A Comparison of Two World Leaders

Icons of Modern Leadership: Lee Kuan Yew of Modern Singapore vs. Adolf Hitler, a Prominent Aggressor of World War II They say history must not repeat itself especially when it involves loss of lives, destruction of property and disruption in the delivery of basic services to people including relationships. In this paper, former Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and Fuhrer and Chancellor Adolf Hitler have been chosen as effective World Leaders whose achievements, whether good or bad, have been identified to greatly impact many lives of people around the world.This paper is not to pass judgment on them whether they have become good or bad leaders of the past. What is being looked into is how effective these leaders have been in carrying out their goals, strategies, etc. and the lessons that must be learned. The strategies, ways and means both used to achieve their goals may have been totally poles apart or different based on their beliefs, manner of doing, choices, etc. But for o ne thing, both leaders dreamed of harmony, peace, unity and progress for their country.The difference is how they executed that dream. Both leaders have left significant different memories, one of which is the unforgettable holocaust initiated by Fuhrer Adolf Hitler and a successful giant leap of economic redemption of Singapore from a Third World country to become an Asian Tiger country within the three decades of Lee Kuan Yew’s rule. Each leader delivered significant changes that deserve to be called great icons in the history of world leaders.Adolf Hitler who was the reason for the outbreak of World War II and Lee Kuan Yew who transformed Singapore from a Third World country to another Asian Tiger country, have been chosen and juxtaposed to learn the similarities and contrasts of their qualities and styles as leaders as well as how their reigns brought impact to the world. Credited to Hitler’s achievements were as follows: â€Å"awarded the Iron Cross, First Class in December 1914 (a rare decoration for bravery in action to a corporal)† (Hitler,A. , 2011); â€Å"annexation of Austria and Sudetenland† (Chen, P. 2012); wrote the book ‘Mein Kampf’ (meaning My Struggle) where it was an anti-Semitic, anti-Communist diatribe outlining his strategy for remaking Germany and becoming a conquering power throughout Europe† (Harkavy, 1996). â€Å"By 1938 Hitler had made Germany the most powerful and feared country in Europe (and perhaps in the world)† (Hitler, A. , 2011). â€Å"Majority of the German people supported him because they saw during his early leadership to his credit how unemployment virtually disappeared, the rising prosperity of the masses, the new social institutions and the increase of German prestige in the 1930’s.All these achievements of Hitler were unparalleled in the histories of other modern totalitarian dictatorship†(Hitler, A. 2011). On the other hand, achievements credited to Y ew include: redemption of Singapore from a Third World Country to become an Asian Tiger country now aligned with other rich Asian countries like Japan, Hongkong, and Taiwan. Singapore is now an envy of many neighboring Asian countries. Of Lee Kuan Yew’s outstanding achievements, eradication of corruption was envied by many ASEAN nations because ‘Corruption’ has always long been associated with Third World Asian nations.Other achievements include the substantial â€Å"increase in the living standards (Loh,K. 2011)† in this country: â€Å"As Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew presided over an exponential increase in Singapore's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from US$704 million in 1960 to US$38 billion in 1990. This figure currently stands at US$222 billion, or over 300 times its level in 1960. Adjusting for cost of living differences, Singapore's GDP per capita was ranked 3rd  globally by the International Monetary Fund in 2010† (Loh, K, 2011).Evidently, e verybody saw the difference of how improved Singapore is today from the 1960’s. Now Singapore will always be equated and associated with the name of Lee Kuan Yew, the father of Singapore. Analyzing closely, the nearest similarity observed from both leaders is that they both embraced the style of totalitarian dictatorship during their reigns. Other similarities noted include: both became inspiring leaders to the millions of their respective constituents.For Hitler, his actions united majority of the Germans and Austrians although some say this holds true prior to his order of mass executions for the Jews. It was also noted that both leaders started their political careers by heading the Popular Party of their masses: Hitler became a prominent leader of National Socialist German Working Party (Nazi) while Yew also became a strong leader of Singapore’s People’s Action Party (PAP). They also had one dream, that is. to achieve â€Å"peace, harmony and unity as well as progress† not only for their country but also for the whole world.Both have redeemed their countries from economic downturn to economic recovery and continued progress. Both have shown improvements not only on the lives of their people but also on policies, economy and evidently on the overall progress of their respective countries. â€Å"How did Adolf Hitler who, according to Professor Jeremy Noakes, was just a drifter and a failed artist, become one of the most destructive political leaders in the 20th century? † (Noakes, 2011). Hitler did struggle during his early civilian life. When his father died, he and his mother were left with inadequate pension and savings which is the reason why he never advanced beyond his secondary education† (Hitler, A. , 2011). This may be one of the outstanding differences between the two. Yew’s household was better off than Hitler’s because Lee Kuan Yew was able â€Å"to get education at Raffles College in Singap ore and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, England. He started as a lawyer, founded the People’s Action Party in Singapore and became the Secretary General† (Yew, 2010).This paved the way to Yew’s political career. On the other hand, Hitler embraced the military which paved the way to his rise to power. Accordingly, â€Å"He greeted the war with enthusiasm, as a great relief from the frustration and aimlessness of his civilian life. He found discipline and comradeship satisfying and was confirmed in his belief about the heroic virtues of war. He occupied two positions during his reign, as Chancellor (Kanzler) and as Fuehrer of Germany covering 1933 to 1945† (Hitler, A. , 2011).A distinctive difference is the leader’s belief. At the early part of his life, Hitler developed a strong discrimination for the Jews. Certain events in his life have led him to develop strong anti-Semitism or hatred for the Jews. Lee Kuan Yew embraced the teachings of Confucius. Another difference is that Hitler alone had his inherent own unique leadership style while Lee Kuan Yew’s was greatly inspired by Machiavellian virtu as he cited: â€Å"Between being loved and being feared, I have always believed Machiavelli was right.If nobody is afraid of me, I’m meaningless  (Lee Kuan Yew, 6. 10. 1997)† (Gordon, n. d. ). Comparing the two leaders on the basis of the magnitude and coverage or extent of each leader’s involvement and impact, Adolf Hitler may be considered the most effective leader because one of his greatest achievements among others is having the great majority of Germans and Austrians rally behind him until the end.This is something that historians could not find from any predecessor who could have done or come close to what Adolf Hitler did despite being accused as the war aggressor and a tyrannical dictator killing 6 million Jews during his reign. Yet despite all these, much have been said and written about Adolf H itler who has all the right to be an icon leader of the 20th century. For this purpose, Lee Kuan Yew is chosen to have less impact among these two most effective leaders. Lee Kuan Yew’s achievement, though only involved Singapore’s development, has also become a showcase to the world.Finally, restating what Lee Kuan Yew imparted (not the exact words), â€Å"An effective leader is the one who can be dispensable† which means if you have left your realm or domain without anybody able to take over it, then you are not a good leader. Leading is a continuous momentum whether you are there or somebody takes the helm from you. WORKS CITED Chen, Peter C. (2012) Munich Conference and the Annexation of Sudetenland: 29 Sep 1938 – 10 Oct 1938. World War II Database [Data File]. Retrieved from http://ww2db. com/battle_spec. hp? battle_id=87 Gordon, Uri (n. d. ) . Machiavelli's Tiger: Lee Kuan Yew  and Singapore's Authoritarian Regime. Retrieved from http://www. scrib d. com/doc/38148245/Lee-Kuan-Yew Adolf Hitler. (2012) History Learning Site. Retrieved from http://www. historylearningsite. co. uk/adolf_hitler. htm Loh, Kai H. (May, 2011). Lee Kuan Yew’s Legacy. Dragons and Tigers: An East Asian Perspective. Retrieved from http://www. globalconversation. org/2011/05/15/lee-kuan-yews-legacy Noakes, Jeremy. ( 2011). The Rise of Adolf Hitler.Retrieved from http://www. bbc. co. uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/hitler_01. shtml Hitler, Adolf (2011). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved April 14, 2012, from http://www. biography. com/people/adolf-hitler-9340144 Harkavy, Michael D. ed. (1996) Adolf Hitler. The New Illustrated Home Reference Guide ( p. 499) Trident Press International, Canada: New Webster’s International Encyclopedia (print). Yew, Lee K. (2010). Distinguished Fellow: Lee Kuan Yew. Retrieved from http://www. lkyspp. nus. edu. sg/Faculty_Lee_Kuan_Yew. aspx

