Substance Abuse Prevention Program

Substance Abuse Prevention Program Substance abuse is a serious problem. It can cause a lot of problems in peoples day to day functioning. Problems of substance abuse can be correlated to family problems, health problems, school problems and also occupational problems. Bigger problems lay within adolescents that have substance abuse problems. Substance abuse of adolescents between the ages of 12 to 17 has increased to 11.4%. This data was collected in 1997 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration. Their data also presented an increase from 2.2% to 3.8% between the ages of 12 to 13 years old (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, 1999). Therefore it is to be said that substance abuse is becoming more relevant at younger ages as time progresses. According to the National Institution of Health, the abuse of Ecstasy has increased in 12th graders from 3.0% to 4.5% and has also increased in 10th grades from 2.4% to 3.5% between the years of 2005 to 2007. Hansen and Ponton indicat ed that adolescent risk behavior of the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs will only get worse in the future. Adolescents that continue to abuse substances often experience a number of problems. Another substance that adolescents are increasingly abusing is alcohol in which 40.9% of 10th graders reported they had been drunk in the past year. According to the DSM-IV a substance abuse can be diagnosed if there is a continual pattern of substance use resulting in either failing to complete task such as school, work, or home, risking the harm of others by operating heavy machinery while under the influence. If the recurrent substance also creates legal problems by getting arrested or creates social or interpersonal problems within a 12 month period is to be considered a substance abuse. Because of these dangerous affects this paper will focus on the prevention of substance abuse rather than treating it. Negative Consequences: Adolescents are taking more risk than ever before. The consequences of these risks can encounter problems that affect their health, their lives, and their futures (Danish, 1997). Because of this early age of substance abuse more and more adolescents who are being treated are found to have more social and emotional problems (Fisher Harrison, 2000). One major consequence of a substance abuse is that it can negatively affect users health. Adolescents that are abusing illicit drugs increase their risk of death by suicide, homicide, accidents and illness (McCaig, 1995). The results of the drug abuse warning network study revealed that drug related emergencies increased by 17 % (McCaig, 1995). Not only is the physical health perceived as a negative consequence but also the users mental health. Adolescent illegal drug use causes problems involving healthy psychological growth and functioning for a healthy lifestyle (Brook et al., 1998a). Substance abusers frequently leads to depression, developmental lags, apathy, withdrawal and psychosocial dysfunctions (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1992).Substance abusers can also develop a wide cluster of personality disorders. One personality disorder that is associated with adolescent substance abuse is conduct disorder (Stratton, 1998). Conduct disorder consist of behavior and emotional problems in adolescents. Adolescents with this disorder are viewed as bad or delinquents. They have a difficult time following the basic social and cultural norms and rules in which they behave in ways that are considered socially unacceptable. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1992) Another consequence that is related to adolescent substance abuse has to do with the performance in academics. Hawkins, Catalano, and Miller (1998) cited research revealing that low levels of commitment to education and high truancy rates are related to an adolescent substance abuse. Truancies rates are also know as inexcusable absences. Low commitment to school and inexcusable absents set up bigger problems for education in the future. These bigger problems include users producing low standings compared to their class and even dropping out of school. The school consequences are very important to consider in the development of adolescents. Education is one aspect that dictates ones present and future quality of life. School dropout rates are highly correlated with adolescents that have substance abuse problems (Crowe, 1998). It is important to understand the different causes of the negative effects from a substance abuse. The more knowledge we know the better chance we have to preven t it. Cause: One cause that can make an adolescent vulnerable to start abusing substances at an early age could be due to social influences. Instead of only looking at the individual for explanations of the cause/origin of adolescent substance abuse it is also important to consider the social influences in which adolescents are surrounded by as an important causal contribution. Chau-Kiu Cheung and John Wing-Ling (2008) had conducted a study concerning the impact of social influences of adolescent substance abuse. Their study was directed to demonstrate how social influences, such as social encouragement and support are relevant to a cause of a substance abuse (Cheung and Ling, 2003). An adolescent is more likely or at greater risk of substance abuse when the adolescent is helpless due to contextual unhappiness (Patterson, 1999). From the results of Cheung and Lings study (2003), found a main interaction between social influences and contextual unhappiness. When external social influences engage i n an adolescent while they are unhappy, can create a vulnerability to abuse a substance (Cheung and Ling, 2003). Adolescents being stressed combined with an external social influence (encouragement support) also creates a vulnerability to cause a substance abuse (Cheung and Ling, 2003). The overall findings from Chau-Kiu Cheung and John Wing-Lings study (2008) shows that external forces play an important role in an adolescent substance abuse. These external forces lay in lines of our environment (peers, family members, and others) and are a huge contributor to the cause of a substance abuse. The findings from the previous study suggested that our environment is a causal factor to substance abuse. To better understand why our environment possess causality to substance abuse, we need to determine what aspects, domains, or settings put adolescents at risk for becoming substances abusers. Settings that include risk factor can include families, peer groups, schools, and your community. The more risk factors that adolescents are exposed to, the more likely the child will abuse a substances. (Hawkins and Spoth, 2001) Risk factors that appear in a family setting converse around the parents. Furthermore the risk factors revolve around parental active roles of supervision and appear in family situation (Kumpfer, Olds, Zucker,1998). For example, if there is a lack of attachment or nurturing between the parent/caregiver while that adolescent is developing. A number of investigators have shown that a close and mutually warm bond between the parent and the child is associated with less adolescent abusing drugs (Brook et al., 1993;Schmidt et al., 1996). Also drug use by a parent or sibling has been found to cause a substance abuse (Conger and Rueter, 1996; Duncan et al., 1995; Kandel, 1990; Kazdin, 1987; Loeber and Dishion, 1983; Patterson et al., 1989). If a family member is or has abused a substance