Historical Allegory and Symbolism in Animal Farm

Haley Pruitt Mrs. Blount AP Literature and Composition 12 November 2012 Symbolism and Allegory in Animal Farm When George Orwell wrote his literary masterpiece that has been acclaimed for many years by critics everywhere, Animal Farm, there were many world events shaping the future of all of Europe and the world that impacted his views, which therefore influenced his writing and opinions. His background and values help to shape the glasses through which he views these events.George Orwell is put into positions of warfare and diplomacy and handles both eloquently as he allows them to mold him into the person that writes the masterpieces that he goes on to produce. Animals are implemented to retell the story of Marxism, the Russian Revolution, and the downfall of utopian views and societies. George Orwell uses symbolism and allegory in his novel Animal Farm to show the social issues of the Soviet Union in the time period of 1917 through 1943.The background of George Orwell must be unde rstood before one can go deeper into his literary works. George Orwell was the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair who was born on June 25, 1903 in Motihari, Bihar, India. He was born into an upper middle class family and went to Catholic school. He moved to Burma where his grandmother lived, and this is where he later wrote Burmese Days, â€Å"A Hanging†, and â€Å"Shooting an Elephant†. â€Å"In Burmese Days, he resigned to ‘escape not merely from imperialism but from every form of man’s dominion over man’† (â€Å"Orwell† 748).When George Orwell moved to London, he began to explore the slums and the poorer parts of the city so that he could learn to understand them and the context of the many books that were written about them. Orwell became interested in the Spanish Civil War and decided to take part in it; because of this, he was asked to be a part of the Spanish Embassy in Paris and he wanted to eliminate fascism throughout the world. G eorge Orwell was married to and adopted a son with Eileen O’Shaughnessy. She died in 1945 during a surgical procedure. Right before he died, he married Sonia Brownell in 1949. Orwell died at 46 years old from tuberculosis.He was in and out of many hospitals for the last three years that he was alive. The author was buried according to Anglican Rite in the All Saints’ Churchyard. At the outbreak of World War II, George Orwell was deemed unfit for service so he began to write for newspapers. Orwell wrote a column of the Tribune and he was a major contributor/writer of The Observer. â€Å"By this stage, Orwell saw himself primarily as a political writer, a democratic socialist who hated party labels, hated totalitarianism, and was to become more and more disillusioned with the methods of Communism† (â€Å"Orwell† 748).Orwell wanted to expose Communism and eliminate it from Europe. Through his writing for various newspapers, he saw himself as making a differe nce, but not quite as much as he would have liked so he began a novel to show the ugly truth of Communism once and for all. Before the end of 1944, Animal Farm was ready for publication, but a publisher could not be found as it was considered an attack on the Soviets. No one wanted to accept that kind of responsibility and punishment if something where to reach the Soviet Union regarding his use of allegory and symbolism using animals against them and their ideas.Eventually Jonathon Cape agreed to tackle the controversies that Orwell discussed and he published it. Jonathon Cape founded Jonathon Cape Ltd. with Wren Howard in 1921. It was one of the leading literary publishers in London during the time period. Jonathon Cape also published works such as T. E. Lawrence’s The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons, and the first of the James Bond books. Another historical issue that must be dealt with before a further understanding of Animal Farm can be reached is what exactly happened in the Soviet Union with the Russian Revolution and Marxism.Two German philosophers, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engles, coined Marxism. â€Å"The  Communist Manifesto  (1848) of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels provided a theoretical basis for the revolutionary movements springing up in Europe in the latter part of the nineteenth century,† (Meyers). Marxism is a way to look at socioeconomics that is based on a more materialistic view of the development of history, a view of social change that has a lot to do with location, and an examination of the relationships of social classes within society and the way that capitalism is wrong and should be looked down upon.It fights for the self-discovery and freeing of the working class and making everyone equal to a certain degree. The Bolsheviks adopted these ideals of Marxism when they took over Russia in the Russian Revolution. World War I did not make things any easier on the peasants. Now they w ere forced to fight for a country they did not like in the first place and they were being simply slaughtered because they were not trained soldiers. Originally, it served to quiet the peasants because everyone was united against one enemy, but it wore off once the initial benefits were gone.Russia’s first major battle of World War I ended in over thirty thousand Russian troops were killed or wounded and the revolutions began. Tsar Nicholas began to make poor military choices and the Russians, particularly the lower class people as they had to fight and send their family and friends off to fight, began to think that there could be something better out there if they could find the right type of government to suit them. The February Revolt was the first of these revolts in the city of Petrograd.The tsar abdicated the throne because he was frightened and knew that he did not possess enough military power to defeat the revolts. After this, there was a period of dual power where t here was a provisional government that was loyal to the Soviet Socialists. The Bolsheviks were a group in Russia that began to revolt when the provisional government chose to continue to fight in Germany. Vladimir Lenin and the workers’ Soviets led the Bolsheviks. They quickly removed Russia from World War I with the Treat of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918.This resulted in a civil war between the Bolshevik (red) and anti-Bolshevik (white) factions of the government, lasting for several years, with the Bolsheviks eventually pulling out a victory. The way that this happened, it allowed for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) to rule later. The way that the Bolsheviks ruled the Soviet Union can be compared to the way that the Catholic Church was run (Frye 11). These are comparable because both were totalitarian and rigid with little thought into the people that followed them.People followed long sets of rules and did not really know why and there was no reward for them e xcept to keep their lives/not be excommunicated from the church. The Russian Revolution describes the mini revolutions that happened in Russia in 1917 that rose up against the monarchy of Russia of which tsar Nicholas was the head. The causes of the Russian Revolution pertaining to society came from the oppression felt by the lower classes in the autocracy of the tsar. They had been emancipated, but life was no better for them.The industrialization of Russia led to overcrowding and very bad conditions in the cities for the urban industrial workers. This made the peasants more likely to go on protest and go on strike than in previous years. Some critics view the literary work of George Orwell to be creating a utopian society and to praise that idea of the â€Å"perfect society†. â€Å"Orwell particularly valued the vigorous, colorful and concrete style of pamphlets and wanted to revive the genre,† says Valerie Meyers of Orwell’s Animal Farm (Meyers).This is not w ell thought-out because he was making fun of the way that people thought of utopias and he made the utopian society of the farm animals in Animal Farm fail miserably. If he had been praising the utopian societies and genre, then he would have written things differently and not had the society end in failure and death which is ultimately where he believed it would end. â€Å"Orwell's  Animal Farm, like Swift's Lilliput and Blefuscu, is a coded satiric portrait of a real society, an anti-utopia which, by castigating real evils, suggests what society ought to be like† (Meyers).George Orwell uses satire and allegory to show an intended utopia failing and Meyers puts it well when she says that he â€Å"castigates real evils† because Orwell legitimately shows the evils of what was happening in Russia and tries to simplify them into something of a â€Å"fairytale† that the normal person could digest and understand. . It is written as a fable though with the moral bei ng to â€Å"teach a political lesson† (Meyers). He is trying to show the common person the effects on the people and the seriousness of the controversies that he chose to write about.The ultimate goal of writing Animal Farm was to destroy the Soviet myth (Patai). Orwell wanted the myth that everything was going great in the Soviet Union to be dismissed because people were not taking things seriously. The rest of the world did not think anything of the terrorism that was taking place because they simply did not even know that it was happening. Concerning Russian Communism, George Orwell did not take into account the â€Å"underlying reasons for its transformation from a proletarian dictatorship into a kind of parody of the Catholic Church,† (Frye 11).Orwell simply went through the process of what happened and didn’t ask the questions like â€Å"Why did Old Major feel the way he did? † or â€Å"Why did the animals blindly believe the pigs and not question them? † The characters that are used in the literary work of Animal Farm are animals. Some critics say this is because it is written in a fable-style and some, like Daphne Patai say that this is because, â€Å"It was apparently easier for Orwell to identify with the animal kingdom, exploited at the hands of ‘humans,’ than to note that buried in class and race divisions in the human orld lay the issue of gender oppression,† (Patai). Orwell could more easily wrap his mind around the cruelty shown to animals because then he wouldn’t have to relate it back to himself and his responsibility and role in the cruelty of human treatment to other humans. Also, it allowed him to disregard race and gender in the characterization of the animals that lived on Manor Farm. When he wrote about the pigs taking over and all the other animals numbly following them he tried to show that â€Å"the class struggle among humans is ‘pure illusion’—which i s itself an illusion,† (Patai).George Orwell was trying to show that we don’t have to blindly follow authority and that it is not in our best interest, but in the same respect, he proved that it can be dangerous if you do not, therefore contradicting himself. â€Å"Orwell’s concern is that no matter what viewpoint rulers adopt it is no guarantee that they can solve the ‘central problem’ of revolution—indeed, of life—namely, the abuse of power† (Slater 241). George Orwell believed that whether it was Communism, Fascism, or Marxism, the leaders failed to do what they took over to do in the first place.His philosophy was that it doesn’t matter the type of government, government cannot fix the problem of revolution no matter the strength. The characters that exemplify the symbolism and allegory make up the main plot of the masterpiece that is Animal Farm. The pigs represent the upper class Bolsheviks that took power, Boxer is the common man, the dogs are the secret police, and so on. Also, the symbols used throughout the book such as the hoof and horn flag, the Order of the Green Banner, and the part song entitled â€Å"The Beasts of England† directly parallel symbols common in Russian society at the time.Even the battles have their own parallels of historical revolutions taking place in Russia (Meyers). Orwell wanted to blatantly make a point and leave no room for question as to what this was specifically allegorizing. â€Å"He says that he will not attempt to speak for the work: Either it speaks for itself or it is a failure† (Quinn). Orwell made everything so clear because he felt strongly about this issue of Marxism and the totalitarianism happening in Russia. If a critic had a question about what this was about, it would have defeated the purpose that it was meant to serve and so he wrote it in a way as to leave nothing to assumption.The character that most of the people struggling in this time feel that they can relate to is the character of Boxer, a workhorse. He buys into the lies that are fed to him by the pigs and believes all of the propaganda. Boxer