Kanes Blasted Essay -- Theater Play Analysis

â€Å"I’ve only ever written to escape from hell-and it’s never worked-but at the other end of it when you sit there and watch something and think that’s the most perfect expression of the hell that I felt then maybe it was worth it. (Sarah Kane, Royal Holloway College, London, 3 November 1998).† (Saunders. 2002: 1). Both representative and reflected in this statement made by the British playwright Sarah Kane (1971-1999) (Sierz. 2001: 90-91) is the state of being human. In its literal sense the state of being human could be illustrated as an expression of existence. That of the individual and characteristics and traits experienced through the life of mortal man. (Oxford English Dictionary. 2006: 61 & 366). In addition to this, the associated meaning with the word ‘tested’ suggests ‘a difficult situation that reveals the strength or quality of someone or something.’ (Oxford English Dictionary. 2006: 785). When defined in t hese terms, this then opens up the question to how an expression of human-existence is revealed under pressure in Sarah Kane’s play Blasted (1995). The twentieth century British playwright Sarah Kane’s (1971-1999) first and sensational drama Blasted opened in the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London, in January 1995. (Saunders. 2002: 2). From the outset Kane’s play stirred much controversy within the media. The title itself had a great impact upon its audience, as blasted through its formed meaning and literal association is a term ‘expressing annoyance.’ (Oxford English Dictionary. 2006: 70). As stated by the British theatre critic Aleks Sierz, Kane’s Blasted is â€Å"a shocking play whose raw language and powerful images of rape, eye-gouging and cannibalism provoked critical outrage†¦Kane exploded theatri... ...tp://www.robertsilverstone.com/wp-content/articles/Art_of_Being_Human_Part1.pdf. [Accessed 21st April 2012] Stephens, S. (2010) Sarah Kane’s debut play Blasted returns. [On-line] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2010/oct/24/sarah-kane-blasted. [Accessed 21st April 2012] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, (2009) War. [On-line] Available from: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/war. [Accessed 21st April 2012] The Guardian, (2005) ‘Suicide art? She’s better than that.’ [On-line] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2005/oct/12/theatre. [Accessed 21st April 2012] Wixson, C. (2005) â€Å"In Better Places†: Space, Identity, and Alienation in Sarah Kane’s Blasted. [On-line] Available from: http://muse.jhu.edu.ezproxy.falmouth.ac.uk/journals/comparative_drama/summary/v039/39.1.wixson.html. [Accessed 19th April 2012]

Mohandas Ghandi Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio

Mohandas â€Å"Mahatma† Gandhi Mohandas Gandhi was easily one of the greatest political leaders of the twentieth century, yet he had no power what so ever. He was just a man, who influenced a non-violent revolt to gain India’s independence. Unfortunately after India did gain their independence, the struggle was not over. Gandhi was still in no form of power, and only was an adviser. As he had struggled throughout his life for India, been imprisoned for many years for India, it is interesting how on the evening of one of his usual prayers, an Indian waits in the crowd to kill him. On January 30th 1948, Bapu (Sanskrit for â€Å"father† commonly used with Gandhi and the â€Å"father of India†) was shot and killed, while having his nightly public walk. Mohandas Gandhi was one of the most powerful political leaders of the twentieth century, because of his strives for the independence of India through non-violent consent. Mohandas’ first enthusiasms towards non-violent resistance was discovered in South Africa when he was severely discriminated and realized something had to be done about the harsh discrimination towards blacks and Indians in South Africa. In South Africa he adopted his ideology of the devotion to the ‘truth’. â€Å"Gandhi launched his first civil disobedience campaign, using a technique he called Satyagraha, a Sanskrit word. Satya means truth and love; agraha means firmness or force. Satyagraha is often translated as â€Å"truth force.†Ã¢â‚¬ 1 He began to create a peaceful resistance, and using no violent measures. Many Indians and blacks were jailed but in the face of peaceful blacks and Indians simply trying to get more rights peacefully, the South African General had no choice but to negotiate with Gandhi, giving him his first of many vi... ...d advise violence.†5 Gandhi did not advicate cowardism, and certainly was not one. Infact Gandhi was never afraid. â€Å"If I die by the bullet of a madman, I must do so smiling. Should such a thing happen to me, you are not to shed one tear.†6 Mohandas Gandhi’s strive towards the independence and freedom of the Indian people, elevated him to being one of the most powerful and influential people in the twentieth century. Not only has he inspired people in his nation, but in countries around the world, in the struggle in peaceful and non-violent civil disobedience, instead of bloodshed. Bibliography Cheney, Glenn Alan, Mohandas Gandhi. New York: Grouer Company, 1983. Malaspina, Ann, Mahatma Gandhi: and India’s Independence. Berkeley Heights: Enslow Publishers, 2000. Mohandas Gandhi,† Wikipedia, 27th September 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi

To what extent do pressure groups undermine democracy

It is a varied opinion in society that pressure groups undermine democracy: some people believe strongly, some people don’t. It is hard to begin to analyse whether this is the case or not, as there are a varying amount of factors that need to be considered before a final decision and be made. In the first instance of answering this question, we need to find out the two types of pressure groups; elitist pressure groups and pluralist pressure groups.Elitism is the theory that political power is concentrated in the hands of a few, which therefore sort of emphasises a dictatorship in some instances. Whereas the other type of pressure group ideology is the theory of the distribution of political power that holds that power is widely and evenly dispersed in society, rather than concentrated in the hands of an elite or ruling class, which from an outside point of view, would look like it promotes democracy.Supporters of pressure group would lead this on to say that pressure groups en hance this sense of pluralism in our democracy and make our democratic system much more effective. Although the opposite argument to this is that people claim that many organized groups can undermine the policy making process because they are dominated by people with vested interests concerned only to improve the position of certain groups within society, not the welfare of the whole country.Pressure groups also help to promote democracy because they widen the distribution of political power because pressure groups compete against one another and this ensures that no group can remain on top of all the others, so prevents an elitist situation whereby the ideologies pluralism is completely outcast from the situation. However as one group begins to turn more influential, other groups come into existence to combat them and offer rival viewpoints.Due to this, public policy is created through an ongoing debate between rival groups that ensures that political influence is widely and evenly dispersed. However, as we already know, a healthy democracy needs a high level of political participation in order to function correctly. Pressure groups are thought to have a positive effect on political participation because pressure groups support single issue politics because most pressure group are seen to be fighting for one issue, and people like this sense of working to one targeted issue and it has become popular amongst young people  to join in with the grass-roots activism that pressure groups are promoting, so supporters of pressure groups say that they increase political participation.Evidence for this increase in political participation is that in the 2005 general election the turnout was 61. 4%, however the 2010 general election saw a 2 million increase in the electoral turnout to 65%: from 2005 to now, there has been an ever-increasing number of pressure group memberships, so this may show a positive correlation between pressure group memberships and political par ticipation.Supporters of pressure groups would also say that pressure groups are good for democracy as they educate the electorate. Pressure groups promote political debate and argument and in doing this, they give birth to a more educated voter and this then leads to and improved quality of public policy. Without this education, it would be simply down to the media to educate the electorate on this issue, which is a very flimsy way of doing so. Pressure groups also offer alternative view points and widen information available to the public.For example the NSPCC offers a huge education programme on their website in order to educate their members on the wider issues of child cruelty. In many ways, pressure groups are able to raise the quality of political debate by introducing specialist knowledge and greater expertise. However pressure groups do hinder democracy in the sense that they sometimes hold a disproportionate influence over the government due to the power which particular g roups hold. For example the BMA represents only a small proportion of the country.Yet it has great influence over the government because its members provide an important service. A further example of this factor is the NFU. Again, they represent a small proportion of the country, but retain a huge influence over the government as they provide Britain's food supply. Another undemocratic feature of pressure groups is the way in which their influence can rely on financial clout rather than the proportion of public support. This theory applies to many of the protection groups whom have greater capital than many well supported causal groups.An example is Bernie Ecclestone who used to have connections with Tony Blair to arrange a meeting in which the prime minister agreed to extend the deadline for the removal of tobacco advertising in formula one racing by 5 years, a few months later Ecclestone made a 1 million pound donation to the labour party, so connections like this from pressure gr oup members to high profile people, lead to undemocratic things like this occurring. In addition to this, power held by pressure groups can depend on the size of the membership.Initially, this many seem more of a democratic factor rather than a undemocratic feature; surely if a group has a large membership it represents more of public opinion than one which has fewer members. An example which proves this is that of Anti-vivsection. The anti vivisection group has a reasonably large membership, yet the vast majority of the public support animal testing for medical purposes. In fact, up until 2005 no pressure group which opposed the views of anti vivisection even existed. If we were to go purely by the membership of these group prior to 2005, the data would indicate that 100% of the pubic supported anti vivisection.One of the main reasons as to why the pluralist image of group politics is bad, is that it doesn’t simply just disperse power more widely and empower ordinary citizen s, pressure groups simply tend to empower the powerful even more and it therefore increases political inequality. Pluralists argue back and say that political in equality is broadly democratic, in that most successful groups are the ones with the large membership base however in reality, the most powerful pressure groups are the one which have the most money, so this is another reason as to why pressure groups undermine democracy, because they increase political inequality.In conclusion I believe that there are several ways in which pressure groups do undermine democracy, however I agree with the pluralist view that allowing a wide range of beliefs and ideologies to flourish promotes democracy, mainly by educating the public into making informal judgements on current affairs.

