Nutrasweet in China Essay Example for Free

Nutrasweet in China Essay To think of a choice to the whether enter the Greater China Market or not we chose to move toward the case with a SWOT examination. Qualities NutraSweet is a fake sugar that is one of the most perceived brand names in the United States and on the planet. NutraSweet’s income per share is $ 6. 36 and with enormous capitalization and interests in various items. Stacey has the affirmed spending plan of $ 500,000 to showcase NutraSweet in China. NutraSweet has the adaptability on the best way to situate their item as far as usefulness, or either as sugar substitute or wellbeing item for diabetics. Shortcomings The examination directed towards the Chinese shoppers may not genuinely mirror the genuine assessments of the buyers towards NutraSweet. NutraSweet has not chosen constructing its own conveyance framework and may depend on outside operators for circulation. NutraSweet is more costly than standard white sugar. Openings China is a major market and can give higher gainfulness to the organization. China is the second or eighth biggest economy on the planet; contingent upon how it was checked. There is an apparent consumers’ fascination with Western brands. Chinese keep up energizing way of life so the potential for NutraSweet to dispatch their item in China is solid. Dangers Sugar is a typical family unit buy as a sugar and has been a piece of Chinese families for a considerable length of time. Culture directs that there may be trouble in supplanting customary utilization of sugar with NutraSweet. The Chinese market is so various and it is hard to think of a general trademark to characterize them. Fake sugars are known by history of distrust for saccharin and potential wellbeing dangers. There is trouble in drawing in and holding neighborhood workers and all things considered, NutraSweet is having questions in putting into preparing their advertising and deals faculty for dread that the representatives would not remain long in the organization. There are truth be told, not many remote operators that work in China. Sugar use and utilization levels varied among 3 key markets â€Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. Arthur Andersen study in China indicated that most joint endeavors from food and drink were not gainful. Most MNCs in China are unbeneficial in spite of significant development. Lion's share of the Chinese are considered â€Å"flat-bellied† and don’t see the requirement for an eating routine. The Chinese culture likewise directs that they are not that worried about their teeth, henceforth they don’t have that dread of tooth rot. The organization ought to enter the Greater China showcase as a specialty item for shoppers with a clinical need. The organization can't postpone its entrance in the China showcase, particularly with variables, for example, a normal of 10% financial development, a rapidly rising white collar class, and a high chance in consumers’ increment buying power. Delay of passage may mean greater expenses later on and in spite of the fact that the organization won't quickly benefit from the endeavor, investigate demonstrated that organizations who entered the market 5 to 10 years back were doing best. The information picked up from advertise section will permit NutraSweet to hone its future procedures. Geniuses The effective involvement with building up clinical mindfulness in Hong Kong might be applied to the Greater China Market. Entering the Greater China advertise through the three key urban communities will give a superior information on the general Chinese market. A characteristic market comprising of diabetics and stout clients as of now exist. Emergency clinic stores and medication dispensaries don't have the bartering quality that retailers have. Item data battles will be encouraged by wellbeing experts who will effortlessly comprehend and value the product’s benefits. Advancement to clinical experts through affiliations won't need as much expense as an across the country mass-advertise battle. A $ 2,010,526. 31 in breakeven deals appears to be truly possible in the Chinese market. Cons The Chinese will in general be thin and had truly not been distracted by tooth rot. ? Transient The Chinese consumers’ fascination in brand names, particularly the number 1 in any classification offers NutraSweet a chance to set up itself as a first mover in the clinical guide items under another classification of sugars. The organization will dispatch an item data crusade for clinical experts and will likewise tap their affiliations. Relationship of diabetics and stout shoppers will likewise be tapped. The organization will concentrate on relationship working with the clinical business. Since poor dental wellbeing is an issue in China, the organization may likewise make a mindfulness drive on the evil impacts of sugar on the teeth to establish the framework of need mindfulness. The item will be bundled in sachet structure with worldwide brand and American picture unmistakable on the sachet to speak to the consumers’ inclination for American brands. The organization will profit by the accommodation of carrying the sachets anyplace with you. The clinical business will be without given examples of the item. The specialists will be educated to advance day by day utilization of the item, with improving of milk and espresso or hot beverages as one of the more typical purposes. Purchasers will be educated to utilize the item in cooking through the arrangement of free formula booklets and cooking exhibition classes. The item will be circulated in the three key urban areas of Greater China, to be specific, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing, where the clinical business is increasingly evolved contrasted and different urban communities. The organization will make its own conveyance structure. The item will utilize the circulation channels of medical clinic stores and medication dispensaries. Since the attention is on specialty showcasing, the item will even now be sourced from the U. S. plant. Long haul The drawn out objective will be to mass market the item in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and utilize the learning’s from those business sectors to infiltrate the market Greater China. Setting up dispersion arranges in the two nations will be simpler, given the great business situations. In Hong Kong and Taiwan, the item will be repositioned as a solid family way of life food, focusing on the rich, wellbeing and weight cognizant shoppers. Forceful advancement will be sought after, for example, print and media advertisements, and the work of item endorsers, and store advancements. Shopper mindfulness and training will be the focal point of the battles.

Charles Manson Methods To The Madness Essay Example For Students

Charles Manson: Methods To The Madness Essay On the morning of August 9, 1969, three LAPD officials showed up at 10050 CieloDrive (Bugliosi 7). The scene that anticipated them was ghastly. In the garage, in aparked vehicle, the assortment of Steven Parent was found. He was shot multiple times and stabbedonce. Laying around eighteen or twenty feet past the front entryway of the house, VoytekFrykowski had been shot twice, beaten over the head with a dull article thirteen times,and cut fifty-one times. Likewise found on the grass was espresso beneficiary AbigailFolger, wounded twenty-eight times. Inside the home, in the family room, were the bodiesof Jay Sebring and Sharon Tate. Sebring, a beautician, had been wounded multiple times andshot once, biting the dust of exsanguination. Tate, who was eight months pregnant at the time ofher demise, was cut multiple times in the chest and back (Fillmer standard. 2). The next night, in an apparently random wrongdoing, Leno and RosemaryLaBianca were found in their home at 3301 Waverly Drive . Rosemary was foundface down in her room, a light line twisted around her neck, in a pool of blood; shehad been cut forty-one times. Her better half, Leno, had a cushion case over his head, alamp string tied around his neck, his hands bound behind his back with a calfskin thong, and anivory-took care of, bi-tined cutting fork in his stomach; he had been cut on various occasions andhad the word ?WAR? cut in his substance (Bugliosi 55-56). The killers were individuals from a gathering drove by Charles Manson called theManson Family. These individuals were totally constrained by Manson. He had themconvinced that they were the divinely selected individuals and that they were just completing the ordersof a man they thought was Jesus Christ in bodily form (Watson standard. 3). They were willing torisk demise and detainment to fulfill this man. Manson utilized obtained thoughts fromprosperous cliques of the 1960s to accomplish an unlimited authority over his adherents. In June of 1960, Ch arles Manson was sent to jail for fraud, mail robbery, andpimping (Bugliosi 192-193). There, he got associated with a faction called Scientology(195). Scientology was established by L. Ron Hubbard (?Cult? standard. 45). It instructs that eachhuman has a spirit called a ?thetan.? Scientologists accept that, numerous years back, the thetanwas ?god-like? what's more, that individuals tumbled from godlikeness and overlooked their roots. Individuals werethen caught on Earth in ?hallucinations of mortality (?Scientology? standard. 