Sacred place Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sacred place - Research Paper Example Consider the difference between a contemporary Catholic Church and the traditional sacred places indicated in the Holy Bible. Sacred places have been part of human life as proven by history. They serve as houses for religious rituals and places for professing beliefs. They cater the traditions that take care of the morality of mankind through ages. Also as the time passed by, various changes happened in the world and sacred places also evolved together with the modernization and civilization of men (Olsen, 2000). Normally religions make use of a guide book that they consider holy or a book that contains the Truth or message of supernatural beings. Usually myths or stories are seen in the book of each religion and later on during the ceremony of the faithful, a certain spiritual leader reads and explains the stories and myths in the book. It is done for the cleansing of the soul as all religions address the concept of spirit or the spiritual nature of human beings (Nye, 2004). In relation to rituals and the history, sacred places change in terms of structure. Ancient sacred places are usually one with nature like mountains, caves, piled stone or near trees and river. Ancient people also built temples for rituals and for communication improvement of the soul with the humanity. As the time goes by, the old temples and natural sacred places are replaced by religious centers located in the cities and buildings (Olsen, 2000). A good example is the Catholic Church and its origin can be traced back from Judaism, a religion in Israel and Jerusalem. Jerusalem is considered as the City of God as verses of several books in the Holy Bible show. Other sacred places of the religion are Mt. Sinai, Rome and places that are not physically visible today like Heaven and Garden of Eden (Holm and Boker, 1994). In order for the believers to understand the message of God, religious centers called churches are built where the members of the religion can practice

Intercultural Communications assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Intercultural Communications - Assignment Example The Canadian culture is under individual culture. This is clearly seen when people meet for the first time, they always want to know what the person does, their accomplishments, individualist culture, and where they live. These items become basis of defining a person. In this country there are also few family names and people are not often defined by their family name but by their accomplishments. Power distance theory analyses the way different cultures deal with inequalities. This is the extent to which people from the minority group in a country accept and expect that there is unequal distribution of power. Canadian culture is characterized with a low power distance. This is evident in workplaces where every employee has equal rights. Company employees have the right to speak out if they are not satisfies with the working conditions. This can be directly or through trade unions. Uncertainty avoidance theory analyses the extent to which people within a culture feel that they are threatened by unknown situations. Canada culture is weak in uncertainty mainly because of the diversity among people. People are more relaxed because they respect each other’s cultural background. Ethiopia is a country that has a diverse mix of linguistic and ethnic background. This country is estimated to have more than 80 different ethnic groups, each having its own culture, language, custom, and tradition (Teum Teklehaimanot, 2015). Ethiopia has a collective culture where relationship among people is emphasized at a greater degree. People are defined by their family names and extended families are the focus of the country’s social system. Relatives from both sides of the family and close friends usually have a close relationship. Quit often when people marry, they live with their families so that there is a group to turn to when need arises. In Ethiopia, there is high power distance, which means that people are expected to respect those who are in power

Determinants That Cause The Demand Curve To Shift Economics Essay

Determinants That Cause The Demand Curve To Shift Economics Essay Demand means that the willingness of a buyers to buy a goods and able to buy a goods at a different price levels. The law states that the demand curve is a downward sloping graph which shows that there is a negative relationship between the price of a product and the quantity of a product. When a price of a product rises, the quantity demanded will decrease. On the other hand, when the price of a product falls, the quantity demanded will increase. Demand is a shift either rightward or leftward in the demand curve. Demand curve will shift leftward if the consumers decide to buy less, and the demand curve will shift rightward if the consumers decide to buy more. Decrease in demand will cause the demand curve to shift leftward. There are many determinants that cause the demand curve to shift. Price of coke $ Figure 5.1 D0 D1 Quantity of coke One of the determinants that cause the demand curve to shift is expectation. For example, if the price of a coke expected will fall next month, the quantity demand will also decrease. So, this is as shown in figure 5.1. As the demand decrease, the demand curve will definitely shift leftward from D0 to D1.Besides, the price of substitutes and complements good will cause the demand curve to shift. Complementary goods are good that are used together. For example, petrol and car. If the price of petrol rise, this will cause the quantity demand for car decrease. Substitute good are good that can be replaced with another good. For example, butter and margarine. If the price of butter fall, the quantity of margarine will definitely shift leftward. Besides, the taste and income will also cause the demand curve to shift. Quantity demand is a movement upward or downward in the demand curve. The only factor that will cause the movement is the price of the goods itself. For example, the price of an apples decrease from $2.50 to $1.90. This will cause the demand curve to move downward (from point A to B). Besides, the quantity demand definitely will increase from 4 to 7 as it applied the law of demand. As the price of an apple decrease, the quantity demanded will increase. This is shown in Figure 5.2. Price of an apple $ 2.50 A 1.90 B Figure 5.2 0 Quantity for apples 4 7 Part B Income elasticity of demand means that the percentage change in quantity demanded dividing the percentage change in households income. There are 3 types of degrees of income elasticity of demand (YED). If the income elasticity of demand is greater than 0, then this elasticity is a positive YED. But this positive YED is categorized into two types. First, if the quantity demanded of a good rise a smaller amount of percentage compare to the income of the households, this is known as a normal good. A normal good normally does not responsive to the changes in the quantity demanded of the good. This is also known as income elastic since (0

Shelby Footes Shiloh Essay -- Shelby Foote Shiloh Battles War Essays

Shelby Foote's Shiloh In the novel Shiloh, historian and Civil War expert Shelby Foote delivers a spare, unflinching account of the battle of Shiloh, which was fought over the course of two days in April 1862. By mirroring the troops' movements through the woods of Tennessee with the activity of each soldier's mind, Foote offers the reader a broad perspective of the battle and a detailed view of the issues behind it. The battle becomes tangible as Foote interweaves the observations of Union and Confederate officers, simple foot soldiers, brave men, and cowards and describes the roar of the muskets and the haze of the gun smoke. The author's vivid storytelling creates a rich chronicle of a pivotal battle in American history. This book is a wonderful example of his abilities and deals with the battle of Shiloh through the eyes of several men on both sides of the conflict. His characters are not the generals on the field, rather they are common soldiers ranging from privates who have never seen battle up to a colonel (Forrest) -- people that don't have all the answers, others who are still searching for the questions. The wonderful thing about Foote's writing is his ability to make you feel like you were there without bogging the story down with too many numbers and statistics, but allowing the viewer a much deeper understanding of the events of the battle by giving us a glimpse through the eyes of those who were there. Foote is one of the great authorities on the War, and though he wrote this when pretty young it is still filled with detail and knowledge of the war. It conveys well the chaos of the fighting and how, as so often, small failures of generalship cost the battle Shelby Foote's Shiloh is a novel about a real Civil War battle told from the point of view of a few common soldiers, both northern and southern, who fought there. Because he chose to depict the action from these points of view, he limits what can be said of the big picture. If one can ignore that big picture, the book works very well at showing the reader what the experience must have been like for individuals caught up in different parts of the fight. Yet needing to provide some of that picture, Foote has each character present background on specific generals and their actions leading up to Shiloh. This exposition is, for the most part, pretty clumsy and simply detracts from ... ...the most horrifying part of the surgeries was the absence of anesthesia and antiseptics. Each hurt man would have to be held down as he experienced excruciating pain, but many passed out and later died of infection. Finally, I realized how much suffering two opposing forces can bring upon one country: dying soldiers, devastated country, and unbearable sadness. For example, Foote describes the mile-long lines of men from the South and North opposing each other. Each side would test the cannon's range, and, after a while, would be destroying huge groups of men and creating gaping holes in the earth. As a northern infantryman said as he watched the mini balls cut down his friends, "they died for nothing" (p.191). The front line would also shoot grapeshot that would burst into thousands of tiny pieces and destroy the other army's front line. All of Shiloh was about two sides of America fighting over slaver! y and secession. About 26, 000 men died without respect, a prayer, or a marke d grave. Shiloh is a historically accurate book that would interest anyone who likes to read about the Civil War and wants to understand the pain and suffering our country went through on April 6-7, 1862.