and if there is a poor relationship between the child and the parent will put adolescents at risk of a substance abuser (Brook et al., 1990, 1998b). Children that have used drugs were compared to kids that have not and were found to be three times more likely to have a family member who is or has abused a substance (Brooks, La Rosa,Whiteman, Johnson, Montoya, 2000). In a study done by Brooks, La Rosa,Whieman, Johnson and Montoya (2000) did research examining family drug use, parent and child relationship, and environmental factors that contribute to a cause of a substance abuse. Strong parent and child relationships were found to decrease the chances of a substance abuse. In this study, parent-child relationship were described by support, identification, and non-conflict relationships. Results from the study (200) about parental identification suggest for a better internal representation of the father will decrease the chances of a substance abuse. This means not only the mother but the father has to spend more time with the child engaging in his or her life. This creates a close mutual relationship that will allow the child to admire his or her parental figure as a role model according to Brooks, La Rosa,Whieman, Johnson and Montoya (2002). Another aspect of the parent-child relationship was found to decreased a substance abuse was the amount o f time the parent spends with his or her child. Furthermore by parents not having a close mutual relationship and not engaging with the child will create a risk factors for a substance abuse. Overall this research presented by Brooks, La Rosa,Whieman, Johnson and Montoya (2000) demonstrated that parental drug use and poor parent child relationships are key risk components to developing a substance abuse. (Brooks, La Rosa,Whieman, Johnson and Montoya, 2002) Environmental causes outside of the family home setting can decrease the chances of a substance abuse (Brooks, La Rosa,Whieman, Johnson and Montoya, 2002). For instance, by having children attend to church regularly. Church can teach morals, values, and give guidance about life. Brooks, La Rosa,Whieman, Johnson and Montoya (2000) also hit on the importance of neighborhoods being a component of an environmental cause. Neighborhoods that are found to have violence, drug availability, low familism and non regular attendance to church will increase the chance of causality of a substance abuse. Like I mentioned previously there is more than one domain or setting that can cause an adolescent being involved in substance abuse. Not only can the family play apart in the causality of developing a substance abuse but also schools. Instead of blaming the victim we can put blame on our school systems. For example, the classrooms adolescents are attending to might not be conducting good classroom behavior or good social skills. These skills play a big role in the developmental process of an adolescent. This leaves kids very vulnerable to external forces from the classroom. Not only can the classroom be the problem but the school itself. Schools offer a lot of social activity and interactions. While being at school adolescent are at risk of associate and becoming involved with adolescent that have a substance abuse problem. This also opens up new doors for the availability of getting a hold of drugs; quantity and variety. (NIDA, 2001) Pervious intervention: Although there are a variety of types of treatments that show positive effects for a substance abuse. I want to focus on preventing a substance abuse and not blame the victim. Some adolescent substance abuse programs have attempted school based approaches, community approaches, and family based approaches. Pervious school based drug prevention programs have focused on protective factors of social influences on drug abuse. Some have been successful by delaying the use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs for adolescents in middle school. Programs that have been targeted toward middle school have been found to miss the importance of the transition phase from middle school to high school. It is important to set prevention programs to gear in to adolescents that are making this transition phase. (Lynskeyet al., 2003) Another problem with previous prevention programs (ALERT) found that their programs affect boys more that girls. The cause of this problem still remains unknown (Longshore, Ellickson, McCaffrey, Clair, 2007). The Project ALERT program was focused on middle school students. This programmed aimed its principles to motivate youth against using drugs and develop skills for resistance behavior. Project ALERT used small group activities and used techniques to examine questions and answers. These are important components to an effective program (Tobler, 1992). Pervious trials of the ALERT program have produced positive results, but they found room for improvement. Their new program called ALERT PLUS is based off the same fundamental principles of their old program; however, they have made changes to address problems. The ALERT PLUS added changes to focus on developmental changes during the transition phase of middle school to high school. Developmental changes can affect opportunities and motivation to drug use (Longshore, Ellickson, McCaffrey, Clair, 2007). These developmental changes include friendship networks and dating opportunities. Overall, the new program goals were to strengthen norms a gainst drug use, help students cope with drug situation, and learn ways to quit. Furthermore they wanted to have a better educational system for teaching students consequences of drug and cope with emotional stress. (Longshore, Ellickson, McCaffrey, Clair, 2007) Pervious results from their old program were able to prevent and reduce marijuana and tobacco in 8th grade students. However the program was not able to help students how have already smoked cigarettes. Also the old program only affected alcohol use in the short-run and not long-run. Therefore the PLUS program strengthened their lessons to improve education on alcohol use and was designed to help those who have already smoked more than one cigarette. (Longshore, Ellickson, McCaffrey, Clair, 2007) The results of the ALERT PLUS program showed significant improvements. Girls in the PLUS program reported lower rates of weekly alcohol use. Girls in the plus program were compared to girls in the original program showing a reduction of alcohol by 32%. Reductions were also found in marijuana use by 49%. Another important finding that contributed to the new program was the scores of alcohol consequences and high risk alcohol use all showing improvements. (Longshore, Ellickson, McCaffrey, Clair, 2007). Other programs mostly rely on school teachers and police officers to educate the youth during school time. In my opinion they never left enough time that adolescents need to be well educated/rounded on substance abuse. This next prevention program created by Abbey, Pilgrim, Hendrickson, Buresh, (2002) set its principles on family based substance abuse prevention. This program offers skills that are directed toward parents. These skills are designed to increase family communication and bonding. Skills in this direction will decrease the chances of an adolescent substance abuse. The families in Action (FIA), includes techniques for a stronger parent-child communication, positive behavior management, ways of interacting among the family, factors for school achievements, and education on substance abuse. These were designed to create a better overall relationship. (Abbey, Pilgrim, Hendrickson, Buresh, 