Inderstanding Consumer Behaviour Towards Luxury Products Essay

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

BHS 420 Mod 1 SLP (Quantitative Reasoning) Essay

BHS 420 Mod 1 SLP (Quantitative Reasoning) - Essay Example mental health, with one author asserting that a â€Å"remarkable transformation has been witnessed in public mental health services over the past thirty years" (Vega & Murphy, 1990, p. 1). I picked the topics listed above because they are four areas of significant research in the scientific community, and I am confident that I will be able to locate a large amount of books, articles, and clinical studies so as to find enough that will provide both strong and weak examples of good research methods and quantitative reasoning. For example, in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it was found that â€Å"Iraqi Gulf War (GW) veteran refugees or those who fled the Hussein regime and were subsequently granted refugee stated by the United States are at high risk for the same mental health maladies that afflict U.S. GW veterans (Jamil, Nassar-Mcmillan & Lambert, 2004, p. 295). I find it interesting that both the combat veterans and the refugees from the regime find themselves in the same position. The intricacies of the human brain, and all of the scientific studies performed so far, indicate that there is still much to learn in this area of study. The same is true for the other topics noted above. Given my interest in the human mind and the ongoing research in mental health studies, I believe one of these topics will be both interesting and informative. I look forward to the opportunity to do further research. Jamil, H., Nassar-McMillan, S.C. (2004). The Aftermath of the gulf War: Mental Health Issues among Iraqi gulf War Veteran Refugees in the United States. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 26, (4),

Can shock advertising sell high fashion brands Essay

Can shock advertising sell high fashion brands - Essay Example Exploratory research will help to definite the study concepts and specify the problem of the study according to available (existing) information. This research is very important at the early stage, and it will be used to determine the problem, select data collection methods and samples necessary for further study. Abstraction and generalization are the main methods of the approach. Exploratory research is a very effective tool to explore the influences of shock advertising on buyer behavior because it will help to evaluate emotional impact of "shock" on customers' feelings, and determine their motivations and attitudes towards the message of a shock advertisement. Exploratory research helps to identify emotional approach tug at the heartstrings of the intended target groups. The advantages of this approach is that it involves comparatively small subject groups, but provides a very detailed and in-depth analysis of consumer behavior patterns influence by shock advertising, and investigate their perception of a particular "shock" message (Models in the Research Process, 2004). Descriptive research is needed to gather information about the current situation in high fashio

Bussiness integration & ERP (master level) Essay

Bussiness integration & ERP (master level) - Essay Example In terms management business integration can also lead to firmed grip on their internal and external control process. Also, the globalization is considered to be one of the factors behind in the adaption of business integration to compete with others in order to succeed in their business and prove their existence in the market. As the company or business gets bigger, the need for integration becomes a demand in order to ensure the smooth flowing of information between different departments and units to operate sufficiently and effectively with regard to quickly and reliability of this kind of information flow. In fact, as the integration process bring so many advantages and benefits it also bring with it some challenges too. The integration process between people, technology and process holds real challenges that need to be overcome in order to have successful integration process. At the process level, the challenge may materialize within the company itself, let me explain how. In ge neral, companies despite their size have various numbers of units and therefore that means they may have various numbers of autonomous and heterogeneous applications or systems for particular purpose. During the integration process which is often a result of strategic plan these systems that could cause integration problems thus inability to co-operate together. Another dimension of the problem is the construction of metadata. In order to integrate business processes there is a need to understand the meaning of metadata and their use in the existing system or applications to figure out how they can be integrated. The challenge here is that collecting these data is difficult especially if the people who defined them or familiar with are not available anymore. Metadata hold information like purpose, specification and context of the data which helps to understand the meaning of data. Another challenge is that in order to integrate process there is a need to understand precisely what th e current system and applications are used for. That would include their functionality and the means by which they can be integrated. The challenge here is that many companies do not have this information. At people level or socio-technical level, there is the challenge between people and technology therefore the organizational change aspects need to be considered in the integration process, some may resist using the new system or find it difficult to accept it or use it therefore implementing organizational change practices could be of help through training and support. Another challenge is that the lack of people intervention in integrated process to deal with and exception handling in case they appear. At implementation level, the integration process would be complex and the cost of available methods for business integration is expensive also the process would take time and efforts to be completed while some could perceive that the cost of implementing might overweigh the benefit s or the return on investment would take time to be achieved. There are cross organizational challenges like the connectivity to suppliers, service providers, and customers and so on and all security issues related to that. There are a number of companies that were able to achieve the benefits of adapting an

Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Management - Coursework Example The definition of management is viewed in varied perspectives. Initially, it was viewed as an art of getting the work done. But this view has evolved in course of time as management is seen as something more than just getting things done. It was strongly believed that a good management should pave the way for the growth and development of the organization rather than merely focusing on job done by the employers. Harold Koontz sees "management as the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organized groups." (Akrani 2011). It is an art of creating an environment where employees perform their allocated tasks optimally as separate individuals yet cooperate among themselves with a view of attaining the organizational objectives. Later, management was seen as a process by which managers create, direct, maintain and operate purposive organizational goals through systematic coordination and cooperation. It is the distinct process by which managers plan and carry out a ll the activities of the organization in order to accomplish the goals by the efficient use of the manpower and other resources in hand. When we refer to the management, we not only refer the group of managers who organize and plan, but also the continuous set of processes that aids the managers to develop different strategies for the organization. Although, Steve Jobs was not alive when iPhone 5 was released this year, the pre-set processes developed by him and his management only facilitated its launch. Better handling of the process with cooperation will ensure better management. At the same time, strategy formulation is not the end of the task of the management, they have to aptly implement or operationalize it. This indeed improves the organizational as well as the managerial abilities of the concern. â€Å"The failure to balance the tensions between strategy and operations is pervasive: Various studies done in the past 25 years indicate that 60% to 80% of companies fall short of the success predicted from their new strategies.† (Kaplan and Norton 2008). A complete analysis of the strategies as well as its implementation process by the management will bring out better operational goals by the organization. Overall, management brings together all the resources of any business concern such as the manpower, money, machines, methods and market as a whole, and uses it optimally for success. Thus optimum utilization of the resources by the management will ensure better results in achieving the organizational objectives. In short, the term management is concerned with the goal determination, policy formulation, strategic planning and overall control of the organizational activities. Characteristics of Management â€Å"Management is the art of getting things done through and with people in formally organized groups, the art of creating an environment in such an organized group where people can perform as individuals and yet cooperate toward attainment of group goals† (Koontz 1961). Thus, management consist of a group of individuals or an individual who keenly analyze all the resources, formulate ideas, utilize the existing abilities and take the strategic decision that would serve for the betterment of the organization. Thus managerial ability is not a technical skill to be attained but involves a

Written submission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Written submission - Essay Example The rest of the tenants (15%) are single. There is some ethnic diversity in the estate. The current turnover is at 18%, however, re-letting is a major challenge especially in the case of smaller properties due to the estate’s poor reputation. There is also the problem of a high percentage of the tenants having rent arrears. Most of the customers are in the Housing Benefit scheme and this is one of the major reasons why so many of them have rent arrears. Currently the tenants do not have their own Tenants Association. The level of sense of community is very low, but a few of the residents are eager to change this. There is also very limited customer engagement with Southway and other agencies. Some of the issues and problems facing the estate include a high crime rate which is one of the reasons why the estates has such a high turn over rate and a low re-letting rate. Some of the most common crimes committed in Lowfeaf include burglary and drug dealing. The estate’s physical appearance is also very shabby with poorly maintained gardens and litter scattered everywhere. There is also a lot of graffiti on the walls which makes the place look unfriendly. Lowfeaf estate has an annual community budget of  £10,000 which is currently not being used. The regular staff available includes a community officer and income management officer. There is also the Customer Involvement Team and Your Neighborhood Team Manager who provide support services. There are plans to begin a home improvement programme which is set to take off within six months. There is also an environmental programme which is planned to start in the next nine months. The major issue in this estate is its reputation. Therefore the best plan is one that will help create a good name for Lowfeaf. I have developed a three year plan that will see Lowleaf turn from a shabby-looking, crime-laden estate to one of the most enviable residential areas. The plan

Banning the use of mobile phones in motor vehicles Essay

Banning the use of mobile phones in motor vehicles - Essay Example .................................5 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦6 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 Introduction to Australian Automobile Association: The Australian Automobile Association was founded in 1924 with an aim to represent the Australian motorists at national and international level. It coordinates and manages the activities of its constituting motoring clubs and is also considered as the ‘official voice’ of Australian motoring. It has been successful in influencing the public policy and is known for its high quality services and benefits to m ore than 6.3 million members all over Australia. It undertakes research on a continuous basis to analyze the actual situation and reflect the opinions of motorist across Australia. AAA is a part of Alliance Internationale de Tourisme (AIT) and the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), which represents more than 100 million people in approximately 120 countries. It also supports a range of programs both nationally and internationally such as ANCAP, Australia’s best cars etc to promote driver and road safety, environmental protection as well as sustainable mobility. Banning the use of mobile phones in motor vehicles: In this submission, concerns regarding the use of mobile phones while driving have been discussed in order to present a safe system approach for safer drivers and safer environment. The pushing implementation of the tough policy with a total ban on the use of mobile phones in vehicles is opposed by AAA. First of all, mobile phones are an important means of communication. The distraction caused by mobile phones cannot be overlooked but there are many benefits as well. It provides valuable security and assistance in emergency situations. Moreover, in this rapidly growing world it is almost impossible to stop people from the usage of mobile phones in vehicles. According to a survey, between 2009 and 2010, approximately 50,000 drivers have been fined more than $11 million for texting, calling, receiving their phones. Hence, the government should seek other ways for road safety such as the introduction of driver education programs, systematic assessment of risk levels for safety improvement etc. Background: The discussion regarding the impact of mobile phones while driving and its contribution towards the increased risk of accidents is increasing day by day. In the recent years, due to the advancements in the mobile sector, particular attention is being paid to the use of mobile phones. This has given rise to the concerns about the pote ntial impact and role of mobile phones in a collision risk. Although, there are many safety issues involved with the mobile devices the implied benefits are also present. It may increase the productivity and efficiency of the employee by increasing the responsiveness to its clients and other coworkers. A mobile phone with GPS (Global Positioning System) can save a lot of time if a person is lost. However, researches have mostly shown the negative consequences of using mobile phones as a secondary task while driving. In Australia, on an average 1700 people die on Australians road each year and the ban on hand-held mobiles has been enforced since 1999. Analysis of the issue: Although driving is a very