truly believes that the pigs are doing what is best for him and even is found encouraging other animals to go along with their decisions. â€Å"I will work harder† and â€Å"Napoleon is always right† are the mantras that he developed to help himself keep going and accomplish the work he was assigned by the pigs.Eventually, the pigs decide that he cannot work any harder and Boxer is deemed useless; he is sent to the glue factory much to the chagrin of the other animals that looked up to and admired him for his work ethics and motivation. The fact that he was sold for alcohol and food for the pigs shows just how the system of totalitarianism works. It shows the way that people blindly follow orders, and even those who follow orders are not rewarded. As for the pigs, Napoleon represents Stalin and Sn owball represents Trotsky; they supervise and keep the best of everything, including food such as apples and milk.Napoleon prefers a harsher take on everything: defensive buildup of armaments, increased food production/work, and finally, eliminating Snowball from the equation altogether. Snowball is mellower, wanting destabilization by propaganda, building of the windmill (reducing work hours), and an eloquent way to run things. Because they come to a head on all of these governmental matters, the more brutal animal, Napoleon, finally wins by driving Snowball off with the pack of dogs being used as secret police.Napoleon, like Stalin, turns Snowball, like Trotsky, into a criminal and an enemy of the animals; his victory and bravery at the Battle of the Cowshed is diminished piece by piece and his memory is degraded. The dogs are tricked into acting against their fellow â€Å"comrades† with offers of food and other treats. They mirror the KGB in that they do the bidding of tho se in power and even turn against their leader when they see a reward for themselves (Gardner 103-104). Orwell’s Animal Farm is taught in schools all over the country, though the immediate need for the piece of literature is now gone because there is no more Russian Communism.Many critics say that it was written as a fable or a fairy tale, and though Blair agrees, he also says: â€Å"Still, the narrative of Animal Farm is ingenious, and its twists retain a certain charm† (Blair). Though the author is in the opinion that Animal Farm is simply a children’s book, there is a simple agreement that it was written â€Å"ingeniously†. The teaching of this literary masterpiece will continue throughout the years because of its use of historical allegory and symbolism to teach the reader simply what happened in the world events of the time period that George Orwell lived in.

How Poor Education, Dropouting Of School And The Environment Can Lead To Deviant Behavior

Deviant behavior can be described as unaccepted behavior devoid of moral values. These values and norms that a deviant (person with deviant behavior) possesses can either be acquired formally through the learning process. They can also be determined by environmental factors such as peer pressure, media, mentors, etc. Poor education denies a growing person the opportunity to make life out of learning. It therefore gives the persons an alternative of earning a living through criminal activities.When a poorly educated person meets with a harsh environment coupled with unemployment and other social-economical factors, their behaviors start to deviate from normal. HOW POOR EDUCATION AND NOT FINISHING SCHOOL COMBINED WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT CAN PUT CHILDREN AT A HIGHER RISK FOR DEVIANT BEHAVIOR Deviant behavior is first brought by lack of family values . A family plays a very significant role in reforming a person’s character. Institutions of learning also play a role in teaching peo ple what is good and what is bad; what ought to be done and what ought not be done etc.Incorporated in the syllabi of most education systems are theological studies. These gives out a lot of biblical teachings which if followed by an individual he/she would be unlikely to develop deviant behaviors. For instance, in the Biblical teaching, we learn that murder is morally wrong. When Cain killed Abel, he got a punishment from God. Also learnt is the fact that patience pays the same way Job was patient after suffering from a long time of sickness. The teaching here is that if one is suffering and does not have any hope, chances are that he might develop a deviant behavior.This then brings out the need to finish school and be able to get such biblical teachings. Teachers in schools are not only trained on how to disseminate education but also on how to mould the behavior of a child. A person’s behavior is for instance, greatly determined by the kind of teaching both from parents a nd teachers at a tender age. If one did not attend school or got inadequate education, their chances of growing defiantly get enhanced. He would not be able to co-operate and work well with others because these values can only be learnt in schools.Teachers in schools administer punishment against deviant behaviors, a factor that can discourage a child against misbehaving. Schooling also enables one to socialize freely with peers/people. This socialization is important as it inculcates self personality in a person. They realize the need consult when in problems. One with poor education or has just dropped out of college will miss this opportunity of freely mixing with others. As they grow they would tend to do things independently. Any piece of advice directed to them is likely to be welcomed by deviance.Without the acquisition of full knowledge, there are quite a number of values that a person may not learn. And lack of these norms lead a person into deviance. These are norms like c ommunication skills, thinking positively and ability to solve problems amicably. A person who has dropped out of school may employ mediocre methods to solve problems. In most cases, they do not adhere to the laid down rules and principles. They instead use force and physical confrontations to drive their points home. With the environmental challenges that they meet as a result early school drop outs, such people grow defiantly.This is because they missed the element of positive thinking learnt in schools. Poor education also makes one fall short of appreciating self as well as reality of the environment. This in the end frustrates and stresses them to the extent that they resort to drug abuse and alcoholism to relieve the stress and frustration. All these happen because school drop-outs do not have self efficacy. This is a scenario whereby one does not recognize / appreciate his worthness/ usefulness. As a result, they are not always happy people. They tend to dislike those who have better jobs and who are better placed in society.By doing so, they violate the societal norms and values. What children learn from their surrounding environment has a very strong correlation to the behavior they develop. A family especially the parents, play a pivotal role in determining what their offsprings would be like. If they solve their problems amicably and soberly, then the children would grow in the same way. They would in future tend to listen and accommodate the views of their colleagues, elders, their own spouses as well as their own children. But consider a family where the only solution to problems is divorce, separation i. e.there is no time for conflict resolution, so will the child develop a deviant behavior. Growing persons meet all sorts of environmental factors which will determine their behaviors in one way or the other. One of these factors is neglect. Neglect refers to that condition where children usually suffer as result of their parent’s actions. W ithin this definition of neglect are elements like sexual abuse, injuries (physical) and also abandonment. Statistics show that in America for instance, one million youths are abused every year. The ratio of boys sexually abused is one boy for every ten. For girls, it is one for every three.Sexual abuses can lead to such deviant behaviors such as stress, aggressiveness and low esteem. They become aggressive because they see everybody as the cause of their problems. They have a low self esteem because they see themselves as being different from others . Another environmental factor that can lead to deviant behavior is peer influence. An individual person is not born a criminal or with any other form of deviant behavior . These are moulded with the people one associates with as birds of the same feathers flock together. His/her surrounding environment is full of peers (people of almost equal age).Peers entice their colleagues behave in the same way as them. Peers incite into the viola tion of social values and breed behaviors like drug addiction and alcoholism. According to Edwin H. Sutherland in his book of Differential Association Theory, when individuals interact, they learn so much from each other. They communicate in ideas as well as symbols. When these ideas and symbols become favorable to an individual, certain defiance behavior would be inculcated in e. g. criminology peer pressure also makes the deviants to justify their deviant behaviors by not being guilty.They tend to deny any injury caused to a victim by alleging no one can be hurt through crime. They also deny the victim as they believe that the victim was not injured, rather he obtained the rightful force. Peer groups also make the deviants not to recognise the laws of the land. Instead, they would tell you to appeal to a higher power. But whether a person would be influenced by peers will greatly depend on his / her level of education. Unlike the educated, the uneducated stand as the more vulnerab le group to be indulged to these deviant behaviors.The media is another social agent that can favorably or unfavorably determine one’s behavior. The television for instance, presents different programs with different messages. But these should not be emulated unless they rhyme with moral values and norms. Some of these programs are just comedies. If one was poorly educated, he/ she may interpret these comedies to be reality shows. Some behaviors may be shown in these programs like aggressiveness of the actors, pride and dressing provocatively. Too much media can therefore make one easily acquire these deviant behaviors. Through the media again, companies advertise their products.The mode of advertisement characterized by cultural memes can significantly contribute to deviant behavior. This is because cultural memes tend to deteriorate societal norms and values. When one has not finished School, he/she is left with a lot of idle time ahead of him/her. This is the time the pers on starts engaging himself/herself in certain social evils that are unacceptable in society. Deviant behavior refers to any behavior that is not generally acceptable within the values of a given people and society. It is due to idleness that people take drugs, alcohol and involve themselves with all forms of promiscuity.Learning institutions also offer important behavior building programs through discussions on behaviors like drug usage/abuse . Here, important information on the dangers of such drugs that normally culminates into deviant behaviors by experts in the field. These workshops are used even to the highest educational levels like colleges and universities. They have greatly contributed in the relaxation / stagnation of deviant behavior. It is therefore inevitable for one to reach these high levels of education if reduction of deviant behavior is anything to go by. Poor education makes one not to appreciate his rights.He would not even know when his rights have been infring ed /violated. The environment is full of numerous agents of rights violations. It comprises of sadists and opportunists. There are people who like mis (using) / exploiting others for their own self interests. Majority of these are the politicians who incite the youth and entice them with money to engage in social injustices like violence. This in actual sense amounts to deviance as these are social conflicts not compatible with the values and norms of any modern society. CONCLUSION Institutions of learning mould behavior through education.And it is only through education that one can get to learn good moral values and norms. It is through education that one can also learn on how to live with society. Poor education therefore deprives one a lot of moral teachings and the opportunity to enjoy a peaceful co- existence with the rest in society. It does also not allow one to appreciate the environmental needs and challenges that greatly determine one’s behavior. Because of inadequ ate education, the environment becomes a harsh place to live in. One then resorts to alcoholism, drug abuse, sexual immorality and other sorts of deviant behavior in order to relieve the pressure.