2002) The FIA programs goal was to increase resiliency and protective factors within the family. The program was aimed toward children who are entering middle school. This prevention took place between 1994 to1995. It involved 37 children and 38 parents. The program involved once a week sessions for six consecutive weeks. The session went no longer than 2.5hrs. (Abbey, Pilgrim, Hendrickson, Buresh, 2002) Families were measured on three different accounts for pre and post data. They were measured on family cohesion, family communication, and family fights. Cohesion was measured by the family environment scale on a nine point rating. Family communication was also measured on a nine point scale by participants indications the number of times they had different behavioral patterns. (Abbey, Pilgrim, Hendrickson, Buresh, 2002) There were no significant finding presented between children in the FIA program when compared to a baseline group. However, the parents produced an important finding when compared to the comparison group. Parents in the FIA program had lower scores on attitudes toward tobacco, an appropriate age to drink at, and family cohesion. (Abbey, Pilgrim, Hendrickson, Buresh, 2002) Program Description: Because substance abuse is becoming active at earlier and earlier ages as the time goes on, it is important to start prevention early in a childs life. What is needed is more consistent and long term adolescent substance abuse prevention that stays associated and involved with children during their courses of development. The program needs to be consistent by reaching out to where adolescent spend most of their time. This adolescent substance abuse program includes educations and developmental skills across the family and school settings. Because substance abuse can affect ones academics, physical and mental health and ones future, it is important to start prevention as early as 8 years old. For prevention to start this early prevention needs to be focused on families and more so on parents. One leading cause to a substance abuse is having a family history or a parent who was chemically dependent. Family members who were chemically dependent put their child to be genetically vulnerable to a substance abuse (Kumpfer, 1999). The first step of prevention is to get the parents to be well rounded and educated on drugs and substance abuse. Parents need to become aware of the origins of substance abuse. Meaning they need to know the causes and effects of a substance abuse. A great way for parents to become educated is to take part in neighborhood leader groups. Leader groups offer a great opportunity for getting and giving input and output. This also leads to another important prevention aspect in the family setting. Getting involved and paying attention to the child is important. Parents need to become very active when it comes to supervising. Staying involved with your child will heighten protective factors to outweigh the risk factors. Parental involvement is a crucial ingredient to preventing a substances abuse. Involvement doesnt just mean being around the kid when he/she is at home. Parents need to reach out past the home setting. A great skill for prevention is to get involved with your childrens interest. This can include friends, activities and their fantasies like a hero/role model. This is why it is important to take part in neighborhood leader groups. It gives the chance to know your childs friends and their families. Becoming aware of who their friends are, where they come from, and getting to know the parents makes for a very strong and effective way for staying involved and having a tight relationship. Getting to know your childs interest can really make a positive impact on the child an d is a great skill for prevention. For example, take your childs favorite superhero/role model and exemplify a new anti drug message once a week that has consequence toward that hero or role model. Parents being educated, staying involved with the childs interest and having good supervising skills offers a big part in keeping this prevention program consistent and long-term. Because it is important to keep the program consistent and long term in the development of the child, education and skills need to be implemented at school settings. At this point schools offer more risk factors than protective factors for substance abuse. Because of this window of risk factors and because schools take part in a big section of development of children; prevention needs to be enforced. Most school systems do not seem to be aware of the severity of negative effects of a substance abuse. This is apparent because of how high dropout rates are correlated to substance abuse in which rates are only going up. Instead of school systems only setting aside 15-20 minutes for drug awareness assemblies, school need to set aside more time for children just as their parents. In doing so the school systems have to change their academic system. They need to implement a full education class three days a week. Instead of the children just sitting in the class room and listening to the te acher, the class is going to involve a lot of participation. This participation will not only involve inside the classroom but will also take part as an extracurricular active outside of the school. By giving children extra actives to do outside and inside of school, will lessen the chance of them becoming involved with children that already have a substance abuse problem and take away from the availability of drugs. Inside the classroom teachers will be instructed to keep kids well rounded on types of drugs, health effects, academic affect, behavior affects and what a substance abuse can lead you to, like in the juvenile system. Activities inside the class room will be meant for participation toward learning coping skills, emotional control skills and social skills. Because this program is constructed to be long term and consistent, inside school classes and the extracurricular activities need to be practiced and implemented into school academic circular systems and not just as a b rief assembly or an announcement. The extracurricular actives outside of school are going to involve children reaching out into their communities beyond the school and family settings. This component to the program will stay active throughout the whole year and the summer so transition phases are not in effect. These activities will involve children from schools giving educational seminars in public place around their community. They will take what they have learned from inside the classroom and propose anti drug messages consistently across their community. Seminars will include places such as libraries, parks, beaches, neighborhoods, churches and shopping centers. Unlike other program this program needs to stay consistent and long-term through the stage of development. That is why this program is implemented into the family, school and beyond. In summary, this educational and skills substance abuse prevention program will strengthen the protective factors and weaken the risk factors of a substance abuse. For this program to be affective it has to take place in our families and school staying consistent and long term. All the aspects of family and school settings combine to create a chance of involvement of socializing creating strong relationship in a positive manner for being substance free. By having the protective factors outweigh the risk factors we can stop this continual pattern of adolescent substance abuse.