Democratisation of Balkan Countries Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Democratisation of Balkan Countries - Case Study Example As the economist argued in 1998, the instant risk to delicate Balkan peace is not so much violence but secession by minorities big enough to mull over statehood, which may irritate a new civil war as the actions in Kosovo have proved thus, maintenance of peace and solidity in the region depends on how Balkan countries treat their minorities. Partially because of these conflicts in the region and partially due to world public opinion's growing consciousness, the defense of minority civil rights became a top main concern in the post-cold war era. (Donald, 1985) This examines the evolution of democratization as an inner development and focuses mainly on the citizenship policies and supporting depiction of minorities in two Balkan states, particularly Bulgaria and Romania. The two states have enhanced their associations with minorities and with their neighbors. The outcomes in these cases represent a variety of potential and models, and thus they provide us with opportunities to stu dy democratization and cultural politics in the area. (Attila, 1998) The democratic conversion in the post-communist Balkan states creates challenges for the innovative government in the region. Similarly, they have just restored or gained their self-government and full dominion and look for to build a homogenous nation state, on the other hand, the population within their internationally known borders consists of more than one racial group, all with their own political agendas. In the face of a rising compassion towards minority issues in the world and under the eyes of global organizations, the Balkan states need to set up contemporary civic societies with the rule of law. Since the thought of democracy is now so well-liked in the earth, "there can be no go back of still and passive ethnic minorities," as Agh stated thus, multiethnic Balkan states have to set up a citizenry with political and human rights and with democratic civilization and political culture in civil society. (Emilija, 1997) The states have to make a decision who their citizens are and what kinds of human rights they will award them. Maybe some kinds of patriotism might be necessary for formation and unity of a modern state, but this should be an inclusionary 'civic' patriotism, which is well-matched with the ceremony of individual rights. The key to avoiding further conflicts is to promise equal citizenship rights and to expand a culture of broadmindedness in society. Assessment of constitutional texts and citizenship laws with their completion and judicial understanding may give a universal sympathetic of the citizenship policies of the worried states. In adding up to providing individual rights, democratization also requires credit of collective rights for all kinds of minorities there are many legal and political plans in institutionalizing a agreement democracy and in avoiding ethnic conflicts in international societies, as Arend Lijphart showed. The main subject here is how the minorities are repre sented in the parliaments. (Donald, 1985) There is a substantial discussion in the relative politics literature on whether expanded representation is good or bad in multiethnic societies. Consociation list school argues that in lieu of groups proportionally fosters the assimilation of subcultures into

Crime and Individual Choice Essay Example for Free

Crime and Individual Choice Essay Crime is a common phenomenon. Huge investments of any government go towards the containment and apprehension of crime offenders. The more crime acquires various forms and becomes prevalent, the more studies and theories are brought out to analyze the causes and motivations. A look at Australia in the recent past indicates public outcry over increased incidences of crime, although incidences of organized crime are becoming rare, the same cannot be said of petty thefts. Criminologists have over the years stepped up their efforts in examining the motivations of crime. This is an issue that sparks controversy as some sociologists blame it on the society, pointing out that it is the prevalent circumstances in the society that are behind crime. In the light of this row, this paper maintains that crime is as a result of individual choices rather that the prevalent social circumstances. A study of the possible causes of crime is core to understanding crime, the information generated is crucial as afar as government’s response and approaches to fighting crime is concerned. A dearth of information on such a common problem means that law enforcement agencies spend valuable resources and time on addressing the symptoms rather than the causes. It is this fact that motivates criminologists to dig out the real causes of crime. Economists traditionally have not been involved in the analysis of crime, the issue of causes and prevention was seen as being outside the realm of economics. It was seen as a preserve of sociologists and criminologists. This however changed in the late 1960s when economists brought in an argument that represented a radical paradigm shift from afore recognized sociological and criminological theories. They deviated from the societal foundations of the motivation of crime to a more individualized approach. A good theory of crime according to Becker (1968) has to â€Å"dispense with special theories of anomie, psychological inadequacies or inheritance of special traits and simply extend the economist’s usual analysis of choice. † The economic theory of crime focuses on the aspect of an individual’s rational choice as the key motivation behind crime. This is a theory that is based on the assumption that each and every individual engages in crime in their bid to increase their utility. Crime should be regarded as a venture; it is an enterprise which an individual engages in with an intention of gaining something just like in business. This hence means that any one can become a criminal, there is no particular group that is inherently criminal, it is just that people tend to move in and out of crime when there is an opportunity and there are ample conditions for a crime. Just like in business ventures, a potential criminal takes time to plan his activities and also makes decision in regard to the amount of time to be appropriated in each activity so as to maximize the gains. In making a decision of whether or not to engage in crime, an individual takes into account all the possible benefits and also the likely costs. People engage in criminal activities not because they have some natural or psychological motivations but because they have amply taken into consideration the perceived benefits and costs. This means that a certain crime will not be committed if the costs exceed the benefits. In such a case hence it is possible to see a particular crime being the most preferred in comparison to another due to the net benefits associated with that crime. Indeed crime is driven by the resultant benefits and decreased if the punishment meted out is harsh in comparison to the crime. According to the economic theory, â€Å"an increase