Discuss the ideal knowledge management environment

In today's increasing competitive environment and the new economy of brick and click enterprises, knowledge management (KM) can be considered as a business integration discipline which endeavours, ‘to improve the performance of individuals and organisations by maintaining and leveraging the present and future value of knowledge assets' (Newman, B. , ; Conrad, K. W. , 1999, p. 2). While people have criticised information and knowledge management as the same thing, knowledge management is not a new practice but rather the interpretations of knowledge management and its frameworks have incessantly changed. Successful brick and click enterprises are those which frequently management knowledge and recognises knowledge as a source and integration tool to driving the growth and sustainability of business disciplines, and hence acknowledges the high uncertainties of change ‘between the input resources and the business performance outcomes, and, the gaps between the value these enterprises create and the value demanded by changing market conditions, consumer preferences, competitive offerings, changing business models, and, industry structures' (Malhorta, Y. 2004). However, the knowledge creation process does not necessarily lead to business improvements or value creation (Chen, C. J. , ; Huang, J. W. , 2007), but more on how knowledge is handled, circulated and applied within a virtual environment, enabling knowledge flows between the individual and its organisational culture. Therefore, it is the purpose of this essay to discuss the ideal environment, in which value can only be created when knowledge is dispersed and adequately applied where needed by use of knowledge management methods; furthermore it will acknowledge that a ‘well-developed knowledge management system would stimulate the creativity of each employee by providing exactly the knowledge that employee needs to be optimally creative' (Finneran, T. Online, No Date). You can read also Portfolio Management Quizzes In the new maturing economy the management of knowledge is a critical factor for the success and competitive advantage of any organisation; as is the generating of new knowledge to fulfil organisational objectives and to achieve greater business optimisation. According to Resnick, L. M. , (2004, p. 87), as contemporary organisations evolve to a more virtual structure, they lose and gain relationships among employees, managers, customers and suppliers on an irregular basics; and without practical management, the knowledge created through these relationships will be lost. Therefore, assembling an ‘effective knowledge management will enable organisations to protect themselves from the losses experienced when employees and partners terminate their relationship with the company' (Resnick, L. M. , 2004, p. 288).Business Management Study Guide While experts have argued that information and/or knowledge management practices is not only about the administration of information, but rather entails management requirements for knowledge management systems to be integrated to all aspects of the virtual environment; a well-constructed knowledge management system will impede the production and collaboration of creativity across all organisational subunits. Finneran, T. (Online, No date) describes knowledge management in a nut shell where ‘Knowledge Management envisions getting the Right Information within the Right Context to the Right Person at the Right Time for the Right Business Purpose'. This view suggests the ideal environment in which individuals or group knowledge should be effectively communicated across all organisational divisions in ways which directly impact on business performance. Essentially, the ideal knowledge management environment will cultivate and take advantage of existing and new knowledge through the implementation and combination of KM methodologies, best practices, frameworks, and technologies that will ultimately stimulate the development of creativity and innovative ideas of human beings. In essence, the basic concept of knowledge management is about sharing knowledge to leverage existing knowledge, stimulate innovation and to achieve operational effectiveness. As KM matures many companies will start to look at KM with a more holistic approach, but ‘research shows that although many companies have begun to develop some sort of knowledge management capabilities, very few (6%) have implemented knowledge management programs on an enterprise-wide scale' (Kidwell, J. J. , Vander Linde, K. M. , ; Johnson, S. L. , 2000, p. 30). The conception on KM best practises should not primarily focus on one single type of initiative for competitive advantage, but instead centre around building on the core business capabilities and processes around knowledge sharing. For instance, knowledge sharing can be achieved through the creation of a knowledge community aimed to capture knowledge from individuals and store in teams and the organisation; taking an institutional global approach in facilitating knowledge as needed and in breaking down the cultural barriers between organisation and its customers. Finneran, T. , (Online, No Date) suggest that ‘practitioners of Knowledge Management have found that a critical success factor in the implementation of knowledge management is the creation of a cultural environment that encourages the sharing of information'. Knowledge communities can be viewed as ‘Global communities of interest' which stimulates virtual and global interactions through common categories of interest, which are not bounded and tied up to by physical and organisational impediments. Several KM best practices and trends have emerged over the last few years and are forecasted to shape the way knowledge is to be managed. It includes the materialisation of technology solutions, the union of knowledge management with e-business, movement from limited KM projects to enterprise-wide project and increasing the use of KM to enhance innovation and of tactic knowledge rather than explicit knowledge. (Kidwell, J. J. , Vander Linde, K. M. , ; Johnson, S. L. , 2000, p. 29). Generally, knowledge can be very difficult to codify and can also be very highly subjective. Two type of knowledge which is recognised in KM are explicit and tactic, and when applied productively within an organisation it can help to increase competitive advantage through innovation and knowledge sharing. Ideally, tactic knowledge would better guide actions and make better informed decisions based on the ability utilise on perception, hands-on skills, experiences, know-hows, insights and so on. Tactic knowledge is personal, difficult to formalise, communicate and transfer; ultimately it is knowledge that is embedded within people in an organisation. Seonghee, K. , (1999) suggests that KM best practices draw on tactic knowledge for creativity and ‘ensures tasks effectiveness – that the right things are being done so that work unit could attain its objectives. It also provides for a kind of creative robustness — intuition and heuristic can often tackle tough problems that would otherwise be difficult to solve'. Functionally, knowledge management frameworks offer a myriad of possibilities for organisations and help to build the integrity of knowledge dispersal and application within an organisation, providing the countless benefits in applying a KM framework which builds on the concept of knowledge management in specifics to the organisational environment, its business processes and activities. With the paradigm shift and phenomenon of the need and understanding of knowledge management over the last several years, many experts have proposed a number of approaches to KM frameworks, each of which have only addressed certain aspects of knowledge management. Holsapple, C. W. , and Joshi, K. D. , (1999, p. ) broadly classifies KM frameworks into two categories; descriptive frameworks which attempts to characterise the nature of the KM phenomena with additional sub categories including board and specific frameworks to describe the whole of the KM phenomena, and prescriptive frameworks stipulates the methodologies for performing knowledge management. For instances, the ‘Core Capabilities and Knowledge Building' framework initiated by Leonard-Barton, D. (1995), and as described in Holsapple, C. W. , and Joshi, K. D. , (1999, p. 2) paper, focuses on the profundity in the characterisation of the KM phenomenon and therefore categorising it as a board framework. This KM framework introduced by Leonard-Barton (1995), encompasses four knowledge building activities that encircle the four core capabilities, which Leonard-Barton asserts is central to a knowledge based organisation (KBO). The four knowledge building activities aimed at knowledge creation and diffusion are acknowledged in the framework as: shared and creative problem solving, implementing and integrating new methodologies and tools, experimenting and prototyping, and importing and absorbing technologies from outside of the firm's knowledge. In addition, Leonard-Barton expresses that these four knowledge building activities are influenced by the core capabilities identified in the framework as being: the physical systems such as databases, employee knowledge and skills, managerial systems such as rewards and incentives systems, and the organisational values and norms (Holsapple, C. W. , & Joshi, K. D. , 1999, p. 2). This framework is used to better understand knowledge management and its characteristics of the implication in a KBO environment. Thus, the dynamic perspective on KM frameworks does not end with knowledge as a final solution, but instead emphasises on the continuous growth, renewal, exchange and communication processes. Hence KM frameworks can offer a structure, ‘for balancing the myriad of technologies and approaches that provide value, tying them together into a seamless whole. It helps analysts and designers better address the interests of stakeholders across interrelated knowledge flows and, by doing so, better enables individuals, systems and organisations to exhibit truly intelligent behavior in multiple contexts' (Newman, B. & Conrad, K. W. , 1999, p. 2). ‘Organisations are already realising that it does no good to have robust technology solutions if the existing culture prevents knowledge sharing, and conversely that it does little good to have pockets of robust knowledge sharing without some technological means of making knowledge widely accessible' (Kidwell, J. J. , Vander Linde, K. M. , & Johnson, S. L. , 2000, p. 30). Therefore, it should not be assumed that technology is the enabler of KM, but should be perceived as a vehicle for driving the concept of ‘knowledge diffusion' in a KM environment. Nowadays, the outlook of promising technological tools for KM can help to support and improve the process of knowledge transfer. Technological tools such as, search engines, storage media, groupware, web-based platforms, portals, emails and basic collaborative tools can help to facilitate and assist individuals and groups in the creation, retention and the diffusion of knowledge. Increasingly, the use of portals is being implemented in many corporate environments for the convenient storage of meta-data, and integration of collaborative tools, emails, into one application. Kidwell, J. J. , Vander Linde, K. M. , & Johnson, S. L. , (2000, p. 30) also makes an interesting statement which suggests ‘As organizations share their lessons learned about implementing knowledge management programs, some are discovering the interdependent nature of KM capabilities. They are finding that a balanced portfolio of knowledge management initiatives yields the best results and that excelling at technology-related capabilities does not preclude excelling at people- or process-related capabilities'. Additionally, as more brick and click enterprises grow, the harder it becomes to determine what technological tools, KM methods, and best practices are to be utilised in determining the needs of individuals, groups and the organisational culture, but ‘once sound strategies based on these essential principles are articulated, the requisite technologies are chosen, and information platforms and technology architectures are built accordingly', though it may sound simple it can not always guarantee the successful deployment of a KM system (Riley, T. B. , 2003, p. 4). In a learning environment KM should not be based on a technocentric approach to creating the ideal KM environment; but instead use technology as a facilitator to simulate knowledge sharing and creativity for the development of innovation. The virtual enterprise should aspire to revolutionise itself into a knowledge-based environment which continually should aim to create, acquire and transfer knowledge to the right person when and where required. In creating the ideal KM environment there are many tools, methods, frameworks, and techniques which can be applied in stimulating the creativity of each employee. However, the assortments of KM methodologies which can be found through examples of other virtual organisations and case studies, does not necessarily lead to business improvements or value creation when applied to one's own virtual enterprise; but more on how knowledge created is disseminated and applied across the organisational culture, between individuals and teams. In summary, KM is fast becoming a chief factor for organisations in determining their competitive advantage, and without a well-developed KM system or knowledge creation process will render the organisation from succeeding.