Oedipus the King

The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once identified the key ingredients of the tragedies that his culture is so famous for. These ingredients include a character with a fatal flaw, the realization of the fault for a particular problem and the final sudden reversal of fortune. For many tragedies, the fatal flaw is demonstrated as excessive pride, which usually serves as the driving force of the play’s action. It is common, even beneficial, to have pride in oneself, but when it becomes expressed as arrogance or in defiance of one’s fate, it is considered excessive and often leads men to engage in activities that will lead to their downfall. Aristotle (1998) stated â€Å"the tragic hero falls into bad fortune because of some flaw in his character of the kind found in men of high reputation and good fortune such as Oedipus. † This attitude, commonly found in men of high station is not specifically identified as pride in the case of Oedipus and, indeed, different readings can place Oedipus’ great flaw in a number of areas. It seems as if Sophocles intended to emphasize the more common interpretation of Oedipus’ flaw being excessive pride, but other interpretations, such as Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1967 film Oedipus Rex, present other possibilities as the main character is brought through the three primary elements of tragedy. In both the play and the film, Oedipus is quickly demonstrated to have a fatal flaw. In the play, the action opens as Oedipus is approached by plague-stricken masses asking help from him as king. He responds to their appeals saying, â€Å"What means this reek of incense everywhere, / From others, and am hither come, myself, / I Oedipus, your world-renowned king† (4-8). In this statement, Oedipus’ pride in his social position is clear. In the film, though, he is seen as somewhat insecure, even as a child when he cheats at a game, and then as a haunted man with a burning mystery searing his dreams, both showing him to be a man of deep passions. Throughout the remainder of the action in the play, Oedipus’ personality clearly reflects excessive pride in his ability to force things his way. When Oedipus learned of the prediction that he was doomed to kill his father and marry his mother, he was full of self-pride to defy the fates and leave Corinth. The film depicts this as a heart-wrenching decision to never go near his parents again in order to save them followed by a time of desperate wandering through barren wastelands. While both versions indicate extreme passion involved in the killing of Laius and the claiming of Jocasta, the Oedipus in the play greets his subjects with almost concealed disdain and the Oedipus of the film greets them with sorrow and deeply shared concern. While Sophocles sets his character up to battle pride, Pasolini prepares him to come face to face with the consequences of passion. It is easy to see the irony in both play and film that if Oedipus had not been so determined to escape and prevent the prophecy, he would have not unwittingly fulfilled it. This is foreshadowed by Creon in the play just before the truth of the story is realized. Creon tells Oedipus, â€Å"You are obstinate— / obviously unhappy to concede, / and when you lose your temper, you go too far. But men like that find it most difficult / to tolerate themselves† (814-819). In this one short statement, Jocasta’s brother sums up the entire tragedy. He points to Oedipus’ stubbornness and pride in being unwilling to consider the possibility that he might be the murderer he seeks. As a result of his own impatience and driving desire to bring honor and further pride to his name, Oedipus becomes excessive in his proclamations regarding motives and punishments to be handed down and then suddenly realizes that he cannot escape the horror of his crimes. This horror is demonstrated in the film to great effect as the confused Oedipus slowly becomes overwhelmed with the possibilities, finally screaming out his confession in a now-customary burst of passion. By the end of the story, Oedipus has come to realize that everything he has done has only served to bring him closer to his evil destiny. In the process of trying to avoid fate, he has committed some of the greatest sins imaginable to him – defiled his mother’s bed, murdered his father and spawned monstrous children born of incest. Rather than face the truth and unable to take the severe wound to his pride, Oedipus stabbed out his eyes with broaches and walked away from Thebes forever, thereby sealing his doom through further prideful actions. The sudden reversal of fortune has Oedipus walking away from Thebes a blind, homeless beggar rather than the respected king he should have been based upon his more noble qualities. While this is a surprise, it is nevertheless a logical possible conclusion to the events that have taken place. This concept is brought out to greater extent in the film through the change in setting. Pasolini begins and ends the film in a contemporary setting to when the film was made. While the play suggests that Oedipus went wandering into the desert a self-blinded beggar man, the film indicates that he has been wandering a tortured individual for much longer than a normal lifespan. Thus, the elements of classic tragedy are carried throughout both play and film to slightly different interpretations. In both, a fatal flaw within the character of Oedipus drives his actions that eventually seal his own doom. Seen as it is throughout the various elements of the classic tragedian format of first demonstrating a noble characteristic to tragic proportions, then becoming aware of it and then suffering as a result of it, it cannot be missed that Sophocles was trying to illustrate to his audience the dangers of an absence of humility and common sense when he highlighted Oedipus’ excessive pride. Pasolini seems to have been more interested in warning his audiences about the sins of excessive passion. This is, in some sense, what Aristotle was trying to communicate regarding the purpose of tragedy, which he describes as â€Å"an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished with each kind of artistic ornament, the several kinds being found in separate parts of the play †¦ through pity and fear effecting the proper purgation of these emotions† (Aristotle cited in Friedlander, 2005). By illustrating the various things that can go wrong when one believes they have no flaws, Sophocles and Pasolini hoped to encourage a closer connection with truth as a means of avoiding Oedipus’ fate. Works Cited â€Å"Aristotle. † Critica Links. (1998). The University of Hawaii. May 21, 2007 Pasolini, Pier Paolo (Dir. ). Edipo Re. Perf. Silvana Mangano, Franco Citti, Carmelo Bene, Julian Beck & Ninetto Davoli. Arco Films, 1967. Sophocles. Antigone, Oedipus the King, Electra. Oxford World’s Classics. Ed. Edith Hall. Oxford University Press, 1998.