in the probability and/or severity of punishment (representing costs of criminal behavior) will reduce the potential criminal’s participation in illegitimate activities. † (Philip Cameron) This is what motivates the deterrence theory. It is important to point out that the issue of costs and benefits must be carefully analyzed, the cost does not only revolve around the aspect of incarceration but also encompasses the social cost, this applies even to the perceived benefits. A rational individual wishing to engage in crime hence puts into consideration all these factors and weighs his options, his decision and choice is influenced by the resultant weight, either towards the benefits or towards the costs. If the costs outweigh the benefits, the individuals is unlikely to engage in the crime; the vice versa is also true (Gottfredson Hirschi, 1990). The Rational Choice Theory, on which the economics theory is founded, is derived from the utilitarian belief that indeed human beings are rational; their decisions are independently influenced by the factors of costs and benefits. In the propagation of this theory, several assumptions are made. There is the assumption that people are driven by utility; they are motivated by the urge to increase their happiness which mostly is in terms of wealth. they also are supposed to have goals and they pick the choice that enables them to accomplish such goals. The theory of rational choice can be traced to the early works of Cesare Beccaria who set out to explain crime using the enlightment ideas. According to Cessare, â€Å"people want to experience pleasure and avoid pain, and while criminal acts can bring pleasure of various sorts, possible punishment can bring pain. † (Laura, 2007, 231) This is a theory that has immensely been used in the justice system; it is based on the thinking that for crime to be prevented, punishment must outweigh the benefits of the crime. This is because if the pain is less than the benefits, then there is no motivation to quit crime. Bentham also was in agreement over the aspect of crime boiling down to individual choice, and influenced by the perceived benefits. He noted that â€Å"the profit of the crime is the force which urges a man to delinquency. The pain of the punishment is the force employed to restrain him from it. If the first of these forces is greater, the crime will be committed; if the second, the crime will not be committed. † (Cited in Maurice, 1993, 311) An important aspect that has to be looked at is why some people or groups show a higher prevalence to crime. Indeed, people can not have a similar response to crime. This is so as people have individual differences that affect their preferences. There are those that may prefer honesty, have a higher income and hence value their reputation. The perceived gains and costs are also regarded differently. The prospects of experiencing a certain level of pain might be motivating enough to some people to avoid crime. The decision to engage in one sort of crime and avoid others also follows a similar pattern. It is influenced by opportunity, available information, costs and benefits (Loftin, McDowell, 1982). The view that crime is influenced by rational individual choices has most often than not been put into disrepute by a flurry of other available studies done on the subject. A majority of the existing studies are influenced by the social conditions and environment rather than the individual choice. One of the existing schools of thought that points at the relationship between social factors and crime is the positivist school of thought. According to this thinking, crime and criminality is influence by internal and external factors that are beyond the control of an individual. The answer to criminality lies in the biological, psychological and social foundations. Those that propagate the thinking that crime can be explained by physiological factors do it on the basis that those individuals that have a higher affinity towards crime tend to have some specific physiological traits. This thinking influenced the thought that crime is a natural trait and hence cannot be individually controlled. Some individuals are born criminals and they cannot change this. It is this argument of inherent criminality that was used to fuel the arguments behind the abolishment of capital punishment, on the basis that criminals were being punished for things they had no control on. There is also the thinking that crime can be closely linked to neuroticism and psychotism. In this, crime is seen as a mental disease where the criminal develops a psychotic compulsion to engage in crime. The prevalent theory that challenges the aspect of individual choice in crime is the sociological positivism. This is a theory that traces crime to societal factors such as poverty, subcultures and lack of education. The social disorganization theory for example has been able to establish a positive link between the collapse of important social institutions and crime. The society is held together by institutions such as religion and also the justice system. The collapse of these core institutions contributes to an increase in crime. Poverty and lack of economic development fuels an increase in crime. As the theory claims, places that are characterized by neighborhoods with high population and failed social structure record high instances of crime compared to others. Poverty leads to social disorder and is characterized by physical evidences of collapsed buildings and deteriorating neighborhoods. This leads to what has been referred to as the deterioration concentration effects. Such neighborhoods attract crime (Maurice, 1993). It is important to observe that social factors can indeed fuel crime. There exist immense studies that have focused on crime and ethnicity and have come to conclude that there are certain social conditions that influence such communities to commit crime. Poverty has been pointed out as one of the leading factor, where people resort to crime as a means of acquiring wealth and prosperity. This however does not mean that the role of an individual in making such a choice diminishes. People are influenced by their own rational choice to engage in crime, in consideration of the existing benefits and costs of such a crime, should the cost override the benefits; then crime is reduced. References Maurice P. F. (1993) The psychology of crime: a social science textbook. Cambridge University Press. Laura L. F. (2007) Encyclopedia of juvenile violence. Greenwood Publishing Group. Brantingham, P. J. Brantingham, P. L. (1991). Environmental criminology. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press. Gottfredson, M. , T. Hirschi (1990). A General Theory of Crime. Stanford University Press. Becker, G. S. (1968) Crime and punishment: an economic approach. Journal of Political Economy, Loftin, C. and McDowell, D. (1982) The police, crime and economic theory. American. Sociological Review Philip M. B Cameron M. Crime, punishment and deterrence in Australia: A further empirical investigation. International Journal of Social Economics retrieved on April 28, 2009 from http://www. uq. edu. au/~ecpbodma/ijse. pdf.