12).? Hubbardclaimed that he had discovered the otherworldly method to finding the genuine method to man. He said thatone must work through numerous degrees of self information and information on previous existences to?awaken the early stage god? until godlikeness is by and by accomplished (?Cult? standard. 45). The most significant level of mindfulness in Scientology is called ?theta clear.? Mansonclaims to have arrived at theta clear while in jail. He probably accomplished this throughmany ?inspecting meetings,? the strategy that Scientologists use to show mindfulness, taughtby his cell mate, Lanier Rayner (Bugliosi 195-196). Probably, he got a significant number of hismethods of brain control from these meetings, alongside thoughts, for example, karma andreincarnation (635). The Process Church of the Final Judgment, marked a Satanist religion by the media,was established in 1963 by Robert DeGrimston, a previous Scientologist. The premise of thisreligion was the book of Matthew of the New Testament, and it started as a blend ofZoroastrianism and Scientology. The name ?The Process? alludes to the ?changesnecessary to stay away from the apocalypse with its related judgment.? Processeansworship Jehovah, Lucifer, and Satan (?Process? par.17). Despite the fact that The Process intensely denies that Charles Manson was ever amember, numerous thoughts from his way of thinking equal Process ideas. Both Manson andThe Process instructed of a brutal and unavoidable Armageddon where everything except the fewchosen ones would be pulverized, and both idea that cruiser posses would be the?troops of the most recent days.? One Process flyer depicted the second happening to Christas: ? ?Through Love, Christ and Satan have wrecked their hostility and met up forthe End: Christ to Judge, Satan to execute the Judgment. ? Manson accepted that, whenChrist returned, it would be the foundation that ?went up on the cross (Bugliosi 637).? Manson and The Process shared thoughts on dread likewise; they lectured that dread was the samething as mindfulness, and that the more dread one had, the more mindfulness and thereforemore love one had (320). There were such a large number of similitudes between Mansons philosophyand The Process that regardless of whether he was never a part, The Process probably been a greatinfluence on Charles Manson (638-639). A considerable number of different thoughts of Mansons originated from the Beatles and the Bible. Thismay appear to be an odd pair, yet they fit together shockingly well in Mansons mind. Manson had his own exceptional understandings of pretty much every section from Revelations 9. Hebelieved that the Beatles were the four heavenly attendants discussed in the Bible. When the Bibledescribes grasshoppers rising up out of the endless pit, he considered it to be another reference to theEnglish rockers since insect and ?creepy crawlies? were indeed the very same. The grasshoppers aredescribed as having the essences of men and the hair of ladies, which just strengthened hisopinion (Bugliosi 322-323). In Verse 15 of Revelations 9, the Bible says, ?So the fourangels were discharged; this was decisively the hour, the day, the month, and the year forwhich they had been set up to kill 33% of humanity.? Manson lectured that the thirdpart of humanity was the white race that would kick the bucket in Helter Skelter (Bugliosi 323). HelterSkelter was the name that Manson had given the race war b etween the whites and theblacks. He accepted that the blacks would win yet would be not able to administer and afterward beforced to go to the Manson Family for initiative (Bugliosi 329-331). Manson believedthat the Beatles tune of a similar name was a forecast of this race war (?CharlesManson?). He would frequently cite entire Beatles melodies and Revelations 9 to help hisviews (Bugliosi 300). Manson accepted that the Beatles were representatives reaching himdirectly through their melodies. He guaranteed that the White Album set things up for therevolution and that his collection (to be discharged later) would ?truly start things off(324-325).? Charles Manson had an uncanny capacity to detect and utilize a people hangups ordesires (Bugliosi 317). He supplicated on youngsters and ladies who were powerless andlooking for any feeling of affection or having a place. A significant number of the individuals from the Family wereyoung females who had made a trip to California looking for G od or joy (343). Heeven pulled in a couple of men with LSD excursions to ?open the brain (317).? What they discovered wasa man who might persuade them regarding what they urgently needed to accept: that theywere alluring and attractive, and that he was God. As he pulled in supporters, Mansonbegan to lecture his way of thinking. He professed to be a rebirth of Jesus Christ and wasknown as both God and Satan. He encouraged that the United States was near the precarious edge of ablack/white racial war called Helter Skelter. Manson accepted that the blacks would beincapable of administering in the wake of being the second rate race for such a long time and would go to theFamily for initiative (?Family? 2). He guaranteed his supporters that they would soonretreat into the desert to the Bottomless Pit, another idea imparted to The Process,where they would live in comfort until they numbered 144,000 (Bugliosi 313). At that point, theywould come back to the upper existence where they would run (333). At the point when Mansons followersnumbered twenty or thirty and Helter Skelter had still not started, he chose to begin thespark that would light the fire. The individuals from the Family had just demonstrated that they were eager to slaughter andrisk their own lives for him, so Manson requested the Tate-LaBianca murders. The plan ofthese murders was to cause Helter Skelter; they should seem like blackshad submitted them. For this reason, the words ?DEATH TO PIGS? were composed onthe parlor divider at the LaBianca habitation, and ?HEALTER SKELTER ? wasprinted on their cooler, both in the blood of the people in question. The word ?PIG? wasprinted on the base portion of the front entryway at 10050 Cielo Drive in Sharon Tates ownblood (Bugliosi 331-332). After Manson and the Family individuals who were engaged with the Tate-LaBiancamurders were captured, he kept on uncovering his definitive command over them. SusanAtkins, who was engaged with the two homicides, consented to affirm for the Grand Jury in returnfor invulnerability. After the criminal preliminary began, be that as it may, and she made them meet withManson, she disavowed her announcement and was indeed accused of first degreemurder (?Family? 11). Mansons supporters who were not captured held a vigil outside theHall of Justice regularly all through the preliminaries (?Charles Manson?). During the courtproceedings, when Manson would not confront the appointed authority, the other three litigants did thesame (Fillmer 10). At the point when he cut a X in his temple, they imitated him once more. Andwhen he changed that X to an insignia, they followed (?Family? 11). The defendantsrepeated all of Mansons upheavals in court in a ?serenade like way (Fillmer 10).? Vincent Bugliosi says of the Family individuals in his book Helter Skelter, ?Theywere likewise youthful, credulous, anxious to accept, and, maybe considerably increasingly significant, have a place. There were devotees in abundance for any so called master. It didnt take Manson long to sensethis. In the underground milieu into which hed bumbled, even the way that he was anex-convict presented to a specific status. Rapping a line of powerful con that borrowedas much from pimping as joint language and Scientology, Manson started drawing in followers,almost all young ladies from the start, at that point a couple of little fellows (222).? Manson utilized the peopleseagerness to embed his way of thinking profound into their susceptible youthful personalities. Hetaught that he was the fifth blessed messenger of the Apocalypse, the one that held the way to theBottomless Pit. What Charles Manson didnt encourage his adherents was that the translationo

Happiness and Aquinass Philosophy - Literature Essay Samples