Factory Outlet vs Departmental Outlets

CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS OF FACTORY OUTLET STORES VERSUS TRADITIONAL DEPARTMENT STORES Dr. G. S. Shergill* Department of Commerce, Massey University, Albany Campus, Private Bag 102 904 NSMC, Auckland, NEW ZEALAND Ph: 0064 9 414 0800 x9466, Email: G. S. [email  protected] ac. nz & Y. Chen Department of Commerce, Massey University, Auckland, NEW ZEALAND, Email: [email  protected] com CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS OF FACTORY OUTLET STORES VERSUS TRADITIONAL DEPARTMENT STORES Abstract This paper examines customers’ perceptions of two different types of retail stores; factory outlet stores and traditional department stores; as well as their purchasing preferences. In addition, the paper compares these preferences across demographics. It explores four critical factors which significantly influence customers’ perceptions of both types of retail store. Findings are base on a mall intercept survey with 205 respondents across a range of demographics. The results indicate that factory outlet stores are perceived as having comparatively lower prices and attractive promotions in comparison to traditional department stores, while traditional department stores have competitive advantages in terms of the other three factors. Also it is found that different demographic characteristics play an important role in influencing differences in customer perceptions regarding the different types of stores. The main implication of these findings is that factory outlet stores are perceived favourably and that they need to build more positive marketing strategies accordingly. Keywords- Factory outlet stores, Traditional department stores, Customer preferences. Nowadays, an increasing number of customers choose factory outlet stores as their alternative shopping places, rather than continuing to shop at traditional department stores. Since customer loyalty is becoming more important for marketers in achieving sales performance goals (Kulpa, 1998), this increase in the use of factory outlet stores as an alternative choice poses a significant challenge to traditional department stores. This circumstance means that the competition between these different retail channels has become extremely intense. A factory outlet store is owned and operated directly by a manufacturer to sell only its brand of merchandise, whereas a traditional department store does not manufacture products itself but instead sells a variety of products manufactured by independent firms (Meyers, 1995). In a factory outlet store, the manufacturer has full control over the product offering, in-store customer service and the quality and price of the product sold, as well as the physical attributes of the store. Traditional department stores are owned 1 and operated independent of manufacturers. Manufacturers of the products sold at these stores have limited control over in-store customer service, prices of the products sold and the physical attributes of the stores. Initially factory outlet stores were established to offer end-of-line goods and seconds at the lowest possible prices (Lombart, 2004). As a result it was mainly customers in lower socio-economic groups who were willing to buy through this channel. These outlets have begun, however, to be gradually accepted by more customers, in part due to special annual sale promotions which began during the 1980s (Lombart, 2004). Additionally, customers’ increasing value-consciousness has stimulated the development of factory outlet stores. This has especially been the case in the United States, where there are over 10,000 factory outlet stores now in operation (Meyers, 1995). Nowadays, factory outlet stores which provide the same range of brand name merchandise attract more and more customers, and have developed into showcases in much the same form as that of traditional department stores (Fernie and Fernie, 1997). It is unclear, however, whether customer perceptions of factory outlet stores versus traditional department stores may differ in general and across demographics, as well as how such differences may be seen. The findings will assist marketers, particularly those employed by manufacturers, in understanding the ways in which customers view both traditional department stores and factory outlet stores. This insight will allow such marketers to set more suitable customer-oriented marketing strategies and business objectives, achieve superior financial performance and develop their marketing performance in the retail industry. The main objective of this paper is to explore customers’ perceptions of these different types of retail stores, as well as their purchasing preferences. In addition, the paper examines customer preferences across demographics regarding customers’ perceptions of factory outlet stores and traditional department stores. The paper contains five sections. Following the introduction is an overview of literature, summarising previous studies, and sets the hypotheses to be tested. The next two 2 sections deal with research methodology, data analysis and findings. Conclusions and implications are discussed in the last section. LITERATURE REVIEW Factory outlet stores vs. Traditional department stores Factory outlet stores An increasing number of factory outlet stores have been built for various reasons. Some of these stores have been created to deal with seconds’ products, some are presented as discount stores associated with new distribution channels, and some have been designed by manufacturers in order to reduce the price of their products through savings on overhead costs (Parker et al. , 2002). This last reason has been pursued in order to attract more current and potential customers in price-oriented and price-sensitive markets and satisfy customers’ varying needs and wants (Parker et al. , 2002). Initially, the factory outlet store was identified and established as an off-price retailer (Joshi, 2003). Internationally, especially in Europe, factory outlet stores were built and developed for four basic reasons: to sell discounted products; to reduce overhead costs and carry out sales promotions; to create flexibility of stock running; and to achieve brand promotion (Joshi, 2003). The roles and functions of factory outlet stores have changed significantly over the past few decades. They are no longer designed only as low price stores, but are also used for branded product promotions, especially in Europe and the US. For example, manufacturers of the Reebok, Levi, Gap and Warnaco brands regard their brand promotion to be one of the key functions of their factory outlet stores (Joshi, 2003). Factory outlet stores have also been designed as specific seconds stores and discount stores, and are located in many of Japan’s major cities (Joshi, 2003). There has been a 62% increase in factory outlet stores since 1990 and the trend is for this increase to continue (Rudnitsky, 1994). Factory outlet stores have been developed using original styles by including some specific characteristics of conventional shopping centres in order to provide products with attractive prices and a leisurely shopping environment for most price-oriented customers (Golub and Winston, 1983). 3 Nowadays, the factory outlet stores are normally recognised as â€Å"†¦ gaining a larger market share through price reductions, which are aimed at capturing the mass market† (Hellofs and Jacobson, 1999, p. 3). Therefore, the factory outlet stores need to develop their level of customer satisfaction and ensure that the products sold in these stores are of a reasonable quality in comparison to the previously built brand images (Parker et al. , 2002). Overall, the trend in factory outlet store development is quite satisfactory. For example, according to a sur vey discussed in Happy Campers at Outlets (Rauch, 2005), around 84% of respondents agreed that the prices in these stores met, and even exceeded, their expectations. Also, nearly 93% of the respondents indicated their intention of making a return visit (Rauch, 2005). In summary, the development of factory outlet stores is rapid. They are seen as offering reasonable and lower prices than traditional department stores, and a much better shopping environment and atmosphere than ever before. Therefore, the sales performances achieved by factory outlet stores are satisfactory, tending towards positive maintenance and a continuous increase in this type of store. Traditional Department Stores Nowadays, traditional department stores are facing a significant threat because the number of consumers who shop at traditional department stores is decreasing, although the sales of these stores have increased (Nasri, 1999). The number of customers who shop at traditional department stores has dropped sharply (Li, 2003). This means that department stores are in an endangered situation, and are receiving a lessening portion of the total retail sales. This situation has led to a significant decrease in the number of department stores (Li, 2003). Traditional department stores are perceived by customers as playing a distinctive fashion role and offering a range of up-to-date fashion merchandise with reasonable prices, high levels of customer service and a comfortable shopping atmosphere 4 (Johnson, 1994). Customers are more willing to enter into, and purchase products in, traditional department stores, which offer more excitement and emotional attachment than do outlet stores. As a result traditional department stores tend to be developed to create and satisfy various demands of customers of different ages and with differing perceptions of fashion trends (Facenda, 2005). This could be a competitive advantage which traditional department stores can utilise to attract and maintain customers, as well as increase market share as an effective defence against the threat presented by factory outlet stores. In summary, unlike discount stores, traditional department stores tend to be challenged into finding and creating a winning combination of a diverse customer and merchandise mix, along with service and price expectations, rather than addressing and focusing on attracting bargain-seeking customers through niche target marketing (Coward, 2003). Therefore, the first hypothesis to be tested in the research can be stated as follows: H1: There is a significant difference in customers’ store preferences (traditional department stores, or factory outlet stores) across their demographics. Product Brand Image Loyal customers may hold strong and