Midwife Views on Amniotomy to Speed Up Labour

Midwife Views on Amniotomy to Speed Up Labour Abstract This dissertation considers the views of midwives on the procedure of amniotomy with the specific relevance of its use in speeding up labour. The available literature is considered in detail to try to establish the current evidence base for the assumption that amniotomy does speed up labour and it finds that the evidence is poor, both in terms of number and quality of the papers available. One of the biggest problems appears to be that it is very difficult to carry out a study that isolates the specific and unique effects of amniotomy on the speed of labour from all of the other potential confounding factors that can influence the eventual outcome. There appears to be a gap in the literature in specific regard to the midwife’s views on the subject. A proposal is therefore made for a pilot project to evaluate the midwife’s views by the means of a qualitative survey using the semi-structured interview technique. The rationale for such a study structure is discussed in detail. Acknowledgements (Client to personalise) Contents page Abstract Acknowledgements Contents Purpose of the study Literature Review What is already known? Amniotomy and induction of labour Complications associated with amniotomy What are the perceived benefits of amniotomy? Does amniotomy speed up delivery? Midwife’s views on the subject Methodology Search history. Classification of evidence levels Research question or hypothesis Study design Sample Data Collection Rigour Ethical Issues Budget Timetable. Dissemination of findings Proposed semi-structured interview questions References Purpose of the study: The research question. The procedure of amniotomy was first described in the 18th century. Despite having therefore been in constant use for over 200 years, its effect on the induction and the course of labour still remains a matter of dispute and conflicting evidence. (Greenwood C et al. 2003) Amniotomy is generally held to be the artificial rupture of intact membranes with a view to facilitating, stimulating or inducing labour. (ODriscoll K et al. 1986). This dissertation has purposely started with a definition of amniotomy that is over 20 years old. During the course of the exploration of the evidence base surrounding the procedure of amniotomy we shall consider whether this definition is still held to be true in current practice. The procedure is typically done with gloved hands and the healthcare professional ruptures the amniotic sac with an amnihook (or similar instrument) between contractions, as this reduces the risk of cord prolapse because the amniotic fluid is under less pressure. (Kirby R S 2004). The hand is kept in the vagina allowing the fluid to drain in a controlled manner and the nature (colour consistency and amount) of the fluid is noted. It would be considered good practice to assess the foetal heart both immediately prior to the procedure and again immediately after it to check for foetal distress due to cord compression. Many authorities advocate performing the procedure in the semi-sitting position in order to minimise the effects of aortocaval compression and thereby optimise the blood supply to the uterus. (Burnett A F 2000) Indications for amniotomy still include the â€Å"promotion of labour†. This can be taken to mean both the induction of labour and the speeding up of labour (Cummingham F G et al. 2005) however, hard evidence for either is difficult to find for reasons that we shall discuss. Literature Review What is already known? For ease of presentation, this section will be divided up into various sub-headings considering the different aspects of amniotomy as a procedure Amniotomy and induction of labour Amniotomy is frequently cited as a means of inducing labour particularly if the cervix is considered to be â€Å"ripe†. Unfortunately amniotomy alone is an unpredictable inducer of labour with the possibility of long intervals between amniotomy and the onset of significant contractions. The Mouldin trial considered a direct prospective comparison of amniotomy alone and amniotomy with an associated oxytocin infusion. The results showed a statistically significant difference in the two groups with the latter group having a shorter induction to delivery interval. (Mouldin P G et al. 1996) There is a huge variation in the literature concerning the ability of amniotomy to hasten the onset of labour. Some early papers suggested that the effect was only minimal (Caldeyro-Barcia R 1975) whereas the majority of others suggest a much more obvious effect. As with other areas of investigation, difficulty arises in trying to separate out the effects of the amniotomy from the myriad of other variable factors that are present when a woman goes into labour. Friedman questions whether amniotomy hastens labour at all since many of the prospective trials have considered the case when amniotomy is done in early labour when the contractions would naturally begin to accelerate in any event (Friedman, E.A 1998) Complications associated with amniotomy This is a particularly contentious area with different authorities citing not only different associations of complications but significantly differing incidences as well. If we consider the Sheiner paper (Sheiner E et al. 2000) we can show a number of significant findings when early amniotomy was compared with both premature rupture of membranes (PROM) and oxytocin induction of labour. The significant differences found between the groups included a higher rate of caesarean section with 26.7% in the amniotomy group and 11.6% in the PROM and 16.9% in the oxytocin groups. It should be noted however, the authors performed a number of subsidiary analyses and showed that when the incidence of a previous caesarean section was controlled for then the amniotomy group had a similar incidence of caesarean section to the other groups. This would imply that amniotomy is more likely to be considered an option when a previous caesarean section has occurred. The authors make no comment as to why the y believe this might be. A much larger and more rigorous survey (Segal D et al. 2000) reviewed the outcomes of nearly 2000 cases of early amniotomy performed in association with a poor cervical score (Bishop scores of Amniotomy has been shown to increase the incidence of abnormalities in the patterns of foetal heart rate.( Goffinct F et al. 1997) Again this effect is hard to isolate convincingly as the risk may be consistently underestimated because women who do not have amniotomy are more likely to be given oxytocin which also increases the incidence of abnormal foetal heart rate patterns. (Rouse D J et al. 1999) Amniotomy may also be associated with an increase in infection rates. (Ventura S J et al. 1997) What are the perceived benefits of amniotomy? A number of authoritative texts state that routine early amniotomy can shorten labour by a variable amount, usually one or two hours (viz. Vincent M (2005) and Sheiner E, et al. (2000) and Albers L L et al. (1996)), Others suggest that it may reduce the use of oxytocics and the number of women who report the most intense degrees of pain during labour. (Klaus M H (1998) This picture is however, clouded by the fact that modern practice with its use of oxytocin (which makes labour more painful) and analgesia, including the epidural, which obviously reduces the overall pain experience, makes the statistical analysis of the relationship between amniotomy and pain very difficult Amniotomy has been cited as being indicated when there is a need for closer monitoring of the foetus allowing the direct attachment of scalp electrodes and incidentally evaluating whether the baby has passed meconium into the amniotic fluid. (Thornton J G et al. 1994). The presence of meconium is a significant clinical sign and is associated with an increased foetal morbidity and mortality (Ramin K D et al. 1996) Although its observation is enhanced by amniotomy, it is only of peripheral relevance to our considerations in this dissertation and therefore will not be considered further. Other authorities observe that this is not a good indication for amniotomy as the release of the amniotic fluid may expose the umbilical cord to increased compression during contractions. (Klaus M H 1998) Amniotomy also allows the positioning of an intrauterine pressure catheter in order to measure uterine contractions. Does amniotomy speed up delivery? This is an issue that has appeared in many older papers. A significant trial of 20 years ago (Seitchik J et al. 1985) concluded that the procedure of amniotomy appeared to enhance the cervical dilatation rate in patients with already well-dilated cervices and that are already dilating at a satisfactory rate and it conversely slows dilatation in some other patients, particularly those whose cervices are less dilated. This finding is cited in a number of contemporary text books. The difficulty is that the findings in this paper are only evidence base level 3. Many other papers refer to the trophic effects of amniotomy but none have had the discriminatory power to isolate the effects of amniotomy from the multitude of other variables which are inevitably present during the process of labour. The paper by Sherman (Sherman D J et al. 2002) primarily considers the patterns of foetal heart rate during the induction of labour and, in doing so, provides circumstantial evidence that amniotomy increases the speed of labour. Amniotomy was however, only performed in this trial if the cervix had dilated to more than 3 cms. without an associated spontaneous rupture of membranes. Oxytocin was also used in a significant number of cases thereby masking any effect which amniotomy alone might have. A different view is expressed by Pozaic who considered the case proven and puts forward the view that amniotomy should only be reserved for cases where there is abnormally slow progress of