Alzheimer Agitation - Prevention Research Paper

Alzheimer Agitation - Prevention - Research Paper Example Method of Search: The paper has been written after extensive research on literature available on Alzheimer disease and the agitation associated with it. As no treatment is available to fully cure the disease, therefore, following preventive measures is the only effective way to prevent the onset and reduce the severity of agitation. Some of the common up to date preventive measures followed in nursing homes are listed in this paper and have been taken from different books written on Alzheimer disease. Introduction and Significance: The Dementing disease was first discovered by a German neuropathologist, Alois Alzheimer and the disease is named after him. Among individuals of age 65 and older, the most common type of Dementia is Alzheimer’s disease which is known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease. As the age progresses, half of the elderly individuals experience a loss of memory, judgment, and language to an extent that it starts to mediate a huge impact on their daily lives. In the United States, AD is a major health problem because of its huge impact on various departments of the health care system, the lives of the patients and their families. In accordance with the recent statistical data, there are a staggering number of AD cases in the United Sates alone amounting to 4 million individuals. The percentage of individuals with AD doubles for every five year age group beyond the age of 65. Moreover, the highest risk of AD is amongst the individuals over the age of 85. In industrialized countries, the improvement and widespread provision of health care facilities have increased life expectancy which has inevitably led to an increase in the number of cases being reported over the past few years. (National Institutes of Health 2002). Scientists estimate that if curative measures are not discovered then the number of cases in US in 2050 would be around 14 million. Over the years the cost of care of patients with AD has steadily shown an increase. I n United States of America, the annual national cost of caring for individuals with AD amounts to approximately around $1 billion. (National Institutes of Health 2002). Alzheimer disease is a progressive brain disease which is irreversible and gradually reduces the thinking skills and memory to such an extent that the person becomes incapable of carrying out normal daily activities. However, the causes and the subsequent progression of the disease has not yet been fully exposed which has significantly slowed the progress in devising ways to prevent the disease. The treatments that are currently available only aim at reducing the severity of the disease symptoms. (National Institutes of Health 2002). Alzheimer agitation refers to the behavioral patterns exhibited by a typical Alzheimer patient. The typical behavioral patterns include screaming, complaining, wandering, cursing, fidgeting, pacing, moaning and shouting. Progression of the disease is characterized by memory loss and degr adation of thinking skills in addition to an increase in the severity of Alzheimer agitation. It is worth mentioning that every abnormal behavior is not classified as agitation. If the abnormal behavior poses a risk to the individual with AD or the people around him then it is considered to be agitation. Agitation associated with AD can be due to a single medical problem or a cumulative effect of a variety of different contributing factors such as

Professional Team Sports Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Professional Team Sports - Essay Example Making profits is a key aspect in any business venture (Wladimir and Stefan, 2006:617). This understanding has created interest in finding out the real effect of decisions made by club owners and franchise on the structure and regulation of leagues around the world. This paper therefore seeks to interrogate the different ways in which the objectives and decisions of club owners in professional sports affect the overall sporting arena. In order to get better sales in sports, high level of competition is required unlike in business where monopoly is the ultimate goal. If there are championships or leagues, the participation of more than two clubs will be necessary to ensure better products to the fans. If one club is far better than the rest and keeps on winning all games with ease, the products become so predictable and therefore less marketable to the fans (Wladimir & Stefan, 2006:27). Fans will get bored in watching a team that wins with big margins repeatedly and so need some degre e of uncertainty for them to enjoy watching the game. This phenomenon of the professional sports as an industry has led to the development of cooperation among clubs and the adoption of governing bodies charged with ensuring that the industry attains its optimal production capacity by way of organising championships and leagues. These leagues are highly competitive and as such have become some of the most profitable enterprises around the globe. For instance, the European champions’ league, the Barclays premier league in England and the La-liga of Spain are some examples among many leagues in football that are leading income earners for the respective clubs and contribute a considerable amount of the countries’ GDP. Baseball, basketball, indoor sports, golf, athletics, and Olympics in general all form a multibillion-dollar economy (Masteralexis and Hums, 2002:295). The graph below shows how revenue from sporting activities has increased over the years. Figure 1: graphi c illustration of increase in revenue in the sports sector associated with increasing commercialization Retrieved from http://www.econweb.com/MacroWelcome/sandd/D-Shift_New_Equilibrium.gif According to some economists, this feature of professional sport is quite favourable as it eradicates monopolies, which are responsible for poor quality of products or services offered and high non-commensurate prices. In the end, the whole arena of professional sports forms a model of free market where competitiveness of the product offered carries the largest share. This competition however is not always healthy especially with respect to the labour market (Stefan, 2007:47). Here, the free relocation and transfer of players from one club to the other based on the wages has made the wealthier clubs maintain a grip of the top leagues and championships over the less wealthy clubs. Therefore, wealthy club owners can get all the best talent there is in the market and thereby in a way kill competition , which is the very phenomenon on which the industry thrives (Rodney, 2004:25). This has resulted to creation of oligopolistic cartels where the higher level of game is exclusive to the rich clubs where as the less wealthy clubs play in the lower divisions that are less competitive and less famous among the fans ((Wladimir and Stefan, 2006:64). This means that fans will be flocking the gates only when big teams are playing. This obviously means very high revenues for them where as the poorer clubs will only have small number of fans in

People of Lubbock and Recycling Behavior Research Paper - 1

People of Lubbock and Recycling Behavior - Research Paper Example This research paper describes the effective waste management strategies that can be aplied to the people of Lubbock town, United Kingdom. The researcher analyzes human behaviour of the town residents and discusses strategies that can increase the effective waste management in the community. In order to increase recycling rates amongst the residents of Lubbock, the researcher believes a holistic approach, integrating Azjen’s Theory of Planned Behaviour and Barr et al’s Environmental Conceptual Framework is necessary in order to provide a better understanding of environmental actions. The literature presented in this research paper indicates that unit based pricing and variable rate systems are the most effective economic means to reduce municipal waste disposal and increase recycling rates. However, a range of non-economic factors have also been shown to motivate people to recycle, in which effective recycling strategies must be highly convenient for people to use and ac cess. However, Reschovskey and Stone also acknowledge that’s people’s intrinsic and extrinsic attitudes and values towards the environment affect recycling rates. People who express altruistic tendencies and greater environmentally positive attitudes tend to recycle more frequently. To conclude, the researcher states that these findings indicate that policy makers also need to raise people’s environmental awareness in order for them to develop an eco-centric perspective and values towards sustainable waste management issues.