Shadows of Night: The Fear of a Child

In Annie Dillard’s book, An American Child; chapter two describes the fear she had as a child, of the night shadows that would appear on her walls. Dillard was five years old and shared a bedroom with her little sister Amy, who was two at the time. When Dillard describes her little sister sleeping, I can picture her clearly in my mind. Dillard writes; â€Å"even at two she composed herself attractively with her sheet folded tidily, under her outstretched arm, her head laid lightly on an unwrinkled pillow, her thick curls spread evenly. (21) Another wonderful example of her descriptive writing is when she is telling of the â€Å"thing† that she is so afraid of at night in her bedroom. Dillard states that, â€Å"the damned thing entered the room by flattening itself against the open door and sliding in. It was transparent, luminous oblong; I could see the door whiten at its touch. † (21) This â€Å"thing† that Dillard also refers to as â€Å"it† also had sounds of a â€Å"rising roar† (21) as it moved across her walls. Dillard finally figured out that her â€Å"thing was a passing car whose windshield reflected the corner streetlight outside. † (21) It wasn’t until she was outside one day, that she heard the familiar sound that she hears at night when the â€Å"thing† appears on her walls. Dillard’s writing shows how the human mind and imagination can exaggerate even the simplest things, until we can see in front of us what the true reality is.

Biography of Gabriel García Márquez

Biography of Gabriel Garcà ­a Mrquez Gabriel Garcà ­a Mrquez (1927–2014) was a Colombian writer, associated with the Magical Realism genre of narrative fiction and credited with reinvigorating Latin American writing. He won the Nobel prize for literature in 1982, for a body of work that included novels such as 100 Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera.  Ã‚   Fast Facts: Gabriel Garcà ­a Mrquez Full Name: Gabriel Josà © de la Concordia Garcà ­a MrquezAlso Known As: GaboBorn: March 6, 1927, in Aracataca, ColombiaDied: April 17, 2014, in Mexico City, MexicoSpouse: Mercedes Barcha Pardo, m. 1958Children: Rodrigo, b. 1959 and Gonzalo, b. 1962  Best-known Works: 100 Years of Solitude, Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Love in the Time of CholeraKey Accomplishments:  Nobel Prize for Literature, 1982, leading writer of magical realismQuote: Reality is also the myths of the common people. I realized that reality isnt just the police that kill people, but also everything that forms part of the life of the common people. Magical realism is a type of narrative fiction which blends a realistic picture of ordinary life with fantastic elements. Ghosts walk among us, say its practitioners: Garcà ­a Mrquez wrote of these elements with a wry sense of humor, and an honest and unmistakable prose style.  Ã‚   Early Years   Gabriel Josà © de la Concordia Garcà ­a Mrquez (known as Gabo) was born on March 6, 1927, in the town of Aracataca, Colombia near the Caribbean coast. He was the eldest of 12 children; his father was a postal clerk, telegraph operator and itinerant pharmacist, and when Garcà ­a Mrquez was 8, his parents moved away so his father could find a job. Garcà ­a Mrquez was left to be raised in a large ramshackle house by his maternal grandparents. His grandfather Nicolas Mrquez Mejia was a liberal activist and a colonel during Columbias Thousand Days War; his grandmother believed in magic and filled her grandsons head with superstitions and folk tales, dancing ghosts and spirits.   In an interview published in The Atlantic in 1973, Garcà ­a Mrquez said he had always been a writer. Certainly, all of the elements of his youth were interwoven into Garcà ­a Mrquezs fiction, a blend of history and mystery and politics that Mexican poet Pablo Neruda compared to Cervantess Don Quixote. Writing Career Garcà ­a Mrquez was educated at a Jesuit college and in 1946, began studying for the law at the National University of Bogota. When the editor of the liberal magazine El Espectador wrote an opinion piece stating that Colombia had no talented young writers, Garcà ­a Mrquez sent him a selection of short stories, which the editor published as Eyes of a Blue Dog.   A brief burst of success was interrupted by the assassination of Colombias president Jorge Eliecer Gaitan. In the following chaos, Garcà ­a Mrquez left to become a journalist and investigative reporter in the Caribbean region, a role he would never give up. Exile from Colombia In 1954, Garcà ­a Mrquez broke a news story about a sailor who survived the shipwreck of a Columbian Navy destroyer. Although the wreck had been attributed to a storm, the sailor reported that badly stowed illegal contraband from the US came loose and knocked eight of the crew overboard. The resulting scandal led to Garcà ­a Mrquezs exile to Europe, where he continued writing short stories and news and magazine reports. In 1955, his first novel, Leafstorm (La Hojarasca) was published: it had been written seven years earlier but he could not find a publisher until then.   Marriage and Family Garcà ­a Mrquez married Mercedes Barcha Pardo in 1958, and they had two children: Rodrigo, born 1959, now a television and film director in the U.S., and Gonzalo, born in Mexico City in 1962, now a graphic designer.   One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967)   Garcà ­a Mrquez got the idea for his most famous work while he was driving from Mexico City to Acapulco. To get it written, he holed up for 18 months, while his family went into debt $12,000, but at the end, he had 1,300 pages of manuscript. The first Spanish edition sold out in a week, and over the next 30 years, it sold more than 25 million copies and has been translated into more than 30 languages.   The plot is set in Macondo, a town based on his own hometown of Aracataca, and its saga follows five generations of descendants of Josà © Arcadio Buendà ­a and his wife Ursula, and the city they founded. Josà © Arcadio Buendà ­a is based on Garcà ­a Mrquezs own grandfather. Events in the story include a plague of insomnia, ghosts that grow old, a priest who levitates when he drinks hot chocolate, a woman who ascends into heaven while doing the laundry, and a rain which lasts four years, 11 weeks and two days.   In a 1970 review of the English language version, Robert Keily of The New York Times said it was a novel so filled with humor, rich detail and startling distortion that is brings to mind the best of [William] Faulkner and Gà ¼nter Grass.   Political Activism   Garcà ­a Mrquez was an exile from Colombia for most of his adult life, mostly self-imposed, as a result of his anger and frustration over the violence that was taking over his country. He was a lifelong socialist, and a friend of Fidel Castros: he wrote for La Prensa in Havana, and always maintained personal ties with the communist party in Colombia, even though he never joined as a member. A Venezuelan newspaper sent him behind the Iron Curtain to the Balkan States, and he discovered that far from an ideal Communist life, the Eastern European people lived in terror.   He was repeatedly denied tourist visas to the United States because of his leftist leanings but was criticized by activists at home for not totally committing to communism. His first visit to the U.S. was the result of an invitation by President Bill Clinton to Marthas Vineyard. Later Novels   In 1975, the dictator Augustin Pinochet came to power in Chile, and Garcà ­a Mrquez swore he would never write another novel until Pinochet was gone. Pinochet was to remain in power a grueling 17 years, and by 1981, Garcà ­a Mrquez realized that he was allowing Pinochet to censor him.   Chronicle of a Death Foretold was published in 1981, the retelling of a horrific murder of one of his childhood friends. The protagonist, a merry and peaceful, and openhearted son of a wealthy merchant, is hacked to death; the whole town knows in advance and cant (or wont) prevent it, even though the town doesnt really think hes guilty of the crime hes been accused of: a plague of inability to act. In 1986, Love in the Time of Cholera was published, a romantic narrative of two star-crossed lovers who meet but dont connect again for over 50 years. Cholera in the title refers to both the disease and anger taken to the extreme of warfare. Thomas Pynchon, reviewing the book in the New York Times, extolled the swing and translucency of writing, its slang and its classicism, the lyrical stretches and those end-of-sentence zingers.   Death and Legacy   In 1999, Gabriel Garcà ­a Mrquez was diagnosed with lymphoma, but continued to write until 2004, when reviews of Memories of My Melancholy Whores were mixed- it was banned in Iran. After that, he slowly sank into dementia, dying in Mexico City on April 17, 2014.   In addition to his unforgettable prose works, Garcà ­a Mrquez brought world attention to the Latin American literary scene, set up an International Film School near Havana, and a school of journalism on the Caribbean coast.   Notable Publications   1947: Eyes of a Blue Dog  1955: Leafstorm, a family are  mourners at the burial of a doctor whose secret past make the entire town want to humiliate the corpse1958: No One Writes to the Colonel, a retired army officer begins an apparently futile attempt to get his military pension1962: In Evil Hour, set during the La Violencia, a violent period in Colombia during the late 1940s and early 1950s1967: One Hundred Years of Solitude  1970: The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor,a compilation of shipwreck scandal articles1975: Autumn of the Patriarch, a dictator rules for two centuries, an indictment of all the dictators plaguing Latin America  Ã‚  1981: Chronicle of a Death Foretold  Ã‚  1986: Love in the Time of Cholera  1989: The General in the Labyrinth, account of the last years of the revolutionary hero Simon Bolivar1994: Love and Other Demons, an entire coastal town slips into communal madness1996: News of a Kidnapping, nonfiction report on the Colombian Medellin drug cartel2 004: Memories of My Melancholy Whores, story of a 90-year-old journalists affair with a 14-year-old prostitute Sources Del Barco, Mandalit. Writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Who Gave Voice to Latin America, Dies. National Public Radio April 17, 2014. Print.Fetters, Ashley. The Origins of Gabriel Garcia Marquezs Magic Realism. The Atlantic April 17 2014. Print.Kandell, Jonathan. Gabriel Garcà ­a Mrquez, Conjurer of Literary Magic, Dies at 87. The New York Times April 17, 2014. Print.Kennedy, William. The Yellow Trolley Car in Barcelona, and Other Visions. The Atlantic January 1973. Print.Kiely, Robert. Memory and Prophecy, Illusion and Reality Are Mixed and Made to Look the Same. The New York March 8, 1970. Print.TimesPynchon, Thomas. The Hearts Eternal Vow. The New York Times 1988: April 10. Print.Vargas Llosa, Mario. Garcà ­a Mrquez: Historia De Un Deicidio. Barcelona-Caracas: Monte Avila Editores, 1971. Print.