positive images of a brand which are hard to change and lead to long-term sales revenue (Wyner, 2003). A well-known brand as one important extrinsic factor can significantly affect customer perceptions (Ailawadi and Keller, 2004). Retailers have an obvious opportunity, and are in an ideal position to build these kinds of positive experiences for customers (Schmitt, 2003). Brookman (2004) noted that brand images should be used to link merchandise ranges and store design. Parker et al. (2002) also recommended that good brand imagery leads to good sales revenues. Ailawadi and Keller (2004) pointed out that there was a direct relevance between branding and customer perceptions of retailer imagery, which has been confirmed by a large number of researches in this topic area. Inman et al. 2004) pointed out that customers associate different branded product ranges with different types of retail stores. Accordingly, store image is impacted significantly by customer perceptions 5 of the different branded products and services offered by retailers (Ailawadi and Keller, 2004). The greater the breadth of different products and services offered by a retail store, the greater the number of customers who will frequently patro nage the store, as the variety of product categories provided in the same store provides a much more convenient shopping experience for customers (Messinger and Narasimhan, 1997). Furthermore, the depth of within-category brand products is another very important factor in influencing store image in customer perceptions, and could be a main stimulator in the customer store choice decision (Ailawadi and Keller, 2004). Developing a selection, a range of styles, and favourable categories of branded products are the most important keys to increasing customer perceptions of store image and, as a consequence, achieving higher sales (Dreze et al. , 1994). Therefore, the design of brand-name products can be a comparable factor in creating images for factory outlet stores and traditional department stores. The customer image of retail stores is highly and positively influenced by the quality of the manufactured product brands (Ailawadi and Keller, 2004). Accordingly, Jacoby and Mazursky (1984) noted that carrying strong positive images of brands could improve the positive image of retail stores. Furthermore, they noted that it was much easier to increase sales and achieve market share by increasing both the images of the brands and of the retail stores in the current saturated retail environment (Jacoby and Mazursky, 1984). Nevertheless, Jacoby and Mazursky (1984) also mentioned that a good product brand image would be damaged if it was associated with a retail store which had a poor image. Therefore, brand products sold in either type of retail store should be designed and managed to create and improve relevant customer perceptions. In summary, customers having good brand image tend to be much more loyal in their shopping patterns, whether at traditional department stores, or factory outlet stores. Also, customers who wish to purchase high quality branded products would consider whether the quality and value of the brand products sold in traditional retail stores is higher than those products sold in factory outlet stores (Parker et al. , 2002). So, the second hypothesis to be tested in the research could be stated as follows: 6 H2: The brand images of those products sold in traditional department stores are higher than for those products sold in factory outlet stores. Retail Store Image The store image plays a very important role in creating profit and maintaining customer loyalty. Therefore, it could be a determining factor in customer perceptions (Parker et al. , 2002). A high quality store image implies the possibility of differentiation, loyalty and profitability, while a low-quality store image paves the way for price wars by emphasising and intensifying customer price sensitivity (Hallanan, 1994). The conclusion that retail stores should develop a positive, clear and favourable self-image to be an alternative choice in customers’ minds was drawn by Martineau (1958). Understanding the impact of product brand image, and how a retailer should be positioned, is extremely important in building the image of a retail store (Ailawadi et al. , 1995). Building the image of a retail store requires the identification of sufficiently different goods and services from those of their competitors, which tends to increase customers’ appreciation (Keller, 2003). There are lots of different attributes which significantly influence store image. These include the quality of merchandise and services, the tore appearance, the quality of the purchase service, the physical facilities, the behaviour and service of employees, the price levels, the depth and frequency of promotions and the store shopping atmosphere (Lindquist, 1974). Two basic dimensions can be used to analyse the store image. These dimensions are in-store atmosphere, and price and promotion (Ailawadi and Keller, 2004, p. 333). In-store atmosphere is one of the most important factors in the influenc e of customer perceptions of retail stores. Baker et al. 2002) pointed out that a store’s shopping environment plays an extremely important role in providing information and shopping guides to customers, and is the key attribute in building store image. The in-store environment; particularly physical features such as merchandise pricing, quality and store design and layout, as well as social service facilities such as employees’ service 7 and friendliness, as well as food-court service; can influence customers’ economic and psychological shopping behaviours (Baker et al. , 2002). Certainly, store environment plays a major role in providing informational cues and signals to customers about the type of merchandise and service they should expect (Parker et al. , 2002). Merchandise quality and service quality are key variables in influencing store image (Parker et al. , 2002). This indicates that service attributes might be some of the most important factors in store image brand building, and deeply influence consumer purchase behaviours (Hicks, 2000). This leads to the creation of long-term sales revenue and profitability (Hicks, 2000). Furthermore, when different retailers stock similar products and brands, an appealing in-store atmosphere can play a critical role in building retailer brand image (Ailawadi and Keller, 2004). In this research, the in-store atmospheres of factory outlet stores and traditional department stores are compared, especially in terms of the physical characteristics and social service features. Two further hypotheses need to be tested, as follow: H3: The physical features (such as lighting, air conditioning, washrooms, music, cleanliness, displays, etc. of traditional department stores are perceived to be better than those of factory outlet stores. H4: The in-store customer service features (such as friendliness, helpfulness of salespeople, etc. ) of traditional department stores are perceived to be better than those of factory outlet stores. Price and promotion is another factor which directly affects customer perceptions of different types of retail stores and their images. A store’ s image in terms of price and promotion will be influenced by average levels of prices, seasonal variations in prices, and the frequency and depth of promotions (Dickson and Sawyer, 1990). Different customers hold different perceptions of the store choice decision, according to the different images of stores. For example, large basket shoppers like every-day low price stores, while small basket shoppers prefer high-low promotional pricing stores (Bell and Lattin, 1998). Traditional department stores tend to create â€Å"†¦ a diverse customer and merchandise mix, service expectations and price point †¦Ã¢â‚¬  in order to design a desirable shopping experience (Coward, 2003, p. 27). For example, Coward (2003) suggested that 8 stores needed to rethink convenient designs, return policies and commission policies in order to make their service more flexible and satisfying for customers. Parker et al. (2002) pointed out that there is an incredible interaction between price levels and customer perceptions of product brand images and store images. In particular, comparatively lower price levels would lead to negative customer perceptions of the retail stores (Parker et al. , 2002). To identify the different price and promotion images of retail stores, the hypotheses formulated are: H5: The price and promotion features of products sold in traditional department stores are perceived as being higher than that of factory outlet stores. H6: There is a significant difference in customers’ store ratings (traditional department stores vs. factory outlet stores) across their demographics. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The study was conducted in a mid-sized multicultural city with a range of local and international retailers, including a number of traditional department stores and factory outlet stores. Using Parker et al. ’s (2002) nineteen items developed for measuring store characteristics, a questionnaire was constructed which measured preferences for generic stores. A five point scale was used in the questionnaire, anchored by 1=very poor and 5=very good. In addition, four items designed to measure the demographic characteristics of the respondents were also included. The data was collected using intercept surveys. The respondents were selected equally at both types of retail outlets. The usable sample was 205 respondents. The sample profile is given in Table I. DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS Sample Profile The sample profile of 205 respondents is summarised in Table I below. There are 107 female and 98 male respondents in the survey. The majority of the respondents are less than forty-five years of age (approximately 71% of the total sample). Furthermore, the majority of the respondents had completed secondary school and completed at least one trade diploma, or certificate degree. Additionally, around 78% of the respondents earned 9 a yearly gross income (before tax) of over NZ$20,000. Respondents with a yearly income over NZ$60,000 only comprised 9. % of the sample, with the majority having a yearly income of between NZ$20,000 and NZ$40,000. Table I: Gender Sample Profile (N=205) Percentage Female Male Total Under 25yr 52. 2 47. 8 100 15. 6 25. 9 29. 8 18. 5 7. 8 2. 4 100 16. 6 30. 2 38. 5 14. 6 100 21. 5 45. 4 23. 9 9. 