In Aquinas’ Summa Theologica, he defines man to be made in the image of God, man’s end to be perfect happiness, which may only be attained by seeing God, and asserts the Divine law’s role in the attainment of perfect happiness. Much like Aristotle, Aquinas believes a man is the composition of the body and the soul, the soul is divided into the rational and irrational, and the rational part of the soul is the most essential part to man’s happiness. However, for Aquinas, this is an incomplete definition of man. Man is created in the image of God, which redefines the rational part of the soul. In the beginning of the First Part of the Second Part, he says, â€Å"Man is said to be made to Gods image, in so far as the image implies an intelligent being endowed with free-will and self-movement.† Since man has been created in the image of God, he is endowed intellect, so he may have the capacity to know God, and free will, so he may be able to love God. These two distinct attributes of the rational part of the soul define human nature, and also human actions. He wrote, â€Å"Now man is master of his actions through his reason and will; whence, too, the free-will is defined as ‘the faculty and will of reason.’ Therefore those actions are properly called human which proceed from a deliberate will. And if any other actions are found in man, they can be called actions of a man, but not properly human actions, since they are not proper to man as man.† (1.1) He states that if the will of a man is an essential component to what makes his actions uniquely human actions, then all human acts are aimed toward a good, because the intellect guides the will toward an end. In summary, man is created in the image of God and possesses intellect and free will, and all human actions use intellect and free will. Aquinas believes that man’s end is happiness, specifically perfect happiness. Again, much like Aristotle, happiness pertains to the rational part of the soul. However, the philosophies and the idea of supreme happiness for Aristotle fell short for Aquinas, and he labeled Aristotle’s happiness as â€Å"imperfect happiness†, or happiness that pertains to life on earth. He wrote, â€Å"But imperfect happiness, such as can be had here, consists first and principally in contemplation, but secondarily, in an operation of the practical intellect directing human actions and passions.† (3.6) In contrast, perfect happiness consists only of contemplation, whereas imperfect happiness relates to speculative practical intellect on earth. Aquinas stated, â€Å"Nevertheless the operations of the senses can belong to happiness, both antecedently and consequently: antecedently, in respect of imperfect happiness, such as can be had in this life, since the operation of the i ntellect demands a previous operation of the sense; consequently, in that perfect happiness which we await in heaven; because at the resurrection, ‘from the very happiness of the soul.’† (3.3). Even though man is capable of achieving happiness on earth, that happiness is imperfect or incomplete. Perfect happiness, the true end of man, is something that only may be achieved in heaven by seeing God, the beatific vision. Aquinas wrote, â€Å"Final and perfect happiness can consist in nothing else than the vision of the Divine Essence.† (3.8). Nothing on earth will ever make a man completely and perfectly happy; seeing God is man’s perfect end. Since man’s end is God, it is necessary for man to have a way to be directed to his end. Aquinas has several different kinds of law. The first kind of law is eternal law. Aquinas describes eternal law when he wrote, â€Å"Now it is evident, granted that the world is ruled by Divine Providence, that the whole community of the universe is governed by Divine Reason. Wherefore the very Idea of the government of things in God the Ruler of the universe, has the nature of a law. And since the Divine Reasons conception of things is not subject to time but is eternal, according to Proverbs 8:23, therefore it is that this kind of law must be called eternal.† (91.1) The eternal law dictates all other law, because it is God’s providence. Aquinas then defines the natural law, which is the rational creature’s participation in the eternal law (91.2). From the natural law, we get the human law, which Aquinas defines, â€Å"Accordingly we conclude that just as, in the speculative reason, from naturally known indemonstrable principles, we draw the conclusions of the various sciences, the knowledge of which is not imparted to us by nature, but acquired by the efforts of reason, so too it is from the precepts of the natural law, as from general and indemonstrable principles, that the human reason needs to proceed to the more particular determination of certain matters. These particular determinations, devised by human reason, are called human laws.† (91.3). The human law is the law man practices in government. It is derived from the natural law for specific instances that require more particular guidance. Both the natural and human law directs man toward his natural faculty, which is imperfect earthly happiness. However, Aquinas has established that the end of man is perfect happiness, which necessitates a Divine law, so that man might be directed to his end of seeing God. (91.4) The Divine law is the Bible, or â€Å"that which is enacted by God and made known to man through revelation.† (Slater). Therefore, all law directs man towar d an end. However, natural and human law only directs man to imperfect happiness, whereas the Divine law directs man to perfect and complete happiness, or more specifically God. Aquinas defines man to be made in the image of God, man’s end to be perfect happiness, which may only be attained by seeing God, and asserts the Divine law’s role in the attainment of perfect happiness. As mentioned above, Aquinas’s philosophy is the completion of the Ancient thought. Aristotle was only able to reason to a first cause, since he only considered happiness which may be attained on earth by the activity of the rational part of the soul. Aquinas, however, acknowledged the first cause, which redefined the entire definition of man, his end, and the role of the law.

Separate Spheres for Men and Women

The ideology of separate spheres dominated thought about gender roles from the late 18th century through the 19th century in the United States. Similar ideas influenced gender roles in other parts of the world as well. The concept of separate spheres continues to influence thinking about proper gender roles today. In the division of gender roles into separate spheres, a womans place was in the private sphere, which included family life and the home. A mans place was in the public sphere, whether in politics, in the economic world which was becoming increasingly separate from home life as the Industrial Revolution progressed, or in public social and cultural activity. Natural Gender Division Many experts of the time wrote about how this division was naturally rooted in each gender. Women who sought roles or visibility in the public sphere often found themselves identified as unnatural and as unwelcome challenges to cultural assumptions. Legally, women were considered dependents until marriage and under coverture after marriage, with no separate identity and few or no personal rights including economic and property rights. This status  was in accord with the idea that a womans place was in the home and a mans place was in the public world. Although experts at the time believed these gender divisions were rooted in nature, the ideology of separate spheres is now considered an example of the social construction of gender: that cultural and social attitudes built ideas of womanhood and manhood (proper womanhood and proper  manhood) that empowered and/or constrained women and men. Historians on Separate Spheres Nancy Cotts 1977 book, The Bonds of Womanhood: Womens Sphere in New England, 1780-1835, is a classic study that examines the concept of separate spheres. Cott focuses on the experiences of women and shows how within their sphere, women wielded considerable power and influence. Critics of Nancy Cotts portrayal of separate spheres include Carroll Smith-Rosenberg, who published Disorderly Conduct: Visions of Gender in Victorian America in 1982. She showed not only how women, in their separate sphere, created a womens culture, but how women were at a disadvantage socially, educationally, politically, economically, and even medically. Rosalind Rosenberg also takes on the separate spheres ideology in her 1982 book, Beyond Separate Spheres: Intellectual Roots of Modern Feminism. Rosenberg details the legal and social disadvantages of women under the separate spheres ideology. Her work documents  how some women began to challenge the relegation of women to the home. Elizabeth Fox-Genovese  challenges the idea of how separate spheres created solidarity among women in her 1988 book Within the Plantation Household: Black and White Women in the Old South. She writes about the different experiences of women: those who were part of the slave-holding class as wives and daughters, those who were enslaved, those free women who lived on farms where there were no enslaved people, and other poor white women. Within a general disempowerment of women in a patriarchal system, there was no singular womens culture, she argues.  Friendships among women, documented in studies of northern bourgeois or well-off women, were not characteristic of the Old South. In common among all these books, and others on the topic, is documentation of a general cultural ideology of separate spheres, grounded in  the idea that women belong in the private sphere, and are strangers in the public sphere, and that the reverse was true of men. Widening Womens Sphere In the late 19th century, some reformers like Frances Willard with her temperance work and Jane Addams with her settlement house work relied on a separate spheres ideology to justify their public reform efforts—thus both using and undermining the ideology. Each author saw her work as public housekeeping, an outward expression of caring for the family and home, and both took that work into the realms of politics and the public social and cultural realm.  This idea was later termed social feminism.