Importance of Book of Romans to the History of the Church Essay Example for Free

Importance of Book of Romans to the History of the Church Essay The Book of Romans is the one of the Letters in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.The Writing is   simply reffered as the Romans and is currently one of the undisputed work of Paul.The book has been described as a masterpiece which overwhelms the reader by the sublimity and the density of the topic which are discussed,the justification of the gospel and the revealing of the uprightness and the grace of God to all the people ,both Jews and the Gentiles. The book is a letter which is written in a Greek first century traditional letter writing style. During this time the writers started by identifying themselves and then names of the person they were sending the letter and then followed by the greetings. The letters usually closed with the final greeting and blessings. The book of Romans followed the same style (Barth, K 1968) There existed a group of believers in Rome who trusted in Jesus as Messiah long before Paul had planned to visit this town. There was a conflict between the Christian Jews and the new group up to the point that the Roman Emperor expelled them from Rome. More often there was a disagreement between the Jews and the gentiles concerning what made one an acceptable person to God and the way the followers of the Christ should conduct their lives. Having noticed the differences that characterized the church in Rome Paul decided to shed some light as far as the differences were concerned. There were people who were going from door to door teaching doctrines which were confusing and misleading to the faithful. There are some who were saying that for one to be accepted in the kingdom of God one has to refrain from eating particular kind of food and had to strictly follow the Law of Moses. These are issues that the book of Romans aimed at addressing so that this confusion that existed in the church can be cleared. Therefore to the church in Rome the book was basically a tool of reference as far as what was expected of them was concerned. One of the reasons for Paul writing this book was to answer some of the question that emerged between the two groups. He boldly put it out in the book that the word of God was for all whether Gentiles or Jews. (Moo, D1996) The book of Roman is basically a treatise which is addressed to the church in Rome where Paul was introducing himself before he made his visit. Justification of the faith was the central theme for his letter. He was delivering the message that it is only through salvation that a man can have a good relationship with God. Anything else did not matter. What was expected from every Christian whether Jews or Gentiles was the faith in God and through this salvation will be achieved. He explained that the Mosaic Law was not enough to make the Christian righteous. This works serves as an eye opener to the early church as some of the issues that were controversial at this time were clearly explained by Paul. The differences that threatened to tear apart the church were tackled in this writing. To the Jewish Christians Paul explained that God had not completely broken his promise with them but he was working towards redemption of all the people in the universe.   For a long time Paul was planning to visit Rome but he was hindered from making such a move. Now he was determined to do it, he wanted to greet them and introduce himself before he made that journey. This visit was very important to him and the church in Rome as both were anxious. Paul was not sure how he was going to be received in this city and the some people there had criticized him before as they did not think he can be the leader of the church which was led by the Gentiles. The book of Romans serves as the assurance to the church in Rome that they are accepted in the kingdom of God like any other group despite them being Gentiles. Therefore Paul was mainly writing this book to assure this group that they also had a right and a share in the kingdom of God. He assures them that Jesus died for all regardless of their status. The most important thing for any Christian was repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ and leading a holy life. (Moo, D1996) Paul believed that the culture of Romans was very important as far as the church was concerned. It was the most powerful empire in the world and was located in the middle of the world at the time of Paul evangelism. This fact made the Church of Rome very important to the world at large. He understood the great effect this church would have on the rest of the world especially the so called civilized world of that time. He clearly saw the need of systematic and full presentation of the good news in this city. The people in Rome were looking forward to Paul visit in Rome as it would serve a great role as far as their church was concerned. This visit was taken as a formal recognition that a church that was led by the Gentiles. They had for a long time wondered how he can be an apostle of the church yet he fail to visit their church in Rome. This gave the church leaders an opportunity to gauge and judge his courage and honesty as far as the church was concerned. The book of Romans clearly explains the doctrines of the Christian faith. Paul in this book defended the gospel from those people who were claiming that salvation was for a chosen group. The church in Rome was to serve as a pillar where the Christianity would be spread to other regions in the world. The book clearly assures that the Roman church was as legitimate as the other despite the fact that it was led by gentiles. This served as a boost to this church as Paul was taken as the messenger of God and he was presenting the God word to the people who had chosen to follow Christ yet the society was not keen to respect them. Paul addresses them as his brethrens a clear indication that he had accepted them as one of them and they were on the right track as far as faith was concerned. (Moo, D 2002) The book of Romans had a great impact on the early church and the western civilization at large.Scholars has argued that the book is the most influential in Christian history. It is in this book that Paul gives a detailed exposition of the word of God. It is the most fundamental and systematic discussion as far as the whole plan of salvation is concerned. To the Romans the book touched on what they were supposed to do so that they can be saved. This applies to all the Christians and was largely quoted by the protestant reformers as they assured the faithful that the kingdom of god was reserved for all those who had faith in Him and they did not need the blessing of any man on earth for them to be allowed access into this Kingdom. The book was universal in application despite the fact that it was directed to the Church in Rome. (Moo, D1996) The book of Romans had greatly influenced many people in the history of the church. The prominent theologians like Martin Luther had studied the book making them aware of what God expected from them. Martin Luther found the teaching of salvation by the grace clear and he used it to spearhead the reforms in the church where he assured the faithful that it was