Infectious Disease essays

Infectious Disease essays What is the stake of the American People and the Government by International Agencies to control Infectious Disease in Developing Countries? More people are at risk of infectious diseases than at any other time on history. Infectious diseases are worldwide problem requiring worldwide attention. Infectious diseases can weaken the strength of a nation's resources. In developing nations this poses even a greater threat. Diseases are threatening the economic stability of many developing nations. 50,000 people die everyday from infectious disease. Rift Valley Fever infects both livestock and humans. Rift Valley Fever is most commonly found in regions of eastern and southern Africa. It also exists in Madagascar and sub-Saharan Africa. The Bunyaviridae family includes the Rift Valley Fever disease. It is primarily spread from infected mosquitoes, who then infect animals. Generally they infect domestic animals, such as buffalo, cattle, sheep, camels and goats. Once the livestock are infected, other mosquitoes can spread the disease. It is also possible that the infection can be spread from other biting insects. The Rift Valley Fever outberak of 1997-1998 in eastern Africa killed both humans and livestock. It economically hurt trase in animals and the dairy indusrty.. the economy was crushed by trade imbargoes. Humans can get Rift Valley Fever in numerous ways. Humans can be infected from the mosquitoes or the bodily fluids of the infected animal. Contact such as slaughtering the infected animal can occur also. Symptoms include, an infuenza like illness, fever, liver abnormalities, muscle and back pain and vomitting. In the early stages of Rift Valley Fever, these symptoms are some times mistaken for meningitis. This fever may also perceive itself to be haemorrhagic fever. Fatalities occur mostly in patients who have developed haemorrhagic fever. In diagnosing Rift Valley Fever, tests have demostrated the presence of antibodies to...

Requisitos de la tarjeta de pasaporte y beneficios

Requisitos de la tarjeta de pasaporte y beneficios La tarjeta de pasaporte una alternativa ms econà ³mica al pasaporte que pueden utilizar los ciudadanos estadounidenses para regresar a Estados Unidos. En este artà ­culo se informa sobre las caracterà ­sticas de la tarjeta de pasaporte o passport card, para quà © sirve, cà ³mo se aplica para obtenerla, cul es el costo y su vigencia. Adems, cules son las reglas especiales que aplican a los nià ±os. Para quà © sirve la tarjeta de pasaporte o passport card La tarjeta de pasaporte es uno de los documentos vlidos admitidos por las autoridades migratorias para probar la ciudadanà ­a estadounidense y asà ­ permitir el ingreso a los Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, sà ³lo se admite su utilizacià ³n en los pasos migratorios por tierra o barco y cuando el punto de origen del viaje es Mà ©xico, Canad, Bermudas o el Caribe. Es decir, no es un documento admisible para utilizar en ningà ºn aeropuerto.     Caracterà ­sticas de la passport card Las tarjetas de pasaporte cuentan con os siguientes elementos: Tiene un tamaà ±o semejante al de una licencia de manejar y se puede guardar en el billeteroTienen un chip que hace difà ­cil su falsificacià ³nEl chip no contiene informacià ³n personal del titular, sà ³lo un nà ºmero que al llegar a la frontera a una base de datos y permite al ciudadano americano regresar a su paà ­sEs muy fcil de leer por los equipos fronterizos, que pueden procesar al mismo tiempo todas las tarjetas de los ocupantes de un mismo vehà ­culo, lo que favorece la fluidez del trfico en la frontera y reduce los tiempos de espera.  ¿Cà ³mo se solicita la tarjeta de pasaporte? Llenando  por internet en documento DS-11  en el caso de no tener un pasaporte de libro vlido o tambià ©n en el caso de menores. A continuacià ³n es necesario presentarse en un Passport Aceptance Facility que puede ser una oficina de correos, la corte de Justicia e incluso una biblioteca para que acrediten la veracidad de toda la documentacià ³n. Si se tiene en la actualidad un pasaporte clsico de libro que est vigente, entonces corresponde llenar el documento DS-82 (puede obtenerse en el enlace anterior, simplemente buscando entre todas las opciones de formulario por ese nà ºmero especà ­fico). Este es el documento que tambià ©n aplica en los casos de renovacià ³n de la tarjeta de pasaporte. Al llenar ese documento se puede simplemente solicitar la tarjeta de pasaporte. Lo importante es marcar la opcià ³n correcta. Cul es el costo de la tarjeta de pasaporte Cuando se solicita por primera vez y sà ³lo la tarjeta de pasaporte el costo es de $55 para los mayores de 16 aà ±os y de $40 para los menores de dicha edad. Para los casos de renovaciones el costo es de $30 si se hace por correo. Si se aplica al mismo tiempo por un pasaporte de libro y por una tarjeta el costo actualmente es de $165 para los que solicitan por primera vez y tienen ms de 16 aà ±os, Para los menores de dicha edad el coste es de $120. Cunto tiempo se demora la tarjeta de pasaporte Como regla general todo el proceso de tramitacià ³n de la tarjeta de pasaporte se demora entre 6 y 8 semanas. Sin embargo, es posible solicitar un servicio urgente previo pago de otros $60 que hay que sumar al costo regular de la tarjeta. En estos casos todo el proceso se demora entre 2 y 3 semanas. Vigencia de la tarjeta de pasaporte Son vlidas por 10 aà ±os cuando se emiten para un ciudadano de 16 aà ±os o ms y de 5 aà ±os para los menores. Especificaciones para el caso de tarjetas de pasaporte para nià ±os Los nià ±os pueden tiene su propio pasaporte americano o su tarjeta o ambos documentos. En casos muy especà ­ficos los ciudadanos americanos pueden ingresar a Estados Unidos con documentacià ³n distinta al pasaporte clsico y a la tarjeta de pasaporte, particularmente los nià ±os cruzando una frontera terrestre (Mà ©xico y Canad). En el caso de nià ±os que viajan sà ³los o con sà ³lo uno de sus padres estos son los documentos que deben tener para asegurar que no hay problemas en el cruce de aduanas americanas. Verificar cules son los requisitos del otro paà ­s del que procede el nià ±o o al que viaja. Por ejemplo, un nià ±o americano que sale de EEUU sin la compaà ±Ãƒ ­a de sus padres porque va a Mà ©xico a ver a sus abuelos. En Mà ©xico pueden pedir que enseà ±e documentacià ³n adicional al pasaporte americano para permitirle el regreso, ya que se tienen que asegurar de que no est siendo secuestrado. Por à ºltimo, la solicitud de los pasaportes para nià ±os est sujeta a requisitos adicionales para darle mayor seguridad al proceso. Informase aquà ­ sobre reglas de pasaportes para menores, como  presencia del nià ±o en la oficina en que se solicita, quà © hacer cuando los padres no estn de acuerdo sobre sacar el pasaporte al nià ±o o no se sabe dà ³nde est uno de los padres. Cruce de frontera y otros posibles problemas Adems de tener un documento vlido para regresar a Estados Unidos, como lo es por ejemplo la tarjeta de pasaporte, hay que tener presente que las reglas sobre quà © se puede traer a Estados Unidos aplican tanto a ciudadanos como a residentes como a turistas o titulares de visas y de este modo evitar sorpresas desagradables al regresar a casa. Otro problema que puede surgir con la tarjeta de pasaporte es que se extravà ­a o sea robada. En estos casos hay que seguir inmediatamente el mismo procedimiento que se hace con el pasaporte y comunicar el problema. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal

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Stem Cell Research Legislation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Technology impact on Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Inderstanding Consumer Behaviour Towards Luxury Products Essay Example for Free