Market Research on Luxury Watches Essay

Market Trend There was a slow-down in the growth in sales of premium and luxury watches in India in 2008-’09. It prompted the market leader Titan industries to enter the economy market. Following the footsteps, luxury watch brands like Tag Heuer and Rolex introduced low-price models. But in recent years, mobile phones may also have dampened growth in the penetration of watches in India, as they provide a time read-out as well as alarm and other time-related functions. Watch industry experts believe that their product’s original function is increasingly losing importance, and that wristwatches are now being bought as fashion accessories. Owning more than one watch is like owning different pieces of jewellery. Competitive landscape The economy watch demand is being met for the most part by the unorganised sector and by direct imports. The premium segment is increasingly being peppered by fashion brands such as Esprit, Swatch, Fossil and Tommy Hilfiger. There has also been strong value growth for these brands, with growing demand from middle- and upper-income groups in urban India. Titan, HMT and Maxima are the leading Indian players and Timex, Casio and Swatch are now the strong multinational players in the market. More multinationals are entering the retail market, but no new domestic companies have done so, and the multinationals’ share of value sales has increased over the review period. Premium Brand & Product Perception With the watches market in India now becoming fashion and style driven, especially at the premium end, companies now launch models and designs every six months. International brands such as Fossil launch spring/summer and winter ranges. Titan, on the other hand, times its launches to fit in with the Indian festive season – Deepavali and weddings. Companies like Casio and Swatch and luxury brands like Rolex are exploring a niche market for chronographs, but this is currently negligible. Companies also need to respond to product innovations. The Citizen eco-friendly watch has been well received in India and is reportedly selling well in its price bracket, eliminating the trouble of replacing batteries and encouraging the use of multiple watches. Apparel brands such as Esprit, Tommy Hilfiger, Benetton and Levi’s have all gained familiarity among India’s urban youth, who may become more willing to try these brands’ premium watches. Affluent, urban Indians may feel more comfortable about buying premium watches, while continuing to regard luxury watches as examples of overindulgent or insensitive spending. ‘New’ Rich India : The ‘New’ rich India is now indulging into the experience of owning Luxury Brands. India’s rapidly growing high-end retail market is expected to increase from the around $3. 5 billion in 2008 to $30 billion by 2015. Luxury clothing, fragrances, premium wine, high-end watches have achieved good penetration among male Indian consumers. Among women, jewellery and cosmetics can already boast high levels of awareness, followed by categories such as handbags and mobile phones. These items, while not necessarily being better (in quality, performance, or appearance) than their less expensive substitutes, are purchased with the main purpose of displaying wealth or income or status symbol of their owners. There is a distinct shift from ‘Old luxury’ to ‘New luxury’. Old luxury is defined by the attributes, qualities and features of the product, whilst ‘New luxury’ is defined by the consumer’s point of focus on the experience that their purchase stimulates and not in ownership or possession of the product itself. † The customers Redefined luxury as they believe it to be a sign of self worth – â€Å"They are worth it;† it authenticates the buyer’s success and status; it is a signal to others that the owner is a member of an exclusive group; They require flawless performance in this application, the cost of product malfunction is too high to buy anything but the best. Motivation of Study: The matter of wearing and enjoying fine timepieces is a passion that these days must be justified. We like nice expensive watches even though cheap watches exist to do the same thing. Hence like any other luxury good , today modern shoppers buy luxury goods to reward themselves, to satisfy psychological needs or to make themselves feel good to show off their personality or to boost their self-esteem. Contribution of the research: This study aims to understand the above said consumer buying behaviour which will help the present marketing Managers to better reposition their branding and advertising strategy to capture the correct target market for luxury products to boost the sales in times where economy are at a challenge. Literature Review: Research Objective: This study intends to find out if consumer buying behaviour of young purchasers are influenced by factors such as premium price of luxury watches, perceived quality of luxury watches, societal status and brand loyalty associated with the consumption of luxury brand. This study also intends to evaluate whether perceived qualities of the luxury branded watch have influence on the buying decision of consumer. It is also intended to determine whether the high quality standards of luxury watches are the reasoning consumers opt for the luxury watches. Affiliations of social status of acquiring certain luxury branded goods will also be studied to understand whether consumer buying luxury branded goods just for the matter of being affiliate with certain quarters of people having the same luxury brand of goods. This study also will also evaluate whether brand loyalty of luxury brand will influence the buying decision of consumer. This study also aims to uncover