Dialogue as Empathic Conversation

Organizational communication : balancing creativity and constraint / Eric M. Eisenberg, H. L. Goodall, Jr. , Angela Trethewey. Boston : Bedford/St. Martin's, c2010. ISBN: 9780312574864 ; Pages: 26-52 M IMIII;WJI D efining Organizational Communication As stated in the last chapter, as long as t here have been humans, there has been organizing, and with organizing comes a concern about how to do better, whether the task is hunting, coaching a sports team, o r r unning a multinational corporation . Unfortunately, those with practical interest in improving organizational communication have n ot always adopted the same definitions and assumptions.F or example, when engineers speak o f t he importance o f communication, they often (but not always) refer t o its role in promoting clarity and consensus. I n contrast, a group o f clergy ca lling for improved communication would likely focus o n the evocative and emotional power o f discourse. I n this chapter, we describe some common approach es t o organizational communication, including models o f commtmication as information transfer, transactional process, strategic control, and a balance o f creativity and constraint. W e conclude with a model o f communication as mindful dialogue as well as a discussion o f integrity and ethics.  §J APPROAC HE S T O O RGANIZATIONAL C OMMUNICATION O f the various conceptions o f organizational communication, four have attracted the greatest number o f adherents: ( l) communication as information transfer, (2) communication as transactional process, (3) communication as strategic control, and (4) communication as a balance o f creativity and constraint. 26 Chapter 2: Defining Org:mizarion in many people's u nderstanding o f o rganizational c ommunicar:ion. F or example, the general m anager o f a large aerospace company hired several pilots ro fly over his manufacturing p lant and d rop h undreds o f Hyers with the message: â€Å"S