labour and then amniotomy should be performed to speed up the process. Again this is little more than level 4 evidence as the author does not cite what her evidence base is for making such an assumption. (Pozaic S 2004) To present a balanced argument one can cite the work of Steer (actually written when he was a house officer but then went on to become a professor of obstetrics), who published a controlled study of two matched groups of patients, all of whom had oxytocin induced labour. One group had their membranes ruptured and the others were allowed to rupture spontaneously. Steer found that the duration of labour was shorter in all patients who had ruptured membranes although, for reasons that were not explained, the uterine contractions were found to be at their greatest when the membranes were intact. In short, there was no evidence that amniotomy increased the speed of labour and there was evidence to suggest that the uterine activity was greatest in the group with membranes intact until well into labour. (Steer P J et al. 1975) Midwife’s views on the subject In terms of determining midwife’s views on the subject, there appears to be an almost complete gap in the literature on the subject. Extensive searching reveals no definitive authoritative texts on the subject and a very few that have sought the patient’s view on the issue. The Lavender paper (Lavender T et al. 1999) considered the issue only peripherally as part of a larger exploration of patient’s views and concluded that women who had long and protracted labours welcomed virtually any type of intervention that was perceived to reduce the time in labour and this included amniotomy. Clearly it is likely that this was perceived by the women as a â€Å"labour shortening procedure† and it is very unlikely that any discussion of informed evidence base would have taken place prior to its use. These issues are explored further in the more recent and larger qualitative investigation by Hodnett who considered the experiences and evaluations of childbirth in terms of overall pain experience. The paper is long and involved and, in the main, peripheral to our considerations here other then the fact that one of the main factors that the women cited as significant in terms of their positive appreciation of the process of labour was their perception of the attitude and behaviour of the midwives and this was rated as being more significant than the actual procedures that they employed. This finding appeared to override other factors including such variables as â€Å"age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, childbirth preparation, the physical birth environment, pain, immobility, medical interventions, and continuity of care†. (Hodnett, E D. 2002). One can only therefore speculate as to whether this finding vicariously influences the decisions made by the midwives in terms of tr ying to provide a complete service to their patients. Another paper which is peripherally relevant to this issue is the well written and thought-provoking essay and investigation by Sookhoo (Sookhoo M L et al. 2002) which considered the wider issues of how midwives learn their clinical skills and the mechanisms by which they acquire their practical knowledge. The authors devote a substantial proportion of their paper to how this knowledge actually influences their professional judgements in both the assessment and the progress of the course of labour. This particular paper is worthy of examination on several levels, not only for its actual content and results, but because it is structured on a grounded theory premise and conducts a number of semi-structured interviews and then attempts to construct theories from the results. It is very significant that a major finding in this paper was that the authors hypothesise that a major determinant of clinical activity for a midwife is the way in which she conceptualises uncertainty (which clearly is a major element in the management of labour). It is also significant that they found that one of the major techniques for avoiding uncertainty was to rely upon conventions and put trust in specific procedures â€Å"almost as a ritual†. The authors suggest that the experienced midwife tends to draw upon a much wider range of evidence and experience which has been accumulated through their clinical practice than the novice midwife who tends to rely on guidelines and strategies which they t end to see as predictive and protective. This has great relevance to the practice of amniotomy as Sookhoo et al. found that the experienced midwives tended to avoid inappropriate intrusion into the process of labour as a matter of routine. We should therefore be aware that amniotomy may be conceived as â€Å"inappropriate intrusion† by the experienced midwife and our study should perhaps be structured to evaluate this possibility. Perhaps the last word on this subject should go to the overview of the subject published by Katz Early amniotomy remained an independent risk factor for operative delivery on multiple logistic analysis controlling for confounding variables. These findings imply that caution is needed when deciding to perform early surgical induction unless it is a final option or other approaches are contraindicated. (Katz, Miriam 1999) Methodology Search history. The mechanism of the literature review was to conduct a number of literature searches through both electronic and hard copy data bases at the local University Library and the local Post Graduate Library (client to personalise). A number of search terms were used including: amniotomy; amniotomy knowledge; amniotomy indications; amniotomy benefits: amniotomy complications; amniotomy speed of labour; midwife views amniotomy; midwife procedures. The electronic databases included Bandolier and The Cochrane Library and Cinhal. These searches provided a great many texts which were accessed either electronically or in hard copy and then critically reviewed to ascertain the level of the evidence presented. The level of evidence was categorised into the following levels. Classification of evidence levels The highest level of evidence available was then used to support each point raised Research question or hypothesis It appears to be generally accepted that evidence based practice should be the â€Å"gold standard† of modern clinical practice (NMC 2004). However, many experienced healthcare professionals would attest to the fact that clinical decisions in their everyday practice is still influenced by individual experience and advice from colleagues. (Williams P R 2000). The rationale behind this study derives from the suspicion that many midwives use amniotomy to speed up labour and that there appears to be little in the way of a hard evidence base to support this view. It is the intention of this study to try to define the degree that individual midwife practice is determined (in this specific regard) by their own experience and professionally received advice and to what extent it is determined by reliance on their own independently derived evidence base. Study design This study will be qualitative in design. There are a number of different qualitative approaches that could be adopted (DeWalt, K. M et al. 1998) and brief consideration will be given to each. The phenomenological approach is primarily a philosophical mechanism which employs that technique of concentrating on the conscious and subjective experiences of the subjects. (Hammond et al, 1995). It is therefore written from the first person viewpoint. Such an approach is not without its critics however, as the classic approach is from the third person (impersonal) viewpoint (Ahmed, 2006). Hammond characterises the phenomenological genre as â€Å"unconstrained by scientific rigour† as it is simply a recording of the experience as the observer experiences and interprets it. It is therefore not purged of subjectivity and bias as many other scientific approaches are. The phenomenological approach was considered for this project and discounted as it is conceded that such an approach may give rise to a very idiosyncratic view of the subject and may not be representative of the majority view. Grounded theory may, at first sight, appear to be a suitable approach for this study. The prime element in a grounded theory study is the fact that the data is obtained and then the investigators then attempt to formulate or identify appropriate theories from the processed data. (Glaser, 1992). This approach may seem suitable by virtue of the fact that midwives could be approached and data obtained to see if there are any constant factors which motivate their particular pattern of behaviour when considering the procedure of amniotomy. A problem may arise however, because of the intrinsic need for theory formulation. Charmaz characterises the problem by stating â€Å"It compels the researcher to impose explanations were no explanations naturally exist, or indeed are necessary†. (Charmaz, K. 2006). In this study it is the intention to explore midwife’s views on whether amniotomy increases the speed of labour rather then to specifically generate theories to explain these views. For this reason grounded theory was discounted as a possible approach After much consideration it was decided to adopt an ethnographic approach to the study. This involves a hybrid approach with an analysis termed by Agar as being from the point of view of â€Å"The professional strangerâ€Å" (Agar, 1996). This approach has elements of both qualitative and quantitative analysis and is primarily carried out using the analysis of â€Å"in the field† interviews of midwives. Kottak describes the ethnographic approach (in the broadest terms) as collecting data â€Å"in the field by living among and blending in with a particular group, society or culture, observing and recording their particular habits and detailing their experiences and reactions† (Kottak, 2005). The researcher is expected to be a part of the community