through faith and grace alone that they were to be saved not from paying indulgences and other kind of injustices that existed in the church during the middle ages. (Dillenberger, J 1961) The protestant reformation was basically a recovery of the right and pure gospel which resulted in the increased gospel spread to the different parts of the world. It was a revival of the Apostle’s Paul work where he made a journey to various parts of the world taking the good news. Through studying the book of Romans Martin Luther’s life was completely changed and so is the history of the church. The protestant reformation was as a result of this great theologian reading the book as the teaching was made available to the public. Lives were changed as the message of hope and righteousness was spread far and wide. The book clearly states that there is no Christianity without Jesus, he who comes to know him shall be saved. Martin preached the same message that Paul wrote to the people of Rome and the early church. Martin Luther described the book of Romans as the purest gospel which is worth and every Christian should understand it clearly. He advises the believers not to take the word law in human terms as through doing this they will be confused as the people in the early church and they will be serving the church rather than living according to the will of God. He teaches them that God judges his people according to the heart. His law can not be satisfied by the works but rather on the inner most heart. He got these ideas from reading the work of Paul to the Romans. A book that he describes as full of inspiration to him and his search for the truth .Paul says that all people are sinners in the eyes of God and for us to be saved we have to seek the kingdom of God through following his teachings rather than following the law or the traditions as was the custom with the Christian Jews. If believers accustom themselves to the language described by Paul in the book of Romans Martin Luther says that they will find that there exists a difference between what the traditions of the church prescribe and what God really expects. (Dillenberger, J 1961) Through the inspiration he received from the book of Romans Luther was able to challenge the church. The evils that characterized the church at this time has made him very disturbed and he set out on a mission to discover what can bring him close to God. The message he got was derived from the book of Romans where he realized that it was only through the grace of God that all will be brought close to God. The church was extremely corrupt where things that were going on were contrary to God’s expectation. Through the inspiration he was able to revolutionize the church and brought the light just as Paul shed the light to the people of Rome concerning what God expected from them. Martin Luther described Romans as the main book in the New Testament .His wish is for every Christian to use the book as a guide in our daily lives. As the systems are bound to confuse them as far as their faith is concerned just like it happened during his time when the Roman Catholic Church used the teachings to justify some of the evil things that were happening. The letter of Paul to the Romans would serve as the guide to the church and the believers if they are interested in the righteousness. Luther says that people should be ready to confess Jesus with their mouth and in such a deed they will lead a righteous life as they will always aspire to do what God expects from them. Good deeds alone do not make a man righteous rather he should have faith in God. The book of Romans has been described as the one that changed the course of the church history right from the early church to the protestant reformation. Therefore it is in order to say that this book contains message which are inspirational and can bring a complete change in ones life. It changed the life of the Augustine together with John Wesley people who had led a life that was not pleasant before the eyes of God. They had struggled with the evils ways up to a point when the word was revealed to them changing their lives completely. John Wesley had set out to preach without being converted, after some years of struggling and failing he heard the teaching of Martin Luther describing the book of Romans. Listening to the true words of Luther the man was inspired and he was converted. He went to preach in many corners and has been described in the history of the church to have played a great role in the evangelical work of awakening the believers. (Moo, D 2002) The kind of life that God expects from every person is what has touched many people in the course of the church history. From martin Luther to John Wesley there was realization that God expects us to be righteous before his eyes as Paul maintained in the book. On the same line God’s wrath does not discriminate, it is expressed impartially to all the sinners neither does He discriminate between the Christian Jews and the gentiles. Before Paul sent the letter to the church in Rome the Jews prided to be the privileged people in the eyes of God but this notion was clearly explained by the book that set out to put the facts straight. On the same line the book of Romans came to be used in the protestant Reformation showing clearly that no one was too holy before the eyes of God to help in pardoning of the sins. Only God had the power to forgive the sins. The book as described by Luther addressed the issue clearly stating that no amount of payment towards indulgences was enough to forgive ones sins. (Moo, D1996) The book of Romans influence to the church has been enormous right from the time Paul wrote the letter to clear the differences that existed in the Church of Rome. It is as a result of that explanation that the Gentiles faith was strengthened after understanding what God stood for as far as righteousness was concerned. The book deals with the issues of sin, progressive sanctification, practical service and the gracious salvation issues that could have divided the church in Rome as Christian Jews and the Gentiles had different views regarding these issues. The book addresses God great plan for saving mankind by his grace. It clearly states that it is only through the grace of God that all those who believe in Him shall acquire this salvation. The book has been described as the comprehensive statement of faith and Christianity as a whole. It has been used by many believers to show what is expected of us and the church in general. The basis of the Christian faith is based on this book and this explains why the book has in many cases changed the course of the church history especially when some people are out to mislead the believers in the matter of faith. Martin Luther used the book to show how the church had turned to be evil and led a revolution that came to bring openness in the church allowing people to read the word for themselves. (Hodge, C 1994) The book of Romans importance to the Christian faith can not be underestimated; it has been relied on several occasions to shed light where misunderstandings have existed. The book has shaped the church making more responsive to the needs of a believer, trying as much as possible to reconcile the two issues of law and righteousness. The strong foundation of the Christian faith is found in this letter of Saint Paul to the people of Rome. Reference Dillenberger, J (1961) Martin Luther: Selections from His Writings, New York, Doubleday and CO Moo, D(1996)The Epistle to the Romans. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company Moo, D (2002) Encountering the Book of Romans: A Theological Exposition, Michigan, Baker Academic Barth, K (1968) The Epistle to the Romans. Oxford University Press, 1968. Hodge, C(1994) Commentary on Epistle to the Romans. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Stereotypes and Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Stereotypes and Prejudice Essay †¢What are the positive aspects of stereotypes, if any? Most stereotypes are negative and may cause much harm but there are positive stereotypes, which also have a negative impact because they influence prejudice. One positive thing that can be gained from stereotypes is self-motivation. â€Å"Still other researchers have conceptualized the benefits of stereotype use in more motivational terms, such as self-enhancement. † (Lambart, 1997, abstract, Para. 2) Negative comments can sometimes be used to reinforce our self-esteem and prove everyone wrong. From experience, I can say the statement is true, I am the oldest of three girls, and my father always had high aspirations for us, yet low expectations. Never truly believing in our capacity to complete higher education and maintain a decent job, he always said, â€Å"Hispanics are lazy and like the easy way out, we prefer money rather than obtaining a degree. † Rather than bringing me down, I set a goal to prove his beliefs are wrong, and I will be one Hispanic who succeeds. †¢What are the negative aspects of stereotypes? Stereotypes cause physical, mental, and emotional problems to most whom are offended. Emotional problems such as depression, low self-esteem, and losing the desire to succeed in life are a few of the negative aspects of stereotyping. Some suffer physical problems, which include self-mutilation caused by mental and emotional harm, and eating disorders. Some are extremely under weight to avoid stereotypes. The extent of the harm depends on how strong the person is, and their ability to surpass negative comments. †¢What can be done to prevent prejudice from occurring? Unlike categorization, prejudice is not human nature therefore we can control it. Prejudice is pre judgments that we make based on myths and hypothesis not facts. To prevent prejudice form occurring, we need to keep in mind we are all human beings, and have the right to be treated equal. Like the law states â€Å"Innocent until proven guilty,† We should first learn about the person, and find the reason toward their actions before we judge. We must keep in mind we all have the right to make mistakes and no one is free from them, but most important, we need to keep in mind that prejudiced comments hurt people in numerous ways, and we do not want to be part of their pain. I read a book â€Å"Thirteen Reasons Why† by Jay Asher, in which a teenage girl kills herself because of the prejudiced comments thirteen different people made about her. It took only 13 reasons for her to kill herself, because one comment itself didn’t hurt, but all 13 had a snowball effect and kept rolling, getting bigger every time, Once the snowball got to a certain size, she wasn’t able to take all the negative comments and decided to kill herself.

Malaysias Luxury Goods Sector

Malaysias Luxury Goods Sector Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Introduction In the 80s, luxury goods that used to belong to the upper class became visible, recognizable, and accessible to the public. Hence, the market for luxury goods went through an enormous demand growth spurt, and developed into a significant economic sector in the 90s (Roux and Floch 1996). Louis Vuitton reported sales of nearly 2.5 billion Euros, increasing its net income by 80% between 2002 and 2004 (LVMH 2005). LVMH Moà «t Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the worlds leading luxury group, achieved revenue of 4 billion euros in the first quarter of 2008. Organic revenue increased by 12% compared to the same period in 2007, which was also a period of strong growth. As a result of the negative impact of exchange rates, reported revenue growth is 5%. All business groups recorded double-digit organic revenue growth in the period, with the exception of Wines Spirits. The Group continued to record excellent performances in Asia, the US and Europe. A good attains the label â€Å"luxury† when it has the particular design, quality, performance or durability that is remarkably superior to the comparable substitute. Luxury goods have a lot to do with the consumers psyche and how it makes the person feel. In generally, luxury goods are considered to be the highest quality, and price in the market. Brand consciousness among the Malaysian society has been increasing over the past few years, especially with the young generation who are now appetite for the luxury goods and brands especially from college, university students and young working adults. The population of the youth for aged between 20 and 29 aged is 20% which nearly make up the entire population in Malaysia. Understanding the consumer behavior in this age group would be pivotal in ensuring luxury brands can better position themselves in the market and will be useful in marketing building brands. It makes good reason that research on the factor influences generation Y on the purchasing decision of luxury goods. 1.2 Background of Research â€Å"Asia is considered by many international brands as a major sales region, with the improving personal financial status of Asian consumers and with the opening up of various developing markets, there is huge room for growth in the luxury sector,† said Karen Watson, Chief Communications Officer, ACNielsen Company(Consumer and Designer Brands , April 2008). In Malaysia, the luxury goods sector has been growing along with the rest of the world over the past ten years. We can see that some of the shopping complex such as Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC) Mall that sell luxury goods and for up market. Over the years, the setting up for the up market such as Pavilions, The Garden and Star Hills have catered to the increasing demand of luxury goods. â€Å"In Malaysia the apparel industry has undergone great transformation with more and more brands entering the market, and the recent past years have seen the entry of numerous international brands. The apparel industry is worth RM 3.26 billion (approximately USD 1.1 billion) (Protà ©gà © Associates‟ Independent Market Report (2007)† (Khan and Khan, 2008) The study on consumer behavior in relevance to luxury goods has gained a lot of interest over the course of the decades. Early research on a framework to define luxury and that of luxury seeking consumers started in the 19th century by Rae (1834). The early research was showed that a summary of the luxury seeking consumer behaviour which can be seen by Vigneron and Johnson (1999) where the values are conspicuous, unique, social and quality. Conspicuous and quality could be seen in the summary luxury seeking framework by