Inderstanding Consumer Behaviour Towards Luxury Products Essay Studying consumer behaviour enables marketing researchers to predict how consumers will react to promotional messages and to understand why they make the purchase decision they do. Marketers realized that if they know more about the consumer decision making criteria, they can design marketing strategies and promotional messages that will influence consumers more effectively. The importance of consumer behaviour made marketers to think of a separate branch in marketing research Consumer research, to deal exclusively for consumer related issues. The current focus of this report is on study of underlying needs and motives in taking purchase decisions, consumer learning process and attitude formation process. The study has been initiated for Club Mahindra Holidays. The purpose of this study is to analyze consumer perceptions of luxury products and the factors that influence his purchase decisions. The objective is to understand consumer behaviour towards luxury products and the steps followed while purchasing it. To achieve the above objectives, we first look at how luxury goods are different from regular goods and then go on to explore some facets and trends of the luxury goods as well as their market and consumers. We will understand the definition of luxury products through secondary research. Post secondary research we will develop few hypotheses which will give us the direction for our next step ie Qualitative Research. We will use interview method in qualitative research which will give an insight into the mindset of the consumers and their purchase steps involved and then follow it up with quantitative research (survey method). Through this we will quantify our findings for the Indian luxury consumer and their buying behaviour. We will analyze the factors that influence the consumers in buying the luxury products. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 4 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Research Abstract Scope: This project is a part of a job assigned to the planning department. This project is an initiative taken to understand the behaviour of consumers towards luxury products. Purchase of a luxury product involves lot of planning and research before taking any decision. There are number of factors that affect an individual?s decision making process as well as his choice about the product. These factors are different for different types of luxury product. A research into these aspects will give us an insight into the mindset of the consumer and will help to study the consumer better. Method: Primary research was done in two steps. ? Qualitative Research – Depth Interview Method ? Quantitative Research – Survey Method 1) Qualitative Research: For qualitative research, few high income people were asked open ended questions which were formulated based on the secondary research and in line with the hypothesis. Depth interview of 10 people were taken which gave an insight into their purchase behavior and their decision making process for a luxury good. Based on this interviews and a further review of the secondary research reports, a final survey questionnaire was prepared. 2) Quantitative Research: For quantitative research, after making the initial questionnaire it was pretested with 5 participants and was improvised. The final sample was 30 with target group being A and A+ socio-economic class people. In June 2009, the survey was conducted to observe the behavior pattern of consumers in buying luxury products. This allowed us to find out about the behaviour of the consumer towards luxury products across various income groups. Also we asked them about what all factors Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 5 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products influence them to buy such products and which brand of products do they feel are luxurious. We also understood the price range that they feel makes the product luxurious. Thus in future while designing any interactive campaign the output of this survey would be of great use for positioning the product as a luxury product. Also some secondary data was mined regarding what exactly influences an individual? s decision. Conclusion: Luxury products are high involvement products which require high thinking and are defined by their exclusivity and brand. They are mostly bought as a symbol of status. People have high emotional attachment with luxury products and are mostly influenced by their family members in decision making as most of the products are bought for family use. These products are also used as a means to gift their closed ones. Endorsing a film star or sport personality does not affect the image of a luxury product to a great extent. Luxury products give a feeling of pride and most of the purchase decision making is influenced by family members especially spouse. This entire initiative was one of its kinds and will help the INTERFACE COMMUNICATION to design its campaigns for Club Mahindra Holidays in a way to advertise them as a luxury club. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 6. Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Acknowledgement I would like to give my sincere thanks to my Industry Project Guide Mr. Nilesh Talreja, Senior Executive, Strategic Planning, Interface Communications and Ms. Nahid Elavia, Account Planner, Strategic Planning for their kind support and guidance during my project and also for providing me with a great opportunity to work with such a valuable organization. I would also like to thank Mrs. Shamla Sathe, Account Planning Head for giving me this great opportunity to work with Account Planning Department. It is her visionary thinking, which has been the guiding force for whole of the division and my report. I would also like to thank Mr. Amit Dhokai, my colleague, who has provided me with the necessary information and his valuable suggestion and comments on bringing out this project in the best possible way. I would also like to thank all the faculties at SIMSR who have helped me directly or indirectly in the completion of this project. I thank Interface Communications (A part of Draft FCB+Ulka) for such a valuable learning experience. Thank you Jitesh A Sanghvi MMS – 137 (2008-2010) K. J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies Research Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 7 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Sr. No. 1 2 2. 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS Company Overview Secondary Research Luxury Products: Getting to know luxury 2. 2 2. 3 Difference between regular luxury goods Consumer Behavior: What is Consumer Buying Behaviour 2. 4 2. 5 2. 6 Stages of Consumer Buying Behaviour Types of Consumer Buying Behaviour Consumer Involvement: Causes of Consumer Involvement 2. 7 3 4 4. 1 4. 2 5 6 Models of Consumer Involvement Research Method Primary Research Qualitative Analysis Quantitative Analysis Recommendations Appendix 23 26 28 30 35 59 60 17 19 21 15 16 Page No. 9 12 14 Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 8 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products LIST OF FIGURES CHARTS Sr. No 1. 1 1. 2 1. 3 Particulars Difference between regular and Luxury goods Stages of Consumer Buying Behavior Consumer Involvement Page No. 15 18 20 Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 9 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products COMPANY OVERVIEW. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 10 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products About Interface Communications History Interface Communications is the second agency of the Draft FCB Ulka group. The Draft FCB Ulka group has a 125 year heritage of pioneering concepts which define advertising and a 40 year heritage in India. Interface has grown from a single office to 5 offices in India and is one of the 1st few Indian agencies to boast of a pan Asia network. We are a team of 115 professionals across Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Mumbai. Interface is the first Indian agency brand that has gone beyond India. Interface has opened offices in Malaysia, Hong Kong, China. In 2003 we launched operations in Taiwan, Singapore. Work with some of the best known brands in each country. Business Interface is a second agency that is created to handle large scale clients. We work with some of the biggest brands across sectors from FMCG to automobiles, from real estate to finance companies, from consumer durables to holidays and many more. Majority of our clients are industry leaders and we are proud to be their strategic partners. Our clients have stuck by us as we are a process driven company. We have our share of global proprietary tools to provide a strategic edge to the clients we work with. Some of the more often used tools include: ? ? ? Mind and Mood and Moments The Wheel VIP and ICON Inspite of being process driven we are still a very people oriented organization. Our teams work together like a family and there is at all times a casual and jovial Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 11 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products. work environment maintained. We believe in an open door policy where any employee can express himself/ herself freely. As an organization we believe in constant learning and thus stress on training and development at all times. The Draft FCB Ulka group is one of the only advertising agencies in India to run a 2 month long training program for fresh recruits. This program called ‘The Star One training’ is a rigorous training ground for the future advertising biggies. This program is an annual feature and has been going strong for more than a decade. Draft FCB Ulka and Interface are some of the few agencies to have a very low attrition rate and most of the senior level management have been with the company on an average for more than 15 years which is a long time in advertising which sees constant churn. We at Interface live the values we believe in and for us our mantra is : We provide strategic communications partnership to our clients to help sell their brands today, and build brand value over time Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 12 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Secondary Research on luxury products Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing. Page 13 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Secondary Research: Luxury Products Getting to know luxury Luxury brands have often been associated with the core competences of creativity, exclusivity, craftsmanship, precision, high quality, innovation and premium pricing. These product attributes give the consumers the satisfaction of not only owning expensive items but the extra-added psychological benefits like esteem, prestige and a sense of a high status that reminds them and others that they belong to an exclusive group of only a select few, who can afford these pricey items. The luxury sector targets its products and services at consumers on the top-end of the wealth spectrum. These self-selected elite are more or less price insensitive and choose to spend their time and money on objects that are plainly opulence rather than necessities. For these reasons, luxury and prestige brands have for centuries commanded an unwavering and often illogical customer loyalty. Luxury has never been something easy to define, yet this mystery concept is something highly desired by one and all alike. We look at delving deeper into this mystery and aura of luxury goods by way of comparing them against „regular goods? as well as highlighting the characteristics of the luxury industry. But before beginning with that, lets first attempt to understand some common terms associated in the world of high-end goods : ? Luxury and prestige brands such as Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Cartier represent the highest form of craftsmanship and command a staunch consumer loyalty that is not affected by trends. These brands create and set the seasonal trends and are also capable to pulling all of their consumers with them wherever they go. ? Premium brands are those brands like Polo Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger that aspire to be luxury and prestige brands but their marketing mix strategies are more attuned to a mass market, albeit a luxury mass market. They are also termed as mass-premium brands or mass-luxury brands. ? Fashion brands on the other hand are those that address the masses. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 14 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Difference between regular luxury goods Fig 1. 1 Differences between Regular and Luxury Goods Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 15. Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Consumer Behaviour What is Consumer Behaviour Buying Behaviour is the decision processes and acts of people involved in buying and using products. Consumer Buying Behaviour refers to the buying behaviour of the ultimate consumer. A firm needs to analyze buying behaviour for: ? Buyers reactions to a firms marketing strategy has a great impact on the firms success. ? The marketing concept stresses that a firm should create a Marketing Mix (MM) that satisfies (gives utility to) customers, therefore need to analyze the what, where, when and how consumers buy. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 16 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Stages of Consumer Buying Behaviour Fig 1. 2 Stages of Consumer Buying Behaviour The above figure shows Six Stages to the Consumer Buying Decision Process (For complex decisions). Actual purchasing is only one stage of the process. Not all decision processes lead to a purchase. All consumer decisions do not always include all 6 stages, determined by the degree of complexity discussed next. The 6 stages are: 1. Problem Recognition (awareness of need)difference between the desired state and the actual condition. Deficit in assortment of products. Hunger-Food. Hunger stimulates your need to eat. Can be stimulated by the marketer through product informationdid not know you were deficient? i. e. you see a commercial for a new pair of shoes, stimulates your recognition that you need a new pair of shoes. 2. Information search-o Internal search, memory. Page 17 Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products o External search if you need more information. Friends and relatives (word of mouth). Marketer dominated sources; comparison shopping; public sources etc. A successful information search leaves a buyer with possible alternatives, the evoked set. Hungry, want to go out and eat, evoked set is o o o o Chinese food Indian food Burger king Klondike kates etc 3. Evaluation of Alternativesneed to establish criteria for evaluation, features the buyer wants or does not want. Rank/weight alternatives or resume search. May decide that you want to eat something spicy, Indian gets highest rank etc. If not satisfied with your choice then returns to the search phase. Can you think of another restaurant? Look in the yellow pages etc. Information from different sources may be treated differently. Marketers try to influence by framing alternatives. 4. Purchase decisionChoose buying alternative, includes product, package, store, method of purchase etc. 5. PurchaseMay differ from decision, time lapse between 4 5, product availability. 6. Post-Purchase Evaluationoutcome: Satisfaction or Dissatisfaction. Cognitive Dissonance, have you made the right decision. This can be reduced by warranties, after sales communication etc. After eating an Indian meal, you may think that you really wanted a Chinese meal instead. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 18 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Types of Consumer Buying Behaviour There are four types of consumer buying behaviour which are as follows: ? Routine Response/Programmed Behaviourbuying low involvement frequently purchased low cost items; need very little search and decision effort; purchased almost automatically. Examples include soft drinks, snack foods, milk etc. ? Limited Decision Makingbuying product occasionally. When you need to obtain information about unfamiliar brand in a familiar product category, perhaps. Requires a moderate amount of time for information gathering. Examples include Clothesknow product class but not the brand. ? Extensive Decision Making/Complex high involvement, unfamiliar, expensive and / or infrequently bought products (Luxury Products). High degree of economic / performance / psychological risk. Examples include cars, homes, computers, education. Spend a lot of time seeking information and deciding. Information from the companies MM; friends and relatives, store personnel etc. Go through all six stages of the buying process. ? Impulse buying, no conscious planning. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing. Page 19 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Consumer Involvement Some consumers are characterized as being more involved in products and shopping than others. A consumer who is highly involved with a product would be interested in knowing a lot about it before purchasing. Hence he reads brochures thoroughly, compares brands and models available at different outlets, asks questions, and looks for recommendations. Thus consumer involvement can be defined as heightened state of awareness that motivates consumers to seek out, attend to, and think about product information prior to purchase. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 20 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Causes of consumer involvement The factors that influences consumer involvement include personal, product and situational. ? Personal Factors Self-concept, needs and values are the three personal factors that influence the extent of consumer involvement in a product or service. The more product image, the value symbolism inherent in it and the needs it serves are fitting together with the consumer self- image, values and needs, the more likely the consumer is to feel involved in it. Celebrities for example share a certain self image, certain values, and certain needs. They tend to use products and services that reflect their life style. They get highly involved in purchasing prestigious products like designer wear, imported cars, health care products etc. ? Product Factors The consumer involvement grows as the level of perceived risk in the purchase of a good or service increases. It is likely that consumers will feel more involved in the purchase of their house than in the purchase of tooth paste, it is a much riskier purchase. Product differentiation affects involvement. The involvement increases as the number of alternatives that they have to choose from increases. This may be due to the fact that consumers feel variety which means greater risk. The pleasure one gets by using a product or service can also influence involvement. Some products are a greater source of pleasure to the consumer than others. Tea and coffee have a high level of hedonic (pleasure) value compared to, say household cleaners. Hence the involvement is high. Involvement increases when a product gains public attention. Any product, that is socially visible or that is consumed in public, demands high involvement. For example, involvement in the purchase of car is more than the purchase of household items. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 21 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products ? Situational Factors The situation in which the product is brought or used can generate emotional involvement. The reason for purchase or purchase occasion affects involvement. For example, buying a pair of socks for yourself is far less involved than buying a gift for a close friend. Social pressure can significantly increase involvement. One is likely to be more self conscious about the products and brands one looks at when shopping with friends than when shopping alone. The need to make a fast decision also influences involvement. A consumer who needs a new refrigerator and sees a „one- day- only sale? at an appliances retailer does not have the time to shop around and compare different brands and prices. The eminence of the decision heightens involvement. The involvement is high when the decision is irrevocable, for example when the retailer does not accept return or exchange on the sale items. Thus involvement may be from outside the individual, as with situational involvement or from within the individual as with enduring involvement. It can be induced by a host of personal-product-and situation related factors, many of which can be controlled by the marketer. It affects the ways in which consumers see, process, and send information to others. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 22 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Models of consumer involvement Learn-Feel-Do Hierarchy Model Buying decisions vary according to the way there are taken. Some decisions are taken with lot of thinking; others are taken with great feelings. Some are made through force of habit and others are made consciously. The learn-feel-do hierarchy is simple matrix that attributes consumer choice to information (learn), attitude (feel), and behaviour (do) issues. The matrix has four quadrants, each specifying a major marketing communication goal to be informative, to be effective, to be habit forming, or promote self-satisfaction. Thinking and feeling are shown as a continuum some decisions involve one or the other and many involve elements of both. High and low importance is also represented as a continuum. Fig 1. 3 Consumer Involvement ? High Involvement / High Thinking Purchases in first quadrant require more information, both because of the importance of the product to the consumer and thinking issues related to the purchases. Major purchases such as cars, houses and other expensive and infrequently buying items come under this category. The strategy model is learn-feel-do. Marketers have to furnish full information to get consumer acceptance of the product. Luxury products fall in this category. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 23. Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products ? High Involvement / High Feeling The purchase decisions in second quadrant involve less of information than feeling. Typical purchases tied to self-esteem- jewellery, apparel, cosmetics and accessories come under this category. The strategy model is feel-learndo. To encourage purchases marketers must approach customers with emotion and appeal. ? Low Involvement / Low Feeling The purchases in this quadrant are motivated primarily by the need to satisfy personal tastes, many of which are influenced by self-image. Products like news paper, soft drinks, Liquor etc., fall under this category. Group influences often lead to the purchase of these items. The strategy model is do-feel-learn. It helps marketers to promote products through reference groups and other social factors. ? Low Involvement / Low Thinking It involves less in thinking and more of habitual buying. Products like stationery, groceries, food etc. , fall under this category. Over a period of time any product can fall in this segment. The role of information is to differentiate any „point of difference? from competitors. Brand loyalty may result simply from the habit. The strategy model is do-learn-feel. It suggests that marketers induce trial through various sales promotion techniques. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 24 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Research Method: The study is classified based on the consumer buying preferences and factors that influence purchase decisions. The research method adopted is exploratory as the research is still in its initial stage and the preliminary information that will be gathered will help in defining the problems and suggest hypotheses. We are set to learn about consumer behaviour across various product categories of luxury. We intend to understand the influence of various factors including family members and friends on purchase decision, emotional attachment with the product, purchase of counterfeit products and endorsing a film or sports personality for luxury product. We also want to understand purchase behaviour for car, planning of holidays and perception of holiday clubs. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 25 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products PRIMARY RESEARCH Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 26 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Primary Research: Methods Primary research was done in two steps. ? Qualitative Research – Depth Interview Method ? Quantitative Research – Survey Method 1) Qualitative Research: For qualitative research, few high income people were asked open ended questions which were formulated based on the secondary research and in line with the hypothesis. Depth interview of 10 people were taken which gave an insight into their purchase behavior and their decision making process for a luxury good. Based on this interviews and a further review of the secondary research reports, a final survey questionnaire was prepared. 2) Quantitative Research: For quantitative research, after making the initial questionnaire it was pretested with 5 participants and was improvised. The final sample was 30 with target group being A and A+ socio-economic class people. In June 2009, the survey was conducted to observe the behavior pattern of consumers in buying luxury products. Purpose Based on the existing data and the findings of the survey, it can be understood what influences a consumer to buy a luxury product and how to reach a consumer. The different perspectives of luxury products from a consumer?s point of view can be understood giving a detailed insight as to how to position a product as luxury product. Consumer? s expectations from a luxury product will help us to understand the modifications needed in a product to be categorized as luxurious product. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 27 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Sampling Sampling procedure: The sample is selected in a random way, but those having a car with nearly worth more than 5lakhs. It was collected through mails and personal visits to the known persons, by formal and informal talks and through filling up the questionnaire prepared. The data has been analyzed by using the graphical method prepared in Microsoft Excel. Sample size: The sample size of my project is limited to 30 only. This is limited due to time constraints. Sample design: Data has been presented with the help of bar graph, pie charts, stacked graphs etc. Limitation: ? Time limitation ? Research has been done only at Mumbai ? Some of the persons were not so responsive ? Possibility of error in data collection ? Possibility of error in analysis of data due to small sample size Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 28. Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Analysis: In qualitative research, a personal interview was conducted of 10 people to understand the perception of luxury products and their purchase decision making process. The layout of the interview was: Warm up General details about the person, his family background, his interests and his lifestyle Luxury Product To understand their perception of luxury products and steps involved in purchasing a luxury product. Car, Holiday Club To understand his perception of a luxurious holiday and his planning process while going on a holiday. To understand his attitude towards clubs and decision making of a car Factors influencing To understand various factors that influence his decision for buying a particular luxury product. For qualitative questionnaire see appendix 1 For quantitative questionnaire see appendix 2 Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 29 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Qualitative Analysis: The Depth Interviews conducted gave some valuable insights into the mindset of the consumer? s perception about luxury products and their decision making process during purchase. Some of the interesting responses based on which quantitative questionnaire was made are as follows: 1) What is your opinion about luxury products? â€Å"Depends, it may be different for different people. DVD, TV and other stuffs would be luxury for me. † â€Å"They are good for show off† â€Å"Luxury products are created by seller. They are not necessities for a buyer but a need has been created by the seller. The way the products are advertised, branded and presented, a need is created to buy it. † â€Å"First and foremost it gives you a satisfaction in life, satisfaction that you are making use of the dreams that are available in the market. It can also be used as a status symbol. † â€Å"If you can afford it one must consider luxury products. What is the point if you can earn so much money and still don’t spend on luxury products? † Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 30 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products Observation: Luxury Products have different perceptions with different people. Some think it is a need created by buyer where as some feel these are products good for show-off. Some consider it as a status symbol. 2) Is luxury a necessity? â€Å"Today a four vehicle has become a necessity. Though a four wheeler is a luxury still it becomes a necessity. Second example is the latest technology mobile phones. We use mobile phones even while travelling, before sleeping, after getting up, checking emails. So whatever you say about these products they have become a necessity. â€Å"It is all in the minds of the people. If they get attracted to the promotions of the product and offers, it becomes a necessity for them. As said earlier, the need is created by the seller. † 3) Name a few luxury products? Expensive Car/Bike Jewellery Club Membership Branded Perfumes Travel Holidays Expensive Car/Bike Big House Jewellery Trendy Mobile Club Membership Travel Holidays. Club Membership Travel Holidays Electronic Gadgets Branded Perfumes Branded Apparels Club Membership Electronic Gadgets Travel Holidays Branded Perfumes Branded Apparels Observation: Club Membership, Travel Holidays and Expensive Car/Bike are considered Luxury products whereas other products like Jewellery, Electronic Gadgets, Branded Perfumes and Branded Apparels are considered semi-luxury products. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 31 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products 4) Can you take us through the entire process of buying this product right from the wish to buy – actual purchase? â€Å"My process to buy a new house started 10-12 years back. I saw an advertisement in the newspaper and then went and saw the house. Once finalised, I took a loan, sold the old house and bought this new house. † â€Å"My old car was giving me lot of problem. So I decided to buy this new car. I wished to buy this a year back. I didn’t want to take loan, so saved money for a year and finally bought this. In this period, the prices went down, so it helped me. † â€Å"I had a car before I bought this new one. It took me 2 years to buy this. It was the European car of the year. I saw the ad in the newspaper and decided I wanted to buy this. Observation: Purchase of a luxury product requires lot of planning and it takes many months to buy such high value products. Proper research and information needs to be obtained about the product before finalising the product. 5) What is your opinion of holiday clubs? Would you consider them as a luxury holiday club? â€Å"If you travel around a lot, than it is worth. It is not a luxury holiday because they have different offers which are affordable by most of the people. † I would consider it as a luxury. Most of these packages are designed in such a manner that you can get discount during weekdays. Weekends are expensive. So those are the times when you have time. † â€Å"They are good and give you the necessary relaxation. I don? t consider them entirely luxury because nowadays most of the people can afford it. † Observation: Opinions about holiday clubs are varied as there is not clear understanding of necessity. There are number of clubs providing cheap holidays and hence clubs seem to be losing on the title of luxury club. Jitesh Sanghvi MMS -137, Marketing Page 32 Understanding Consumer Behaviour towards Luxury Products 6) Would you buy a counterfeit Rolex watch for a cheaper price? â€Å"I am not a watch person so I would definitely go for a counterfeit. But for.