Communication, Leadership, And Leadership - 1936 Words

Communication in Leadership Contents Introduction 1 Transformational Leadership 3 Transactional Leadership 3 Laissez-Faire Leadership 4 Servant Leadership 5 Level 5 Leadership 6 Conclusion 7 References 8 Introduction Effective communication can be considered an art as much as a science. There are of course many best practices that one can study to improve their ability to communicate. However, it can be difficult to distinguish different success factors responsible for effective communication various individual scenarios. For example, it is often hard to determine what went right or wrong in any given conversation. However, at the same time, effective communication is generally cited as one of the most important critical†¦show more content†¦The number of different theories serves as evidence of the level of complexity that is inherent in the concept of leadership. Despite this complexity, virtually every leadership model states that effective communication is among the most important success factors. This analysis will select different leadership models and compare and contrast how these models view effective communications. Competing theories include such perspectives as trait theory, situational theory, behavioral theory, competencies theory, network theory of leadership and many more. This analysis will consider transformational leadership, transactional leadership, servant leadership, and â€Å"Level 5† leadership to attempt to identify any differences and similarities in the ways these theories include effective communication in their theories. Transformational Leadership Transformational leadership has been called one of the most effective among the various theories of leadership (Judge Bono, 2000). Transformational leaders are able to encourage their teams to reach their full potential by setting challenging expectations which into turn leads to the team achieve higher performances (Bass, 1999). Transformational leaders are also commonly associated with change and change management because they are able to inspire people to overcome their

FDI and its Effects

Question: Write about the FDI and Its Effects. Answer: Introduction Types of Foreign Direct Investment Foreign Direct investment is an activity where a company situated in one country invests their money in another foreign company. According to Saini (2012), Foreign Direct Investment is mainly of two types. They are horizontal investment and vertical investment. In horizontal investment, the foreign companies establish their plant in the domestic country. The companies take help of raw materials, labor and other materials of the domestic country and produce their products. The foreign countries sell the product in the domestic country and are in direct competition with the local manufacturers. On the other hand, vertical investment is a procedure in which the foreign enterprise exports the raw materials and labor from the foreign country to their domestic country. Even the foreign enterprises export the raw materials to other countries. Strategic Goals of Multinational Enterprises Undertaking FDI The main goal of the multinational organization in undertaking FDI is to have a competitive advantage. With the help of FDI, the companies can have access to cheap raw material and cheap labors. This will help the organizations to reduce their cost of production and increase their profit levels (Labes 2015). Along with these, the multinational companies will also be able to spread their business in remote places and can expand their business. Many untapped regions will also help the Multinational companies to grow their business volume. Another significant goal of the Multinational enterprises is to develop the economic condition of the society and country as a whole. FDI Distribution Pattern In the recent century, globalization is the process which helps Foreign Direct investment to develop at a rapid pace. Globalization also plays a major role in multilateralism. According to Krautheim (2013), economic reforms are also done through Globalization. Most efficient sources are exported to various destinations with the help of FDI. Capital transfer is also a two-way process which helps both the home country and the host country to develop quickly. Moreover, people now have greater exposure to different products which have been available through Globalization. Advantage and Disadvantage of FDI Foreign Direct investment helps the organizations to have a skilled labor at a lower price. The training and sharing experiences will help both the human resource and the organizations to develop as a whole (Estrin and Uvalic 2014). New technologies are also used with the help of FDI. For example, new manufacturing machines with latest technologies are being transferred from one country to another. FDI has created new job opportunities for the young generation. This will increase the economic growth of the region. The local producers will face a stiff challenge from the foreign companies. The level of competition will be high. Unrest in political conditions will also affect the progress of FDI. FDI will also have a negative influence on the exchange rate of currencies (Labes 2015). It has often been found that while exporting goods to foreign countries economically backward countries face losses. Thus these are the advantages and disadvantages of the foreign direct investment. References Estrin, S. and Uvalic, M. 2014, "FDI into transition economies: Are the Balkans different?",Economics of Transition,vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 281-312. Krautheim, S. 2013, "Export supporting FDI",Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'conomique,vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 1571-1605. Labes, S. 2015, "FDI DETERMINANTS IN BRICS",CES Working Papers,vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 296-308. Saini, M. 2012, "India FDI Clears Final Hurdle",WWD,vol. 204, no. 119, pp. 6.

Levi Strauss free essay sample

As one attempts to assess the business ethics of Levi Strauss and Nike in this writing assignment, we are again compelled to revisit the critical distinction of conduct that is legal, yet still unethical. In both instances, Levi Strauss and Nike behaved with the parameters of legal conduct, yet few would argue that profiting from exploitive work conditions is an ethical behavior of any socially responsible organization (broad view social responsibility). Obviously, it’s very tempting to just condense this argument to the point of â€Å"bad companies boosting profits from lower labor costs via exploiting foreign workers in sweatshops†. I am going to take a much broader approach here in my assessment, as complete fairness to the two corporations here requires a bit of an indictment of the legal, regulatory, political, and socioeconomic environment that they operate in. So, let’s start there †¦ how is it that both of these large corporations are permitted (and driven) to outsource (with relative impunity) labor to countries with poor labor laws? In order to fairly assess their conduct, one must first examine the system under which they operate. We will write a custom essay sample on Levi Strauss or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page How has corporate America gone down this path? Why do so many large U. S. corporations outsource labor en masse, which costs the U. S. economy so many jobs domestically? Let’s start by looking in the mirror and by that I mean you and I †¦ the U. S. consumer. Our thirst for cheap merchandise made overseas knows no limits. Do any of us look at the country of origin for goods, and if it’s non-U. S. do we even pause for a second to consider boycotting said goods due to loss of American jobs? Or boycott due to the nation of origin’s reputation for worker abuse? Of course we don’t. We want that Japanese high definition television from Wal-Mart that costs $100 less. We want the clothing from China or Indonesia that is 30% cheaper than similar brands made here. So, my first premise in this entire argument is that American consumers are NOT socially responsible in their purchasing habits. This lack of social responsibility on the demand side is a catalyst for Levi Strauss and Nike to seek cheaper labor overseas – for if they do not, their competitors assuredly will and they will be at a competitive disadvantage. Now, let’s assess the legal and regulatory environment under which both entities operate in the United States. Has Congress made it illegal to outsource labor to countries that they know are abusing their labor forces? In general, of course not. Congress maintains a blind eye to the problem, debating it over the years here and there in a politically motivated, half-hearted effort to occasionally placate certain voting segments (labor unions; displaced workers). Do they tougher their stance? Do they for one minute say to themselves, â€Å"this is really wrong, and socially irresponsible†? By inaction Congress is tacitly approving this practice, which of course is what powerful corporate lobbyists want. The profit motive has large U. S. corporations addicted to cheap labor now; Pandora’s Box has been opened and no one has the political will to attempt to close it. So let’s recap so far: we’ve indicted the U. S. consumer and our lawmakers in the legislative branch of the U. S. government (Congress) as major cultivators of the pro-outsourcing environment for which Levi Strauss and Nike must successfully operate under. Next on our list