whether a person who has been abroad is a reason for the consumer purchasing a luxury watch Research Question: The purpose of this study is to evaluate what motivational factors encourage consumers into purchasing luxury brand watches . In evaluating this statement , this study aims to answer the following questions : †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Is it the price or the type of users of the brand that drives the buying behaviour of the consumer for luxury branded goods? Is it the strong emotion of discriminating themselves with the lower class consumers that drives higher class consumers to turn to luxury brands? Is it the tag name of a mega brand that drives the long term demand for that luxury brand? Is gender a deterministic factor in deciding the purchase of a luxury brand? If yes then what factors are important gender wise ? Is it the product utility or the brand perception that is key for luxury watch brands? Will a person’s visit abroad influence his decision to purchase a luxury watch? Previous Research contribution : Findings of overall previous research indicate that individual’s preferences plays a key role in purchasing luxury goods. Individual’s preferences may be based on desire and non-desires, which are based on experience in purchasing luxury items from their satisfaction, or nondesire such as bias towards brand products. Leibenstein (1950, p. 188) classified demand of goods and services consumption in relevant to motivation into two main aspects: functional and non-functional. Functional demand is â€Å"demand for a commodity which is due to the qualities inherent in the commodity itself†. On the contrary, demand of goods consumption that comes from other factors, which is not the product quality, is defined non-functional demand. The outcome from Leibenstein’s (1950) study especially stresses the role of interpersonal effects towards luxury brands consumption, and derived three main effects; Veblen, Snob, and Bandwagon INTERPERSONAL EFFECTS Perceived Conspicuous Value Perceived unique Value Perceived Social Value Ostentation Non-Conformity Conformity VEBLENIAN SNOB BANDWAGON Interpersonal effects (Vigenron & Johnson) (1999 p. 7) Veblen Effect: The Veblen effect can be explained through conspicuous consumption in which people feel that it is necessary to purchase luxury products because they have a high price tag (Leibenstein, 1950). Conspicuous consumption is use by people to show wealth, power and status (Veblen, 1899). Prices of product have a significant aspect in consumers’ opinion of quality (Vigneron & Johnson, 1999). Studies by Erickson & Johansson (1995) have shown that price is used to judge quality of luxury products between a range of brands. Usually people would associate high prices with better quality. Additionally, those who do associate high prices with better quality would also suggest that high prices show a considerable amount of prestige (Lichtenstein et al. , 1993). Snob Effect: The snob effect takes into account personal and emotional desires (personal effects), and the influence of other people’s behaviour (interpersonal effects) towards the purchasing of luxury brand products (see Figure 1). The snob effect can be further explained through two circumstances. Firstly, the launch on new products which creates exclusivity in which the snob would purchase the product immediately because a minor amount of consumers at that particular time would have acquired it. Snob consumers only purchase â€Å"limited items that have a high value, whereas those readily available are less desirable. Rare items demand respect and prestige† (Solomon, 1994,p. 570). Products that are viewed as unique, popular, and expensive causes a higher demand for consumers (Verhallen & Robben, 1994), especially snob consumers. Snyder and Fromkin (1977) support the statement by Verhallen and Robben (1994) suggesting that people have the desire to be unique. India:The Affluent Masses: Luxury volumes have been spurred by a significant growth in the rich in recent past. The new rich come in varied shapes, sizes and style quotients. Exporters, multinational bankers, college kids earning plum salaries at call centers or BPO operations, well-heeled corporate wives, and successful entrepreneurs. What they have in common is that they have very high purchasing power Bandwagon Effect : The bandwagon effect represents consumers who purchase luxury products because they wish to fit in with a particular group. For example, people would consume products that are fashionable and stylish to associate themselves to similar people (Berry, 1994). Dubois & Duquesne (1993) explains that the snob and bandwagon effect are not alike. Although the similarity between the bandwagon and the snob effect is that people wish to enhance their self-concepts, the differentiation is that they purchase luxury items for different reasons. Bandwagon consumers purchase items to be fit in with others, whereas snob consumers purchase items to be unique and stand out. Individuals who fit in with groups that purchase luxury brand products and/ or wish to differentiate themselves from people who do not purchase luxury brands are influenced by the bandwagon effect (Vigneron & Johnson,1999) Luxury is reward :First time/New Purchasers :They use luxury goods as a status symbol to say â€Å"I’ve made it! †. They are motivated by their desire to be successful and demonstrate this to others. Luxury brands that have widespread recognition are popular; however they don’t wish to appear lavish or hedonistic in their appearance. They want to purchase â€Å"smart† luxury that exhibit importance while not leaving them open to criticism. Personal Effects : Consuming luxury products can also