3 100 Demographics Formatted: Swedish (Sweden) Age 25-34yr 35-44yr 45-54yr 55-64yr Over 64yr Total High School Degree Educati on Trade Diploma/Certificate Bachelor Degree Masters Degree Total Individual tax) yearly Less than NZ$20,000 NZ$20,001–$40,000 NZ$40,001–$60,000 Over NZ$60,000 Total ross income (before The reliability analysis was utilised to test whether the nineteen questions used in the questionnaire fit the factor analysis criteria. Using Cronbach alpha, we found that the nineteen items’ reliability for traditional department stores was . 889 and for factory outlet stores was . 880, both figures being at an acceptable level (Nunnally, 1978). Factors which Customers keep in mind while Shopping at Traditional Department Stores (TDS) and Factory Outlet Stores (FOS) Table II displays the factor analysis results for different scales of TDS in the questionnaire. Four factors were extracted through the factor analysis for TDS. Factor 1 concerns the in-store customer service characteristics of TDS. The variables relating to 10 customer service in the stores; such as friendly, helpful, familiar with merchandise, exchanges, salespeople’s’ pressure and enough salespeople; are loaded more highly than other variables contained in Factor 1. Customers are especially concerned with whether the salespeople in traditional department stores are helpful. Within Factor 2, higher loadings are given to quality, wide selection, newest styles and fully stocked in regards to the products sold in the stores. These loadings indicate that Factor 2 largely displays concerns about the brand images of products sold in TDS. Table II: Factor Analysis Results for Traditional Department Stores and Factory Outlet Stores Traditional Department Stores Factor 1: In-store customer service features Factor 1: In-store customer service features Factory Outlet Stores Variables Factor 2: Brand images of products Factor 2: Brand images of products Factor 4: Price & promotion features Salespeople are friendly Salespeople are helpful Salespeople are familiar with merchandise Exchanges happily Less pressure from salespeople Enough salespeople Quality is good Selection of products is wide Styles of products are newest Stock level Store is attractive Store is not crowded Store is clean Store is neat Store is bright .600 . 746 . 637 . 571 . 601 . 580 . 449 . 763 . 771 . 702 . 458 . 545 . 763 . 745 . 672 .628 . 717 . 652 . 590 . 640 . 639 . 471 . 694 . 779 . 740 . 556 . 697 . 822 . 677 . 160 Factor 4: Price & promotion features Factor 3: Physical features Factor 3: Physical features 11 Prices are good Value for price Markdowns are attractive Prices of products are marked clearly .655 . 810 . 468 . 360 .359 . 325 . 882 . 739 Customers shopping in TDS tend to pay more attention to whether products sold in the stores display a wide selection, with the newest styles and are fully stocked, rather than being concerned about their quality, as the loadings of these three variables are 0. 763, 0. 771 and 0. 702, respectively, while the loading of quality is only 0. 49. Furthermore, Factor 3 shows significant loadings on the variables of attractive, not crowded, clean, neat and bright, at 0. 458, 0. 545, 0. 763, 0. 745 and 0. 672, respectively. Therefore, Factor 3 can be identified as containing the physical features of TDS. Specifically, the variables of clean and neat have much higher loadings than the others. This implies that these two factors significantly influence customer perceptions of the physical features of TDS. Factor 4 shows customers’ considerations regarding the price and promotion features of products sold in TDS. Within the fourth factor, comparatively higher loadings are found for the variables of price, value for price, markdowns and clearly marked price. These loadings are 0. 655, 0. 810, 0. 468 and 0. 360, respectively. In particular, customers’ who preferred traditional department stores tended to give more consideration to whether they could gain reasonable value from their purchase. Table II also displays the factor analysis results for the different variables of the factory outlet stores (FOS) in the questionnaire. Again, a similar group of four factors is extracted through factor analysis. As in the TDS analysis, Factor 1 concerns the in-store customer service features of FOS. The variables regarding customer service have higher loadings than the other variables contained in Factor 1. Respondents were concerned as to whether the service offered by the salespeople is helpful or not, as it is given the highest loading, at 0. 717. The variables of quality, wide selection, newest styles and fully stocked, regarding the products sold in FOS are included in Factor 2. Their high loadings indicate that Factor 2 is related to measuring the brand images of the products 12 sold in the retail stores. The customers who shop in FOS tend to give more consideration as to whether the products sold in these stores are comparatively new styles and have satisfactory stock levels, as shown in the related high loadings of these two variables (0. 779 and 0. 740, respectively). These customers do not pay much attention to the quality of the products sold in FOS, however, as this variable’s loading is only 0. 471. Moreover, Factor 3’s variables of attractive, not crowded, cleanliness, neat and bright have loadings of 0. 556, 0. 697, 0. 822, 0. 677 and 0. 160, respectively. Thus, Factor 3 can be identified as concerning the physical features of FOS. More specifically, customers tend to be concerned about the cleanliness of FOS, but few of them indicate that store brightness is important. Lastly, Factor 4 concerns the price and promotion features of the products sold in FOS. Higher loadings are given to the price, reasonable price for value, markdowns and clearly marked price variables included in the fourth factor, at 0. 359, 0. 325, 0. 882 and 0. 739, respectively. Customers of factory outlet stores tend to be more concerned as to whether the markdowns of the products sold in the stores are attractive, and whether the prices of the products are clearly marked. Customer Store Preference across Demographics To know if there is a trend to shop at factory outlet stores, we asked respondents which store they normally prefer to shop. To control for any possible response bias, we selected respondents equally at both types of retail outlets. As shown in Table III, the number of respondents who prefer TDS as their shopping place is 113, compared to 92 respondents choosing FOS as their preferred shopping place. This implies that a sizable number of customers prefer and/or are shopping at factory outlet stores. Table III: Frequency analysis of store choice Frequency Traditional department stores Factory outlet stores 113 92 Percentage 55. 1 44. 9 13 Total 205 100. 0 Chi-square is next used in order to examine whether there are any significant effects from the different demographic characteristics on customer decision-making in regards to shopping choices. As shown in Table IV, significant differences exist in customers’ store choice as regards to their different genders, levels of education and gross yearly income, as the relative P-values for these variables are 0. 001, 0. 000 and 0. 003, respectively. Nevertheless, there are no significant differences between customers’ shopping preferences in regard to age, as the P-value is 0. 690. Table IV: Store choices and demographic characteristics Department Chi-squa re values 11. 343 Traditional Demographics Gender Female Male Total 47 66 113 19 28 36 18 8 4 113 13 24 56 20 113 60 32 92 13 25 25 20 8 1 92 21 38 23 10 92 107 98 205 32 53 61 38 16 5 205 34 62 79 30 205 20. 223 . 000 3. 065 . 690 . 001 P-values Factory Total Outlet Stores Stores Age Under 25yr 25-34yr 35-44yr 45-54yr 55-64yr Over 64yr Total Formatted: Swedish (Sweden) Education High School Grad. Trade Diploma/Certificate Bachelor Degree Master Degree Total Individual yearly tax) gross income (before Less than NZ$20,000 NZ$20,001–$40,000 NZ$40,001–$60,000 Over NZ$60,000 Total 18 46 33 16 113 26 47 16 3 92 44 93 49 19 205 14. 256 . 003 14 More specifically, female respondents tend to prefer shopping in factory outlet stores, while nearly two-thirds of the male respondents prefer to shop in traditional department stores. Furthermore, customers with higher levels of education are more likely to choose traditional department stores as their shopping preference. As shown in Table IV, the number of customers who possess degrees and prefer shopping at traditional department stores is much higher than the number of those customers who are willing to go to factory outlet stores. In addition, customers who earn a higher yearly income; particularly those whose gross yearly income is between NZ$40,001 and NZ$60,000, or over NZ $60,000; tend to choose traditional department stores over factory outlet stores. These statistics are summarised in Table IV above. Therefore, H1 is supported on gender, education and income, but not on the demographic of age. Customer Perceptions of Brand Images of Products Sold in Traditional Department Stores and Factory Outlet Stores Table V below provides a comparison of the brand images and T-test results of products sold in traditional department stores and factory outlet stores. According to these results, H2; which holds that the brand images of products sold in TDS are higher than those of products sold in FOS; is supported (see Table V). In other words, the overall mean rating of TDS branded products is significantly higher than that of FOS branded products, at 16. 02 and 9. 1, respectively. Specifically; according to the analysis of the individual items of product features; the respondents gave higher ratings for products sold in TDS (regarding their wide selection, newer styles and satisfactory stock levels), than for the products sold in FOS. There is a significant difference between the mean ratings of the branded products sold in TDS and FOS. Thus, the results from the data analysis show th at there is a significant difference in the brand images of the products sold in traditional department stores and factory outlet stores. Customers tend to have higher, and more positive, images of branded products sold in traditional department stores than they do for branded products sold in factory outlet stores. 15 16 Table V: Comparison of brand images of products sold in stores Factory Outlet Brand Images of Products Sold Traditional Stores in the stores Department Stores Mean SD Mean SD P-values Quality is good Selection of products is wide Styles of products are newest Stock level 3. 