of socially irresponsible contributing parties – the judicial branch of the U.S. government. When the U. S. Supreme Court found in 2010 that the formation of so called â€Å"Super PACs† for campaign donations was legal, this gave corporations new powers under the law to, in effect, buy our government via opulent and obscene campaign spend funneled to candidates. The end result of this ruling is that corporations that profit greatly from outsourced labor are now able to pay for the elections of our Congressmen – and gee, wonder how this economic â€Å"favor† will be repaid when attempts to rein in outsourcing come up in Congress? Let’s move on to our two protagonists in this debate: Levi Strauss and Nike. Now that we’ve got the backdrop well in hand, and a reasonable person would agree that a massive systemic failure in the U. S. has allowed and promoted unchecked outsourcing of jobs, it’s time to discuss these two corporate giants and their respective behaviors here. Do these two corporations have a responsibility to monitor the conduct of the companies they do business within particular, their contractors and suppliers? As a personal believer in the broader view of corporate social  responsibility, I believe that they do. Notwithstanding the fact that all of this outsourcing is legal, and despite the mitigating factors that I’ve argued above that do alleviate these two companies of all of the blame – I still believe that they need to take the higher moral ground. Levi Strauss overall has conducted itself with far greater corporate social responsibility than Nike has, in my judgment. Strauss for many years withdrew from China due to their notoriety as a non-democratic country with abusive labor conditions. Regrettably, it had to re-enter China eventually to keep pace with competitors. Also, witness the way that Strauss treated its displaced U. S. workers as it (with some remorse) eventually had to close all its U. S. plants due to competition from outsourcers. Strauss gave generous severance and retraining dollars to the affected workers. In my estimation, Strauss has had to compromise its socially responsible corporate culture due to pressures from the warped competitive environment that was designed around them. It became a matter of survival for their corporation; their management had to adapt or risk failure and loss of the shareholders’ investments in the company. That is why I authored the overview above – I think it’s highly relevant to assessing Strauss’s conduct here. The system failed Levi Strauss – they wanted to behave under the broad definition of corporate social responsibility, but the demand for cheaper outsourced goods by consumers and the legality of outsourcing jobs (Congressional oversight failure) forced an adaptive change against their moral grain. Nike, however, is no apologist when it comes to their outsourcing. In fact, they are proud of it – even boasting that they pay outsourced workers higher than average wages for their region. To me, this is tantamount to bragging that â€Å"we don’t abuse those workers as badly as others do†. Frankly, that attitude offends my sensibilities and my personal set of ethical standards. I also deem it to be in direct conflict with the broader definition of corporate social responsibility. Lastly, I think that corporations have the obligation to take the ethical high ground and behave in a socially responsible manner (broad definition). That said, however, I do not believe that it’s a fair expectation to demand that high standard if adhering to same places the company’s very existence at risk due to systemic failures beyond their control. Levi Strauss attempted to â€Å"do the right thing†, but poor rules and oversight make competing in a broad ethical manner quite dangerous to its ultimate survival. Strauss’s example should serve as a wakeup call to U. S. consumers and our Congress: systemic change is needed, and it’s needed NOW. Levi Strauss free essay sample CUSTOMERS’ SATISFACTION LEVEL OF LEVI’S JEANS SEC-F Submitted To: Prof. Suptarishi Purkaystha Submitted by: Akanksha Gupta Komal Shanjan Sinha Tuhina Mandowara Shweta Puri Sujata Barua Akshay Sharma 09BSHYD1012 09BSHYD0386 09BSHYD0765 09BSHYD1032 09BSHYD0807 09BSHYD0866 09BSHYD0060 1 INDEX CONTENTS INTRODUCTION LITERATURE REVIEW HYPOTHESIS FORMATION DATA SAMPLE SIZE CONSOLIDATION RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ANALYSIS CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES ANNEXURES PAGE 3 5 8 9 11 12 20 22 24 2 INTRODUCTION The modern age is known as the â€Å"Age of Consumers†. In today? s cut-throat competition the consumer is considered as the â€Å"KING† and the main objective of the various organizations are aimed at keeping the consumer happy and satisfied. It is very important for each and every organization to keep its consumers satisfied in order to maintain its competitiveness in the market. However when we take a closer look, we find that the consumers satisfaction level towards a company and its leading products vary on one aspect or the other based on a variety of attributes (Kotler, 2009). We will write a custom essay sample on Levi Strauss or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Fashion is a highly customer oriented industry with innovative products, where there are large number of competitors giving you a intense competition. Thus companies have to come up with something different and unique keeping the target buyer group and the time factor in mind since in the fashion industry the product life cycle is very short. LEVI’S STRAUSS CO. : Statistics show that every day millions of customers go for shopping worldwide. Hence every company wants to attract customers and increase their customer base. To ensure this companies have to keep up with the latest fads for satisfying customer requirements. For those of us that want to wear jeans with style and make a fashion statement about who we are, then finding the right pair(s) of designer jeans is crucial to our social standing. Levis offers a great range of jeans for both men and women, but variety is not the only factor influencing Levi? s customer? s purchasing behavior. There may be other factors because of which customers are more or less satisfied which influences their repurchasing decision of Levis Jeans. Invented in 1873, Levis ® jeans are the original, authentic jeans. Levis ® brand is one of the most widely recognized brands in the history of the apparel industry. From updating classics with the latest finishes, fabrications and colors, to reinventing five-pocket jeans, they are always creating new and innovative products The company has also been worldwide appreciated for the perfect fit. The specialty of Levis lies in the fact that it is very empathetic towards people. A good pair of jeans can bring dignity and honor to everyone from common man to the high profile business men, across both the sex and irrespective of income groups. The search for decent jeans is a kind quest, with moments of translucent success alternating with tragedy failures. From its foundation in 1853 and patenting of riveted pants 20 years later, Levi Strauss has become an instantly recognizable global brand. With sales in more than 100 countries, the company employs 12,500 people worldwide. Nonetheless, the last six years have seen the company struggling to come out of a slide in sales. Traditional customers have started buying 3 cheaper or more fashionable clothes. Prices have come under pressure from clothing competitors and from retailers like Tesco buying Levis product on the â€Å"grey market†. Levis response involved product diversification and brutal trimming. Thus in this age of global trading for establishing one as a leading brand in different regions it is necessary to analyze the satisfaction level of customers in that region and cater to their needs by improving on attributes on which customer is not satisfied. Jeans are the nondurable goods, Nondurable goods are goods that are used up quickly or purchased frequently, as food and apparel. Jeans are now a very popular form of casual dress around the world, and have been so for decades. However, there are certain factors that affect their sales, in addition to increase in customer specific needs in recent time there are other factors which affect sales of apparel industry (in particular jeans) like recession, inflation and shortening of fashion products life cycle.. Consumer satisfaction is a desirable outcome for apparel manufacturers and retailers, since satisfied customers can lead to increased store patronage, repeat purchase and brand loyalty. Thus we seek to ascertain the factors for which Levis jeans users are satisfied to ensure that identifying these factors will result in the company implementing policies to increase the satisfaction level of its users thereby assuring increased sales in future. 