Business Model Product Statement Health And Social Care Essay

The respiratory system consists of the respiratory musculuss, carry oning air passages, lungs, pneumonic vasculature, and environing tissues and constructions ( Fig. 1 ) . Each plays an of import function in act uponing respiratory responses. Figure 1. Respiratory Anatomy ( 1 )LungsThere are two lungs in the human thorax ; the right lung is composed of three uncomplete divisions called lobes, and the left lung has two, go forthing room for the bosom. The right lung histories for 55 % of entire gas volume and the left lung for 45 % . Lung tissue is squashy due to really little ( 200 to 300 – 10-6 m diameter in normal lungs at remainder ) gas-filled pits called air sac, which are the ultimate constructions for gas exchange. There are 250 million to 350 million air sac in the grownup lung, with a entire alveolar surface country of 50 to 100 M2s depending on the grade of lung rising prices ( 2 ) .Conducting Air passagesAir is transported from the ambiance to the air sac get downing with the unwritten and rhinal pits, through the throat ( in the pharynx ) , past the glottal gap, and into the windpipe or trachea. Conduction of air Begins at the voice box, or voice box, at the entryway to the windpipe, which is a fibromus cular tubing 10 to 12 centimeter in length and 1.4 to 2.0 centimeter in diameter. At a location called the Carina, the windpipe terminates and divides into the left and right bronchial tube. Each bronchial tube has a discontinuous cartilaginous support in its wall. Muscle fibres capable of commanding air passage diameter are incorporated into the walls of the bronchial tube, every bit good as in those of air transitions closer to the air sac. Smooth musculus is present throughout the respiratory bronchiolus and alveolar canals but is absent in the last alveolar canal, which terminates in one to several air sacs. The alveolar walls are shared by other air sacs and are composed of extremely fictile and collapsable squamous epithelial tissue cells. The bronchial tube subdivide into subbronchi, which farther subdivide into bronchioli, which further subdivide, and so on, until eventually making the alveolar degree. Each air passage is considered to ramify into two subairways. In the grownup homo there are considered to be 23 such ramifications, or coevalss, get downing at the windpipe and stoping in the air sac. Motion of gases in the respiratory airways occurs chiefly by majority flow ( convection ) throughout the part from the oral cavity to the olfactory organ to the 15th coevals. Beyond the 15th coevals, gas diffusion is comparatively more of import. With the low gas speeds that occur in diffusion, dimensions of the infinite over which diffusion occurs ( alveolar infinite ) must be little for equal O bringing into the walls ; smaller air sac are more efficient in the transportation of gas than are larger 1s ( 2 ) .AlveolussAlveoluss are the constructions through which gases diffuse to and from the organic structure. To guaran tee gas exchange occurs expeditiously, alveolar walls are highly thin. For illustration, the entire tissue thickness between the interior of the air sac to pneumonic capillary blood plasma is merely approximately 0.4 – 10-6 m. Consequently, the chief barrier to diffusion occurs at the plasma and ruddy blood cell degree, non at the alveolar membrane ( 2 ) .Motion of Air In and Out of the Lungs and the Pressures That Cause the MotionPleural PressureIs the force per unit area of the fluid in the thin infinite between the lung pleura and the chest wall pleura.Alveolar force per unit areaIs the force per unit area of the air inside the lung air sac. To do inward flow of air into the air sac during inspiration, the force per unit area in the air sac must fall to a value somewhat below atmospheric force per unit area.Transpulmonary force per unit areaIt is the force per unit area difference between that in the air sac and that on the outer surfaces of the lungs, and it is a step of the elastic forces in the lungs that tend to fall in the lungs at each blink of an eye of espiration, called the kick force per unit area.Conformity of the LungsThe extent to which the lungs will spread out for each unit addition in transpulmonary force per unit area ( if adequate clip is allowed to make equilibrium ) is called the lung conformity. The entire conformity of both lungs together in the normal grownup human being norms about 200 millilitres of air per centimetre of H2O transpulmonary force per unit area ( 3 ) . Figure 2. Conformity diagram of lungs in a healthy individual ( 3 ) .Pathophysiology of Weaning FailureReversible aetiologies for ablactating failure can be categorized in: Respiratory burden, cardiac burden, neuromuscular competency, critical unwellness neuromuscular abnormalcies ( CIMMA ) , neuropsychological factors, and metabolic and endocrinal upsets.Respiratory burdenThe determination to try discontinuance of mechanical airing has mostly been based on the clinician ‘s appraisal that the patient is haemodynamically stable, wake up, the disease procedure has been treated adequately and that indices of minimum ventilator dependence are present. The success of ablactating will be dependent on the ability of the respiratory musculus pump to digest the burden placed upon it. This respiratory burden is a map of the opposition and conformity of the ventilator pump. Excess work of take a breathing ( WOB ) may be imposed by inappropriate ventilator scenes ensuing in ventilator dysynchrony ( 4 ) . Reduced pneumonic conformity may be secondary to pneumonia, cardiogenic or noncardiogenic pneumonic hydrops, pneumonic fibrosis, pneumonic bleeding or other diseases doing diffuse pneumonic infiltrates ( 5 ) .Cardiac burdenMany patients have identified ischemic bosom disease, valvular bosom disease, systolic or diastolic disfunction prior to, or identified during, their critical unwellness. More elusive and less easy recognized are those patients with myocardial disfunction, which is merely evident when exposed to the work load of ablactating ( 5 ) .Neuromuscular competencyLiberation from mechanical airing requires the recommencement of neuromuscular activity to get the better of the electric resistance of the respiratory system, to run into metabolic demands and to keep C dioxide homeostasis. This requires an equal signal coevals in the cardinal nervous system, integral transmittal to spinal respiratory motor nerve cells, respiratory musculuss and neuromuscular junctions. Disruption of any part of this transmittal may lend to ablactating failure ( 5 ) .Critical unwellness neuromuscular abnormalciesCINMA are the most common peripheral neuromuscular upsets encountered in the ICU scene and normally affect both musculus and nervus ( 6 ) .Psychological disfunctionCraze, or acute encephalon disfunction: Is a perturbation of the degree of knowledge and rousing and, in ICU patients, has been associated with many modifiable hazard factors, including: usage of psychotropic drugs ; untreated hurting ; drawn-out immobilization ; hypoxaemia ; anemia ; sepsis ; and kip want ( 7 ) . Anxiety and depression: Many patients suffer important anxiousness during their ICU stay and the procedure of ablactating from mechanical airing. These memories of hurt may stay for old ages ( 8 ) .Metabolic perturbationsHypophosphataemia, hypomagnesaemia and hypokalaemia all cause musculus failing. Hypothyroidism and Addison's disease may besides lend to difficulty ablactating ( 5 ) .NutritionCorpulence: The mechanical effects of fleshiness with reduced respiratory conformity, high shutting volume/functional residuary capacity ratio and elevated WOB might be expected to impact on the continuance of mechanical airing ( 5 ) .Ventilator-induced stop disfunction and critical unwellness oxidative emphasisVentilator-induced stop disfunction and critical unwellness oxidative emphasis is defined as loss of diaphragm force-generating capacity that is specifically related to utilize of controlled mechanical airing ( 9 ) .Clinical Presentation of PatientsPatients can be classified into three g roups harmonizing to the trouble and length of the ablactation procedure. The simple ablactation, group 1, includes patients who successfully pass the initial self-generated take a breathing test ( SBT ) and are successfully extubated on the first effort. Group 2, hard ablactation, includes patients who require up to three SBT or every bit long as 7 yearss from the first SBT to accomplish successful ablactation. Group 3, prolonged ablactation, includes patients who require more than three SBT or more than 7 yearss of ablactation after the first SBT ( 5 ) .Clinical Outcomes and EpidemiologyThere is much grounds that ablactating tends to be delayed, exposing the patient to unneeded uncomfortableness and increased hazard of complications ( 5 ) . Time spent in the ablactation procedure represents 40-50 % of the entire continuance of mechanical airing ( 10 ) ( 11 ) . ESTEBAN et Al. ( 10 ) demonstrated that mortality additions with increasing continuance of mechanical airing, in portion because of complications of drawn-out mechanical airing, particularly ventil ator-associated pneumonia and airway injury ( 12 ) . The incidence of unplanned extubation ranges 0.3-16 % . In most instances ( 83 % ) , the unplanned extubation is initiated by the patient, while 17 % are inadvertent. Almost half of patients with self-extubation during the weaning period do non necessitate reintubation, proposing that many patients are maintained on mechanical airing longer than is necessary ( 5 ) . Addition in the extubation hold between readiness twenty-four hours and effectual extubation significantly increases mortality. In the survey by COPLIN et Al. ( 13 ) , mortality was 12 % if there was no hold in extubation and 27 % when extubation was delayed. Failure of extubation is associated with high mortality rate, either by choosing for bad patients or by bring oning hurtful effects such as aspiration, atelectasis and pneumonia ( 5 ) . Rate of ablactating failure after a individual SBT is reported to be 26- 42 % . Variation in the rate of ablactating failure among surveies is due to differences in the definition of ablactating failure. VALLVERDU et Al. ( 14 ) reported that ablactating failure occurred in every bit many as 61 % of COPD patients, in 41 % of neurological patients and in 38 % of hypoxaemic patients. Contradictory consequences exist sing the rate of ablactating success among neurological patients. The survey by COPLIN et Al. ( 13 ) demonstrated that 80 % of patients with a Glasgow coma mark of more than 8 and 91 % of patients with a Glasgow coma mark less than 4 were successfully extubated. In 2,486 patients from six surveies, 524 patients failed SBT and 252 failed extubation after go throughing SBT, taking to a entire w eaning failure rate of 31.2 % ( 5 ) . The huge bulk of patients who fail a SBT do so because of an instability between respiratory musculus capacity and the burden placed on the respiratory system. High air passage opposition and low respiratory system conformity contribute to the increased work of take a breathing necessary to take a breath and can take to unsuccessful release from mechanical airing ( 15 ) .Economic ImpactMechanical airing is largely used in the intensive attention units ( ICU ) of infirmaries. ICUs typically consume more than 20 % of the fiscal resources of a infirmary ( 16 ) . A survey that analyzed the incidence, cost, and payment of the Medicare intensive attention unit usage in the United States ( US ) reveled that mechanical airing costs a amount stopping point to US $ 2,200 per twenty-four hours ( 17 ) . One survey shows that patients in the ICUs having drawn-out mechanical airing represents 6 % of all ventilated patients but consume 37 % of intensive attent ion unit ( ICU ) resources ( 18 ) . Another survey corroborates this Numberss besides demoing that 5 % to 10 % of ICU patients require drawn-out mechanical airing, and this patient group consumes more than or every bit much as 50 % of ICU patient yearss and ICU resources. Prolonged ventilatory support and chronic ventilator dependence, both in the ICU and non-ICU scenes, have a important and turning impact on health care economic sciences ( 19 ) .DrumheadTreatment OptionWeaning FailureOverviewThe procedure of initial ablactating from the ventilator begins with an appraisal sing preparedness for ablactating. It is so followed by SBT as a diagnostic trial to find the possibility of a successful extubation. For the bulk of patients, the full ablactation procedure involves verification that the patient is ready for extubation. Patients who meet the standards in table 2 should be considered as being ready to ablactate from mechanical airing. These standards are cardinal to gauge the like liness of a successful SBT in order to avoid tests in patients with a high chance of failure ( 5 ) . Table 2 Standards for Measuring Readiness to Wean Clinical Appraisal Adequate cough Absence of inordinate tracheobronchial secernment Resolution of disease acute stage for which the patient was intubated Objective measurings Clinical stableness Stable cardiovascular position ( i.e. fC ?140 beats*min-1, systolic BP 90-160 mmHg, no or minimum vasopressors ) Stable metabolic position Adequate oxygenation Sa, O2 & A ; gt ; 90 % on ?FI, O2 0.4 ( or Pa, O2/FI, O2 ?150 mmHg ) PEEP ?8 cmH2O Adequate pneumonic map f ?35 breaths*min-1 PImax ?-20- -25 cmH2O Ve & A ; lt ; 10 l*min-1 P0.1/PImax & A ; lt ; 0.3 VT & A ; gt ; 5 mL*kg-1 VC & A ; gt ; 10 mL*kg-1 f/VT & A ; lt ; 105 breaths*min-1*L-1 CROP & A ; gt ; 13 ml*breaths-1*min-1 No important respiratory acidosis Adequate thinking No sedation or equal thinking on sedation ( or stable neurologic patient ) Taken from ( 5 ) and ( 15 ) . fC: cardiac frequence ; BP: blood force per unit area ; Sa, O2: arterial O impregnation ; FI, O2: inspiratory O fraction ; Pa, O2: arterial O tenseness ; PEEP: positive end-expiratory force per unit area ; degree Fahrenheit: respiratory frequence ; PImax: maximum inspiratory force per unit area ; VT: tidal volume ; VC: critical capacity ; CROP: integrative index of conformity. 1 mmHg=0.133 kPa. Harmonizing to an adept panel, among these standards merely seven variables have some prognostic potency: minute airing ( VE ) , maximal inspiratory force per unit area ( PImax ) , tidal volume ( VT ) , take a breathing frequence ( degree Fahrenheit ) , the ratio of take a breathing frequence to tidal volume ( f/VT ) , P0.1/PImax ( ratio of airway occlusion force per unit area 0.1 s after the oncoming of inspiratory attempt to maximal inspiratory force per unit area ) , and CROP ( integrative index of conformity, rate, oxygenation, and force per unit area ) ( 20 ) .Minute VentilationMinute airing is the entire lung airing per minute, the merchandise of tidal volume and respiration rate ( 21 ) . It is step by measuring the sum of gas expired by the patients lungs. Mathematicly, minute airing can be calculated after this expression: It is reported that a VE less than 10 litres/minute is associated with ablactating success ( 22 ) . Other surveies found that VE values more than 15-20 litres/minute are helpful in placing if a patient is improbable to be liberated from mechanical airing but lower values were non helpful in foretelling successful release ( 15 ) . A more recent survey concluded that short VE recovery times ( 3-4 proceedingss ) after a 2-hour SBT can assist in finding respiratory modesty and predict the success of extubation ( 23 ) . When mechanical airing takes topographic point, this parametric quantity is calculated monitoring flow and force per unit area by the ventilator in usage itself or by an independent device attached to the air passage circulation system such as the Respironics NM3Â ® by Phillips Medical. Other ways to find minute airing are by mensurating the electric resistance across the thoracic pit ( 24 ) . This method though, is invasive and requires deep-rooted electrodes.Maximal Inspiratory PressureMaximal inspiration force per unit area is the maximal force per unit area within the air sac of the lungs that occurs during a full inspiration ( 21 ) . Is it normally used to prove respiratory musculus strength. On patients in the ICU or those non capable to collaborate, the PImax is measured by obstructing the terminal of the endotracheal tubing for a period of clip close to 22 seconds with a one-way valve that merely allows the patient to expire. This constellation leads to increasing inspirator y attempt mensurating PImax towards the terminal of the occlusion period. However PImax is non plenty to foretell faithfully the likelihood of successful ablactating due to low specifity ( 15 ) . The measuring of PImax can be performed by devices equipped with force per unit area detectors.Tidal VolumeTidal volume is the sum of air inhaled and exhaled during normal airing ( 21 ) . Spontaneous tidal volumes greater than 5 ml/kg can foretell ablactating result ( 25 ) . More recent surveies found that a technique that measures the sum of regularity in a series analysing approximative information of tidal volume and external respiration frequence forms is a utile index of reversibility of respiratory failure. A low approximate information that reflects regular tidal volume and respiratory frequence forms is a good index of ablactating success ( 26 ) . Tidal volume can be measured utilizing a pneumotachographic device.Breathing FrequencyThe grade of regularity in the form of the external respiration frequence shown by approximative information instead than the absolute value of the external respiration frequence is been proven to be utile in know aparting between ablactating success and failure ( 26 ) . The take a breathing rate or frequence is measured by numbering the external respiration rhythms per a defined period of clip.The Ratio of Breathing Frequency to Tidal VolumeYang and Tobin [ 18 ] so performed a prospective survey of 100 medical patients having mechanical airing in the ICU in which they demonstrated that the ratio of frequence to tidal volume ( rapid shoal take a breathing index ( RSBI ) ) obtained during the first 1 minute of a T-piece test and at a threshold value of ?105 breaths/minute/l was a significantly better forecaster of ablactating results However, there remains a rule defect in the RSBI: it can bring forth inordinate false positive anticipations ( that is, patients fail ablactating outcome even when RSBI is ?105 breaths/minute/l ) [ 35-36 ] Besides, the RSBI has less prognostic power in the attention of patients who need ventilatory support for more than 8 yearss and may be less utile in chronic clogging pneumonic disease ( COPD ) and aged patients [ 37-39 ] .The Ratio of Airway Occlusion Pressure to Maximal Inspiratory PressureThe airway occlusion force per unit area ( P0.1 ) is the force per unit area measured at the air passage opening 0.1 s after animating against an occluded air passage [ 42 ] . The P0.1 is attempt independent and correlates good with cardinal respiratory thrust. When combined with PImax, the P0.1/PImax ratio at a value of & A ; lt ; 0.3 has been found to be a good early forecaster of ablactating success [ 11,43 ] and may be more utile than either P0.1 or PImax entirely. Previously, the clinical usage of P0.1/PImax has been limited by the demand of particular instrumentality at the bedside ; nevertheless, new and modern ventilators are integrating respiratory mechanics faculties that provide nu merical and graphical shows of P0.1 and PImax.Air manner ResistanceCropThe CROP index is an integrative index that incorporates several steps of preparedness for release from mechanical airing, such as dynamic respiratory system conformity ( Crs ) , self-generated external respiration frequence ( degree Fahrenheit ) , arterial to alveolar oxygenation ( partial force per unit area of arterial O ( PaO2 ) /partial force per unit area of alveolar O ( PAO2 ) ) , and PImax in the undermentioned relationship: CROP = [ Crs – PImax – ( PaO2/PAO2 ) ] /f where: PAO2 = ( PB-47 ) – FiO2 – PaCO2/0.85 and PB is barometric force per unit area. The CROP index assesses the relationship between the demands placed on the respiratory system and the ability of the respiratory musculuss to manage them [ 18 ] . Yang and Tobin [ 18 ] reported that a CROP value & A ; gt ; 13 ml/breaths/minute offers a moderately accurate forecaster of ablactating mechanical airing result. In 81 COPD patients, Alvisi and co-workers [ 39 ] showed that a CROP index at a threshold value of & A ; gt ; 16 ml/breaths/minute is a good forecaster of ablactating result. However, one disadvantage of the CROP index is that it is slightly cumbrous to utilize in the clinical scene as it requires measurings of many variables with the possible hazard of mistakes in the measuring techniques or the measuring device, which can significantly impact the value of the CROP index.Clinical Treatment ProfilesCONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Leontief Input-Output Model in the Real World