88 4. 05 4. 02 4. 07 16. 02 .70 . 81 . 93 . 88 2. 69 3. 11 2. 53 2. 16 1. 91 9. 71 .77 . 89 . 87 . 94 2. 73 .000 . 000 . 00 . 000 . 000 Overall Customer Perceptions of Store Images of Traditional Department Stores and Factory Outlet Stores Table VI below provides a comparison of the store images and T-Test results of both types of retail stores. As shown, the respondents’ overall mean ratings, as well as their item-wise mean ratings of TDS physical features are significantly higher than for FOS, at 19. 87 and 16. 13, respect ively. Therefore, H3 is accepted. That is, the physical features of traditional department stores are perceived as being better than those of the factory outlet stores. There is a significant difference between the mean ratings of the physical features of TDS and FOS. Thus, the respondents indicated that the physical characteristics of traditional department stores are more attractive than those of factory outlet stores. Further to this finding, the respondents’ overall mean ratings, as well as their item-wise mean ratings of TDS in-store customer service features are significantly higher than those for FOS, at 22. 18 and 20. 48, respectively. Therefore, H4 is accepted. That is, in-store customer service features of traditional department stores are perceived as being better than those of factory outlet stores in New Zealand Furthermore, H5; which holds that the price and promotion features of products sold in traditional department stores are perceived as being significantly higher than those of factory outlet stores; is accepted, as indicated in Table V. The applicable overall mean ratings of TDS and FOS are 12. 70 and 16. 11, respectively. Also, the individual scale 17 items of price and promotion features are much higher for the factory outlet stores. This finding indicates that respondents consider the prices of products sold in FOS to be comparative lower than those sold in TDS and that the promotions offered by FOS are more attractive and satisfactory. Table VI: Comparison of the features of traditional department stores (TDS) and factory outlet stores (FOS) Features Traditional Factory Outlet P-values Department Stores Stores SD Mean SD Physical Features: Mean Store is attractive . 000 . 94 3. 32 . 84 3. 63 Store is not crowded . 000 . 85 3. 25 . 81 3. 70 Store is clean . 000 . 83 3. 44 . 75 4. 10 Store is neat . 000 . 86 3. 49 . 73 4. 16 Store is bright . 00 . 70 2. 62 . 73 4. 28 Overall In-store Customer Service Features: Salespeople are friendly Salespeople are helpful Salespeople are familiar with merchandise Exchanges happily Less pressure from salespeople Enough salespeople 19. 87 Mean 3. 86 3. 76 3. 77 3. 39 3. 48 3. 91 22. 18 Mean 2. 88 2. 82 3. 38 3. 63 12. 70 2. 96 SD . 67 . 73 . 86 . 84 . 81 . 85 3. 45 SD . 83 . 88 . 91 . 88 2. 71 16. 13 Mean 3. 59 3. 52 3. 42 3. 07 3. 36 3. 51 20. 48 Mean 3. 99 3. 66 4. 22 4. 24 16. 11 3. 10 SD . 82 . 82 . 88 . 87 . 87 . 96 3. 95 SD . 65 . 76 . 79 . 84 2. 26 .000 . 000 . 000 . 000 . 000 . 000 . 000 . 000 Overall Price & Promotion Features of Products Sold in the stores: Prices are good Value for price Markdowns are attractive Prices of products are marked clearly .000 . 000 . 000 . 000 . 000 Overall Customer Perceptions of Traditional Department Stores and Factory Outlet Stores across Demographics To investigate Objective 4 (to evaluate whether demographic characteristics are related to customer perceptions of traditional department stores and factory outlet stores), the ANOVA and T-tests are used to determine whether there are significant relationships between customers’ store ratings and their demographic characteristics. Table VII 18 displays the customer perceptions of overall store ratings and their relevant four demographic characteristics. As shown in Table VII, only the income level shows significant mean differences in the ratings of TDS. In other words, customers’ concerns regarding the physical features and price and promotion features of TDS are highly influenced by their income level. More specifically, the higher the customer’s income is the more favourable will be the mean ratings for physical features and price and promotion of TDS. There is, however, no difference in the customer perceptions of TDS and FOS across gender, age groups and educational levels, as the respective P-values are all much higher than 0. 05. Therefore, H6 is supported only on income, but not on gender and education levels. Table VII: Store ratings and Demographic Characteristics Demographics Traditional Department Stores Physical Physical features features In-store customer service features In-store customer service features Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Price & promotion features Price & promotion features Product features Product features Factory Outlet Stores Traditional Department Stores Factory Outlet Stores Traditional Department Stores Factory Outlet Stores Traditional Department Stores Factory Outlet Stores Formatted Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Gender: Female Male P-value 3. 93 4. 02 . 682 . 54 . 64 3. 32 3. 12 . 059 . 60 . 63 3. 66 3. 74 . 307 . 58 . 57 3. 43 3. 40 . 832 . 64 . 68 3. 14 3. 22 . 636 . 70 . 65 4. 02 4. 03 . 635 . 58 . 56 3. 97 4. 04 . 734 . 65 . 69 2. 48 2. 7 . 476 . 74 . 61 Age: Under 25yr 25-34yr 35-44yr 45-54yr 55-64yr Over 64yr 3. 88 3. 95 4. 05 3. 94 3. 86 4. 48 . 270 . 55 . 60 . 57 . 59 . 66 . 74 3. 23 3. 22 3. 20 3. 38 3. 14 2. 76 . 330 . 69 . 62 . 64 . 44 . 69 . 82 3. 82 3. 63 3. 71 3. 59 3. 85 3. 73 . 450 . 56 . 57 . 60 . 52 . 57 . 89 3. 47 3. 39 3. 38 3. 59 3. 28 2. 73 . 097 . 59 . 66 . 64 . 57 . 76 . 66 3. 24 2. 99 3. 31 3. 13 3. 27 3. 10 . 206 . 69 . 70 . 58 . 65 . 77 . 68 4. 09 3. 88 4. 05 4. 14 4. 09 3. 80 . 225 . 48 . 57 . 60 . 46 . 56 . 56 4. 13 3. 90 4. 09 3. 99 3. 86 3. 90 . 532 . 58 . 8 . 63 . 72 . 75 . 67 2. 54 2. 32 2. 44 2. 50 2. 44 2. 10 . 572 . 80 . 64 . 65 . 74 . 56 . 65 Formatted: Swedish (Sweden) P-value 19 Education: High School Grad. Diploma/Certificate Bachelor Degree Masters Degree 3. 96 3. 85 4. 02 4. 11 . 201 . 62 . 53 . 60 . 65 3. 38 3. 34 3. 11 3. 14 . 058 . 68 . 52 . 68 . 53 3. 59 3. 70 3. 76 3. 63 . 480 . 55 . 50 . 60 . 67 3. 51 3. 55 3. 26 3. 42 . 590 . 74 . 56 . 65 . 71 2. 94 3. 15 3. 31 3. 15 . 066 . 72 . 65 . 65 . 72 3. 99 4. 09 3. 97 4. 08 . 552 . 60 . 50 . 63 . 45 3. 83 3. 99 4. 10 4. 00 . 281 . 85 . 59 . 6 . 85 2. 57 2. 41 2. 30 2. 63 . 075 . 72 . 52 . 70 . 82 P-value Yearly gross income: Less than NZ$20,000 NZ$20,001–$40,000 NZ$40,001–$60,000 Over NZ$60,000 3. 90 3. 87 4. 11 4. 27 .64 . 54 . 58 . 62 3. 22 3. 28 3. 19 3. 06 . 524 .66 . 63 . 59 . 55 3. 67 3. 66 3. 78 3. 74 . 674 .56 . 59 . 56 . 58 3. 44 3. 48 3. 29 3. 34 . 413 .68 . 67 . 63 . 65 2. 88 3. 20 3. 30 3. 43 .71 . 67 . 59 . 68 4. 02 4. 05 4. 01 3. 99 . 960 .57 . 57 . 53 . 66 3. 85 3. 97 4. 12 4. 28 . 060 .76 . 65 . 62 . 58 2. 61 2. 38 2. 31 2. 55 . 130 .75 . 61 . 63 . 93 P-value .010 .005 CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS The findings on customer store preference across demographics show that customers with different genders, levels of education and gross yearly incomes tend to make different store choices, however, they perceive traditional department stores and factory outlet stores similarly regardless of their age. More specifically, male customers regard traditional department stores offering famous branded products as their first choice, however, female customers are willing to shop at factory outlet stores in order to seek branded products with comparatively lower prices. Female customers tend to be more price oriented and price sensitive. Furthermore, the higher the level of education customers have the more likely they are to choose traditional department stores as their shopping preference. This finding indicates that more highly educated customers tend to have greater concerns in regards to the shopping environment and atmosphere offered by traditional department stores. In addition, customers earning higher yearly incomes are more willing to choose traditional department stores over factory outlet stores. In regards to customer perceptions of brand images of products sold in traditional department stores and factory outlet stores, there is a significant difference in the brand images of products sold across these stores. The brand images of products sold in traditional department stores are perceived more positively than are those of products 20 sold in factory outlet stores. Customers perceive traditional department stores as offering wider and more satisfactory selections of various types of merchandise in comparison to factory outlet stores. The stock levels in traditional department stores are also seen as being superior. Obviously, the wider selection and greater breadth of different branded products offered in the stores, the greater the number of customers who will be more attracted to TDS. In regard to customer perceptions of store images of traditional department stores and factory outlet stores, there is a significant difference between traditional department stores and factory outlet stores. Firstly, respondents feel that the physical features of traditional department stores are more satisfactory, comfortable and attractive than those of the factory outlet stores. Customers believe that they will enjoy shopping at traditional department stores, as they provide them with a more comfortable in-store shopping environment and atmosphere. Secondly, there are significant differences in the in-store customer service features of traditional department stores and factory outlet stores. Customers believe that traditional department stores provide a higher quality of in-store customer services. TDS are also seen as having better exchange policies and an adequate number of salespeople offering to meet customers’ different wants and needs. Therefore, traditional department stores do have distinctive advantages in terms of their in-store customer services, in comparison to those offered by factory outlet stores. Thirdly, traditional department stores have much higher prices when compared with factory outlet stores. This is due to their different marketing orientation and segmentation. Customers tend to be attracted by the prices and value of products sold in factory outlet stores. Schneiderman (1998) found in his research that customers believed that factory outlet stores could provide greater value for their money than did traditional department stores. Results on the examination of customer perceptions of traditional department stores