sujan Raja ShresthaAshim Shrestha Lecturer, Marketing Management Gyanman Bade Niranjan P. Bajracharya Sangeeta Ghale Shreya Joshi As on 21 March 20, 2013 Table of Contents I. Executive Summary A. Summary of situation analysis B. Summary of marketing objectives C.Summary of marketing strategies D. Budget summary II. Situation Analysis A. The Industry 1. History of the industry III. Executive Summary Summary of Situational Analysis In developed countries, the main motivations for waste reduction are frequently related to legislation, environmental protection, the scarcity of sites for landfills, and the risks associated with toxic materials. The same considerations apply in developing countries to large metropolitan areas that are s ubject to many economic and environmental pressures.Urban centres which do not have effective collection and disposal systems should not devote resources to developing waste reduction measures until adequate waste management systems are in place. For this, or other reasons, solid waste managers in developing countries tend to pay little attention to the issue of reducing organic wastes which make up from 50 per cent to 90 per cent of the total waste generated. Management of solid waste is a growing concern in Nepal as urban population densities increase and flat usable land is in short supply.Although small urban centres were declared to be municipalities2, they suffer from a lack of infrastructural and technical resources to tackle the problem of waste management. With increasing public awareness about good health and a clean environment, solid waste management has now come to the top of the priorities of the municipalities in Nepal. When the environmental impacts of proposed landf ills are being investigated, it is often found that residents refuse to accept landfill sites near their homes and local leaders from various political parties are often involved in protests against proposed landfill locations.Though the Local Self Governance Act of 1999 has empowered municipalities to take every necessary action at the local level, the absence of elected representatives3 since 1998 has been causing difficulties in its implementation. Even though collection systems are still not in place, most of the municipalities are expressing their desire to develop final disposal systems. They are also promoting waste reduction, reuse and recycling among local communities.Some of the 58 municipalities in various parts of the country are providing effective house-to-house waste collection services and some are making good progress towards final disposal. For this review, communities and private sector service providers have been selected according to their present performance in waste reduction. Priority is given to those community-based organizations (CBOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are playing effective roles in waste reduction at source, collection, processing and recycling.Table 1 provides details of the regions and municipalities in Nepal. Where do we stand ? Nepal Recycling Company’s area of business will be to collect, recycle/compost, and market waste from municipality waste processing plants for use use as a consumer good. This recycled product will meet two critical needs: 1. It will help people to better manage their organic wastes. 2. It will give municipalities a feasible and cost effective alternative to landfilling the waste, and 3. It will help meet the growing demand for organic soil enhancers and fertilizers.The material that will be recycled is human waste sludge. Our recycled waste will be targeted toward fertilizer manufacturers, nurseries, landscapers, farmers, government agencies, golf courses, and others. All of these potential customers will benefit from the compost's numerous soil enhancing characteristics. Landfills are filling up and costs of disposal are rising. Also there are a lot of problem in managing human sludge. This is a unique and viable concept that addresses the needs of various customers and reaches an  untapped market with tremendous growth potential.One of the most attractive aspects is that the business is projected to attain a strong cash position and achieve profitability in the third year of operation. Due to a large need for these products and services, and a lack of direct competition, our projection of quick profitability is attainable. Research will be an ongoing process for the company; one particular area of interest is the possibility of qualifying the product as a fertilizer. In this case, the profitability of the product would nearly double A. Summary of marketing objectives Specific:Our goal of the company is to initially promote recycled product a s for now â€Å"compost † to the customers bringing about awareness about the use of recycled product in focus the compost against the use of chemical fertilizers. We are to capture the market of the compost industry within the next two years by providing high quality organic composts at the rate lower or equal to the local rate but cheaper than the chemical fertilizers. We aim to sell our products to large segments : local farmers, industrial farmers, golf course and ultimately export the products.We aim at slow ascend in the profit curve rather than a rapid one. Measurable: We aim to take 20% of the market share within the first year and slowly increase to 30%. With the availability of input using human sludge and other organic waste, we are less in operating cost that merits us to sell our product at low cost. We are in collaboration with the government so we don’t have to incur any of the business taxes as the industry is currently targeted to social welfare with a little amount of profit. Achievable:We ensure to possess the latest recycling plant and quality assurance team in the industry. We also have the best marketing professionals to increase our sale. We currently are running our industry with the support of government assistance as well as different NGO working for the environment welfare, so we have sufficient funds as well are free from different taxes helping us to operate at optimal level bringing about profit which is to be reinvested in the same. Also our customers, as Nepal being an agricultural country , we have easy customers.The only thing our marketing team