IntroductionWassily Leontief's name is associated with a particular type of quantitative economics: input-output analysis (The New School, Profile of Wassily Leontief). The application of the dynamic input-output analysis serves as a guide in reviewing Leontief s contributions in two of the most important aspects of economic development and structural change: the raising of standards of living and the effects of the mechanization of production processes on labor. The purpose of this work is to familiarize the reader with the theoretical framework, construction and use of regional input-output models in the real world.The description of the analytical framework of an input-output model includes a discussion of the components of the model, an analytic measures derived from the model, and the assumptions of the model. The work presents the phases of model planning, construction and use, including some of the inherent limitations and problems. Finally, some suggestions for effective use of the model will be provided.Leontief went to Harvard in 1937, where, with the help of a few graduate student assistants, he completed the construction of the first input/output model for the 1939 U.S. economy, which, despite its primitive nature, proved to be an important planning tool during World War II. For example, it showed that President Roosevelt's rash promise to deliver 50,000 planes to the Allied forces was unrealistic, and the model indicated the bottleneck obstacles that must be first overcome.The Leontief input-output systems takes the form 3.1-1 (I – A) X = F where F is the vector of final demand by sector, I is an identity matrix, A is the matrix of technical coefficients, and X is the vector of gross output by sector. The main purpose of the input-output model is to explain the magnitudes of the interindustry flows in terms of the levels of production in each sector. The Leontief input-output model also makes several special assumptions which are not necessa rily made in other interindustry models. The most important of these are (1) that a given product is only supplied by one sector; (2) that there are no joint products; and (3) that the quantity of each input used in production by any sector is determined entirely by the level of output of that sector (Leontief Input Output Model 2000).The integration of the input-output model based on equation 3.1-1 with the final demand model based on national income accounting poses three problems immediately. First, the input-output accounting involves gross output concepts, while the national account data published for most developing countries deals with value added concepts. The second problem in the transformation, is the lack of time series data on final demand deliveries by each sector unless input-output tables exist for all years. Third, it is not to be expected that such a simple system will prove useful for all kinds of problems. A given aggregation into sectors may be valid for one pur pose but not for another.The dynamic input-output analysis allows economists to develop a general equilibrium system that, moving from the known economic conditions of the base year, traces different possible development paths of the economy, depending on the assumptions made on the proportions in which the national product is divided into consumption and investment, and on the investment coefficients in each sector. In his Nobel lecture, Leontief asserted: â€Å"The subject of this lecture is the elucidation of a particular input-output view of the world economy.This formulation should provide a framework for assembling and organizing the mass of factual data needed to describe the world economy. Such a system is essential for a concrete understanding of the world economy as well as for a systematic mapping of the alternative paths along which it could move in the future† (Leontief1973). Leontief s analysis focused on the consistency between the targets and the distribution of resources around the world. Among the most important conclusions and policy implications of the analysis are the necessity to increase the target rates of growth of gross products in the less developed countries, if the objective of increasingly closing the gap between North and South has to be fulfilled; the identification of political, social and institutional, more than physical, limits to sustained growth for the developing world; and the important indication that the costs of pollution abatement do not necessarily represent a threat for economic development.Input-output analysis is a useful and productive tool for regional analysis. It can provide important and timely information on the interrelationships in a regional economy and the impacts of changes on that economy. Thus, it can provide pertinent information about the impacts of economic growth and/or decline and the relative benefits and costs of alternative development strategies. Recently, the combination of a wealth of economic development issues to which input-output analysis can be applied and increased availability of computerized input-output models have led to an increased interest in this technique. The major contribution that input-output concepts and data have made to the analysis of economic development was reflected both in the large number of Conference participants from developing countries and in the generous sponsorship provided by UNIDO. Jacob Kol considers the probable effects on employment in the European Community and a group of (relatively industrialized) developing countries of a balanced increase in trade in manufactures (McKinley 2000).ConclusionLeontief is one of the first economists who was deeply concerned about the impact of unabated economic activities on the global environment. In his Nobel lecture, he outlined a simple input-output model where pollution was treated explicitly as a separate sector. His input-output analysis has become a classic technique of economic behavior, and some go as far as comparing him with John Maynard Keynes. One would never want to conclude a review of the contributions that Leontief offered to economic science, any possible list would always fall short of the overall message to the reader, a message of search, even more than research, for some pattern, some code hidden behind the surface of social and economic appearances, able to explain what happened and why, and what to expect, a message that springs from the synthesis of an immense and reasoned background which melts history, anthropology, philosophy, and certainly all the possible economic knowledge at the service of the humanity.Works Cited â€Å"Leontief Input Output Model† 17 January 2006. 19 September 2000 http://media.pearsoncmg.com/aw/aw_lay_linearalg_3/cs_apps/leontief.pdf â€Å"Leontief Input-Output Model† 18 January 2006 http://math.carleton.ca/~vdabbagh/leontief.pdf McKinley, Turi. â€Å"Wassily Leontief.† 17 January 2006. August 21-25, 2000 http://www.iioa.org/leontief/links.html â€Å"The New School, Profile of Wassily Leontief.† 18 January 2006 http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/profiles/leontief.htm Wassily Leontief â€Å"Structure of the World Economy: Outline of the Simple Input-Output Formulation.† 17 January 2006. 11 December 1973 http://nobelprize.org/economics/laureates/1973/leontief-lecture.pdf