Beer as a social drink and its subsequent acceptance across the globe.

Beer as a social drink and its subsequent acceptance across the globe. Introduction The study will start with looking at the evolution of beer as a social drink and its subsequent acceptance across the globe. The study will also investigate how different brands came in to channelize communication of beer and incorporated community activities like football, rugby and food as moments for beer consumption to increase product acceptance. We will also look at various international festivals like the Oktoberfest and the Great British Beer festival in UK which have developed as a part of beer culture and helped in the spread of the product through replicated festivals in various parts of the world. Primary research will be done through online surveys and interviews with respondents across Europe, North and South America, and Asia to understand consumer attitudes towards beer in these regions and a comparative analysis will be done on their responses. Based on the insights, the study will investigate whether a similar model can be replicated in India for the nascent beer industry under the following heads: Which of the marketing and communication strategies used in other countries would / wouldnt work in India, and why? Opportunities for replication of festival models from other countries. Implications for the Indian beer manufacturers and marketers, based on a comparative analysis of beer positioning and communication in different cultures. Literature Review A preliminary study of literature on beer industry globally and consumer behaviour revealed the following salient points: * Research shows that beer is a non-food specific drink compared to wine. It is more of a masculine and non-formal occasion drink and associated with fun and social events. When it comes to different brands of beer, it is important for them to focus on positioning and consumer engagement. Beer has slowly become more fashionable to drink with its association with activities like football, rugby and rock music. * Peer pressure plays a huge role on the consumption of alcohol. Alcohol is associated with a list of values which are belonging, excitement, warm relationships, self-fulfilment, well-respected, fun and enjoyment, security, self-respect, and sense of accomplishment. These are important cues for any company while designing their marketing and communication strategy for their brand. * In America, beer joints stress on forming communities through engaging events and activities. The ambience of the place is also very critical since beer consumption is all about having a good time. * Forming a connect with the brand is also an important parameter when it comes to selling beer. As quoted by Mike Bristol, owner-founder of Bristol Brewing Co. in Colorado Springs a lot more people want to spend on a company that they have some common association with. Theyre local, theyre in the community, and theyre visible. Import beers dont seem to be doing well in theirr market or nationally, and he think thats a shift. Beer is also seen as a product, consumption of which does not go down even in economic crisis times. * As per Culinary Currents, Beer, Wine and Spirits. (2008, September 15). Nations Restaurant News, some myths about beer are: Dark beer is heavy Ale is stronger than lager Stout is a meal in a glass Imported beer is better than domestic beer Wine is more complex than beer Fruit beers are girly beers All beer is best served ice-cold Beer and fine dining dont mix  · Some craft beer makers have also tried to mix beer with specially crafted menu like cheese and seasonal food. The restaurants have even started experimenting with beer to create cocktails to increase penetration and frequency of beer consumption. This, though, could dilute the product personality of beer which does not reflect classy, fine dining experience but a more rugged and aggressive environment. This food and beer mix is primarily targeted towards non-regular beer drinkers and first timers.  · Some stats from the US market for March-April 2008 reveal interesting facts (Category Insight, Beverage: Beer Demographics. (2008, April). RETAIL MERCHANDISER, 10.) Beer was the fourth largest in terms of US dollar sales in edible grocery supermarket category. 37% of US adults are regular beer consumers 52% of total beer drinkers are age 28 to 49, but versus their size in the beer-consuming population, 41% of beer volume is consumed by 21 to 27 year olds 32% of beer drinkers shop for beer one to three times each week 47% of beer shoppers buy wine in addition to beer; 41% add spirits 70% are male 84% are White, 10% Latino, 6% African American 59% have an income above $59,000 Grocery is the most common beer channel choice at 46% When available, shoppers overwhelmingly prefer to buy cold beer * A brand study in one of the highest beer consuming nations of the world, Czech Republic and Britain suggests that branding played an important role in the development of the organised beer market in these countries at a national level. The entire system was well structured with organisational hierarchies in place as well as streamlined distribution channels. The regional brands on the other hand, do not follow a very structured nation-wide campaign. Although the brand development in case of national brands in both these countries are at similar levels, as we go down the bracket, the branding of regional markets in Czech becomes lesser developed compared to Britain. For the Czech consumers unlike British, brands were not a consideration in making the choice for public houses as much as the taste and freshness of the beer was. To sustain these smaller breweries, a rule was enacted in which the local public houses were obliged to sell the product from the local breweries restricting t he entry of national brands into these places. This rule though, is not present in Czech Republic making branding more important for them. To keep the beer industry safe in Czech, the breweries have kept the price of their beer lower than the other West European countries. * In 2007, 7 million litres of beer was consumed at the Oktoberfest in Munich in Germany. The biggest cultural context of this festival is the symbolism of equality that is shown as people from all classes and categories sit on the same table to enjoy their beer. The fair is the worlds largest fair which attracts visitors in excess of 7 million from all over the world. Such is the pull of this festival, that similar concepts have been replicated in other countries like Canada, Brazil, USA, and India. * The â€Å"whassup† campaign by Anheuser-Busch for Bud Light revolutionised beer advertising as it targeted the core group of 21-27 year old males who loved to hang out with friends over sporting events. * The Indian consumer mindset can be divided into the following sub heads: Mind over Matter The Functional over the Ornamental Fear of Tomorrow Enjoying the Ordinary The Desire to Fit In * In UK, beer advertising has been moving towards more engaging media like the internet from televisions to deepen their customers experience. Companies like Stella Artois have invested in multi-layer brand experience which tries to connect more with the customers and at a personal level. * Taking the case of Heineken, a lot of its global success can be attributed to its consistency in quality and uniformity in brand message everywhere. The marketing of Heineken is a combination of global feeling and local execution. * In its 2004 report, Global Status on Alcohol, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated there were 2 billion drinkers of alcohol on the planet. Trends suggest that for brands to become bigger, globalisation is the way forward. This becomes slightly easier as the consumers in most developed countries and emerging economies are now well informed and despite the cultural differences, are more open to international brands. * The study of global drinking trends suggests emerging markets have much better growth rates than developed markets where the growth is static. Urbanisation, affluence and influence of mass media is playing a major role in this growth. The availability of alcohol in supermarkets is also driving consumption. Beer stands fourth after carbonated drinks, tea and water in terms of share of throat in the world. The off-premise locations are drivers of volume whereas value drivers are the on-premise outlets. In mature markets, growth will be driven by experiential marketing. Barman and barista in urban areas are acquiring celebrity chef status. * In traditional drinking alcohol essentially signified a males entry into adulthood and was associated with food. In the modern day, drinks have become more of an individuals style statement and identity. It is important now to be seen with the right drink for the right occasion. Communities and association with them has become more important than before. Another newly developing phenomenon is that of post modern drinking where connoisseurship, novelty and exclusivity are taking predominance. Themed drinking associated with specific cultures is also seeing a good interest amongst the travelling class who get exposed to different cultures frequently. Some of the names like Guinness and Scotch whiskey have become iconic as they are seeped deep in the local culture. * According to the Euromonitor report of 2005, the following are the key drivers in the beverage industries in the major countries Australia convenience and health, mature market needing to add value. Alcohol part of the culture Brazil status, sociability and convenience, developing market with opportunities for growth and adding value. Market vulnerable to economic volatility, beer and football key to national culture China