and factory outlet stores across demographics indicate that only income levels have any significant effects on customers’ mean ratings of traditional department stores, but that 21 o significant differences exist across the variables of gender, age and education. This means that customer perceptions of physical features and price and promotion features of traditional department stores are highly influenced by their different income levels. Customers with higher incomes tend to be attracted to physical features and price and promotion features of traditional department stores. They are interested in shopping in a comfortable environment and seeking famous and fashionable branded products, rather than being price sensitive, bargain seeking customers. The implications of these research findings include the point that traditional department stores should maintain their competitive positions by continuing to offer good physical facilities and environments, satisfactory in-store customer services and famous branded products, in order to maintain and attract more customers. This will also help to maintain their market share and gain competitive advantage against the intense competition created by factory outlet stores. Customers perceive that the prices offered in traditional department stores are much higher than those of factory outlet stores. Therefore, department stores are facing a big challenge from factory outlet stores in terms of price and promotion strategies. As a result, they need to assess their value positions and adapt more reasonable prices to provide satisfactory value for customers. Clearly identifying and dividing their current and potential customers into different target segments is necessary for retailers in setting differing price strategies. During sales seasons, more attractive promotion of branded products could be undertaken in traditional department stores. Certainly, customers tend to purchase more when there are large sales and attractive promotions of branded products in traditional department stores. In order to target appropriate segments, traditional department stores need to identify what relevant level of branded products should be sold and assign these products reasonable prices in stores across different ages, genders, and levels of education and income. Traditional department retail stores also need to provide more selection characteristics (in terms of their branded products adapting to the newest styles frequently and maintain good stocks level), in order to 22 eep their competitive advantages through being perceived as offering more positive brand images of the products sold in their stores. Furthermore, strategic alliances between different traditional department stores and their distributors could also be developed. In such an alliance, competitive advantages (such as better offerings of quality in-store services and pro viding similar branded products with reasonable prices and promotions) could be shared by traditional department stores, , which should reduce costs for the alliance partners. Regarding implications for factory outlet stores, they need to learn from the comparative disadvantages of traditional department stores and engage in enhancing their current competitive positions on price and promotion offerings, in order to improve customer perceptions of their stores. Maintaining their comparatively lower prices and providing frequent promotions of branded products is one of the most useful price and promotion strategies for factory outlet stores in maintaining and enhancing their competitive positions in this area. Meanwhile, manufacturers which utilise factory outlet stores need to control the values of the products through assessments. As a result, customers who are not only price sensitive, but are also value seeking will be satisfied with the prices and promotion features of the products sold in the factory outlet stores. It is extremely important for manufacturers to immediately improve their products’ brand images. Widening the selection of characteristics, improving stock levels and offering positive branded products in the stores are ways which this could be achieved. Nowadays, factory outlet stores are no longer established for the sale of seconds or comparatively lower quality products with lower prices. Therefore, they need to build more positive brand images for the products sold in the stores instead of being perceived as discount stores. They need to invest more in the stores’ physical facilities to offer a better shopping environment and atmosphere. As a result, however, prices may increase significantly due to the costs of such upgrading, meaning that such a strategy might be risky (Parker et al. , 2002). Therefore, factory outlet stores need to evaluate their choices carefully in 23 rder to balance any price increases and distribution channel developments. REFERENCES Ailawadi, K. L. and Keller, K. L (2004). Understanding retail branding: conceptual insights and research priorities. Journal of Retailing, Vol. 80 (4), pp. 331-342. Ailawadi, K. L. , Borin, N. and Farris, P. (1995). Market power and performance: A cross-industry analys is of manufacturers and retailers. Journal of Retailing, Vol. 71 (3), pp. 211–248. Baker, J. , Parsuraman, A. , Grewal, D. and Glenn, B. (2002). The influence of multiple store environment cues on perceived merchandise value and patronage intentions. Journal of Marketing, Vol 66 (4), pp. 120–141. Bell, D. and Lattin, J. M. (1998). 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L. and Winston, M. (1983). Outlet Malls. Appraisal Journal. Vol. 51 (3), p. 452. Hallanan, B. (1994) In Store Brands, Quality http://www. gsb. stanford. du/research/faculty/news_releases/rajiv. lal/lal. htm Sells: Hellofs, L. L. and Jacobson, R. (1999). Market Share and Customers’ Perceptions of Quality: When Can Firms Grow Their Way to Higher Versus Lower Quality? Journal of Marketing, Vol. 63 (1), pp. 16-25. Hicks, T. (2000). People Power: Smart Staffing Will Help Build A Brand. SGB: Sporting Goods Business, Vol. 33 (9), p. 14. Inman, J. J. , Venkatesh, S. and Roselline, F. (2004). The roles of channel-category associations and geodemographics in channel patronage. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 68 (2), pp. 51-71. 24 Jacoby, J. and Mazursky, D. (1984). Linking brand and retailer images—Do the potential risks outweigh the potential benefits? Journal of Retailing, Vol. 60 (2), pp. 105-122. Johnson, J. L. (1994). Reinventing the Department Store. Discount Merchandiser, Vol. 34 (5), pp. 54-55. Joshi, S. (2003). Who’s buying at factory outlets? Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications. Retrieved on May 12, 2005 from the WWW: http://www. blonnet. com/catalyst/2003/06/05/stories/2003060500070200. htm . Keller, K. L. (2003). Strategic brand management: Building, measuring, and managing brand equity (2nd ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Kulpa, J. (1998). Service levels are key for Medic customer loyalty. Drug Store News, Vol. 20 (7), p. 204. Li, J. (2003). Sincere plotting turnaround in cut-throat times. Hong Kong iMail (China). Lindquist, J. D. (1974). Meaning of image. Journal of Retailing, Vol 50 (4), pp. 29-38. Lombart, C. (2004). Factory Outlet Centres in Belgium. European Retail Digest, Vol. 41 (Spring), pp. 1-3. Martineau, P. (1958). The Personality of a Retail Store. Harvard Business Review, Vol. 36 (1), pp. 47-55. Messinger, P. R. and Narasimhan, C. (1997). A model of retail formats based on consumers’ economizing on shopping time. Marketing Science, Vol. 16 (1), pp. 1-23. Meyers, C. R. (1995). Attracting factory outlet stores can spell success for a community. Economic Development Review, Vol. 13 (2), pp. 51-55. Nasri, J. (1999). Traditional Retailers Prepare To Confront E-Commerce Challenge. Weekly Corporate Growth Report, Vol. 10 (172), pp. 10505-10507. Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric Theory (2nd ed. ). New York: McGraw Hill. Parker, R. S. , Pettijohn, C. , Pettijohn, L. and Kent, J. (2002). An Analysis of Customer Perceptions: Factory Outlet Stores Versus Traditional Department Stores. The Marketing Management Journal, Vol. 13 (2), pp. 29-44. Rauch, M. (2005). Looking Ahead. Incentive, Vol. 179 (2), p, 14. Rudnitsky, H. (1994). Too much of a good thing. Forbes, Vol. 154 (4), pp. 46-47. Schmitt, B. H. (2003). Experience management: A revolutionary approach to connecting with your customers. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 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Journal Entry Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Journal Entry - Personal Statement Example Unit six was another important learning package for me because it really relates to my area of work in real estate. I work for Qatar Diar, hence, I feel that the lessons on product and price as the focal points of a marketing mix help me in my position as an executive assistant in the department of contracts and procurement. Combining the concepts of market research and marketing mix can be very efficient at the workplace. The organization can source for information using surveys, personal interviews and focused groups to determine the type of product the market requires, in my case this would be housing, and the pricing that is favorable depending on the quality of the product. On a personal level, learning about market information and research enables me to provide my director with relevant information as to the type of materials that the company should procure to enhance the quality of the company’s product and give it a competitive advantage over its

Assessments for the English Language Learner Research Paper