Doctor-assited suicide should be legalized for the terminally ill Research Paper - 1

Doctor-assited suicide should be legalized for the terminally ill - Research Paper Example Across the globe doctors, legal authorities, religious leaders, relatives of patients in critical conditions and patients battling for life themselves are concerned about the issue about of doctor-assisted suicide. Whether or not doctor-assisted suicide can ever be justified as a compassionate response towards the voluntary elimination of a person’s life is a major source of concern in today’s world. Generally, euthanasia has been termed as a process of ‘assisted suicide’ upon someone who is under severe medical conditions and the probability of survival is almost zero. This is a reason why euthanasia has also been tagged as a form of mercy killing for the benefit of the patients themselves. Many individuals believe that life is a very sacred and gifted thing and by taking it away it can be tagged as murder, other people, however have different views. They believe that a person’s life is his own and he/she has the right to do whatever he/she wants wi th their life, even if it calls for termination (1). The name Terri Schiavo should ring a bell in every person’s mind. It has been the most renowned cases in the history of America regarding doctor-assisted suicide. Teri, at the age of 26 was diagnosed with a neurological condition called PVS also known as the persistent vegetative state according to which she was practically brain dead. Teri’s parents fought against her husband and were adamant to let her live on the feeding tube even though she was in a vegetative state. The husband, however, stated that Teri would not want to survive in this condition and that pulling the plug is the best solution to all the pain and suffering she is being put through (2). More than a decade, the patient was fed through feeding tube and was on bed. After a furious battle in the court since 1998, Pasco-Pinellas Circuit Judge in Florida ordered the feeding tube to be removed on the 18th of March 2005

Multiple Sclerosis and Stress Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Multiple Sclerosis and Stress - Assignment Example It has been observed that there is a linkage between Multiple Sclerosis and stress. Multiple Sclerosis is a disease which directly affects the spinal cord and brain. It has symptoms of muscular weakness, depression, memory loss and fatigue. Stress is also the major contributor to the birth of this disease. The severe level of stress can cause depression and therefore, it may lead to the development of Multiple Sclerosis. The research aims to validate the linkage of Multiple Sclerosis and stress by National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s (NMSS). It will better allocate the present funding loans which strengthen the training and Multiple Sclerosis leadership methodologies of NMSS. This association will help to control and improve the level of stress by providing better awareness and educating people who are suffering from Multiple Sclerosis. The research portion of this paper â€Å"Three Abbreviated Research Plan† shows the soundness of house workshop and theories of Multiple Sclerosis. These theories will be investigated and examined as an initiative in order to support the platform of developing the cognitive growth of caretakers and Multiple Sclerosis patients. For instance, the availability or lack of training and development of leadership for MS population versus a virtual online training and development framework will yield better results for MS population at all levels. This research is supported and facilitated by a consultancy firm named as Quality Health Caressa (QHC). This firm is a part of the Stone Industries Group. It helps in directing the research plan and tools which will support the QUAN, QUAL, and their respective hypotheses. Moreover, a six sigma approach is also integrated to validate the success of MS population through the learning environment of online lectures.

Observing Global Warming & the Harm of It Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Observing Global Warming & the Harm of It - Essay Example Like many are already aware of, carbon dioxide plays a major role in its own right as it comes to the warming of the Earth and the resulting weakness of the global inhabitants that comes as a result of that warming. Another culprit is the continued robbing of the forests through the means of deforestation. Those trees are meant to act in a way that turns the CO2 into breathable oxygen for human consumption. Most importantly, the industrial nature of the modern world has served as a means of killing the natural world that is forced to co-exist with it. The technological desires of mankind have forced the Earth into a tailspin that, if not caught, will continue to force it into a continued destructive phase that will ultimately tear it apart at the core. With the increase in human population and other expansion, it has increased the need for a building that has taken small cities and built them into metropolises of great grander. These Cities feed the advancement of man, without any kind of thought to the environmental damage which is inflicted upon the Earth. As many knows, greed itself sells. Humanistic nature overwhelms, as well as strangles, in most cases, the needs of those things around them, especially in the precious environment that is drowning as each day goes by. The desire of people for their own self-serving interests takes hold and crushes anything in its surrounding path that may interrupt that. As the analysis shows within the presentation, human nature is at the root of the current state of the environment. Humans need shelter to survive and as such trees need to be cut down for the construction of those dwellings. Only those trees are what create the breathing oxygen. Charcoal aids in cooking food, and so much  mo re.  

Choose an object that has special meaning for you. please write about( Essay

Choose an object that has special meaning for you. please write about( my mother gave me Necklace when I graduated from university in my Graduate Celebration that she made in our house - Essay Example This necklace is made of beads that are of different colors. The shape of the beads and the color attracts the attention of many people. The beads contain all the colors of the rainbow. This necklace is light in weight and makes me comfortable when wearing it. In addition, these beads are plastic in nature though from far one can think they are from a natural fabric. Sometimes I feel like whoever made this necklace had my taste in mind. This necklace represents my life struggle in my undergraduate. Additionally, it reminds me of my family mood during the graduation ceremony. We all have to know that it is good to appreciate somebody for good deed. I wanted to share this information with you to enlighten you on appreciating something even if it may look small to you. I now know you have understood my close association with this necklace. In this necklace, I cannot forget awesome memories in my

The Impact of Macro and Micro Environmental Factors on International B Case Study

The Impact of Macro and Micro Environmental Factors on International Business Activities - Case Study Example Macro environmental influences can better be explained by the use of the PESTEL framework. According to Johnson et al (2006), the PESTEL framework is a framework that can be used to categorise the factors that influence the business environment of an organisation into six main types including Political Influences, Economic influences, Technological influences, Socio-cultural Influences, Environmental influences, and Legal influences. The business environment of Inditex is indifferent as Inditex is affected by governmental laws, international laws, competition from other fashion distribution companies, change in interest rate, politics, technology (Dixon 2007) etc. Industria de Diseno Textil S.A (Inditex) together with its subsidiaries operates as a fashion distribution worldwide (Inditex Review 2008). The company's operations include various phases of the fashion process, such as design, manufacture, logistics and distribution to its own managed stores (Inditex Review 2008). The company offers eight commercial concepts including Zara, Pull, Bear, Massimo Donati, Besishka, Stradivarius etc. The company remains a strategic and a key player in the European fashion and distribution market. For example, despite the global economic crisis, the company announced flat same stores sales for 2008 (Inditex Review 2008). ... The company's operations include various phases of the fashion process, such as design, manufacture, logistics and distribution to its own managed stores (Inditex Review 2008). The company offers eight commercial concepts including Zara, Pull, Bear, Massimo Dolti, Besishka, Stradivarius etc. The company remains a strategic and a key player in the European fashion and distribution market. For example, despite the global economic crisis, the company announced flat same stores sales for 2008 (Inditex Review 2008). However, as part of the mega-environment in which the company depends on to effectively carry out its activities, the creator of the Zara fashion chain is not impervious to the global recession (Inditex Review 2008). 2.0 The PESTLE Framework According to Dixon (2007), the PESTLE framework is a way to understand the industry's external environment, which includes Political, Economic, and Social and Technological analysis. These factors will influence company long-term decisions in an industry. Today's business environment is increasingly becoming more turbulent, chaotic and challenging than ever before and to survive, it is vital that a firm can do something better than its competitors ( Wonglimpiyarat 2004:1). Globalization has not only altered the nature and the intensity of competition but has had to dictate and shape organisations in terms of what consumers want, how and when they want it and what they are prepared to pay for it (Hagan 1996:1). Kanter (1995:71) on his work of "Mastering Change" argues that success in the present day business is not for those companies that re-engineer the way they do things, or for those fixing the past. According to Kanter (1995), such an action will not constitute an adequate response. This is so because success is based on an organization’s ability to create, rather than predict the future by developing those products that will literally transform the way the world thinks and view itself and the needs.     

Computed Tomographic Angiography (CTA) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Computed Tomographic Angiography (CTA) - Essay Example Due to its enhanced, temporal and spatial resolution, it has been utilised as a less invasive technique in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Aneurysms rise in occurrence with age; they are more common in women and are connected to certain genetic conditions. CTA has been proposed as an alternative choice for intra – arterial digital subtraction angiography to check for aneurysms. CTA is used to characterise cerebral aneurysms for assessing the possibility of their rupture. It helps produce 3D geometries of cerebral aneurysms. Coronary lesions are risked to ruptures. CTA scanners avail for detection, quantification and characterization of coronary atherosclerotic lesions. Non invasive CTA is utilised to recognize patients with high or low risk chances of developing cardiac conditions due to the constitution of plaques. Computational fluid dynamics permits for computation of lesion particular endothelial shear tension. They also permit partial flow reserve. This adds functional details to evaluation of plaques. Cebral, J. R., Castro, M. A., Burgess, J. E., et al., 2005. Characterization of Cerebral Aneurysms for Assessing Risk of Rupture By Using Patient – Specific Computational Hemodynamics Models. American Journal of Neuroradiology, 26, pp. 2550 – 2559. Goncalves, P. A., Campos, C. A. M., Serruys, P. W. & Garcia – Garcia, H. M., 2014. Computed tomography angiography for the interventional cardiologist. European Heart Journal: Cardiovascular Imaging. doi: 10.1093/ehjci/jeu053 Maurovich – Horvat, P., Ferencik, M., Voros, S, Merkely, B. & Hoffmann, U. (2014). Comprehensive plaque assessment by coronary CT angiography. Nature Reviews Cardiology.