affordability, convenience and status in cities, developing market with huge urban potential, rural areas remain largely unchanged France convenience, sociability and status, traditional drinking culture being eroded by changing demands and globalisation Germany price, convenience and health, mature market opportunities to add value. Interest in discounters among affluent and poor Italy sociability, status and health, mature market adapting to changes but traditional infrastructure Japan convenience, status and health, mature market, highly fragmented and source of innovation Russia affordability, convenience, status, high consumption of locally produced spirits as well as increasing presence of global brands in the cities, high beer and vodka consumption. Alcohol dependence an issue among rural male Russians Spain status, sociability and health, directional market in terms of youth drinking trends older drinkers stick to traditional drinking, young driving the post-modern UK convenience, sociability and health, mature market adding value through novelty concentrated retail infrastructure US convenience, sociability and health, mature market adding value through segmentation and premiumisation * A few of the future trends which can be seen in the global drinks industry are health awareness, fusion drinking, artisan brands and connoisseurship experiential marketing and sociability. * Specific to Germany which has the 3rd highest beer per capita consumption in the world, the consumption of beer has been slowly going down. This is attributed to rising prices and the health consciousness of the drinking population. In turn, flavoured beer, non-alcoholic beer and malt-based Ready to Drinks are showing growth in consumption. * A major development in recent years has been the role and involvement of women in purchasing the drinks. Some of the international brands have started targeting women by creating flavoured beers for them. The communication strategy still targets the male predominantly though. * Econometrics study in the US by Franke and Wilcox suggests that there is no significant correlation between the beer advertising and alcohol consumption. All advertising does is make people aware of the brands available but does not really affect the amount of beer consumed overall. A study by Waterson in UK, shows that although advertising spends increased 80% between 1978 to 1987, the actual sale of beer in this period fell by 14%. The study also included Sweden which has banned alcohol advertising since 1979 with similar results. * The April 2009 Euromonitor report on beer shows a global demand of 184.6 billion litres. In the mature markets volumes are declining but in terms of value consumption is increasing. Laws on drinking and driving are encouraging growth of low/non-alcoholic beer and currently it accounts for 2% of global beer market but is showing high growth rate especially in Muslim countries. In Spain, this category already accounts for 20% of beer volumes. There is also a trend of moving away from the conventional beer type to niche segments like wheat beer and craft beer. Dark beer is also seeing a healthy revival in growth. * Specific to India, beer consumption has registered an increase of 700% between the period of 1995-2007. The per capita expenditures on alcohol have grown at twice the rate of the average growth in the rate of expenditure in this period. The average of 24 in the country with affluence, access to mass media and information, lowering of entry barriers and high awareness levels means a goldmine of an opportunity for alcohol companies. Retailing for wine and beer is now allowed in supermarkets on a lot of states thereby reaching out to more potential consumers, especially the women. This has also resulted in more and more urban households stocking alcohol at their homes unlike earlier times. Finally, the major beer manufacturers will have to compete for an expanding but challenging global market, which will ask hard questions of the positions that global players occupy by category, price point and geography. India will form a major part of this strategy shift and it is already visible with the number of beer brands that have entered the Indian market in the past 2 years. All the research done above talks about beer as a part of the popular culture in developed markets. The challenge is to try and suggest a workable strategy for India based on consumer insight to tap the enormous potential that it offers. India today stands at the forefront of this opportunity and hence it is important for these international players to understand the cultural nuances of the Indian consumer before formulating their strategies for the market. Conceptual Framework/Problem Definition India has one of the lowest annual per capita consumption levels of beer in the world, at 1 litre. The biggest international names like InBev/Anheuser-Busch, Heineken and Carlsberg have already started making investments in the market. Carlsberg has already invested close to $ 200 milion in production facilities in the country. The other companies are also entering the market through tie-ups with local players or setting up their own breweries. The growing affluence and increased disposable incomes along with the low average age of Indians presents a huge potential waiting to be tapped by these players. The increased global travel and exposure to western media has led to changing attitudes towards alcohol. This is expected to boost beer sales, while shifting government policy regarding alcohol and reductions in taxes and duties present interesting opportunities for large domestic and multinational players alike. Some of the states have already allowed beer to be sold in supermarket f ormats thus increasing penetration of beer substantially. For international players, the race is on to establish local manufacturing facilities and distribution networks, in order to gain first-mover advantage over other entrants. Currently the Indian market is dominated by local players but lack of other options has a major role to play in this. Curiosity and aspirational value attached to imported beer presents a unique market for these international players. Clear opportunities exist for those companies which are partnering with local companies or setting up their own breweries to get a head start in this dynamic market. At this juncture it is of paramount importance for these companies to get their marketing and communication strategy right. This is all the more important because the Indian market and consumer presents a challenge which is different from any other country in the world. Even within India, the cultural diversity is such that different strategies might be needed for different parts of the country. The current literature reviewed primarily consists of work which has been done in the developed beer markets or talks about projected figures based on empirical data. The biggest gap in such projections is the lack of understanding of the Indian consumer. Launches of a number of successful international products in India backed by such research have failed because of this. This research will try and understand the cultural differences between the Indian beer drinker and the western beer drinker and do a comparative analysis to gain insights which can be used to design the marketing and communications strategy for these international companies. Beer as a product has been successful in developed countries because of the community culture they have created amongst the consumers. The research will help determine key drivers and key characteristics of the Indian beer market. Proposed Research Design The research will be carried out through administering questionnaires to the beer drinking community in urban India as well as respondents in USA, Canada, Germany, UK, Columbia, Brazil, China, France, Poland, Finland, Slovakia, Lithuania and Korea. Detailed interviews will be carried out with some respondents in all these locations through telephonic interview/online interaction to understand the culture of beer consumption there. An analysis will also be done to compare the communication of the top 3 brands of the world in all these countries to see the differences and similarities and how these consumers absorb it. The Indian respondents will then be shown the communication used in all these countries and insights will be taken on their response to each communication. This will give us insights on the cultural differences and similarities between the Indian consumer and their international counterparts. The sample size will consist of at least 10 detailed interviews of international respondents and 10 in depth interviews on Indian consumers. The questionnaires will be administered to 150 beer drinkers in India and 50 based abroad. The sample size of the questionnaire might increase based on the response of the target group. Expected Contribution The study as earlier mentioned will give a deep insight into the mindset of the urban Indian consumer with respect to beer. It will also look at what are the associations that the Indian consumer has with the alcohol industry in terms of perceptions and specifically with beer. Their responses to international communication will be recorded and analysed to define the key drivers and the key characteristics of the Indian market. The final output as mentioned in the introduction would address at the following heads: Which of the marketing and communication strategies used in other countries would / wouldnt work in India, and why? Opportunities for replication of festival models and other community building activities from other countries. Implications for the Indian beer manufacturers and marketers, based on a comparative analysis of beer positioning and communication in different cultures.