4 LITERATURE REVIEW Consumer satisfaction is a desirable outcome for apparel manufacturers and retailers, since satisfied customers can lead to increased store patronage, repeat purchase and brand loyalty (Otieno, 2000). Many people have worked on relationship between satisfaction level of customer towards a particular brand and buying behavior of customers. Satisfaction is often used as a predictor of future consumer purchases (Newman and Werbel, 1973; Kasper, 1988). Satisfied customers have a higher likelihood of repeating purchases in time (Zeithaml et al. , 1996), of recommending others to try the source of satisfaction (Reynolds and Arnold, 2000; Reynolds and Beatty, 1999), and of becoming less receptive to the competitors offerings (Fitzell, 1998). Prior research on the economic impact of defecting customers suggests that service companies can boost profits by almost 100 per cent by retaining only five per cent of their customers (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990). Retaining existing customers is generally more profitable to companies than attracting new customers (Hawkins et al. , 1995; Sirohi et al. , 1998). Therefore, it is critically important for apparel industry in particular LEVI? S to identify customers desired service levels in relation to their patronage intentions. The expectations of nondurable goods such as jeans should become strong, stable and generally consistent with a product? s perceived performance (Johnson 1991). â€Å"Levi Strauss: an international marketing investigation†: by Demetris Vrontis and Peri Vronti talks of the Levis jeans business and investigates whether LEVI? S should choose global standardization or adaptation to local market conditions. The authors propose the Levis approach which combines aspects of both solutions as the best way to secure competitive advantage and satisfy its customers ensuring retention as well as increase of its customer base. The understanding of consumer behavior appeals to a set of different areas of knowledge/factors like psychological, cultural, social, genetics, anthropological (POLSA et. al 2002). On the basis of previous studies and research paper and literary articles from PROQUEST and EBESCO a number of variables were found to be responsible for influencing consumers to opt for a branded apparel, of which a 33 variables have been taken up in our study to understand whether they have any implication on the consumers? preference for a branded apparel or not. BRAND IMAGE (PREFERENCE FOR A PARTICULAR BRAND): Customers orientations towards shopping are considered to be important predictors of patronage behaviors, such as preference for brands as well as for certain stores (Darden and Howell, 1987; Gutman and Mills, 1982; Shim and Kotsiopulous, 1992b). Research on brand personality acknowledges that consumers often â€Å"humanize† brands. Respondents typically describe a brand using human personality traits such as extroversion, agreeableness, and dependability (Aaker, 1996; Aaker and Fournier, 1995). o their decision of buying a particular brand is highly influenced by brand image of that product. 5 QUALITATIVE VARIABLES: Jeans attributes such as fabrics, comfort, fit, durability have been defined in previous research (Kaiser et. al. 2003, chowdhary 2002, Enoch 1993, young 1980) as an important factor that contributes towards customer satisfaction about the product. STATUS: Research also associate meaning of wearing jeans(Enoch? s 19 93; Delong et al. 1998), apparels are often associated with status symbol, hence people wear a particular brand which adds or suits their status in the society. For instance in the USA and Europe, jeans have connotations of casualness and rebelliousness where as in Russia, jeans denote sophistication and high status and in Spain the high price turns them into a high fashion item. COMFORT: Brand name and comfort are found to be really important (young 1980) to people though degree of importance of these factors is variable. Here we can take the example of Americans, for who comfort matters above brand name whereas for the Chinese brand name matters most (Minglue marketing shanghai co ltd. 1998). CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERINCE: There repurchase behavior of individuals are based on the company redressed their grievances in the past. Relationships of redress and repurchase have been examined with service retailing and with durable products but not with apparel products. Though limited research has been done on consumer complaint behavior and apparel purchases, but it is found that there is need to focus on complaints redressed time, response to enquiries and reliability of customer services(LaBarbera and Mazursky,1990) since these factors determines the satisfaction of customer towards the brand. DISCOUNTS: Discount outlets sell about one-fifth of all jeans in the $12. 4 billion U. S. market, according to research firm Mintel International Group Ltd. Hence Levi Strauss opts for the discount game at Wal-Mart? s. There has also been a strong growth in shopping at discount stores.. VALUE FOR MONEY: Fornell in his study found some interesting results about customer satisfaction and price. Price expectations are highly linked to quality and value. There was a direct relationship between expectations of the product and satisfaction (Fornell 1996). Thus we can say that the customer is satisfied if he gets quality in respect of the money he pay for the product. PRICE: Higher price seems to form high status feature along with affordability both of these factors are linked to the economic and demographic factors of the company (Rao 1989). Denim, formerly an affordable classic, has been changed into a product that is highly coveted and highly priced. Consumer? s satisfaction level depends on price as a measure of quality (Lichtenstein et al. , 1993, Veek Burns, 1995). The various studies conducted by Suri Monroe, 2002; Adaval Monroe, 2002; O? Cass Lim, 2002 lead to the conclusion that consumers in general on their market experience tend to decide on an acceptable price which they confirm with the quality of product and determine if it is too high or low . 6 ADVERTISING: There is large number of studies that focus on relationship between advertising, service quality and satisfaction issue of consumers (Lewis 1993). Advertisements are responsible for the creation of a brand image and brand loyalty among customers. Moreover the use of celebrity to endorse these brands has an impact on the brand image and brand loyalty (Aakar, 1991). It is found out that advertising can yield significant marketing advantages by increasing brand preference (Rajagopal, 2007) for a particular product. FASHION TRENDS: Just as the apparel industry is constantly changing, the denim industry is also struggling to keep a pace with it. Every year new cuts, colors, styles, stitching, etc. emerge (FORNELL 1996). So to keep pace with customer satisfaction level, fashion trend is an important variable. AVAILABILITY: Consumers want every design and style, color and shade offered by the company to be available in the company? store at all times thereby increasing customer satisfaction level towards the product. RANGE OF STYLE: Teenagers do not want to wear a brand that isn? t stylish enough. So in apparels range of styles offered by a company matters a lot adding to the customer satisfaction level towards a particular brand. RANGE OF SIZE: There should be a size that fits all. As people all over the world have different tastes as well as sizes , so a customer is satisfied more if the company offers him a design in many sizes so that one size fits him well. CONVENIENCE OF WASHING: Since convenience of washing of denim is an important factor towards adding customer satisfaction for buying a particular brand therefore in July of 2003, Levi Strauss Company finally decided to follow the successful example of others and launch a new casual clothing brand called Levi Strauss Signature targeted towards U. S. consumers for whom convenience of washing of denim is an important factor. PRODUCT PROPERTIES (DESIGN, COMFORT): The products? properties, like design, comfort, individuality, have a decisive role on apparel? buying behavior, which individually may vary depending on a set of factors, mainly on sex (Fischer and Arnold, 1994). DURABILITY OF CLOTHING: European markets are happy with standard weight denim but hotter climates require lighter weight denim and even brighter colors over lighter shades of denim. So the durability of clothing (DENIM) in various regions is an important factor regarding customer satisfaction about jeans So these are the variables we look for making our final questionnaire, comprising of 33 variables from the above mentioned parameters. HYPOTHESIS FORMULATION Null hypothesis, H0: Factors identified do not affect the level of satisfaction of the customer Alternate hypothesis, H1: Factors identified affect the level of satisfaction of the customer In this project we measured the levels to which the customers are satisfied with the product, Levi’s Jeans. This yielded the reasons for their buying preferences and the current level of satisfaction. By using the results of the analysis we will able to answer the problems: Are Levi’s Jeans Users Satisfied With What The Company Is Offering? And What Measures Need To Be Adopted To Increase Their Current Level Of Satisfaction? The rationale behind conducting this project is to recognize the extent to which Levi? s brand is satisfying the customers. Moreover we can gauge where the company lags in serving its customers so as to improve on measures on how we can retain them. The variables obtained would be helpful to understand the buying behavior of the customers . For example, the customers of the particular region want classic Levi? jeans instead of the new designs and those jeans are out of stock ,the satisfaction level of customers in that region is low, the company can improve on it by having an up to date stock of classic jeans. Retaining existing customers is generally more profitable to companies than attracting new customers (Hawkins et al. , 1995; Sirohi et al. , 1998. Therefore, it is critically important for apparel industry to identify customers desired service levels in relation to their patronage intentions. This is just an instance through which we are showing that how by recognizing the variables affecting the buying behavior of customer , the company can improve and work on to have more customer retention and brand loyalty. However, the real variables can only be determined after conducting the survey. 