Sociological Analysis of Asia's premier serial killer Charles Gurmukh Essay

Sociological Analysis of Asia's premier serial killer Charles Gurmukh Sobhraj - Essay Example He was admitted to a boarding school in Paris but he managed to drop out at least twice to visit Vietnam. It is interesting reading that these trips were paid with help of fraud checks. Nevertheless, Sobhraj spent three years for burglary and eight months for car theft in prison in France in the 1960's. In the 1970's Sobhraj became dabbling in drug smuggling. He made a core group for himself and acted in pack as he was very flexible with his ways of crime. It at this point of his career that the notorious "Bikini Murders" took shape with Teresa Knowlton, a Seattle woman who had traveled to Bangkok on her way to Kathmandu. Multiple murders of the similar type surfaced and it was found out that the usual methods of Sobhraj was to drug first and then go for the kill and occasionally burning the bodies after the kill. Sobhraj is implicated in at least 10 murders in Thailand in 1975 alone. The total body count for this killer is actually 32. Sobhraj, once commented that his greatest strength was his great love for the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. This is an interesting clue to the psyche of this serial killer. As in Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy he also believed that women should be treated on whip.

Critical analysis on any article from FORTUNE magazine Essay

Critical analysis on any article from FORTUNE magazine - Essay Example However, this does not spell doom for advertisers because IPTV can also, like the internet, customize its advertisements to the viewer's preferences and TV watching habits. This makes it easier for marketers to make sure that their message is delivered to the select audience for whom it was intended, and IPTV therefore, can be a "godsend" for advertisers. At the moment, IPTV has not penetrated into the mass market, but this will surely change by next year. And the advertising industry is all set to take advantage of this as big companies are looking for alternate marketing channels owing to the lackluster response and growth in the conventional advertising medium: network television. Products such as TiVo ensure that consumers are not exposed to any advertisements. The Internet has also significantly altered the advertising media mix because when advertisers place their messages on popular Web portals and sites, they end up reaching a much wider target audience in a cost-effective manner, as compared to TV which is expensive, and where the audiences are shrinking every passing year. What IPTV promises are these targeting and measurement capabilities in the form of a point-to-point service, where every television in a house

Collaborate with the group Essay Example for Free

Collaborate with the group Essay Unwrapping ISLLC Standard 1 with team Blue was a great experience. While it took some time for the team to all meet together, the group proved to be hard working, understanding, and compassionate. There were a few issues that came to the surface while working together, and the process seemed to be very valuable to the eventual goal of a Principalship. The first issue to come to the surface was keeping in good communication and finding times to meet considering that each member has varying schedules. Use of the discussion forum and great internet programs such as ‘skype’ and ‘join.me’ allowed the entire team to collaborate and to watch the same computer screen during final revisions. An additional issue that came to the surface was keeping in communication through some personal and family hardships faced by two of the group members. Again, relying on the discussion forum, and keeping each other abreast of available times kept the team going strong through these problems. Understanding the value of unwrapping ISLLC in a group setting seems to be very valuable. Having members with different backgrounds and experiences allows different viewpoints to come together resulting in a wonderfully insightful mix. It also allows no member of the group to have an unchallenged say in a decision which can be very valuable for leading a school. It is just as important to make decisions as it is to listen to the various stakeholders of a school community and understand their concerns and insights to different problems or issues that arise during a school year. In conclusion, it was a terrific initial process to collaborate with the group. We all agree that getting the first standard unwrapped will pave the way for future assignments and to understand how to work best with one another. This is a very valuable process and it should continue to be so.

Gender Inequality Essay Example for Free

Gender Inequality Essay Gender can be defined as the socially constructed roles and duties society constructs, assigns and expects of males and females on the basis of their biological and physical characteristics. Gender is learnt, not permanent and differs from one community to another. Gender roles and responsibilities are found in all spheres of society be it economic, social, political or religious. Gender roles are affected by age, social class, ability, ethnicity and race. The gender roles help society to determine men and women access to rights, resources and opportunities. Gender in this perspective is not just a concept, but about perceptions and understanding concerning the affiliation between males and females in society and how gender influences their attitudes, behavior and responsibilities. Gender inequality refers to unequal treatment of men and women that are against the legal and constitutional requirement such as the human rights provisions as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 The Convention on the Eradication of all forms of discrimination against females (1979). Most countries have, however, fallen short of entitling human rights and freedoms to everyone in society regardless of their sex (Michael 12). Gender inequality varies from developed countries to developing countries. Also considering that the world is comprised of different tribes and races that have distinct values and beliefs, gender inequality will vary with the same intensity. Such inequalities include the professional obstacles that women encounter in their workplaces. It is evident that women’s lack of leadership positions because such roles are considered to be meant for men. Those who are mothers may be penalized or discriminated for taking time off to attend to their children. The controversial issue concerning gender inequality is the need to acknowledge the unequal power relations between men and women in society and to work for greater gender equality and the advancement of women. It does not only mean the identification of specific areas that are important for women’s advancements, but also attempts to introduce a dimension of gender in all activities. It also means there is recognition of how important it is to work with both men and women to change the existing gender relations. According to the United States Census data, there is a gender wage gap in which women earn 77 cents for each dollar earned by a man. The gap is a matter of concern that has prompted  President Obama to announce the Paycheck fairness Act on Equal Pay Day. However, according to the one of the lead economist the statistics behind the gender wage gap are flawed. The flawed statistics have acted hindrance and distracter to the legislator and concerned public from finding the solutions that would solve the real problem-the gender jobs gap. The Census data that give the 77 cents on dollar comparison is based on aggregate earning of men and women thus ignoring job choice, education, experience, industry, and other factors that contribute to a person’s wage. If a comparison is made between men and women with the same background such as education and experience, same employer, among other the gender gap disappears. The reasons why the gender job gap exists is the due to low number of female occupying high executive levels and director positions. Men also are earning higher than women despite being in the same senio r-level jobs. The choice of work is a major that determine potential earnings. Men tend to take relatively high-paying jobs in engineering and IT, while women take low-paying jobs like education and human resources. The gender gap persists because men and women choose to pursue different careers (Autor et al, 2008). The gender job gap can be closed, if women are encouraged to pursue high-paying career in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering. Legislation should be formulated to bridge the gap in men and women career choice. An enabling environment should create in the workplace where women can be empowered and helped to rise to top executive positions. Comparing the job to job is not tenable solution in addressing the gender wage gap; more need to be done to bring women earning close to that of men (Juhn et al, 2014). Gender inequality also involves feticide and infanticide. For instance, in India and China, a male child is more appreciated than a female child. Parents have to find out the sex of the baby they are carrying so as to decide whether to terminate the pregnancy or kill the child after its birth (Kristoff, 69). One of my family members in China, my cousin who has a bias th at boys better than girls. I was very angry that he convinced his wife went to abortion because his wife pregnant with a girl when I knew he did that. He explained that China has the birth control policy and he just want to a boy to continue his family name. In the legal area at China, it wasn’t involve in crime for what he did. However, in the ethical area, he deprive his wife’s thought and the  baby who didn’t has chance come to the world. I think he against the humanity and nature. There are also a number of organizations in society that play key roles in the construction of gender. These organizations need to be gender sensitive so as to ensure they continue in the positive construction of gender equality. Such organizations include the family, the most imperative socializing proxy, school, media and religion. Several theoretical perspectives exist that tend to explain the origin of gender inequalities. Radical feminists argue that the gender inequalities arise from the biological differences among individuals that produce a form of social organization that equip men and women with the different roles they play in society. For example, women are handicapped by their biology in terms of pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding that makes them dependent on men. This dependence creates an une qual power relationships and power psychology. They also argue that, in every society, a high value is placed on culture rather than nature. Through culture, supernatural forces can be sought in order to achieve success, hence it is considered a means by which humanity governs and regulates nature. Women are seen closer to nature than men because of their social roles as mothers and reproduction (Hekman 52). Men, on the other hand, participate in activities such as warfare, politics that involve culture. This makes them better to women. From a Marxist perspective, gender inequality arose during the earlier stages of development when there was ownership of private property. Men gained control over the women and property hence the patriarchal system of family where property was passed down through the male’s line. Marxists thought this would change with the capitalist system but women still continue to be disadvantaged compared to men. On the contrary, liberal feminists approached gender inequality in a more elaborate way. They argued that nobody benefits from the existing gender inequalities since both men and women are harmed by inequalities. While women do not get opportunities to develop their talents and become successful and skilled members, men are also denied the o pportunity of having a close relationship with their children. Gender inequality is caused by the general credence that males are superior to females; because of this idea, women have spent some significant amount of years suffering under their counterparts. Males also tend to be more emphatic and absolute because of their natal hormones or intuitive  intellect. Sexual discrimination is also another major cause of gender inequality where women are viewed by men as just sex objects rather than real human beings with standards and morals. Other general contributing factors of gender inequality include unequal power relations, assumptions about male and female behavior, insufficient laws against gender inequality, cultural, traditional and religious practices. I became aware of this problem through the campaigns that the government and other Non-Governmental Organizations have held. Their efforts are directed towards ensuring that gender inequality is minimized all over the world. Awareness is being created among women where they get to be educated on their rights and freedoms (Hurst, 96). The women are being empowered through sponsoring women projects as a way of generating income that makes them less dependable on women. The media is al so playing a vital role on the sensitization of ways of minimizing gender inequality in the societies. Higher education in universities and colleges also promotes women support and all levels of society. The government is doing everything in its power to increase the productivity of women by initiating income generating projects. However, they do not take into account that women are already overburdened with work, they do not control family budgets and many of them have difficulties of freedom and movement. It is evident that the informal sector has limited employment opportunities and these projects will not be taken with the seriousness it deserves despite having the ability to empower the women. It is also easy to mobilize individuals or groups for a specific goal such as a political action or assisting members who are in need. In this case curbing, the menace of gender inequality in the society will be of great help. This is because it has charged most nations more harm than good. Most people have depicted that certain duties and tasks are to be performed by certain persons making gender imbalance. Heavy duties are usually dedicated to men while the simple ones are left to the females creating a huge difference in genders. Until all these issues are addressed there is no way that the nation and the globe will ever achieve gender balance. Work cited Michael G. Peletz, Gender, Sexuality and Body Politics in Modern Asia. Ann Arbor, MI: Association for Asian studies, 2011. Kristoff, Nicholas D. (August 23, 2009). â€Å"The Women’s Crusade. New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2011. Burstein, Paul. â€Å"Equal Employment Opportunity: Labor Market Discrimination and Public Policy.† Edison, NJ: Aldine Transaction, 1994. Hekman, David R.; Aquino, Karl; Owens, Brad P.; Mitchell, Terence R.; (2009) An Examination of How Racial and Gender Biases Influence Customer Satisfaction. Autor, D. H., Katz, L. F., Kearney, M. S. (2013). Trends in US wage inequality: Revising the revisionists. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 90(2), 300-323. Juhn, C., Ujhelyi, G., Villegas-Sanchez, C. (2014). Men, women, and machines: how trade impacts gender inequality. Journal of Development Economics, 106, 179-193.