Porpyria’s Lover

Porphyria’s Lover – Critical Essay by Scott Jackson Q – Choose a poem that is written in the form of a dramatic monologue. Explain how the poet exploits the features of a Dramatic Monologue in order to create a memorable impression of a character or event. In the poem ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ by Robert Browning the poet exploits the features of the of the poem style of dramatic monologue to create a memorable impression of the main character.The first device used to create the memorable impression is pathetic fallacy in lines two, three and four where the writer says; â€Å"The sullen wind†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"†¦Tore the elm tops down for spite†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"†¦Did its worst to vex the lake:† respectively. These techniques are used to show the main character’s very negative and very depressed emotions at the start of the poem before he sees Porphyria.The effectiveness of this being in a dramatic monologue is we are able to view all of his emotions on a more personal level this in turn makes the character of the lover more memorable to the reader. This idea continues onto line five where the reader says, â€Å"†¦With heart fit to break† this is again another insight on a personal level to the characters emotions showing that he is extremely saddened and it emphasizes the character more within the reader as we are seeing things purely from the character’s point of view.Another device used to create an impression of the character within the reader was in line six when the writer says â€Å"and glided in Porphyria† this shows that the character of Porphyria is very gracious and also very beautiful through the eyes of the main character it also shows the character has emotional feeling towards Porphyria in the sense that he is in love with her which gives the reader insight into the mind of the main character and aids in making them more memorable to the reader through th e use of dramatic monologue to display emotions.The main characters emotions are displayed through onto line 7 when the main character feels now quite pleased that Porphyria has arrived; the writer says, â€Å"She shut the cold out and the storm, And kneeled and made the cheeriness grate. † This again shows that the main character is in love with Porphyria as it has been shown through the dramatic monologue that she was able to change his mood from being somewhat depressed and unhappy to suddenly becoming quite cheerful.The reader is able to notice the strong emotional changes that occur in the main character and this helps create a more memorable impression of him. The main character develops a high level of sexual excitement and felt like the character of Porphyria was finally falling in love with him. In lines fourteen to twenty-one the writer says, â€Å"†¦ She sat down by my side And called me. When no voice replied, She put my arm around her waist, And made her sm ooth white shoulder bare, And all her yellow hair displaced,And stooping, made my cheek lie there, And spread o’er all, her yellow hair, murmuring how she loved me† Repetition of the word ‘and’ at the start of every line is used to display the build up of excitement within the main character as he watches every movement of Porphyria the main character believes that Porphyria is now in love with him and later in the poem even expresses that she now ‘worships’ the main character this is said at the pinnacle of the main characters sexual excitement.The writer uses the dramatic monologue to exploit the sexual feelings that the main character has towards Porphyria and thus the reader knows more about the character from an emotional perspective and this aids in creating a lasting impression on the reader. The tone of the poem changes in line 40 when a new development occurs and the reader is given more of an insight into the main character in the sen se that he has a psychotic impulse to murder Porphyria the writer says in line 40, â€Å"†¦ And strangled her; no pain she felt. The motive behind the strangulation of Porphyria is possible to have been a sexual incompetence in the main character and due to this it is required if he is to have any sexual pleasure at all he must inflict pain on the victim, in this case Porphyria. Also another way of knowing he is insane is when he says she felt no pain, he of course would not know if she had felt any pain however the reason given in the poem is in line 43 where the writer says, â€Å" I warily opened her lids: againLaughed the blue eyes without a stain. † The main character uses this as justification as to why she felt know pain it also in a way shows that he still cares for Porphyria, as he was concerned about her feeling pain when he took her life. The writer has used dramatic monologue to display the insanity within the main character the shock of this development has created a new impression of the main character on the reader and this was only done through the narrative style of the poem.In conclusion the narrative style of dramatic monologue has been exploited by the writer to create a lasting impression of the main character on the reader and has been done very effectively through the use of pathetic fallacy in the first few lines to display the characters emotions and the sudden change of personality in the character to create a lasting effect and made the character more memorable to readers.