8 DATA SAMPLE SIZE CONSOLIDATIONS DATA The study was conducted to measure the satisfaction level of Levis jeans users. Data was collected through secondary as well as primary sources. Secondary sources included articles on jeans from internet, books, and journals. Primary data was obtained by conducting the survey on the sample size of 350 respondents. Relevant variables were generated and questionnaire was developed to obtain the same. Findings based on questionnaire filled were analyzed using SPSS software. QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGN Preliminary Decisions Required information: The questionnaire was designed with the view of finding out how much each of the identified factors affects the respondents? level of satisfaction in his / her purchase of the Levi? s jeans. Target respondents: As the research aims at identifying factors affecting customer satisfaction, the survey has been conducted on 350 respondents consisting of IBS students who were the users of the brand. SAMPLE SIZE Primary data was collected for which the target populations were the students of Hyderabad. The target sample size was of 350 however the data for 330 were analyzed, 20 respondents discarded due to inconsistency SAMPLING: The non random sampling technique was chosen, i. e. , the population elements? selection to form the sample depends, partly, on the researcher? judgment as only the existing customers of Levi? s jeans were taken as respondents. There are no known conjectures that a random element in the population may have a share in the sample. MEASUREMENT SCALE Likert Scale Likert scale indicate the attitudes of the respondents by checking how strongly they agree or disagree with carefully constructed statements that range from very positive to very negative 9 towar d attitudinal object. In our questionnaire we have designed questions of variables with different levels of response each denoting a particular preference. 1. 2. 3. . 5. Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree (SA) (A) (N) (D) (SD) Desired pair of Levi? s jeans is easily available? SA A N D SD If the respondent answers as SA meaning 1, this means that he strongly agrees to the fact that the he is fully satisfied with the Levi? s jeans. This scale was selected by us as it is suitable for calculation purposes like arithmetic mean, standard deviation and co-relation coefficient etc. because the research we are conducting requires us to analyze the correlation between the variables, responses and also for factor analysis. GENERALIZABILITY Generalizability refers to the amount of flexibility in interpreting the data and ability to collect data from a wide variety of respondents. Also we consider flexibility to interpret data gathered from variety of respondents. In our survey, we have considered all close ended questions. So, the respondents just have to select their choices from the given options. Close ended questions in our survey helped us to collect and analyze the data because it provides us luxury to collect data in the identical format from wide variety of respondents. 10 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY PRELIMINARY INTRODUCTION We have taken the help of reports from various websites and databases including EBSCO and ProQuest in order to identify important secondary factors which influence the decision of users of Levi? s jeans. These databases feature highly-respected, diversified mix of scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, and newspapers enabling us to identify variables for our study and design our questionnaire. Reliability Statistics Cronbachs Alpha . 828 N of Items 21 SAMPLING Primary data was collected for which the target populations were the students of Hyderabad. The target sample size was of 350 however the data for 330 were analyzed, 20 respondents discarded due to inconsistency 11 ANALYSIS Descriptive statistics is run and the output obtained shows the mean, standard deviation and variance, the sample size and missing values, if any. Mean These are the means of the variables used in the factor analysis. Std. Deviation These are the standard deviations of the variables used in the factor analysis. Analysis N This is the number of cases used in the factor analysis. 12 FACTOR ANALYSIS IN SPSS Factor Analysis is a technique for analyzing complex, multidimensional problems. It is used to Examine the underlying patterns or relationships for a large number of variables and condense the information to a smaller set of factors or components. Purpose of factor analysis Identify a set of dimensions that are latent Combine large number of objects into distinctly different groups or factors Create an entirely new set of factors for further analysis. For example, use the orthogonal factors to remove multi-collinearity in a regression analysis. The method used for running the factor analysis is Principal Component. In our case, we will continue with the default method keep Eigen value =1. The maximum number of iteration is kept at 25. KMO Bartlett’s Test The first table that we will get in the SPSS output is the „KMO and Bartlett? s Test?. The KMO (Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy) tests whether the partial correlations among variables are small. In other words, it tells us whether the data that we have for factor analysis is good enough. A general guideline is KMO ; or = 0. 90 : Excellent 0. 80 to 0. 0 : Very Good 0. 70 0. 80 : Good 0. 60 to 0. 70: Fair 0. 50 0. 60: Bad ; or = 0. 5: Forget Normally KMO below 0. 60 is unacceptable. The Bartletts test of sphericity tests whether the correlation matrix is an identity matrix, which would indicate that the factor model is inappropriate. The significance level of this test should be lower than 0. 05 in order to proceed further. KMO and Bartletts T est Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy. Bartletts Test of Sphericity Approx. Chi-Square df Sig. .891 2356. 530 210 . 000 13 Interpretation In this case the KMO value is 89. % which according to the standards is considered VERY GOOD also the model is significant @ 5%. Hence the data seems to be acceptable for the study. COMMUNALITIES Communality of a variable is the proportion of the variance accounted by the factors included in the solution. The method used is Principle Component Analysis and the communalities are well above 0. 5 which indicates that all these factors can be considered for the Factor Analysis. However, if we feel that the variables that have low communality are important to our study, we may keep them and run the full factor solution (i. . the rotated component matrix) and see if the results obtained are meaningful. Interpretation The communality of Affordability- Price of the product variable is 0. 733 and the number of factors in the solution is 10, it implies that these 10 factors explain 73. 3 % of the variance of that particular variable. It is always good to remove those variables that have communality less than 0. 50. In our result there is only one variable „Convenience in washing’ (0. 467) whose values is 14 very are marginally less than 0. 5 so we do not remove them from our analysis. All the other variables have reasonably high communalities. The next table is the „Total Variance Explained? table. Eigen values are the variance explained by each factor. It is called the „initial Eigen value? because the factor solution that we have obtained is not rotated and thus may not be optimum. The percentage of variance is the proportion of variance explained by that factor to the total variance. Also notice that the number of factors that are shown in the output is restricted by the condition of Eigen value greater than 1. Interpretation For example, if the Eigen value is 6. 795, then the factor corresponding to this Eigen value i. e in this case FACTOR 1 explains 6. 795variance. The percentage of variance is the proportion of variance explained by the factor to the total variance. Also the number of factors that are shown in the output is restricted by the condition of Eigen value greater than 1. In this case, the first 6 factors have the Eigen values greater than 1 and they cumulatively explain 62. 67% of the variance, therefore we take into account only the first 6 factors to continue. 5 SCREE PLOT The next plot is the Scree Plot which is graph between Component (read factor, in your case) and Eigen value. This plot is a visual inspection as to how many factors explain your data suitably. Normally, the number of factors is chosen where the scree plots flatten out. The scree plot also gives you an idea as to whether you can relax your Eigen value greater than 1 criterion. Interpretation The Scree Plo t which is graph between factor and Eigen value. This plot is a visual inspection as to how many factors explain your data suitably. Normally, the number of factors is chosen where the scree plots flatten out. In this case the plot starts to flatten at 10. So we are considering the first 10 factors only. It also gives an idea as to whether we can relax the Eigen value greater than 1 criterion. Here we are not relaxing this condition. Rotated Component Matrix Like the „Component matrix? , the „Rotated Component Matrix? specifies the correlation between Rotated factors and the variables. Normally, a rotated factor loading of more than 0. 