A Comparative Study of Consumer Behaviour

A Comparative Study of Consumer Behaviour ABSTRACT: Consumer Behavior is an aspect that is given a lot of importance in the globe of marketing. A lot of products have been a sensation or a breakdown due to inappropriate analysis of consumer behaviour and motivation. Food is a basic requirement for all livelihoods and everybody who earns spends money on food without any second thought. To live we need to eat and therefore food is tremendously important in all our lives. Todays consumers are becoming increasingly displeased with GM (Genetically Modified) and conventional fruits and vegetables and therefore are stirring towards organic fruits and vegetables. Many consumers are going organic not only in the case of fruits and vegetables but also regarding skincare, beauty products, paper and also clothing! Organic fruits and vegetables are not only said to be healthier due to ethical ways of production which do not use man-made chemicals and unnecessary preservatives as opposed to conventional food. It is also said to be eco-friendly beca use of environment cognizant methods which are used for the production of organic food. The advantages of organic fruits and vegetables are more whereas the disadvantages (such as price premium) are negligible when compared to its better side. Regular buyers of organic fruits and vegetables are willing to overlook these minor disadvantages which are negligible when compared to its disadvantages. In this research work, the consumer behaviour in the United Kingdom regarding organic fruits and vegetables is studied and compared with that in India. The factors (such as consumer expectations, beliefs, criteria, concerns, quality, awareness etc) that affect marketing of organic fruits and vegetables in UK and India are also studied with relevance to consumer behaviour. INTRODUCTION: Background This research work revolves around the consumer behaviour and attitudes towards organic fruits and vegetables in the United Kingdom and in India. A brief introduction will be given on consumer behavior and how important it is in the field of marketing. Secondly, a deeper understanding of the term organic will be given. Many theories and aspects related to organic fruits and vegetables will be discussed and reviewed as well in this dissertation. A number of consumers of organic and conventional food are consulted to get their views and opinions about organic fruits and vegetables. Not everyones attitudes towards organic fruits and vegetables seem to be the same, therefore the application of certain statistics methods help us in further understanding the relation and patterns in the consumer behavior patterns and trends in organic fruits and vegetables in the two countries. This study helps understand how the consumers in UK and in India differ from each other and also help understand the ways they are similar in. On the whole, the differences and similarities between the consumers of organic fruits and vegetables in the two countries are studied. To get this information, many respondents were asked to answer questionnaires regarding this topic and these answers were analysed using statistics. In the end these are discussed and limitations and conclusions are given and suggested. Research Questions: How does the consumer behavior towards organic fruits and vegetables vary between India and UK? In what ways do consumers in the two countries expect the food to be different from convenience foods? What are the popular beliefs among consumers about organic fruits and vegetables? When will India accept organic fruits and vegetables widely, the way UK has? What makes organic fruits and vegetables to be preferred more than convenience fruits and vegetables? Why is there a variance between the preference rate and sales of organic fruits and vegetables in both India and UK? What are the factors owing to this? General Aim The aim of this study is to find the consumer behavior and attitudes towards consumption of organic fruits and vegetables in the UK and India. The elements and factors (health factors, eco-friendliness, ethics, taste, quality, safety standards etc) influencing the consumers decision making are also studied. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: Introduction This section talks about the methodology used for this piece of research work. Methodologies vary from research work to work due to the difference in subjects, areas and study view. What methodology is used for one research purpose may not be suitable or applicable to another. Sometimes it might not be possible for a researcher to sit and observe all that he is researching. To collect primary data for this research study, survey research approach has been used. The non probability convenience sampling method has been used for this research primary data collection method. Therefore, the method of preparing a set of questions and selecting a group of people to get to answer them and studying these answers based on an already set theory or patterns, is common and a lot many researchers today are using this form of methodology. Application of statistics to these answers helps analyze and understand the trends, patterns and fashion that the study has proved using this method. â€Å"Potte r (1996, 2002) has roundly criticized researchers who use his own approach (discourse analysis) for depending too much on interview data and has argued for a greater use of naturally occurring data.† http://asksage.typepad.com/methods/. This section deals with the methodology used for this study and the course of action taken to complete the research study for the purpose of this dissertation. Purpose of this Research The obvious purpose of this research is to study the consumer behavior towards organic fruits and vegetables in India and in United Kingdom and to compare the two. While conducting the study, the marketing flaws and strengths of it, customers attitudes towards organic fruits and vegetables in the two countries will be studied. The attitudes of customers towards organic fruits and vegetables will be studied and explored. It is important to identify the determinants of the success and failure of organic fruits and vegetables industry in India and the United Kingdom. The consumers of organic fruits and vegetables in India and the United Kingdom might differ a lot in their way of behavior as considered in the marketing field and their attitudes towards it might not be the same or might be the same. This research will help in understanding the consumer behavior towards organic fruits and vegetables in the two countries by conducting a comparative study of the consumer behaviors from the t wo countries. Research Questions How do the attitudes of Indian consumers differ from that of the British with respect to organic fruits and vegetables? The above given question is the main aim and the biggest question for this study and research work. There are of course many sub questions as well which will also be researched in the course of this study. The question speaks about finding out the attitude differences in the two countrys consumer behaviour but the study might also prove the similarities in the two countrys consumer behaviour patterns towards organic fruits and vegetables. Instrument This research work is conducted on a survey of consumers and non-consumers of organic fruits and vegetables in India and in the United Kingdom. The study (survey) questionnaire was distributed to customers of local supermarkets which sell both organic and conventional fruits and vegetables in India (Chennai and Delhi) and in the United Kingdom (London and Birmingham). The questionnaire included a brief note about the study being conducted and a variety of questions regarding the area of research. The questionnaire included a brief note about the study being conducted and a variety of questions regarding the area of research. The questionnaires were handed out in person by the student conducting the study and her friends outside supermarkets selling organic fruits and vegetables in India and in the United Kingdom. The questionnaire had 15 questions which took not more than 5 minutes to answer. Most respondents were happy to help out and were interested in the subject of organic food. Population The questionnaires were distributed in person to organic food consumers and non-consumers. It took a period of over (18 days in India to get respondents to answer the questionnaires and 22 days in the United Kingdom to get the respondents to answer the questionnaires related to organic fruits and vegetables). Sample While conducting a research study, it is not possible to take into consideration the whole population. For example when studying Indias consumers, it is not possible to take into consideration one billion plus consumers in India, therefore we take a selected sample to represent this entire population which is 100 from Chennai, 100 from Delhi (i.e 200 from India on the whole), and 100 from Birmingham and 100 from London (i.e 200 from the United Kingdom). These 400 respondents are taken as sample population and their answers are expected to correspond to all the consumers of the two countries (United Kingdom and India) respectively. The sample population consisted of 200 respondents from India and 200 respondents from the United Kingdom. Out of the 200 respondents from India, 76 were male and 124 were female and out of the 200 respondents from the United Kingdom, 84 were male and 116 were female. The other data about age, monthly earnings, occupation etc are given under the section of empirical findings and data analysis. Data Collection Every research study needs primary and secondary data. Secondary data is collected from already established and published information which has been studied, researched and verified by someone else. The use of such data for research purpose gives certified information provided it has been taken from reliable and referenced sources. Secondary data is collected from already published studies, papers, theories, articles etc. This data might not be valid in todays times and circumstances due to the fact that it must have been published or verified during the time when circumstances and states were different in simple terms, the data might be outdated. Therefore, it is important to verify if the secondary data collected is valid. It is advisable to use secondary data collected is valid. It is advisable to use secondary data for research which is well referenced and uses valid and checkable data. For this research study, books, journals, magazines and electronic databases have been used which are verifiable and authentic. Primary data was collected through the usage of questionnaire as explained under the sampling section. The primary data collected was statistically analyzed using statistical formulae and methods. The data used in this study from other studies, papers, theories, articles etc are referenced well so that the question of plagiarism does not arise. These data are used under the literature review section and they are reviewed and explained and discussed. Sampling Methods The non-probability convenience sample method was used for the purpose of this research study. The short-comings of time and resources are not a problem in the case of this method of sampling. Non probability sampling does not involve random sampling and therefore it might not represent the population well. But this does not have to be true in all cases though it depends upon the study area also. Convenience sampling is also referred to as haphazard sampling or accidental sampling and is named so because it is convenient for the researcher and easy to use. It might not be a good representative of the population but it is a good representative in case of a homogeneous sample population. Only a selective number of consumers are considered in this study who are taken and considered as representatives of the entire population (consumers of organic fruits and vegetables in this case) for the study and research purpose. The probability sampling method proves to be more expensive and time c onsuming, which are only two of the many short comings in that case. For primary data collection, the questionnaires prepared for the purpose of this research are e-mailed to 200 people in United Kingdom and 200 in India. Another 400 were distributed in supermarkets (200 in India and 200 in UK). More number of questionnaires were sent through e-mail but due to software and document problems, they were not considered for the study. Many people who wanted to participate in this questionnaire session were unfortunately not able to do so due to time constraints. Finally 400 respondents answered the questionnaires which were used for the purpose of this research work. Questionnaire Design The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions which had multiple choice of answers each. Each respondent had to select one out of the given answers with respect to each question. The four answers for each question were related to the same aspect but there might not be any relation to the other questions answers. This is because a variety of questions regarding the consumer behavior and attitudes towards organic fruits and vegetables were considered. The first few questions were about personal details and background such as occupation, monthly earning, educational qualification etc which were followed by questions regarding organic fruits and vegetables and their opinions towards it. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK A theoretical framework basically lays down the guidelines for the research work. The concepts, theories, cases, models etc used for the presentation of the research are basically explained for understanding the study being carried out. In this dissertation, a few theories and models will be reviewed and discussed. Consumer Behaviour Consumer behaviour is a very widely studied subject in the field of marketing. Without consumers, it is very difficult for businesses of any sort to function normally. Consumers are the raison-d-etre for a business mere existence. The business may be based on profit or it might also be a non-profit organization. The field of consumer behaviour is the study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use and dispose of products, services, experiences or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society. Consumer behaviour mainly sheds light on how consumers decide to spend their various resources like time, money etc on various products so as to meet their needs and requirements. Consumer behaviour encompasses study of what, when, why and where the consumers will buy their products. It also focuses on how often the consumers use the products. Furthermore, it also sheds light on how the consumers evaluate the products after the purchase and the effect of evaluations on their future purchases. From the marketing point of view, it is very important to understand the consumer well and to attend to their needs, wants and demands to be successful. A consumer is the centre of attention in case of most marketing techniques; after all, it is the consumers a business needs to run. In the case of organic fruits and vegetables, a consumer might decide to buy it for its benefits on health or the environment or maybe because of the advertising for it is good. There are various factors that affect the consumer decision making process which is also discussed further. Models of Consumer Choice: The Cognitive model: When consumers make an important purchase for the first time, they may reflect on alternatives and discuss pros and cons with others with the intention of securing benefits and avoiding costs. This model is sometimes called the extended-problem solving model. (East, Wright and Vanhuele, 2008) The Reinforcement Model: Choice is controlled by factors in the environment that reward and facilitate some alternatives more than others. Managerial control is achieved by changing the consumers situation. However, what is rewarding to some persons may not be so to others and this limits influence. (East, Wright and Vanhuele , 2008) The habit model: Choice is controlled by managing stimuli (brand name, logo, pack features, etc) that have become associated with a product as a result of past purchases. Sometimes this is called stimulus control. (East, Wright and Vanhuele, 2008) Consumer Behaviour models: The purpose of consumer behaviour models is to provide description, explanation and prediction of purchase behaviour. At the same time the models provide a conceptual framework and so help researchers to set up and test new ideas so as to give even better explanations and predictions of behaviour. On the positive side, these models do help to organize research results and to demonstrate the complexity of decision processes involved in even a simple purchase, such as a can of soup in the local supermarket. On the negative side most of the models can be criticized as providing no more than a description of a range of influencing variables. There are four main clusters of factors that have an effect on purchase behaviour. They are political, economic and technical; cultural and social; psychological; and marketing influences. (Bareham, 1995) Theories make it easier to understand a concept as they outline causes and effects that are possible and what to anticipate provided the input (the happening circumstance) is given. In most cases, it is easy to analyze whether practical situations are normal and acceptable with the help of proven time tested theories. Marketing segmentation The market is divided into different groups or segments based on their needs, tastes, income, and a lot of other criteria. Marketing segmentation is based on a lot of research and important factors to suit the needs and purposes. Some of the marketing segmentation is as follows: Geographic segmentation: This involves segmenting the market by location on the assumption that people living in one location will have similar needs, wants and preferences and these will differ significantly from people living in other locations. There are some obvious limits to this assumption. People all over the world drink Coca-cola and buy Japanese electronic goods for instance. When you think about it from the viewpoint of the consumer, most buying behaviour is actually local. Localized consumer behaviour is often expressed through the presence of a significantly large cultural or sub cultural group that is different from the main stream. There are also geographically based differences between consumers for reasons that are more complex or obscure. It is not immediately obvious why some sections of consumers have different behaviour than the other sections. But knowing that, they will do, can be important to the marketing strategy. Demographic segmentation: Demographic segmentation deals with the many ways if statistically categorizing all the people in a national population. For example, a national population can be divided into subgroups based on age, sex, income, education, occupation, social class, family size, race and religion. In a sense, there are also different ways of looking at the same individual consumer, because of course we belong to each of these groups. Different aspects of our identity will be relevant to different products at different times. Baby foods can only be marketed to parents of young children, for example and a middle-class, middle aged, middle income, middle manager is more likely to be in the market for an exercise bike than a motor bike. Some of the important specifics of demographic segmentation are Age: Age is perhaps the most frequently used demographic variable in marketing segmentation. One reason for this is that the lifecycle has been divided up by society into what seem to be easily recognizable groups that are clearly differentiated from one another- infants, children, teenagers, young adults and so on. Sex: Dividing the market into male and female segments is another frequently used strategy. But even here, the old marketing certainties are breaking down. It used to be a safe bet for marketers to target do-it-yourself products exclusively at men and supermarket shopping at women. But with the larger increase in single occupant hose-holds and one parent families (most of them female), many more women are buying things that men would do if they were in a family. In addition, more women than men buy for other consumers. Socio-economic status: A persons socio economic status is determined by education, income and occupation. Though there are many exceptions of course, these are three factors often in alignment. More highly educated people tend to do managerial and professional jobs that bring a relatively high income, and vice-versa. For obvious reasons most marketers are more interested in people with high socio economic status rather than low. Income is often considered the most important variable in this case because it is so easy to quantify and because it dictates entry to certain markets. But income by itself can be very misleading. Psychological segmentation: The attempt to come up with a practical form of consumer profile has concentrated on three areas of behaviour: activities, interests, and opinions. Segmentation by usage: This form of segmentation is based on information about volume and frequency of purchase for a given product. It is a popular way of segmentation of markets because there is a lot of readily available information about patterns of usage for most goods and services. In fact, with so many transactions now electronically recorded, a great deal more of data is available than is actually used. Perhaps the most familiar usage data is provided by the electronic point of sale (EPOS) used by supermarket checkouts. Not only are all the purchased items listed, together with their prices, but so is the date and exact time of purchase and the method of payment used. Segmentation by benefit: This form of market segmentation is based on knowledge of the benefits that consumers seek from that particular product. The task of the marketer is to include the appropriate characteristics- or the impression of them in the design of particular goods or services. In a sense this kind of segmentation is at the entire marketing concept find out what people want and provide it for them. Segmentation is very important for a firm or an industry to market its products strategically and for it to be a success. In the case of organic fuits and vegetables, it comes under the category of food which is a basic necessity and therefore would appeal to and include a lot many segments in the markets. In this research study we are considering only the United Kingdom and India. So geographically these two countries are covered. Demographically the middle aged and the older people will be targeted age wise, both sexes, and the middle class and upper class levels will be targeted according to the socio economic status segmentation. Since the middle aged and older people usually are the ones who go shopping for fruits and vegetables, they are targeted age wise, both men and women shop for it, and when it comes to socio economic status, the middle and the upper income groups are targeted as organic fruits and vegetables are more expensive than conventional fruits and vegetables. Many shoppers especially in India will give up the idea of buying food when it comes to the price factor that is not acceptable for them. That is the reason why the middle and upper income groups are aimed at here. Most people both in India and United Kingdom consume fruits and vegetables everyday. In India, no meal is complete without fruits or vegetables and in the United Kingdom, people are encouraged to consume fruits and vegetables everyday with the healthy 5 a day concept though it is already a staple portion of a healthy meal. These segments are most suitable for being aimed at for marketing of organic fruits and vegetables and therefore they are the target segments. Decision making process There exist a number of factors which affect the consumer decision making process. Each of the factors has many sub-factors. Communication Situation The situation in which the consumer receives information about a product or service influences the buying decision of the consumer. For example, in the case of organic fruits and vegetables, an advertisement speaking about the bad impacts of the chemicals used in conventional foods right when the buyer is suffering from food poisoning might influence the consumer to buy food that is healthier and does not involve the usage of chemicals responsible for food poisoning and therefore influence the consumer to go in for purchase of organic fruits and vegetables in future. Purchase situation: The situation involved while a consumer is out to purchase will influence the buying process of the consumer. For example, a very health conscious friend is out with a consumer shopping for food, the friends suggestions of low cholesterol, high fiber food items will influence the consumer to buy healthier food products. Situations like when the consumer is very hungry and shopping for food might make the consumer end up purchasing food items that the consumer might have a craving for right then. Usage situation: Marketers need to understand the usage situations for which the products are meant. Using this knowledge, marketers can communicate how their products create consumer satisfaction in each relevant usage situation. For example, a recent study found that consuming 1.5 cup servings of oat based cereal a day could lower cholesterol. To increase sales, a Cheerios ad depicted the advantages of it. Disposition Situation Some consumers consider the case of disposition an important attribute towards the buying decision process. For example, if there was a rule stating that all the particular products from a household should only be disposed off at a particular point for a locality which is open only for a fixed time in the weekends, or they would be fined heavily, there would be a large decrease in the sales of that product. Situational characteristics Physical surroundings such as dà ©cor, sounds, aromas, lighting, weather and configurations of merchandise or other materials surrounding the stimulus object influences the buyer. Also, social surroundings, temporal perspectives, task definition And antecedent states influence the buyer decision making process. The marketer should influence these factors as largely as possible to influence the buyer in a favorable way to appeal to the customers. How decisions are made by people: The obvious point about decisions worth spelling out is that we are constantly making them. Form the moment we get up in the morning we are faced with deciding what to wear and what to have for breakfast and we make decisions throughout the rest of the day. Indeed we normally make so many decisions in the course of the day, every day, that only rarely do we realize that in fact we are making a decision. Decisions are just part of the business of living our lives, and are taken for granted. Rationality: Rationality is what you and I would like to think we use when making a decision. Moreover, we like to believe we are rational in both the psychological and the economic senses of the world. Psychologically, we make objective, dispassionate choices that are not influenced by prejudice or other irrational influences. Economically, we find out all the information there is on each of the alternatives, assess the advantages and disadvantages of each, and then choose the best one on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis. Most decisions are made in a state of incomplete information. Heuristics: A heuristic is simply a procedure or method or strategy for solving a problem or making a decision. It is similar to an algorithm, a procedure widely used in science, except that and algorithm is guaranteed to find the solution, or the best solution, whereas a heuristic is not. Perhaps, then it would be better for us to think of a heuristic as a rule-of-thumb. That is, a heuristic may be a good place to start if faced with a decision and it may provide a reasonable guide in the search for a solution, but no more than that. A heuristic may therefore be helpful, but it might also lead us totally astray. The reason we need heuristics when making decisions is simply that the world we live in turns us into misers-cognitive misers. Three forms of heuristic that psychologists have identified in the way people make decision: the representative heuristic, the attitude heuristic and the availability heuristic. Every step taken by anyone would require a decision to be made be it whether to put your right foot forward or your left, to eat spinach or a burger and so on. Some are taken with our conscious effort and some with our sub-conscious mind. When it comes to purchasing organic fruits and vegetables, a number of decisions need to be taken. For that matter the purchase making decision of any product is made based on several factors. For example, in the case of buying organic food, a consumer might think if he really needs to shell out 10% extra for a kg of organic onions or whether he is really doing himself any good by consuming organic potatoes. Questions such as these are answered in a heuristic pattern which leads to the purchase of organic fruits and vegetables or otherwise. Attitudes: The study of attitudes is one of the most intensively researched areas of psychology. Although there are over 100 different definitions of the term, a widely accepted definition of attitude would be: A stable, long lasting, learned predisposition to respond to certain things in a certain way. The concept has a cognitive (belief) aspect, an affective (feeling) aspect, and a conative (action) aspect. Characteristics and components of attitudes: Like a proprietary pain killer, attitudes contain not one, not two, but three active ingredients which are the cognitive component, the affective component, and the conative component. The cognitive component is mainly concerned with a consumers opinions about the products properties, for example whether it is crunchy, chewy, whether the price is reasonable, or whether the packaging is informative. The affective component deals with the consumers feelings about the products properties, for example if it is appealing or if it is un-appealing, is it liked or disliked? The conative component relates to the consumers likely behaviour in relation to the product. Sources of attitudes: The three main sources of attitudes are family, peers, and direct experience. Attitudes and behaviour: The commonsense notion that knowing someones attitudes towards a product will inform you of the likelihood of their buying it is quite a useful rule-of-thumbfor practical purposes. It is certainly