Aircraft Maintenance manuals

An airport cannot function without management. An airport manager may work for a large international airport or they may work for a small municipal airport, but generally the job duties and description will be almost the same. The main responsibility of the airport manager is to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the airport on a daily basis.This includes supporting staff and making sure that all staff is able to provide polite, prompt and correct information to travels, know airport policies and procedures, scheduling the appropriate number of staff, ensuring that all ticketing and security systems are in excellent working condition and troubleshooting any problems are all part of the airport managers job. The airport manager works closely with federal and state aviation committees and department that generate rules and regulations for all aspects of airport business and security.The airport manager must ensure that all aspects of the airport are functioning within these reg ulations or he or she must take the necessary actions to bring them into compliance. This may mean directly working with airport staff or working with the employees or businesses that rent space in the airport terminal. With working with airport staff, the manager must have a good amount of knowledge to understand the issues the staff is working with, such as aircraft maintenance. Aircraft maintenance is an important matter in which managers should have a good understanding of.Without good management in aircraft maintenance, conflicts can damage the safety and efficiency of an airport. As a manager, it is important to hire the most qualified technician and mechanic for operating on aircraft systems and maintenance. The aviation technician should be able to catch up with the new technologies as quickly as possible. New aircraft technology is brought in regularly, aircraft are regularly upgraded. Choosing the appropriate training methods and developing efficient and helpful training m aterial presumes an improved level of significance in current aviation maintenance atmosphere.Training and management entail the capability to evaluate workers' needs, assess personality traits, and develop challenging performance requirements. Training should be regarded as an integral part of the aviation management for attaining the safest maintenance. Having a maintenance program is also essential for achieving the highest possible level of safety for an airport. Managers should know if each of their aircraft is airworthy and properly maintained for operations in air transportation.The aircraft maintenance manual is a great guide in performing in accordance to for all maintenance on the aircrafts. Aircraft maintenance manuals must comply with FAR Parts 135 and 121, which is required by the Federal Aviation Administration regulations. In this manual, a manager can find sections of administrative policies and procedures, detailed instructions for administration, management, and ac complishment of the maintenance program, and technical manuals that describe maintenance standards, methods, techniques, and procedures (Aircraft Maintenance, 8).In addition to knowing maintenance regulations, a manager should also know and understand inspection regulations as well. It is highly important to have the correct inspections and know when to have those inspections for each aircraft in order for them to be airworthy. Having this knowledge will help maintain a safer and more efficient program, because if there were some aircrafts that are unairworthy, then that would waste time and costs for getting out of the way and getting it done. It is always important to sustain an inspected and maintained aircraft for the safety of the air transportation environment.Aging aircraft could also present particular dangers to personnel and passengers. Some aircraft remain in use far beyond the lifetimes initially envisioned when they were manufactured (Ells). Aircraft managers, therefore , should have a thorough plan in place for the maintenance of aircraft that are aging. In such a case, particular teams of people could also be assigned to the regular inspection and repair of such aircraft. The AOPA (Ells) provides a list of sources that should be inherent in a maintenance plan for aging aircraft.A complete list of logbook entries, for example, could provide valuable information relating to maintenance trends and the probably current level of repair. Major repairs should also be listed in such a logbook. Aircraft records from the FAA are also an important component of this investigation and can provide information such as bills-of-sale, repair, and alterations to the aircraft. Having such information on hand will make it much easier to investigate the state of repair of aging aircraft and also to plan for future inspection and repair efforts.It is vital that aging aircraft and all other aircraft to be kept in good working condition to minimize breakdown and acciden ts. Managers have the responsibility to ensure that all maintenance is performed in accordance with FAA and company guidelines. It is always important to know the aircraft systems, how they function and their errors, and know when aircraft inspections and maintenance should occur. Having a well-organized maintenance program will guarantee a safe and efficient airport. References (2012). Airport Management Jobs.Retrieved from http://www. avjobs. com/careers/detail. asp? RecID=65#. UHTLvFEkosw (2011). Federal Aviation Regulations. Retrieved from , http://www. risingup. com/fars/info/part121-135-FAR. shtml (2012). Aircraft Maintenance. Retrieved from https://erau. blackboard. com/bbcswebdav/institution/Worldwide_Online/MGMT_203/pre sentations/mgmt_203_m5_aiircraft_maintenance. pdf Ells, Steven. (2011). Retieved from http://www. aopa. org/members/files/pilot/2000/aging0006. html

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.