5 is considered to be high. The variable that has at least a factor loading of 0. is said to have highly loaded on to that factor. All variables that have high loadings are loaded on to that factor. 16 Rotated Component Matrix Component 1 Affordability- Price of the product Desired pair of levis jeans is easily available? Durability of clothing (Levis Denim) Durability of Stitching of Levis Jeans Comfortability of Levis jeans Variety/ Designs offered by Levis Strauss Ra nge of shades offered by the brand Range of fitting styles offered Range of sizes Convenience in washing Discounts/schemes offered by Levi Strauss Value for money w. r. product Levi’s responsiveness towards the latest fashion trends Reliability of customer services offered at Levis stores Response to enquiries regarding the porduct from the company Complaints redressed time Advertisements promotions of the product Location of Levis Stores Proximity of Levis Stores Layout of Levis stores Salesmens Promptness in service . 818 . 802 . 728 . 494 . 649 . 657 . 939 . 530 . 725 . 654 . 705 . 767 . 743 . 632 2 3 4 5 . 791 . 464 6 .631 .636 .767 Extraction Method: Principal Component Analysis. Rotation Method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. A Rotation converged in 8 iterations. 17 Interpretation Absolute values less than 0. 45 have been suppressed. This was done to make the Rotated Component matrix look less cluttered as all factor loadings below 0. 45 would be suppressed but not deleted. From the final rotated Component matrix, all the variables have been loaded into the factors according to the value of their Loadings. And it can be observed that related variables have been collated under one factor. For example, variables like durability, affordability, comfortability, value for money latest styles have been collated under factor1 named QUALITY. Likewise all the other related variables are also combined into one factor whose names have been mentioned. Component Transformation Matrix The final table that is to be looked into is the „Component Transformation Matrix? is the correlation between your rotated and un-rotated factors. Model Summary a Predictors: (Constant), REGR factor score 6 for analysis 4, REGR factor score 5 for analysis 4, REGR factor score 4 for analysis 4, REGR factor score 3 for analysis 4, REGR factor score 2 for analysis 4, REGR factor score 1 for analysis 4 b Dependent Variable: How satisfied are you with the product? Interpretation 18 In regression, the validity of the factors is tested by comparing them with the dependant variable. For this purpose, the significance values at 95% significance level are tested. For a particular factor to be significant, the significance should be lesser than 0. 05. The adjusted R2 (coefficient of determination) shows the percentage of variance in the dependant variable that is explained by the independent variable. In this, the adjusted R2 value is 0. 418 which is good. Since the P value is less than 0. 05(0. 03 in this case) the model holds well. We can see from the normal PP Plot that the regression line is a fairly good estimation of the expected values. The F statistic value is high this shows that the explained variance is 5. 945 times the unexplained variance which again reiterates the validity of the regression model. Interpretation The model is significant at 5% significance level. 19 CONCLUSION The sample is a representative of the target population. The conclusion we can draw from the above statistical research is that the major factors are: Quality of Levi? s Jeans Levi? Store Designs Offered Customer Service Experience Price Discounts offered The above factors are the major indicators of the satisfaction level of the customers. We reject the null hypothesis that Factors identified do not affect the level of satisfaction of the customer as the model is significant at 5%. Hence we conclude that the identified factors significantly affect the level of satisfaction. 20 The variables the factors summary is given below : FACTORS Factor 1 OLD VARIABLES Durability of clothing, durability of stitching, comfort, range of sizes, NEW FACTORS Quality of Levi’s Jeans Levi? s responsiveness towards the latest fashion trends Factor 2 Factor 3 Location, Proximity, Layout Designs, range of fitting style, range of size offered by Levi? s Levi’s Store Designs Offered Factor 4 Reliability of customer services, Response to enquiries regarding the product from the company, Complaints redressed time, Salesmens Promptness in service Affordability, Desired pair of Levi? s jeans is easily available, Value for money Discounts/ Schemes offered Customer Service Experience Factor 5 Price Factor 6 Discounts offered Thus we seek to ascertain the factors for which Levis jeans users are satisfied to ensure that identifying these factors will result in the company implementing policies to increase the satisfaction level of its users thereby assuring increased sales in future. 21 REFERENCES Aaker, D. 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By: Lee, Louise, BusinessWeek, 00077135, 6/28/2004, Issue 3889 Levis struggles to peddle Signature to men. By: Cuneo, Alice Z. , Advertising Age, 00018899, 12/1/2003, Vol. 74, Issue 48 Lessons From a Faded Levi Strauss. By: Zellner, Wendy, BusinessWeek, 00077135, 12/15/2003, Issue 3862 McDonell, Meghann. â€Å"Denim Dilemma. † 2003. http://www. journalism. ryerson. ca/online/downlo/selfhelp/denimdileme2. htm (24 Nov. 2004). Morganosky, M. A. and Postlewait, D. S. , Consumers Evaluations of Apparel Form, Expression, and Aesthetic Quality, Clothing Textiles Research Journal, Vol. 7 No. 2, 1989, pp. 11-15. Morganosky, M. A. and Buckley, H. M. Complaint Behavior: Analysis by Demographics, Lifestyle, and Consumer Values, in Wallendorf, W. and Anderson, P. (Eds), Advances in Consumer Research, Association for Consumer Research, Provo, UT, Vol. 14, 1987, pp. 223-6 Oliver, R. L. 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(2004), Levi Strauss: an international marketing investigation, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, ISSN: 1361-2026, Vol. 8 No. 4, pp. 38998) â€Å"Why Levi? still looks faded. † 2002. http://www. businessweek. com (19 Sept. 2004) Walton, Scott. â€Å"Low-cost, high-fashion. † 2004. http://www. azcentral. com (20 Sept. 2004). Youn, Soo. â€Å"Levi? s jeans going discount. † 2004. http://www. nydailynews. com (19 Sept. 2004). â€Å"Levi Strauss Company. † 2 004. http://www. levistrauss. com (20 Sept. 2004) http://www. ucimc. org (18 Sept. 2004) http://www. responsibleshopper. org (18 Sept. 2004) 23 ANNEXURES QUESTIONNAIRE Consumer Satisfaction level of Levi’s Jeans users * Required Do you possess a pair of Levi? Jeans? * Yes No How many pairs of Levi? s jeans do you have? * 1 2 3 More than 3 Gender Male Female Age How often do you purchase a pair of jeans? Occasionally Once every three months Once every 6 months Once a year In which of the following family income group? * Below 200, 000 200, 000 400, 000 400, 000 – 600, 000 above 600, 000 Your decision of buying towards THE BRAND Levi? s, depends upon: 24 Brand linked status Authenticity of products Publicity Versatility Are You satisfied with the product, Levi’s jeans on the following parameters. Tick appropriate satisfaction level. Affordability- Price of the product * 1 Strongly Agree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree Desired pair of Levi? s jeans is easily available? * 1 Strongly Agree Durability of clothing (Levi? s Denim) * 1 Strongle Agree Durability of Stitching of Levi? s Jeans * 1 Strongly Agree Comfortability of Levi? s jeans * 1 Strongly Agree Variety/ Designs offered by Levis Strauss * 1 Strongly Agree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 25 Range of shades offered by the brand * 1 Strongly Agree Range of fitting styles offered * 1 Strongly Agree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree Range of sizes * 1 Strongly Agree Convenience in washing * 1 Strongly Agree Discounts/schemes offered by Levi Strauss * 1 Strongly Agree Value for money w. r. t product * 1 Strongly Agree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree Levi? s responsiveness towards the latest fashion trends 1 Strongly Agree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree Reliability of customer services offered at Levi? s stores * 26 Strongly Agree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree Response to enquiries regarding the porduct from the company * 1 Strongly Agree Complaints redressed time * 1 Strongly Agree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree Advertisements promotions of the product * 1 Strongly Agree Location of Levi? s Stores * 1 Strongly Agree Proximity of Levi? s Stores * 1 Strongly Agree Layout of Levi? s stores * 1 Strongly Agree Salesmens Promptness in service * 1 Strongly Agree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 2 3 4 5 Strongly Disagree 7 How satisfied are you with the product? 1 Satisfied 2 3 4 5 Dissatisfied CATEGORICAL DATA: PAIR OF JEANS 1: 1pair 2: 2pairs 3:3 pairs 4: More than 3 pairs GENDER 0: Male 1: Female AGE 1: 18-22yrs 2: 23-26yrs 3: 27above FREQUENCY OF BUYING JEANS 1: occasionally 2: once in three months 3: once in six months 4: once a year INCOME 1: less than 200,000 2: 200,000-400,000 3: 400,000-600,000 4. 600,000 above DECISION IS RELATED TO: 1: Brand Linked status 2: Authenticity of products 3: Publicity 4: Versatality 28 29