has to do is to aware the customers about the use of compost and its advantages against the other chemical fertilizers. We are also in collaboration with government and other NGOs that are working for the environement and the development of the agriculture segment in the country. Summary of marketing strategies. Nepal Recycling company aims to provide composts to customer s at a price far way cheaper than the chemical fertilizers being sold in the local market. Mission Nepal Recycling company’s mission is to provide the highest quality composts .WE exist to attract and maintain local farmers and agro-industrialist. When we attain the most of the market share, we tend to move towards profit maximization and go towards globalization of our product through brand. Marketing Objectives * Improve the local farmers perception on compost uses and its advantages * Increase the amount of compost market share in the country * Maintain a slow ascend profit margin * To educate the country about waste management and the advantages of organic wastes Target Markets * Local farmers * fertilizer manufacturers * nurseries * landscapers * government agencies * golf coursesMarketing Mix Nepal Recycling Company is comprised of the following approaches to pricing. ,distribution, advertising and promotion and customer services. * Pricing : The cheapest high quality c ompost in comparison to other chemical fertilizers * Distribution: The products will be manufactured in the recycling plant while the selling will be done with the help of agriculture retailers and government aids. * Advertising and promotion: We will require advertisements , sales promotions and government references to local farmers through different agricultural banks and NGOS working for the welfare of the agriculture. Customer Service: The customer service in the context of our product will be to educate people different information regarding the use of composts against the chemical fertilizers . And also educate about different agriculture information II Situational Analysis The Recycling Industry 1. History Recycling has been a common practice for most of human history, with recorded advocates as far back as Plato in 400  BC. During periods when resources were scarce, archaeological studies of ancient waste dumps show less household waste (such as ash, broken tools and pott ery)—implying more waste was being recycled in the absence of new material.In pre-industrial times, there is evidence of scrap bronze and other metals being collected in Europe and melted down for perpetual reuse. [4] In Britain dust and ash from wood and coal fires was collected by ‘dustmen' and downcycled as a base material used in brick making. The main driver for these types of recycling was the economic advantage of obtaining recycled feedstock instead of acquiring virgin material, as well as a lack of public waste removal in ever more densely populated areas. In 1813, Benjamin Law developed the process of turning rags into ‘shoddy' and ‘mungo' wool in Batley, Yorkshire.This material combined recycled fibres with virgin wool. The West Yorkshire shoddy industry in towns such as Batley and Dewsbury, lasted from the early 19th century to at least 1914. Industrialization spurred demand for affordable materials; aside from rags, ferrous scrap metals were cov eted as they were cheaper to acquire than was virgin ore. Railroads both purchased and sold scrap metal in the 19th century, and the growing steel and automobile industries purchased scrap in the early 20th century.Many secondary goods were collected, processed, and sold by peddlers who combed dumps, city streets, and went door to door looking for discarded machinery, pots, pans, and other sources of metal. By World War I, thousands of such peddlers roamed the streets of American cities, taking advantage of market forces to recycle post-consumer materials back into industrial production. [5] Beverage bottles were recycled with a refundable deposit at some drink manufacturers in Great Britain and Ireland around 1800, notably Schweppes.An official recycling system with refundable deposits was established in Sweden for bottles in 1884 and aluminium beverage cans in 1982, by law, leading to a recycling rate for beverage containers of 84–99 percent depending on type, and average u se of a glass bottle is over 20 refills. (The above mentioned details are abstract from wikipedia. com ) Current Scenario Some people dump their organic wastes into farm so that they get some fertilizers for their agriculture. While the papers, plastics are burnt and metal scraps are stored.But people have started selling the papers ,glass , plastics and metal scraps to the people coming to house doors collecting for it. The so called â€Å"khaali sisi bottle wallas† pay a small amount for the wastes they take in. They collect wastes in huge quantity and are exported to India where they get recycled and new products are produced in turn and sold to Nepal again in expensive prices. As population is soring up in the urban areas with the amount of human sludge and other wastes such as papers, glass, plastics and metal scraps.As the area for land fills are being filled up and there are no more places . The human sludge is directly dumped into rivers and ponds. The organic wastes from homes are also located into nearby open places. The country has not moved towards the concept of recycling and very few companies are into the â€Å"Go Green â€Å" concept and use recycled products from other sources. Also there are small companies who collect waste materials such as paper, glass, plastics and metals , but are taken to India for recycling. The products are then distributed from India only. Growth PotentialThe potential for the growth of the recycling industry is very high and flexible. With the availability of waste materials as input, the industry can grow soon and the products as well can be sold easily as the nation is also moving towards â€Å"Go Green † concept. As products such as fertilizers are becoming very very expensive, the compost produced from the industry can be of a great use viz price and quality. As chemical fertilizers are also continuous depleting the soil quality, the organic fertilizer or compost can help the farmers into their p roductivity. So there is a