Vigneron and Johnson (1999) who presented the luxury value perceptions., It has been stated as the notion of â€Å"buying to impress others† by concerning the motives for consuming luxury goods (Wiedman, Hennigs, Siebel, 2007). Other researches were instrumental on other factors which influence purchase decisions, Khan and Khan (2005) provided the result by showing how reference groups influence on purchase decisions. It focuses on reference groups which are groups that individuals refer when making a purchase. From a consumer behaviour perspective, reference groups are important because they inform and make individuals aware of specific products and brands; provide individuals with opportunities to compare their own thinking with the attitudes and behaviour of the group; and influence individuals to adopt attitudes and behaviour that are consistent with the norms of the group (Khan and Khan, 2005). Aesthetics appeal on purchasing decision also gained the attention of the researchers. Researchers such as done by Virginie, Irina and Pierre (2009) and Dubois, Laurent, Czellar (2001) influence the purchase decision on luxury goods. 1.3 Research Question Most of the consumers purchase the luxury goods for one of the following reasons. Purchasing decisions could be influence by the social factor example noted by (Khan and Khan, 2005).Other factors that should be taken into consideration include brand image, conspicuous and quality value which effect the purchase decisions before making the purchase. Aesthetics are also playing a crucial role influence on purchase of luxury goods Based on the Literature Review in Chapter 2, which provides a detailed look at all the factors and variables above, the research questions at hand has to do with the present variables and the purchase decisions. The questions addressed in this research are: What are the critical factors (reference groups, perceived conspicuous, perceived quality, brand image and aesthetics) influence generations Y in purchasing decision of luxury goods in Malaysia? Is there any interaction between critical factors (reference groups, perceived conspicuous, perceived quality, brand image and aesthetics) and generation Ys purchase decision on luxury goods in Malaysia? How the critical factors (reference groups, perceived conspicuous, perceived quality, brand image and aesthetics) have impacts on generation Ys purchasing decision on luxury goods in Malaysia? 1.4 Research Objective This study aims to address the following objectives of the study: Main Objective: To determine and identify the factors influence generation Y in purchasing decision of luxury products in Malaysia. Specific objectives: To identify the critical factors (reference groups, perceived conspicuous, perceived quality, brand image and aesthetics) influence generation Y in purchasing decision of luxury products in Malaysia. To determine relationship between critical factors (reference groups, perceived conspicuous, perceived quality, brand image and aesthetics) and generation Ys purchasing decision of luxury goods in Malaysia To determine the effect of critical factors (reference groups, perceived conspicuous, perceived quality, brand image and aesthetics) on purchasing decision of luxury goods in Malaysia. 1.5 Significant of the Study The luxury goods market is growing rapidly and it is important for research to be done to understand the factors and variables that influence Generation Y purchase luxury goods in Malaysia. The research is important for a number of reasons. The factors influence purchasing decision or consumer behaviours toward luxury goods research has been done in American, Europe or Asia but there is a lack of research regarding purchase decisions on luxury brand products in Malaysia. The only research has been done was by Khan and Khan (2005). The research was about the gender differences in the purchase of luxury goods and covered with social influences and marketing influences. 1.6 Scope of the study In this research, the research will be conducted under the scope of the purchasing of luxury goods. The research will investigate the factors that influence the generation Y in purchasing decision of luxury goods in Malaysia. This research is going to focus on generation Y which includes males and females in Malaysia. The age the range of this research on generation Y between 20 to 29. This group of generation Y was chosen because they are college students, university students and young working adults. They are the consumers that showing the greatest purchasing power in the luxury goods market. Questionnaire will be given to the generation Y to know the factors that influence them in purchasing decision on luxury goods. 1.7 Organization of the Research Project The outline of this thesis can be divided into three main parts. Chapter 1 would be the introduction to the paper, where an understanding of the luxury goods market would be presented, along with the trends the market is heading. A background of the study is also provided, citing the work done by past researchers and their findings. This chapter also provides a clear understanding of the problem statements as well as the objectives of this research paper. Chapter 1 would also justify the need for this research to carried out and provide a summary of the research methodology used to carry out the survey. Chapter 2 would provide a review on the findings and results of past researchers. Chapter 2 titled literature review would be the assessment on research topics of interest to the researcher, such as topics concerning the factors that influence the purchase of luxury goods. Factors or variables that are being discussed in this chapter include the social influences, perceived conspicuous value, perceived quality value, brand image and aesthetics Onwards to chapter 3 which is titles research methodology, this chapter would detail the relationships of all the variables present with the theoretical framework. The development of the research hypotheses would also be presented in this chapter along with the sampling design and procedures that would be used in the data collection process. Chapter 3 would then round up by pointing out the methods that would be used for data analysis as well as the variety of tests that would be used to test the hypotheses. Chapter 4 is the â€Å"Data Analysis†, presents and analyses the raw data collected from the survey. After that, SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) will be used to present the most accurate statistic data and graph. Chapter 5 explains the outcomes of the testing of the hypotheses determined from Chapter 4: Data Analysis. The acceptance or rejection of the hypothesis is discussed as well. Additionally, the concluded results of the hypothesis testing from this study are compared with results from previous researches to identify the differences and similarities. 1.8 Conclusion This chapter has laid the foundation for the entire research. A background of the study was also given to show the progress made by past researchers on the topic at hand. An understanding of the luxury goods industry was presented along with the research questions and objectives this research intends to meet. Thus, the research question, research issues, limitations of the research and outline of the research have been presented, which will provide a guideline for the research. The above information can work as a base and lead into the detail interpretation on the research afterwards. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.0Definition of Luxury Goods The word ‘luxury can be defined as state of life in which has uses things that please the senses or pleasing to have but not essential. â€Å"A good attains the label as a â€Å"luxury† when it has a particular design, quality, performance or durability that is remarkably superior to the comparable substitutes† (Snapshot of U.S Luxury Good Market, 2007). Dubois, Laurent and Czellar (2001) and Survanasuddhi (2007) stated a definition of the nature and characteristics of the concept of luxury. The six facets are excellent quality, very high price, scarcity and uniqueness, aesthetics and polysensuality, ancestral heritage and personal history and superfluousness. Luxury goods are rising in popularity especially as consumers buying behavior is becoming more symbolized. Consumers feel that by owning luxury products can express their personality and set them apart. Thus, â€Å"luxury goods have been defined as goods for which the mere use or display of a particular branded product brings prestige on the owner, apart from any functional utility† (Nia and Zaikowsky,2000) The term ‘prestige was defined as it consists of consumers motivations for chasing technical superiority, uniqueness, signaling wealth and status well as aesthetics appeal (Vigneron and Johnson, 1999). ‘Prestige and ‘luxury are used synonymously in the VIgneron and Johnsons research. Vigneron and Johnson (1999) categorized three types of prestige brand as upmarket brands, premium brands and luxury brands, respectively in an increasing order of prestige. Hence, it was expected that people would have different perceptions of the level of prestige for the same brands, and that the overall prestige level of a brand would consider the prestige perceptions from different people. â€Å"Luxury brands can be described as premium priced brands that consumers purchase for their psychological values (symbolic and hedonic), and not predominately for their economical and functional value† (Nueno and Quelch 1998; Stegeman, 2006). However, the definition of luxury goods or brands cannot be fully recognized. The definition of luxury will be different and may not be the same for another researcher. Chadha Husband (2006) definition limits itself in that it only pertains to luxury fashion goods instead there are other luxury goods that are also both universally available and accepted as luxury. The definition of luxury brands have been defined as fashionable and high quality consumers goods made by reputed luxury brands which contained wearable fashion goods such as handbag, wallet, shoes and belt (Chadha and Husband, 2006; Heinemann, 2008). Fashion can be reflection of the social, economic, political and artistic forces of the time. Accoding to Gao, Norton, Zhang, To (2009), â€Å"luxury fashion goods are apparel, accessories, handbags, shoes, watches, jewellery, and perfume for which use or display of particular branded products brings prestige to owners, apart from any functional utility†. Snapshot of U.S Luxury Good Market (2007) stated fashion group represent the major product sector in the luxury goods market. It is important to know that the survey showed that â€Å"one sixth (16%) of the worlds consumers claim to buy designer brands† (ACNielsen, 2008). For this research, the term luxury goods can be defined as the brands that are defined as luxurious in the annual â€Å"Consumer and Designer Brand Report 2008† by the global Nielson firm which the survey is the largest and it identified the following goods as the luxury fashion goods. Calvin Klien Giorgio Armani Celine Ralph Lauren Louis Vuitton Ferragamo Diesel Burberry Chloe Chanel Versace Marc Jacobs Christian Dior Prada Gucci Givenchy DKNY Emporio Armani Valentino Hermes Fendi Yves Saint Lauren Max Mara The fashion goods that show above are not the only goods that are stated as luxury in this research. Consumers allow to evaluate and include other brands which they think is luxury fashion goods for them. Furthermore, there are many opinions and views of luxury from different leaders viewpoint stated in KPMG research (Managing Luxury Brand Growth, 2006). Luxury is explained in the table below as following: Leaders Name and Company Definition 1. Guy Salter Private Investor, Deputy Chairman of Walpole, the British Luxury goods organization Because luxury matters in a way that didnt matter before. Increasingly, luxury is big business: the luxury segment is growing and according to most projections it will continue to grow for the next ten to fifteen years. 2. Belinda Earl, Jaeger Groups chief executive Jaeger is a luxury British brand renowned for designing stylish, innovative and superb quality womenswear, menswear and accessories. None of us are in the business selling necessities; luxury is the business of creating and satisfying desires. 3. Richard Purdey of gun makers James Purdey and Sons Famous British gun maker of London, and the name is synonymous with the very finest sporting shotguns and rifles. Purdeys hold or have held numerous warrants of appointment as gun and rifle makers to the British and other European royal families. A real luxury brands has got to have total integrity. It has to be the buyer that says ‘this is luxury. 4. Theo Fennell Theo Fennell is the jewellery maker by using his name for his company ‘Theo Fennel in London Luxury is something that everyone wants and nobody needs. 5. Joseph Wan of Harvey Nichols CEO of retailer Harvey Nichols Harvey Nichols is an international luxury lifestyle store, renowned both in the UK and internationally for the breadth and depth of its exclusive fashion merchandise. It offers many of the worlds most prestigious brands in womenswear, menswear, accessories, beauty, food and home. Luxury is about history. A luxury brand is a lifestyle concept and to be sustainable it has to have history, including a history of quality merchandise and of real luxury customers.. 6. Raphael le Masne de Chermont, of Shanghai Tang Executive Chair of Shanghai Tang Shanghai Tang is the first luxury brand emerging design from Chiana It is not in the price, it is in the pleasure you give to the customer. It is to do with creativity, a harmonious aesthetic with attention to details. 7.Christian Hafner Head of Branding at Swarovski Luxury is about history, authenticity, depth and being a partner. Buying a luxury product is like a love affair. 