studied but to â€Å"retain a certain degree of detachment, impartiality and objectivityâ€Å" (Kottak, 2005). The object of this study requires the observer to record the number of times a midwife uses the procedure of amniotomy and then to obtain her views on the rationale for the procedure through the mechanism of the semi-structured interview. Sample Constraints on time and finances will largely dictate the overall size of the project (client I have no idea what potential funds you have available for this project so I have made a number of assumptions that you will have to modify if they are not correct). It is considered prudent to make a pilot study in order to test the validity of the interview questions and to also trial the analysis techniques. The initial pilot would be in the labour ward of the author’s hospital (client to personalise here) and would therefore potentially include 12 midwives. If the study were to yield potentially significant findings, then its scope could be widened to include staff from different sites and thereby include perhaps different protocols and possibly different work practices. This would have the benefit that it is possible that certain work practices may be determined by peer pressure in a specific geographical location and broadening the scope of the investigation would help to minimise the biasing effect of such practices. (Rosner B 2006). There is also considerable merit in trying to ensure that the cohort of midwives studied contains a wide spectrum of experience, ideally from the newly qualified midwife through to the most experienced, as it would be unlikely that the work practices would be the same in all groups. (Strauss, A et al. 1990). It is therefore clearly of benefit to try to structure the sample to include representatives from all of these groups in order to minimise the effects of such potential bias. (Carr L T 1994). It foll ows from this requirement that the study group will be asked to provide information relating to their years of experience in addition to other demographic markers. Analysis of the pilot study will help to determine whether purposeful sampling or general sampling will be appropriate in the final study. (Moher D et al. 1999). In the former method, subjects are specifically chosen because of the likelihood of their being able to give valuable information to the study. Patton describes this method of recruitment as â€Å"selecting only a limited number of information-rich cases for investigation, in order to obtain a particularly detailed insight into an issue. (Patton 1999). Although this may be, at first sight, useful in trying to maximise the information yield of the study, it has the obvious downside that it is a source of considerable potential bias giving rise to a small and potentially unrepresentative sample. (Patton 1999). A variation of this technique of recruitment is called snowballing whereby one key subject is asked to recommend others who may have either specialist knowledge or a specific interest in the subject in question. This te chnique is recommended by MacQueen as â€Å"being particularly suitable in qualitative studies, where detailed and in-depth understanding of a little-known subject is required† (MacQueen K M, et al. 2004). Although this clearly has the ability to optimise the collection of significant information, it does not eliminate the potential for bias apparent in the purposeful sampling technique. If we consider that amniotomy is a widely used practice amongst midwives, then neither method is sufficiently useful to outweigh the potential bias that they would engender. For these reasons it is considered appropriate to approach all of the midwives in the local unit to take part in the study. Data Collection In line with the principles of the ethnographic approach, this study will adopt the dual mechanisms of direct observation and the semi-structured interview. (Breakwell et al, 1999). The semi-structured interview technique is explored in depth by De Martino who contrasts the technique with unstructured and fully structured interviews. The former â€Å"essentially amounts to an informal conversation with no guiding principles, and structured interviews are characterised by the asking of a predetermined and fixed set of questions with strict guidelines. Semi-structured interviews however, entail asking a preset group of questions but with some flexibility, so that interesting leads can be explored further† (De Martino B et al. 2006). The semi-structured interview technique is considered to be the most useful for this type of study because of the lack of rigid constraints placed upon both interviewer and subject. The questions are designed to be â€Å"open† thereby allowing the subject to introduce appropriate topics which can then be followed up at the interviewer’s discretion. This flexibility is perhaps the most appropriate for this type of study as the interviewer does not know in advance just what factors influence the midwife’s opinions. Frey broadens the issue by suggesting that, in this context, attitudes of the subjects can be typically analysed in any of three â€Å"dimensions†, namely: emotion, cognition, and behaviour. (Frey et al. 2001). It might therefore be important to structure the semi-structured interview questions so that they cover all three of these dimensions. Typical examples in this regard might be (a)â€Å"How does performing as amniotomy on your patients make you feel emotionally?† (b)â€Å"What are your views about amniotomy and the speed of labour?† (c)â€Å"How do you actually choose to speed up your patient‘s labour?† This may not prove to be completely relevant, as one could suggest that emotional involvement is actually counterproductive in this particular circumstance. It is clear that a large element of discretion will have to be left with the interviewer as it is likely that the answers given may clearly be either carefully considered and evidence based on one extreme or superficial and unconsidered on the other. This flexibility will allow the subject to impart their own intention without being unduly hampered by rigid questioning and should allow the emergence of a detailed set of data which reflects each individual midwife‘s opinions and practices clearly. (Concato, et al. 2000) In addition to the semi-structured interviews there will also be an element of direct observation to ascertain the labours that are managed with amniotomy and to contrast them with the labours that are managed without the procedure. It may well be of considerable value to include an element of questioning in the semi-structured interview phase that asks about the rationale for performing the procedure Data Analysis Data analysis can be carried out using time-honoured methods originally developed in the social science setting with various qualitative analytical methods. (Vickers, A. J et al. 2001). The most commonly used is probably thematic analysis (Braun V et al. 2006) which involves coding the themes that are derived from the responses. The themes are initially identified during the semi-structured interview stage and are then assigned a code (or number) depending upon the frequency with which the various subjects refer to the particular theme. From reading Braun it is apparent that there is considerable flexibility in the coding and identification of the themes (which is in contrast to the mechanisms described for both grounded theory and other forms of qualitative analysis). Some authorities find that this flexibility and lack of proscription is a negative feature of the thematic approach but Braun argues that it enhances the quality of the analysis by allowing a â€Å"richness of analysi s not provided for by other methods†. (Braun V et al. 2006). This is clearly a complex exercise and it will be attempted in the pilot study by the author, but it is accepted that it may be more appropriate to enlist the help of an experienced researcher to assist in the analysis of the full project It is considered likely that the various themes will be obvious from the data obtained. Braun suggests a five stage mechanism for optimum data retrieval, namely: (1)Familiarising oneself with the data. (2)Developing a coding system and identifying bits of data consistent with specific codes. (3)Looking for and identifying themes in the data (4)Labelling or naming the themes identified, with appropriate justification (e.g. quotations from interview transcripts) (5)Writing up the report, including data extracts, in a compelling fashion. (Braun V et al. 2006). The interviews will be initially tape recorded and then transcribed in order to allow for identification of the various themes. It is clearly likely that the themes will be expressed in different terms by different subjects and therefore a degree of latitude will be needed by the interpreter to ensure that similar themes will be included and analysed together. (Berlin J A et al. 1989) Rigour The value of any study ultimately depends upon the rigor with which it is conducted. (Green J et al. 1998). It is in the very nature of a qualitative study that it does not intrinsically possess the precision of the classical quantitative study. It is therefore of great importance that attention is paid to reliability and repeatability during both the design and execution stages of the study. Triangulation is one mechanism that can help in this regard. (Piantadosi S. 1997). This requires comparison of the results obtained by one method with those obtained by another. The classic structure is to see whether the data obtained from the study matches with that obtained from subject feedback. (Leaverton PE. 1998). Berwick also suggests that any apparently aberrant or atypical cases should be examined as these will help to establish the overall validity of the study. (Berwick D. 1996) Ethical Issues It is central to the instigation of any study that the approval of a Local or National Ethics Committe