great potential for growth.Also with the growing number of other industry such as plastic, glass(esp. bottlers companies, brewery and distillery ), metal industries, the availability of raw materials can reduce their operation cost and provide the people of Nepal with cheaper products and also help the economy of the country by exporting recycled products because the whole world is using recycled products. Nepal Recycling Company History Nepal Recycling Company was established in 2012 AD . Its aim is to help the country in rising the economy as well as the management of waste materials.It recycles waste materials and helps manage the wastes and puts the country to a cleaner environment. While producing recycled products, it can help boom country’s manufacturing industries roviding products in the form of raw matireials or finished goods. Scope of business There is a big scope of this business to bloom. The products for the company for now compost an d recycled papers have a easily reachable market. It would take some years to capture the market for both the compost and the paper industry.Compost can be packed as a branded fertilizer and papers can be manufactured as high quality materials and sold in the same brand. The compost is readily required for every farmers so there is a huge probability for it to flourish in the market. While paper products markets can be made to the same organization from where the waste papers were brought from. Current state and growth The company so far is in its growth stage. It is trying to capture the market share providing the highest quality compost in the country.There is a scope for the company to grow to earn huge amount of profits and also establish itself as a brand product and also mark up as an international quality product. |Due to the growing concept of organic products, there is a huge amount of market sustainability . Profitability The company currently is operating at low profitabi lity rate . Its capital has been gained from government funds and other donors. So, the main scope right now of the company is social awareness and to capture the market. However the company will focus on increasing the profitability within the next 4 years.Competenece in various areas Strengths Starting a business in the recycling industry proves to be a profitable business because the potentials still remain untapped and it is an evergreen niche. recycling itself is a broad niche and making substantial profits from a recycling business in a country like Nepal where waste management is a impossible thing. We have plenty of waste materials that can be used as input for our plants. The human sludge which at present is dumped directly into the rivers can be directed directly to our recycling plants.We can also charge money from the home consumers for taking in their organic wastes. The recycling business will prove profitable because there is a high demand for recycled products from m anufacturing companies; who are looking to drive down production costs, since using recycled packaging materials is cheaper than acquiring new ones. Challenges * It is capital intensive – but can be started on a small scale. * High cost of recycling equipments and machines. * It takes massive amount of effort to gather waste local sites and other places.However, you can choose to outsource this process while concentrating on your core competence; which is recycling. SWOT Analysis Strengths| Weakness| 1. Low price2. Environment Friendly3. Low resource consumption4. Less garbage in the society| 1. Unavailability of Machinery2. Lack of Human expertise in recycling 3. People may not accept this product if we do not rightly market it. 4. lack of markets for collected materials5. lack of funding for recycling6. poor participation by residents in material collection. Opportunities| Threats| 1. Employment Opportunities2. Demand Supply Gap, creates a room for our business3. Purchasing power of the people will be increased so they will favour our products. | 1. Firms may react on this establishmentand may negatively affect ourprofitability and sustainability| Potential Marketing Problems The country has 90% of the population making up a living on agriculture. With increased demand and competition, people have started using their productivity using chemical fertilizers.Educating people on the use of organic fertilizers such as compost on the current scenario can be difficult. With people wanting more productivity, it can be a hefty task to make the people swift over to composts. With people into traditional farming, they have their own methods of organic composts and which is free of costs to them. Making them buy the same feature products with a price will take a heavy amount of risks. As well, the government is providing chemical fertilizers at very subsidized rate . The government itself can resist the sale of our product .

Wilfred Owen And Opinions On War - 2406 Words

Wilfred Owen and Opinions on War World War I had a powerful and long lasting effect on people all over the world. A significant figure from the literature of World War I was Wilfred Owen who expressed his powerful thoughts on the war in his writing. Owen was particularly noteworthy because he had experience in the war as a soldier himself. He noted many hardships that included suffering from illnesses and the changing weather conditions. Throughout his firsthand accounts, the reader gets to see what actually happened during the war and gains a new perspective. Also the war greatly affected the mood that Owen wrote in and his tone would change along with the physical and mental difficulties he was faced with. In one of Wilfred Owen’s particular poems, â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est†, he wrote with extensive imagery of the war which showed his view point and what occurred in reality. The stanzas have a darkening mood as they go on to make the war seem very real and alive. Owe n used powerful diction to express his experiences as a soldier that stick with the reader when combined with his powerful imagery. Another important part of Wilfred Owen developing as a writer in this time period was due to his influence from outside sources. The most significant influence that Owen had came from Siegfried Sassoon. The two spent a great