2.1Generation Y Generation Y are also referred as the Millennial Generation or Generation Next or Net Generation describes the demographic cohort following Generation X. Its members are often referred to as Millennials or Echo Boomers. According to Shareef Mahdavi (2008), Generation Y is the term used to describe children of the Baby Boomer generation, typically born between 1977 and 1995. McCrindle (2008) described the generation Y born in between 1980 and 1994. They are also referred to as ‘Millenials and ‘Echo Boomers in the western society, especially American Society. Generation Y are individuals who born between 1977 to 1994 that have a free spending spirit and consist of 71 million 8 to 25 year olds (Horovitz, 2002; Sriviroj 2007). The wealthiest groups of people are between the ages of 19 to 25 year olds who are either employed in full time jobs or part time work even though there are group amount of generation Y consumers. The greatest purchasing power in the Generation Y college student takes place within the part-time student, who spends over $400 monthly on discretionary purchases while often maintaining full-time employment (Gardyn, 2002). Those who are either part time or at full time work are college students (Martin Turley, 2004). Students always work as part time work to find extra funding for their excessive spending during the university hopdays or breaks. There are average 80% of students attending college or university are employed (Martin Turley, 2004). The financial knowledge of the average Generation Y consumer also earns them the awareness and respect of marketers even though their spending power alone is enough reason to pay significant attention to this group of consumers. The financial knowledge of the average Generation Y consumer also earns them the respect of marketers today. Generation Y consumers have a remarkable amount of disposable income due to the increasing of greater level in the economy over the past decade (Martin Turley, 2004). Besides that, the research suggested that â€Å"Generation Y has more discretionary income than the previous generations and prefer to spend it on themselves rather than others. A reason for this may be because they are starting families later in life and therefore are able to spend their income on themselves without having to worry about others† (Angela Hughes, 2008) The important of this group of consumers has taken on the greater level of meaning for marketer. â€Å"While the Baby Boomers grew up with television advertising influencing how they were marketed to and how they bought products, Generation Y has many different mediums that they grew up with, which is what makes marketing to them so much more difficult† (Angela Hughes, 2008). Marketers are playing the large part influence consumers behaviour through the knowledge of fashion. The reason is that teenagers are concerned about fashion value more than any other age groups (Koester and May,1985; Sriviroj 2007). One of the most influencers is the media because of media consist of a wide range of technology such as television, internet, mobile phone and DVD. (Angela Hughes, 2008, Sriviroj 2007). The internet has permanently changed the way that this generation shops by giving the information about products than the companies give the consumer. According to Angela Hughes (2008), he in ternet is also a powerful tool for this generation in spreading opinions about products to their peers. The largest differences between Generation Y and those that preceded them are Generation Ys tremendous awareness and confidence. Generation Y is more likely than any previous generation to look up information before purchasing a product. Generation Y is more desirable to own the products that they know their peers will accept just to show they are part of the group. On the other hand, in the research of Sriviroj (2007) stated that television is strongly influence these generation which affect them as they will reflect their perceptions in â€Å"reality† as they have seen in television world. â€Å"Of the paid advertising channels of online, outdoor, newspaper, magazine, radio, TV and Theatrical, TV and newspaper are the most trusted media† (Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, 2009). â€Å"Generation Y is poised to take over as the largest and most lucrative consumer group for marketers, a position that has long been held by the Baby Boomer generation† (Angela Hughes, 2008). In order to understand the generation Y consumers, it is important to think about factors that motivate these individuals towards the purchasing of luxury goods. 2.2 Social Influence Previous research shows that group influences play an important role in influencing the purchase decisions (Brinberg and Plimpton, 1986; Martin and Bush 2000; Mascareches and Higby, 1993). The group members have been recognized as determinant of behavior. The fact that the people act in accordance with a frame of reference produced by the group to which they belong is a long accepted and sound premise (Merton and Rossi, 1949). However, many individuals did not behave like the majority of people in their recognized group (e.g., social class or educational level).The casual observation showed perplexing contradictions between group membership and behaviors. According to Merton and Rossi (1994), â€Å"a partial solution was found in the concept of â€Å"reference group†, which recognizes that people frequently orient themselves to other than membership group in shaping their behaviors and evaluations and that reference groups can perform a diversity of functions.† Reference groups are generally defined as â€Å"actual or imaginary institutions, individuals, or groups conceived of having significant relevance upon an individual‟s evaluations, aspirations, or behavior† (Lessig and Park, 1975; Pertina, Prybutok, Zhang, 2008). Besides that, reference group also can be defined as â€Å"a group of people that significantly influence an individuals behavior† (Bearden and Etzel, 1982). Reference group are important because they make the individual aware to a specific goods or brands and influence individuals to adopt attitude and behaviour that are consistent with the norm of the group. The normative and informative social influences are the most widely accepted influence. Normative social influence is based on the tendency to conform to the expectation of others while informational influence is based on the desire to make informed decisions and optimize the choice (Stephen Yang and He, 2009; Khan and Khan, 2005). Berden and Etzel (1982) examined that the reference group influence by product and the brand purchase decision. Previous research studied group influences in marketing strategy and consumers purchasing behaviour. Specifically, three types of group influences are studied which is information, utilitarian and value expressive influences (Stephen Yang and He; Bearden and Etzel, 1982; Makgosa and Mohube, 2007; Pertina, Prybutok, Zhang, 2008). Informational influence is reflected when an individual perceives enhancement of knowledge and ability to cope with environment when using information from opinion leaders, experts, or product users. Utilitarian influence manifests through the process of compliance with those who can exercise reward or punishment power. Value-expressive reference group function is based on the identification process whereas an individual who associates oneself with a group to enhance self-concept adopts this groups consumption patterns. Reference groups have been found to specify what the desirable and undesirable goods are (Bristol and Malengburg, 2005; Khan and Khan, 2005). Many researchers have argued that individuals are more susceptible to reference groups influence when the goods is conspicuous and publicly consumed (Bearden and Etzel, 1982; Makgosa and Mohube, 2007; Batra, Homer, Kahle, 2009; Morris and