be from personal desires and taste. PERSONAL EFFECTS Perceived Emotional Value Perceived Quality Value Self-Actualization Reassurance HEDONIST PERFECTIONIST Personal effects (Vigenron & Johnson) (1999 p. 8) Hedonic Effect The hedonic effect occurs when consumers purchase luxury products and value the item. People who purchase items for self-fulfillment (e. g.inner direct consumers, Riesman, et al. , 1950, or role relaxed consumers, Kahle, 1995), and those who are not affected by interpersonal influences (e. g. conforming to group norms,Bearden, et al. , 1989) represent the hedonic effect. Dichter (1960) explains that motivation of noncognitive and unconscious is able to persuade consumer preference of products. Products that are consumed are known to have an emotional value that is added to their character (Vigneron & Johnson, 1999). When consumers purchase luxury products they expect that the item will offer benefits such as exclusiveness. Dubois & Laurent, (1994) stated that if products create an emotional value for consumers, it represents that the product is beneficial and holds an important characteristic. Perfectionist Effect The perfectionist effect exists when consumers purchase luxury items and expects superior products and performance as well as quality (Vigneron & Johnson,1999). People who represent the perfectionist effect are those who are associated to personal values and judge a product according to their value of a luxury band product. An example of the perfectionist effect is when consumers are purchasing a luxury watch they expect it to be accurate. According to Groth and McDaniel, (1993, p. 10) stated that â€Å"high prices may even make certain products or service more desirable†, because people view products with high prices with great quality (Rao & Monroe, 1989). Additionally, consumers may assess the level of how luxury a product is by its quality (Vigneron and Johnson, 1999). Methodology Research Method: Quantitative data consists of closed end information that includes numerical figures. The study has collected quantitative data by applying closed-end questions towards a questionnaire. Focus Group Discussion to understand attributes both physical and emotional that influence the purchase of a luxury watch. The group comprised of 7 individuals , 3 female and 4 male participants who have been users of luxury watches. Data Collection: Primary Data collection: Gathering information from consumers of luxury watches through online questionnaire survey Secondary Data Collection: Research insights and hypothesis design with the help of previously published research work on luxury goods buying behaviour. Sampling: Non-probability sampling method is adopted. Since the target audience or respondents of interest are consumers of premium or luxury watches, the sampling method adopted here is convenience sampling and snow-ball sampling. Measurement & Scaling: Measurement Techniques used ? Perception map : ? Utility of features in the watch : Chronograph, Double dial, Indicator light etc. ? Stylish Designs that make the watch a fashion statement Respondents were asked to rate the 10 different brands in order to obtain their perception of these brands on the above defined dimensions Based on two predefined dimensions i. e ? ? ? Exploratory Factor Analysis : To understand the underlying factors influencing the purchase behaviour of luxury watch for men & women and overall Regression: To understand which interpersonal & personal effect is critical when consumers make a luxury watch purchase decision Discriminant Analysis: To understand the group behaviours based on the following discriminating variable ? Gender ? Trip abroad ? Work Experience:Purchasing power ? AMOS : Confirmatory Factor analysis to ascertain the Exploratory Factor Analysis RESULT AND ANALYSIS 1. Discriminant Analysis: Work-Ex & Fresher Inference: Wilk’s lambda (0.627) is more than 0. 4 which is not significant; Box M test is also insignificant However based on analysis top 5 attributes discriminating work ex & fresher are Attributes Q5_7_attribute_analog Q5_2_attribute_alarm Q5_12_attribute_torch Q5_9__attribute_calculator Q4_8_attribute_celebrity_endorsement Variable weight of discriminating function -. 366 . 361 . 331 . 271 . 262 2. Discriminant Analysis: Gender Inference: Wilk’s lambda (0. 578) is more than 0. 4 which is not significant; based on analysis top 5 attributes discriminating males & females Attributes Variable weight of discriminating function. Q4_3_attrifashion_statement Q5_3_attribute_dualclock Q5_13_attribute_barometer Q5_8_attribute_motionsensor Q9_2_buy_in_store .329 -. 285 -. 269 -. 259 -. 255 3. Discriminant Analysis: Abroad Visit Inference: Wilk’s lambda (0. 573) is more than 0. 4 which is not significant; however based on analysis top 5 attributes discriminating foreign visited and not visited people Attributes Q5_9__attribute_calculator Q5_6_attribute_color Q5_16_attribute_warranty Q5_11_attribute_straptype Q4_9_attribute_brand_image Variable weight of discriminating function . 228 . 225 . 221 -. 207 -. 205 3) Exploratory Factor Analysis-(Male & Female) Research Question:- Is gender a deterministic factor in deciding the purchase of the luxury watch. If yes what factors are important gender wise? Hypothesis:- Women while making luxury goods purchase give more importance to emotional factors whereas Men go for Physical Utility features Factor analysis for male respndents(58 males) Results:? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Fac1(Ostentation): o o o o o o o o ? ? ? ? ? ? Sth to remmeber, hand gesture, to be unique Fac2(value added feature) Calculator,digital,compass. Fac3(Generic requirements) Shape, water resistance Fac4(Economic requirements) Discounts Fac 5(Tech savvy) Compass, Motion sensor Fac 6(basic) Analog,water resistance Fac 7(Wrist suitability) Strap type Fac 8(extra feautres):Date and day display, brand image Exploratory factor analysis female Respondents (23 females):Fac1(Economical): o o o o o o Warranty, after sales, analog, emotional satisfaction Fac2(Style) Social status, to be unique, fashion statement Fac3(Special requirements) Alarm,altimeter, digital,dual clock Fac4(value added feature) Calculator,compass,barometer, torch Fac 5(Tech savvy) Hand gesture,discount Fac 6(Exclusivity) Motion sensor,alarm,brand image Result Analysis:? Men:o Attach importance to Ostentaion, value added feaures and style(veblenian effect and perfectionist effect are dominating) ? Women:o Style, Economic attributes an generic requirements ( Hedonist and snob effects dominate 4. Checking the Interpersonal and personal effects shown by males and female while purchase of luxury watch in Store Research Question:o Is it the price or the type of users of the brand that drives the buying behaviour of the consumer for luxury branded goods? o Is it the strong emotion of discriminating themselves with the lower class consumers that drives higher class consumers to turn to luxury brands? o Is it the product utility or the brand perception that is key for luxury watch brands? Hypothesis:-Luxury watch purchase is primarily to show off and as an indicator of status symbol: veneblian effect. Users also buy luxury watches due to perceived emotional value or for hedonist reasons Veneblian Effect:- Snob Effect Bandwagon Effect Hedonistic effect Type of effect Veneblian snob Bandwagon Hedonistic Coefficient 0. 517 0. 499 0. 274 0. 305. Inference:- As we can clearly observe from the above table that the veneblian effect is very prominent in all cases of interpersonal or personal effects. That means People tend to buy Luxury watches to show off of their Public and Social Status. Snob and Bandwagon effect follows Veneblian effect. 5. Regression Analysis to check whether long term demand for luxury watches is driven by brand image Research Question : Is it the brand image that drives the long term demand for that luxury brand? Hypothesis : Brand Image for lucury brands is responsible for the long term demand of these watches. Inference : Regression is insignificant with respect to the variables that drive brand image. Even the R^square value is 0. 071. Hence we can infer that brand image is not a good factor to explain the long term demand for luxury watches. 6. AMOS The default model is created based on exploratory factor analysis and taking research literature into account. Model Fit Summary Check: Cmin/DF 2-5 OK GFI > 0. 9 Not OK PGFI>0. 5 OK NFI,TLI,CFI>0. 9 Not OK RMSEA max 0. 1 Not OK Model is comparatively fit as such But Goodness of fit index is not holding well. Validity & Construct Reliability S No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Attributes Q4_1_attribute_social_status Q4_3_attribute_fashion_statement Q4_2_attribute_to_be_unique Q4_6_attribute_emotional_satisfaction Q4_9_attribute_brand_image Q5_9__attribute_calculator Q5_10_attribute_compass Q5_12_attribute_torch Q5_13_attribute_barometer Q5_3_attribute_dualclock Q5_4_attribute_altimeter Q5_2_attribute_alarm Q5_5_attribute_digital Q5_7_attribute_analog Q5_8_attribute_motionsensor Q5_16_attribute_warranty Q4_10_attribute_secon_time_brandpurchase Q4_4_attribute_premiumwatch_collection Q4_8_attribute_celebrity_endorsements. Constructs Error e1 e2 Delta 1. 028 1. 079 0. 608 0. 635 1. 282 1. 323 1. 687 1. 473 1. 793 1. 816 1. 032 2. 133 1. 407 1. 074 2. 078 0. 179 1. 402 1. 367 2. 019 Lambda 1 0. 67 0. 922 0. 884 0. 997 1 0. 912 0. 971 0. 774 1 1. 135 1. 005 1. 258 1 0. 876 0. 84 0. 403 1. 231 1 AVE CR Exclusivity e3 e4 e5 e6 e7 0. 81 0. 81 Tech_Savvy e8 e9 e14 0. 84 0. 68 Value_Added _Feature e15 e16 e17 e21 1. 22 0. 75 Reliability e22 e23 e26 0. 82 0. 69 Brand_Perce ption.

Sociology and Consumer Society - 1326 Words

TM02 Plan †¢ Introduction †¢ Consumer Society – choices and freedom †¢ Seduced and the Repressed †¢ Consuming uses and behaviour †¢ Baumans theories †¢ Supermarkets – how they seduce us †¢ Why big supermarkets can sell cheap goods and small shops can’t compete †¢ Repressed cant compete †¢ Conclusion –do we have freedom of choice TMA02 Explore the claim that consumer society is characterised by freedom of choice. Introduction. †¢ My essay is going to look at the claim do we have a freedom of choice in Consumer Society , and is it characterised by different concepts or is it by choice we shop and do things in certain ways. Living in today’s consumer society gives us freedom of choice dependant on our†¦show more content†¦Bigger supermarkets can afford to give unbeatable offers due to buying in mass quantities cheaply and also the fact that most supermarkets are out of town offering easy access and everything under one roof. Our choice of supermarket is often ruled by our friends/work colleagues due to class distinction if we shop at the cheaper one noses get turned up, if we shop at the more expensive questions are asked ‘how can you afford . ‘Supermarkets/stores enticing you in through their doors goes back to the industrial era, where the early department stores first opened up to the wealthy seducing them with a variety of goods that before could only be bought from specialist people, it then progressed to letting the poorer working class in through the doors i.e Selfridges opened its doors to the wealthy then decided to hold the Penny sale days where the poorer could hav e a taste of the luxuries they sold, Woolworths then came along and catered for all walks of life. 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