amount of time together in recovery from various conditions. Owen used many of Sassoon’s ideas and they had similar viewpoints of the war resulting in a fastShow MoreRelated The soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce et decorum est by Wilfred Owen886 Words   |  4 PagesWar Poetry - The soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce et decorum est by Wilfred Owen The poems The soldier by Rupert Brooke and Dulce et decorum est by Wilfred Owen are related to the events in WWI. These two poems concentrate on a similar subject, going to war, but have totally different points of view and contradict each other. Rupert Brooke has a patriotic point of view meanwhile Wilfred Owen has a critical opinion. Both of the authors use their own knowledge to show us how soldiersRead More The Use of Vocabulary in Dulce Et Decorum Est and The Volunteer1297 Words   |  6 PagesThe Use of Vocabulary in Dulce Et Decorum Est and The Volunteer The Volunteer by Herbert Asquith and Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen are two poems, which cast very different opinions on the Great War of 1914 - 1918. In The Volunteer Asquith has created an inspirational mood, one that indicates patriotism and optimism. However, Dulce Et Decorum Est contrasts The Volunteer, with its angry and bitter mood. One of the principal aspects that help to create the mood is the use Read MoreCompare the Different Views of War in the Poems ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen and ‘the Man He Killed’ by Thomas Hardy976 Words   |  4 PagesThomas Hardy and ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ by Wilfred Owen. ‘The Man He Killed’ is about a man who was in the war and is thinking about his memories in the war. The main part of his experience in the war that he is reminiscing is the killing that he committed and the majority of the poem is focused on that. Thomas Hardy did not go to war himself but it could be thought that he got the idea from a friends experience in the war. The poem is based on the Boer War. The message of the poem is that he was mostRead MoreThe Prisoner Of War Camps837 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Hello mother, father, this is your Louie talking. This will be the first time in two years that you’ve heard my voice. I am now interned at a Tokyo prisoner of war camp and I’m being treated as well as can be expected under wartime conditions.† As a viewer we can see the look of pure disgust and longing upon Louie’s face. It was evident that he wasn’t eager to read what was prepared for him as it depicted a false perception of what his wartime conditions were truly like. The fact that he had toRead MoreDulce Et Decorum Est and Ninety Years Ago952 Words   |  4 PagesRupert McCall and Wilfred Owens are two very different poets, from two very different times, with two very different poems. The two poems give very different messages about the poet’s opinion of war and conflict. Ninety Years Ago is a poem written by Rupert McCall in 2005 about the legend of the ANZACs. The poem was written to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign. Dulce Est Decorum Et was written by Owen Wilfred in 1917 about Owens experiences in WW1. Owen wrote this poem asRead MoreSimilarities B etween Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon, And Wilfred Owen1531 Words   |  7 PagesSenior High School World War I Poetry How it changed during the war Abby Schaubroeck Honors World Cultures Period 3 Ms. Beck 19 May 2017 Over the course of the war the perspective of literature, in specifically poetry, changed. Rupert Brooke, Siegfried Sassoon, and Wilfred Owen all share one common bond: these men were war poets. According to the Oxford Dictionary, the term â€Å"war poet† means â€Å"a poet writing at the time of and on the subject of war, especially one on military serviceRead MoreDulce Et Decorum Est - Critical Response Essay1159 Words   |  5 Pagesread is: Dulce Et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen. The main point Wilfred Owen tries to convey in this poem is the sheer horror of war. Owen uses many techniques to show his feelings, some of which Ill be exploring. br brWilfred Owen is a tired soldier on the front line during World War I. In the first stanza of Dulce Et Decorum Est he describes the men and the condition they are in and through his language shows that the soldiers deplore the conditions. Owen then moves on to tell us how even inRead MoreA comparison of poems by Wilfred Owen â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† and â€Å"Anthem for Doomed Youth† Wilfred800 Words   |  4 PagesA comparison of poems by Wilfred Owen â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† and â€Å"Anthem for Doomed Youth† Wilfred Owen fought in the ww1. He enrolled into army at an early age which was probably influenced by the government’s enticing and false advertising. However in the trenches Owen soon discovered the reality of war and how horrific the war was. At first he started to take notes about the conditions. Then later in a military hospital he edited and turned these notes into poetry. â€Å"Dulce et Decorum Est† is aRead MoreWilfred Owen Essay1001 Words   |  5 PagesWilfred Owen’s poetry effectively conveys his perspectives on human conflict through his experiences during The Great War. Poems such as ‘Futility’ and ‘Dulce et Decorum Est’ portray these perceptions through the use of poetic techniques, emphasising such conflicts involving himself, other people and nature. These themes are examined in extreme detail, attempting to shape meaning in relation to Owen’s first-hand encounters whilst fighting on the battlefield. Wilfred Owen experiences many innerRead More Dulce Et Decorum Est - Critical Response Essay1129 Words   |  5 Pagesrecently read is: â€Å"Dulce Et Decorum Est† by Wilfred Owen. The main point Wilfred Owen tries to convey in this poem is the sheer horror of war. Owen uses many techniques to show his feelings, some of which I’ll be exploring. Wilfred Owen is a tired soldier on the front line during World War I. In the first stanza of Dulce Et Decorum Est he describes the men and the condition they are in and through his language shows that the soldiers deplore the conditions. Owen then moves on to tell us how even in their