A Comparative Study of Consumer Behaviour A Comparative Study of Consumer Behaviour ABSTRACT: Consumer Behavior is an aspect that is given a lot of importance in the globe of marketing. A lot of products have been a sensation or a breakdown due to inappropriate analysis of consumer behaviour and motivation. Food is a basic requirement for all livelihoods and everybody who earns spends money on food without any second thought. To live we need to eat and therefore food is tremendously important in all our lives. Todays consumers are becoming increasingly displeased with GM (Genetically Modified) and conventional fruits and vegetables and therefore are stirring towards organic fruits and vegetables. Many consumers are going organic not only in the case of fruits and vegetables but also regarding skincare, beauty products, paper and also clothing! Organic fruits and vegetables are not only said to be healthier due to ethical ways of production which do not use man-made chemicals and unnecessary preservatives as opposed to conventional food. It is also said to be eco-friendly beca use of environment cognizant methods which are used for the production of organic food. The advantages of organic fruits and vegetables are more whereas the disadvantages (such as price premium) are negligible when compared to its better side. Regular buyers of organic fruits and vegetables are willing to overlook these minor disadvantages which are negligible when compared to its disadvantages. In this research work, the consumer behaviour in the United Kingdom regarding organic fruits and vegetables is studied and compared with that in India. The factors (such as consumer expectations, beliefs, criteria, concerns, quality, awareness etc) that affect marketing of organic fruits and vegetables in UK and India are also studied with relevance to consumer behaviour. INTRODUCTION: Background This research work revolves around the consumer behaviour and attitudes towards organic fruits and vegetables in the United Kingdom and in India. A brief introduction will be given on consumer behavior and how important it is in the field of marketing. Secondly, a deeper understanding of the term organic will be given. Many theories and aspects related to organic fruits and vegetables will be discussed and reviewed as well in this dissertation. A number of consumers of organic and conventional food are consulted to get their views and opinions about organic fruits and vegetables. Not everyones attitudes towards organic fruits and vegetables seem to be the same, therefore the application of certain statistics methods help us in further understanding the relation and patterns in the consumer behavior patterns and trends in organic fruits and vegetables in the two countries. This study helps understand how the consumers in UK and in India differ from each other and also help understand the ways they are similar in. On the whole, the differences and similarities between the consumers of organic fruits and vegetables in the two countries are studied. To get this information, many respondents were asked to answer questionnaires regarding this topic and these answers were analysed using statistics. In the end these are discussed and limitations and conclusions are given and suggested. Research Questions: How does the consumer behavior towards organic fruits and vegetables vary between India and UK? In what ways do consumers in the two countries expect the food to be different from convenience foods? What are the popular beliefs among consumers about organic fruits and vegetables? When will India accept organic fruits and vegetables widely, the way UK has? What makes organic fruits and vegetables to be preferred more than convenience fruits and vegetables? Why is there a variance between the preference rate and sales of organic fruits and vegetables in both India and UK? What are the factors owing to this? General Aim The aim of this study is to find the consumer behavior and attitudes towards consumption of organic fruits and vegetables in the UK and India. The elements and factors (health factors, eco-friendliness, ethics, taste, quality, safety standards etc) influencing the consumers decision making are also studied. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: Introduction This section talks about the methodology used for this piece of research work. Methodologies vary from research work to work due to the difference in subjects, areas and study view. What methodology is used for one research purpose may not be suitable or applicable to another. Sometimes it might not be possible for a researcher to sit and observe all that he is researching. To collect primary data for this research study, survey research approach has been used. The non probability convenience sampling method has been used for this research primary data collection method. Therefore, the method of preparing a set of questions and selecting a group of people to get to answer them and studying these answers based on an already set theory or patterns, is common and a lot many researchers today are using this form of methodology. Application of statistics to these answers helps analyze and understand the trends, patterns and fashion that the study has proved using this method. â€Å"Potte r (1996, 2002) has roundly criticized researchers who use his own approach (discourse analysis) for depending too much on interview data and has argued for a greater use of naturally occurring data.† http://asksage.typepad.com/methods/. This section deals with the methodology used for this study and the course of action taken to complete the research study for the purpose of this dissertation. Purpose of this Research The obvious purpose of this research is to study the consumer behavior towards organic fruits and vegetables in India and in United Kingdom and to compare the two. While conducting the study, the marketing flaws and strengths of it, customers attitudes towards organic fruits and vegetables in the two countries will be studied. The attitudes of customers towards organic fruits and vegetables will be studied and explored. It is important to identify the determinants of the success and failure of organic fruits and vegetables industry in India and the United Kingdom. The consumers of organic fruits and vegetables in India and the United Kingdom might differ a lot in their way of behavior as considered in the marketing field and their attitudes towards it might not be the same or might be the same. This research will help in understanding the consumer behavior towards organic fruits and vegetables in the two countries by conducting a comparative study of the consumer behaviors from the t wo countries. Research Questions How do the attitudes of Indian consumers differ from that of the British with respect to organic fruits and vegetables? The above given question is the main aim and the biggest question for this study and research work. There are of course many sub questions as well which will also be researched in the course of this study. The question speaks about finding out the attitude differences in the two countrys consumer behaviour but the study might also prove the similarities in the two countrys consumer behaviour patterns towards organic fruits and vegetables. Instrument This research work is conducted on a survey of consumers and non-consumers of organic fruits and vegetables in India and in the United Kingdom. The study (survey) questionnaire was distributed to customers of local supermarkets which sell both organic and conventional fruits and vegetables in India (Chennai and Delhi) and in the United Kingdom (London and Birmingham). The questionnaire included a brief note about the study being conducted and a variety of questions regarding the area of research. The questionnaire included a brief note about the study being conducted and a variety of questions regarding the area of research. The questionnaires were handed out in person by the student conducting the study and her friends outside supermarkets selling organic fruits and vegetables in India and in the United Kingdom. The questionnaire had 15 questions which took not more than 5 minutes to answer. Most respondents were happy to help out and were interested in the subject of organic food. Population The questionnaires were distributed in person to organic food consumers and non-consumers. It took a period of over (18 days in India to get respondents to answer the questionnaires and 22 days in the United Kingdom to get the respondents to answer the questionnaires related to organic fruits and vegetables). Sample While conducting a research study, it is not possible to take into consideration the whole population. For example when studying Indias consumers, it is not possible to take into consideration one billion plus consumers in India, therefore we take a selected sample to represent this entire population which is 100 from Chennai, 100 from Delhi (i.e 200 from India on the whole), and 100 from Birmingham and 100 from London (i.e 200 from the United Kingdom). These 400 respondents are taken as sample population and their answers are expected to correspond to all the consumers of the two countries (United Kingdom and India) respectively. The sample population consisted of 200 respondents from India and 200 respondents from the United Kingdom. Out of the 200 respondents from India, 76 were male and 124 were female and out of the 200 respondents from the United Kingdom, 84 were male and 116 were female. The other data about age, monthly earnings, occupation etc are given under the section of empirical findings and data analysis. Data Collection Every research study needs primary and secondary data. Secondary data is collected from already established and published information which has been studied, researched and verified by someone else. The use of such data for research purpose gives certified information provided it has been taken from reliable and referenced sources. Secondary data is collected from already published studies, papers, theories, articles etc. This data might not be valid in todays times and circumstances due to the fact that it must have been published or verified during the time when circumstances and states were different in simple terms, the data might be outdated. Therefore, it is important to verify if the secondary data collected is valid. It is advisable to use secondary data collected is valid. It is advisable to use secondary data for research which is well referenced and uses valid and checkable data. For this research study, books, journals, magazines and electronic databases have been used which are verifiable and authentic. Primary data was collected through the usage of questionnaire as explained under the sampling section. The primary data collected was statistically analyzed using statistical formulae and methods. The data used in this study from other studies, papers, theories, articles etc are referenced well so that the question of plagiarism does not arise. These data are used under the literature review section and they are reviewed and explained and discussed. Sampling Methods The non-probability convenience sample method was used for the purpose of this research study. The short-comings of time and resources are not a problem in the case of this method of sampling. Non probability sampling does not involve random sampling and therefore it might not represent the population well. But this does not have to be true in all cases though it depends upon the study area also. Convenience sampling is also referred to as haphazard sampling or accidental sampling and is named so because it is convenient for the researcher and easy to use. It might not be a good representative of the population but it is a good representative in case of a homogeneous sample population. Only a selective number of consumers are considered in this study who are taken and considered as representatives of the entire population (consumers of organic fruits and vegetables in this case) for the study and research purpose. The probability sampling method proves to be more expensive and time c onsuming, which are only two of the many short comings in that case. For primary data collection, the questionnaires prepared for the purpose of this research are e-mailed to 200 people in United Kingdom and 200 in India. Another 400 were distributed in supermarkets (200 in India and 200 in UK). More number of questionnaires were sent through e-mail but due to software and document problems, they were not considered for the study. Many people who wanted to participate in this questionnaire session were unfortunately not able to do so due to time constraints. Finally 400 respondents answered the questionnaires which were used for the purpose of this research work. Questionnaire Design The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions which had multiple choice of answers each. Each respondent had to select one out of the given answers with respect to each question. The four answers for each question were related to the same aspect but there might not be any relation to the other questions answers. This is because a variety of questions regarding the consumer behavior and attitudes towards organic fruits and vegetables were considered. The first few questions were about personal details and background such as occupation, monthly earning, educational qualification etc which were followed by questions regarding organic fruits and vegetables and their opinions towards it. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK A theoretical framework basically lays down the guidelines for the research work. The concepts, theories, cases, models etc used for the presentation of the research are basically explained for understanding the study being carried out. In this dissertation, a few theories and models will be reviewed and discussed. Consumer Behaviour Consumer behaviour is a very widely studied subject in the field of marketing. Without consumers, it is very difficult for businesses of any sort to function normally. Consumers are the raison-d-etre for a business mere existence. The business may be based on profit or it might also be a non-profit organization. The field of consumer behaviour is the study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use and dispose of products, services, experiences or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society. Consumer behaviour mainly sheds light on how consumers decide to spend their various resources like time, money etc on various products so as to meet their needs and requirements. Consumer behaviour encompasses study of what, when, why and where the consumers will buy their products. It also focuses on how often the consumers use the products. Furthermore, it also sheds light on how the consumers evaluate the products after the purchase and the effect of evaluations on their future purchases. From the marketing point of view, it is very important to understand the consumer well and to attend to their needs, wants and demands to be successful. A consumer is the centre of attention in case of most marketing techniques; after all, it is the consumers a business needs to run. In the case of organic fruits and vegetables, a consumer might decide to buy it for its benefits on health or the environment or maybe because of the advertising for it is good. There are various factors that affect the consumer decision making process which is also discussed further. Models of Consumer Choice: The Cognitive model: When consumers make an important purchase for the first time, they may reflect on alternatives and discuss pros and cons with others with the intention of securing benefits and avoiding costs. This model is sometimes called the extended-problem solving model. (East, Wright and Vanhuele, 2008) The Reinforcement Model: Choice is controlled by factors in the environment that reward and facilitate some alternatives more than others. Managerial control is achieved by changing the consumers situation. However, what is rewarding to some persons may not be so to others and this limits influence. (East, Wright and Vanhuele , 2008) The habit model: Choice is controlled by managing stimuli (brand name, logo, pack features, etc) that have become associated with a product as a result of past purchases. Sometimes this is called stimulus control. (East, Wright and Vanhuele, 2008) Consumer Behaviour models: The purpose of consumer behaviour models is to provide description, explanation and prediction of purchase behaviour. At the same time the models provide a conceptual framework and so help researchers to set up and test new ideas so as to give even better explanations and predictions of behaviour. On the positive side, these models do help to organize research results and to demonstrate the complexity of decision processes involved in even a simple purchase, such as a can of soup in the local supermarket. On the negative side most of the models can be criticized as providing no more than a description of a range of influencing variables. There are four main clusters of factors that have an effect on purchase behaviour. They are political, economic and technical; cultural and social; psychological; and marketing influences. (Bareham, 1995) Theories make it easier to understand a concept as they outline causes and effects that are possible and what to anticipate provided the input (the happening circumstance) is given. In most cases, it is easy to analyze whether practical situations are normal and acceptable with the help of proven time tested theories. Marketing segmentation The market is divided into different groups or segments based on their needs, tastes, income, and a lot of other criteria. Marketing segmentation is based on a lot of research and important factors to suit the needs and purposes. Some of the marketing segmentation is as follows: Geographic segmentation: This involves segmenting the market by location on the assumption that people living in one location will have similar needs, wants and preferences and these will differ significantly from people living in other locations. There are some obvious limits to this assumption. People all over the world drink Coca-cola and buy Japanese electronic goods for instance. When you think about it from the viewpoint of the consumer, most buying behaviour is actually local. Localized consumer behaviour is often expressed through the presence of a significantly large cultural or sub cultural group that is different from the main stream. There are also geographically based differences between consumers for reasons that are more complex or obscure. It is not immediately obvious why some sections of consumers have different behaviour than the other sections. But knowing that, they will do, can be important to the marketing strategy. Demographic segmentation: Demographic segmentation deals with the many ways if statistically categorizing all the people in a national population. For example, a national population can be divided into subgroups based on age, sex, income, education, occupation, social class, family size, race and religion. In a sense, there are also different ways of looking at the same individual consumer, because of course we belong to each of these groups. Different aspects of our identity will be relevant to different products at different times. Baby foods can only be marketed to parents of young children, for example and a middle-class, middle aged, middle income, middle manager is more likely to be in the market for an exercise bike than a motor bike. Some of the important specifics of demographic segmentation are Age: Age is perhaps the most frequently used demographic variable in marketing segmentation. One reason for this is that the lifecycle has been divided up by society into what seem to be easily recognizable groups that are clearly differentiated from one another- infants, children, teenagers, young adults and so on. Sex: Dividing the market into male and female segments is another frequently used strategy. But even here, the old marketing certainties are breaking down. It used to be a safe bet for marketers to target do-it-yourself products exclusively at men and supermarket shopping at women. But with the larger increase in single occupant hose-holds and one parent families (most of them female), many more women are buying things that men would do if they were in a family. In addition, more women than men buy for other consumers. Socio-economic status: A persons socio economic status is determined by education, income and occupation. Though there are many exceptions of course, these are three factors often in alignment. More highly educated people tend to do managerial and professional jobs that bring a relatively high income, and vice-versa. For obvious reasons most marketers are more interested in people with high socio economic status rather than low. Income is often considered the most important variable in this case because it is so easy to quantify and because it dictates entry to certain markets. But income by itself can be very misleading. Psychological segmentation: The attempt to come up with a practical form of consumer profile has concentrated on three areas of behaviour: activities, interests, and opinions. Segmentation by usage: This form of segmentation is based on information about volume and frequency of purchase for a given product. It is a popular way of segmentation of markets because there is a lot of readily available information about patterns of usage for most goods and services. In fact, with so many transactions now electronically recorded, a great deal more of data is available than is actually used. Perhaps the most familiar usage data is provided by the electronic point of sale (EPOS) used by supermarket checkouts. Not only are all the purchased items listed, together with their prices, but so is the date and exact time of purchase and the method of payment used. Segmentation by benefit: This form of market segmentation is based on knowledge of the benefits that consumers seek from that particular product. The task of the marketer is to include the appropriate characteristics- or the impression of them in the design of particular goods or services. In a sense this kind of segmentation is at the entire marketing concept find out what people want and provide it for them. Segmentation is very important for a firm or an industry to market its products strategically and for it to be a success. In the case of organic fuits and vegetables, it comes under the category of food which is a basic necessity and therefore would appeal to and include a lot many segments in the markets. In this research study we are considering only the United Kingdom and India. So geographically these two countries are covered. Demographically the middle aged and the older people will be targeted age wise, both sexes, and the middle class and upper class levels will be targeted according to the socio economic status segmentation. Since the middle aged and older people usually are the ones who go shopping for fruits and vegetables, they are targeted age wise, both men and women shop for it, and when it comes to socio economic status, the middle and the upper income groups are targeted as organic fruits and vegetables are more expensive than conventional fruits and vegetables. Many shoppers especially in India will give up the idea of buying food when it comes to the price factor that is not acceptable for them. That is the reason why the middle and upper income groups are aimed at here. Most people both in India and United Kingdom consume fruits and vegetables everyday. In India, no meal is complete without fruits or vegetables and in the United Kingdom, people are encouraged to consume fruits and vegetables everyday with the healthy 5 a day concept though it is already a staple portion of a healthy meal. These segments are most suitable for being aimed at for marketing of organic fruits and vegetables and therefore they are the target segments. Decision making process There exist a number of factors which affect the consumer decision making process. Each of the factors has many sub-factors. Communication Situation The situation in which the consumer receives information about a product or service influences the buying decision of the consumer. For example, in the case of organic fruits and vegetables, an advertisement speaking about the bad impacts of the chemicals used in conventional foods right when the buyer is suffering from food poisoning might influence the consumer to buy food that is healthier and does not involve the usage of chemicals responsible for food poisoning and therefore influence the consumer to go in for purchase of organic fruits and vegetables in future. Purchase situation: The situation involved while a consumer is out to purchase will influence the buying process of the consumer. For example, a very health conscious friend is out with a consumer shopping for food, the friends suggestions of low cholesterol, high fiber food items will influence the consumer to buy healthier food products. Situations like when the consumer is very hungry and shopping for food might make the consumer end up purchasing food items that the consumer might have a craving for right then. Usage situation: Marketers need to understand the usage situations for which the products are meant. Using this knowledge, marketers can communicate how their products create consumer satisfaction in each relevant usage situation. For example, a recent study found that consuming 1.5 cup servings of oat based cereal a day could lower cholesterol. To increase sales, a Cheerios ad depicted the advantages of it. Disposition Situation Some consumers consider the case of disposition an important attribute towards the buying decision process. For example, if there was a rule stating that all the particular products from a household should only be disposed off at a particular point for a locality which is open only for a fixed time in the weekends, or they would be fined heavily, there would be a large decrease in the sales of that product. Situational characteristics Physical surroundings such as dà ©cor, sounds, aromas, lighting, weather and configurations of merchandise or other materials surrounding the stimulus object influences the buyer. Also, social surroundings, temporal perspectives, task definition And antecedent states influence the buyer decision making process. The marketer should influence these factors as largely as possible to influence the buyer in a favorable way to appeal to the customers. How decisions are made by people: The obvious point about decisions worth spelling out is that we are constantly making them. Form the moment we get up in the morning we are faced with deciding what to wear and what to have for breakfast and we make decisions throughout the rest of the day. Indeed we normally make so many decisions in the course of the day, every day, that only rarely do we realize that in fact we are making a decision. Decisions are just part of the business of living our lives, and are taken for granted. Rationality: Rationality is what you and I would like to think we use when making a decision. Moreover, we like to believe we are rational in both the psychological and the economic senses of the world. Psychologically, we make objective, dispassionate choices that are not influenced by prejudice or other irrational influences. Economically, we find out all the information there is on each of the alternatives, assess the advantages and disadvantages of each, and then choose the best one on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis. Most decisions are made in a state of incomplete information. Heuristics: A heuristic is simply a procedure or method or strategy for solving a problem or making a decision. It is similar to an algorithm, a procedure widely used in science, except that and algorithm is guaranteed to find the solution, or the best solution, whereas a heuristic is not. Perhaps, then it would be better for us to think of a heuristic as a rule-of-thumb. That is, a heuristic may be a good place to start if faced with a decision and it may provide a reasonable guide in the search for a solution, but no more than that. A heuristic may therefore be helpful, but it might also lead us totally astray. The reason we need heuristics when making decisions is simply that the world we live in turns us into misers-cognitive misers. Three forms of heuristic that psychologists have identified in the way people make decision: the representative heuristic, the attitude heuristic and the availability heuristic. Every step taken by anyone would require a decision to be made be it whether to put your right foot forward or your left, to eat spinach or a burger and so on. Some are taken with our conscious effort and some with our sub-conscious mind. When it comes to purchasing organic fruits and vegetables, a number of decisions need to be taken. For that matter the purchase making decision of any product is made based on several factors. For example, in the case of buying organic food, a consumer might think if he really needs to shell out 10% extra for a kg of organic onions or whether he is really doing himself any good by consuming organic potatoes. Questions such as these are answered in a heuristic pattern which leads to the purchase of organic fruits and vegetables or otherwise. Attitudes: The study of attitudes is one of the most intensively researched areas of psychology. Although there are over 100 different definitions of the term, a widely accepted definition of attitude would be: A stable, long lasting, learned predisposition to respond to certain things in a certain way. The concept has a cognitive (belief) aspect, an affective (feeling) aspect, and a conative (action) aspect. Characteristics and components of attitudes: Like a proprietary pain killer, attitudes contain not one, not two, but three active ingredients which are the cognitive component, the affective component, and the conative component. The cognitive component is mainly concerned with a consumers opinions about the products properties, for example whether it is crunchy, chewy, whether the price is reasonable, or whether the packaging is informative. The affective component deals with the consumers feelings about the products properties, for example if it is appealing or if it is un-appealing, is it liked or disliked? The conative component relates to the consumers likely behaviour in relation to the product. Sources of attitudes: The three main sources of attitudes are family, peers, and direct experience. Attitudes and behaviour: The commonsense notion that knowing someones attitudes towards a product will inform you of the likelihood of their buying it is quite a useful rule-of-thumbfor practical purposes. It is certainly