White, 2009). The influence of a reference group on consumer behavior can be done in one of two ways, either directly or indirectly. In the research Stephen Yang and He (2009), reference groups refer the group that individual has frequent contact with (such as family members, work associates, classmates, friends, etc.). These group is refers to the groups used by an individual to direct one purchasing behaviour in particular situation. These are generally referred as direct reference group (Schiffman and Kanuk, 1994). On the other hand, it included â€Å"the groups that does not have the membership in or direct contact with, such as certain expected groups or people in a certain social level (Stephen Yang and He, 2009). Based on the work of Khan and Khan (2005), the direct reference group influence was illustrated as â€Å"families, friends, co-worker, formal social groups and other leisure groups†. This differs from the indirect reference groups comprise of â€Å"individuals and groups t hat influence consumers purchase intentions without having and direct contact such as celebrities and sport personalities† (Khan and Khan, 2005). 2.2.1 Direct Reference Groups Direct reference groups can be defined as direct contact from the individual or groups with the consumers. With the reference from †¦.., it showed that families, friends, co-worker, formal social groups and other leisure groups are under this categories. A person has several reference groups for various subjects or different decisions normally. For example, â€Å"a woman may consult one reference group when she is purchasing a car and a different reference group for lingerie† (Consumer Behaviour, no date).These direct reference groups are the one who frequently contact with the consumers, It can be seen that the groups views from direct reference groups whether purchase the goods in order to be like group members, believing in group members decisions or a sign of wanting to fit in the group. The previous researchers have carried out the investigations on how the role models (parents, relatives, peers) influence teenagers purchase intentions and behavior (Martin and Bush; Subramanian and Subramanian, 1995)) and how parents and peers influence various products and brands purchase decisions (Bearden and Etzel, 1982). Researcher has shown that overt family communication can and often does influence younger consumers attitudes toward purchases and their consumption patterns (Martin and Bush). Consumers always do not feel confident enough to evaluate alone. They will consult a friend or partner by inviting them along to a potential purchase can enhance the process. â€Å"Having a peer present meant that shop assistants become largely irrelevant and that evaluation of a brand centered largely on initial peer reaction to fit, style and price-based decisions† (Guy W.Mullarkey, 2001). â€Å"It is also interesting to note that of all the three direct reference groups, friends tend to exert the greatest influence where individuals purchase brands because they identify themselves with their peers† (Khan and Khan, 2005). From the numerous researches that have been done, direct reference groups influence make an immediate impact to the consumers. Therefore, it can be concluded that direct reference groups play a significant role in providing relevant information, deemed necessary to make a purchase and conform the group norm. 2.2.2 Indirect Reference Groups Indirect reference groups is the group that influence consumers purchase decisions without having any direct contact with the consumers such as celebrities and sport personalities. Khan and Khan (2005) defined celebrities as â€Å"individuals who are well known to the public for their advertisements in areas other than product class endorsed† and that they represent â€Å"an idealisation of life†. In luxury goods industry, it will be much easier by connecting the brand to a celebrity and is even viewed, in some instances, as a necessity. This is because a luxury goods company is in the business of building and selling dreams, and nothing is more helpful in making such dreams concrete and thus more believable in the eyes of the consumer, than communicating it through a famous personality. Celebrities are being increasingly used in marketing communication by marketers to lend personality to their products in India (Matrade Chennai, 2005).

The Australian Legend and Feminism :: essays research papers fc

The Australian Legend And Feminism Until recent years it has been believed that there are two sexes, being male and female, and with these there are two genders, with these being masculinity and feminity. It may also be argued that sex is biology determined where as gender is socially and culturally constructed as studies of societies, both present and past, have shown that there is no relationship between social roles and biological sex (Abercrombie, Hill & Turner, 2000). With the introduction of post modernist feminist theories we have begun to question whether or not there are only two genders and how to classify transgender (Flax, 1990). It can be argued that masculinity has socially and culturally been constructed as dominant within the public world. In western countries, such as Australia, it is upon men that â€Å"autonomy, control over the world and mastery of others† (Porter, 1998, p. 27) has been placed. Parsons (Porter, 1998) suggested five alternative sets of positioned values which are structured as being either expressive or instrumental. Parsons (Porter, 1998) was of the belief that men embodied the instrumental values of affective neutrality (capable of unemotional and impersonal interaction), self-orientation (primary pursuit of own interests), universalism (making objective evaluations when interacting with others), achievement (ability to achieve set goals and related status) and specificity (interacting or working within a specific role). Parsons theorized that these five instrumental values were associated with western ‘advanced’ societies (Porter, 1998). In Australia, women and children are seen to be subservient to the male superiority. Parsons (Porter, 1998) believed that women embodied the expressive values of affectivity (highly emotional), collective orientation (putting others interests before your own), particularism (responding differently towards different people), ascription (having status ascribed regardless of intrinsic qualities), and diffuseness (role covers a wide range of interests and is non-specific). To Parsons these roles were seen to belong to primitive society and in modern times were to be associated with women and private life (Porter, 1998). These roles have been reinforced through popular media, for example by the bible which is the worlds’ best selling and most distributed book (Guinness World Records). Within the bible the word "man" may be found 5,335 times in 4,536 verses whilst â€Å"woman† may be found 379 times in 347 verses (Christ Unlimited Ministries, n.d.). Passages of the bible may also reinforce the notion of male superiority for example in Genesis 1:26-28 (Christ Unlimited Ministries, n.d.) which tells of god creating Adam in his own image and then creating for Adam a helper, Eve, whom God calls Woman as she is created from the rib of man.