Assessments for the English Language Learner - Research Paper Example â€Å"The present culture of testing has placed an increased amount of emphasis on the development of state standards, high-stakes testing, and the use of rigid curricular programs† (Brantley, 2007, p. 28). Therefore, an educational assessment is mandatory in today’s highly competitive world. There are three types of assessments; formal, alternative and informal. The purpose of implementing a classroom assessment system is to improve instruction and student achievement. The English language learners are rapidly growing in the population of the U.S classroom. As such, considerate amount of thoughts and training need to be implemented when designing and administering educational assessments. There are many factors that need to be kept in mind while selecting educational assessments for students. Language barriers and educational background factors are the main factors. In the first factors, language barrier factors, different issue like different linguistics background, L evels of proficiency in English, and levels of proficiency of native languages are the three main barriers that should be addressed in the assessment. In the educational background factors issues such as degrees of formal schooling in native languages, degrees of formal schoolings in English language, and exposure to standardized testing should be addressed in the assessment. While administering an educational assessment, it crucial for the classroom teacher to provide the English Language Learning students with fair and appropriate assessments while keeping in mind the various factors that could hamper their academic growth. It is pivotal for the teachers to be knowledgeable about the different assessment types as to provide adequate and fair assess of their students’ progress as well as achievements in the class. As mentioned before, there are three types of assessments; formal, alternative and informal. The formal assessment is mainly based in the results of the standardiz ed tests and other formal exams regulated under the test- taking guidelines. In Formal assessment students are assessed on the basis of their written document, test, quiz or essays. The student’s progress is determined based on the data collected on the student’s performance on the tests. Formal Tests are usually used to assess the overall achievement of the student and compare his/ her intelligence with other students as well as to find a student’s strength or weaknesses in a particular topic. The formal assessment test has its own purposes, advantages and disadvantages. Formal assessment is a good assessment to be implemented to the student to determine their strength and weaknesses. It also evaluates the student’s achievement by comparing their progress with other students. It is appropriate to use the formal assessment to indentify the student’s special needs and it can also improve learning at an individual level for young English language lea rners. Formal assessments are categorized into separate groups such as norm referenced tests and criterion referenced tests. The Norm references tests are characterized by strict rules and implementations. These types of tests are mainly used to compare one student to another, one group of students to another group as well as schools. When implementing a norm reference test teachers should implement the test under specific and similar circumstances.

Midterm Exam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

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Are Hobbes theories of Politics on a Sicence of Human Nature as Essay

Are Hobbes theories of Politics on a Sicence of Human Nature as scientific as he might like to think - Essay Example This research will begin with the biography of Thomas Hobbes. Born in 1588, Hobbes was an English philosopher who worked extensively in political philosophy. His work was so influential that it formed the foundation for political philosophy that follows the social contract theory. The writings and viewpoints of Hobbes are often considered to be depressing and a very negative consideration of human nature and political systems as a whole. He believed that the only way for humans to survive effectively was in a society that had a sovereign who had absolute power, due to the fact that conflict is a necessary component of human nature. However, his theory was based around his knowledge and experience with society at one particular point in human history, and did not consider the possibility of sovereign power being misused. Because of this, his theories are not scientific in nature, and cannot reasonably be applied to current society. Hobbes is often considered to be the founding father of current political philosophy, and his ideas have influenced debates and discussion of human nature and politics since his own time and through to the present day. His proposal that human society requires a sovereign who has complete power and is the only source of political decision-making, is supported by few. However, many of the ideas that Hobbes presented are fascinating especially in modern times where people strive for independence and question any form of authority. Hobbes work was detailed, and he presented his proposals and theories clearly, backing them up with examinations of human nature and what he considered to drive human actions. ... There are many different approaches to this, with some people believing that human nature is purely innate, others that it is the result of choice and still others believing in a combination of the two factors. For Hobbes, his work focused primarily on how politics affected human nature, and how human nature affected politics. Hobbes was one of many theorists that forwarded the idea of an innate fixed human nature, and his viewpoint was predominantly individualistic. Hobbes’ most famous work is the Leviathan and the publication argued many of his points and theories in depth. This book set about to define what drives the actions of humans and to develop a model for their motivation and how humans can be organized into society. Specifically, much of Hobbes’ focus in the book was political Unlike many of his contemporises, Hobbes’ focus cam from his study of physics, and he believed that action in humans was result of mechanical reactions to inputs from their sense s. He considered that this came about through impulses that were guided both by instinct and human volition . Throughout his work, Hobbes deeply examines human nature and all aspects of the mind and the relationship between the mind and the body. He considers factors such as imagination, perception, reason and emotion, and uses this information to provide a basis for his political arguments. One aspect of his theory is the power of the person, which Hobbes considers to include the ability to satisfy desires both now and in the future, as well as the ability to exert control over others. He considers it is essential that a person’s power compete with the power of other people. Through his work he argues for the

One Hundred Years of Solitude Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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The Significance Of The Landlord And Tenant Act 1954 Essay

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Presentation, overview, timeline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Educating Rita Essay Example for Free

Educating Rita Essay Willy Russell was born just outside Liverpool, but at the age of 5, moved to Knowsley. Academically he was a failure at school, but it was during English silent reading lessons that he realized he wanted to be a writer. He left school with an English O level as his only qualification to work for six years as a hairdresser. The plays he has written include: Our Day Out, Educating Rita, Blood Brothers. Blood Brothers was a musical written in the 1980s about twin brothers who are separated at birth, but in later years become friends. They are friends throughout their childhood and always look out for each other. The play starts at the end, then goes back and tells the events that lead to the situations. Class was a major issue covered in the play the Lyons family was upper class and the Johnson family was lower class. If this class system wasnt in the play then the meeting of Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Lyons would not have happened, Mrs. Lyons employed Mrs. Johnson to clean her house so if the two different classes werent addressed in the play then Edward would have stayed with Mrs. Johnson, so this issue was also a theme that had a useful part in the play. The play is also built upon the theme of the superstition that if twins are separated at birth then they will die on the day that they discover that they are twins. This theme is reinforced throughout the play by the words of the narrator to keep the audience thinking about what will happen. The first time we see the theme of superstition is when the narrator first begins to speak and he says, So did you hear the story of the Johnston twins? How one was kept and one Given away Never knowing that they shared one name till the day they died At the end of the play the narrators last few lines are do we blame superstition for what came to pass or could it be what we, the English come to know as class. I think this is a very true statement that the class system is what killed them. Also the themes of love and friendship were in the play, this was between Eddy and Mickey who where blood brothers and Linda was in love with Mickey. The narrators songs had verses in most of the songs that stuck in my head, these were the lines to do with superstition like shoes on the table and the devils got your number. Act 2, Scene 2 shows the first meeting between the two boys. This is where Willy Russell explores class difference. He does this by contrasting the backgrounds that the boys were brought up in. Mickey, the twin that was kept, was brought up in a working class background with little money and uses slang terms and vulgar language, Im pissed off. Whereas Edward was brought up in a family that had a car, a nice house and plenty of money. This meant that he would have a better education and therefore have better opportunities in life. He also speaks very well and posh. Eddie is absolutely fascinated by the way that Mickey speaks as the people he is around dont usually speak like that, You say smashing things dont you? . My initial opinion of Eddie is hat he is friendly and confident, Are you going to come and play there again? , because he just goes over and starts talking to Mickey. Mickeys initial reaction is that he is suspicious of why Eddie started talking to him. Another time that Mickey is suspicious is when Eddie offers him some sweets. His reaction is one of shock, Are you soft? . I think he reacts like this because the people he grew up with had little as are poor and cant share what they do have. He also worries that people may have tampered with it, if Sammy gives you a sweet hes usually weed on it first. Ironically this is the scene where the two boys make a pact to become Blood Brothers. In Act 4, Scene 2 the difference in class becomes more apparent. Eddie returns at Christmas from university while Mickey is struggling to provide a living for his family. The brotherly bond between them seems to have disappeared.