Buying Decision Behaviour

Buying Decision Behaviour Contents (Jump to) 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Types of Buying Decision Behaviour 3.0 The importance of understanding consumer buying behaviours 4.0 Conclusion References 1.0 Introduction Understanding consumer buying behaviour is crucial for successful marketing. Consumer buying behaviour is defined as the buying behaviour of final consumers, individuals and households who purchase goods and services for personal consumption (Kotler, Brown, Adam and Armstrong, 2001: 858). Consumer buying behaviour can be classified into four groups: complex, variety-seeking, dissonance-reducing and habitual buying behaviour. These buying decision behaviours vary in terms of the involvement levels and the perceived differences between brands (Lawson, Tidwell, Rainbird, Louden and Bitta, 1997: 523). According to Mitchell (2002: 71), one of the core functions of marketing is to connect buyers and sellers as efficiently and effectively as possible. Therefore, it is imperative for marketers to acquire a profound and comprehensive understanding of consumer buying behaviours. 2.0 Types of Buying Decision Behaviour The relationship between different types of consumer buying behaviour with the level of consumer involvement and the degrees of differences between brands. The level of involvement in a purchasing a product is related to the importance of the purchase, the risks involved and the type of cognitive processing that is generated (East, 1997: 19). 2.1 Complex buying behaviour Complex buying behaviour is personalised by high levels of consumer involvement in a purchase and significant perceived differences among brands (Kotler, et al., 2001: 211). Consumers usually apply complex buying behaviour when the intended purchases are expensive, infrequent and risky (Rowley, 1997: 88). Purchase decisions are more intricate compared to other products that are less costly (Chao and Gupta, 1995: 48). According to Adcock (1993: 54), buyers undertaking complex buying behaviour are likely to go through each stage of the decision making process. They will usually spend time inquiring about the product, evaluating alternative brands and comparing options before finally making the purchase. For example, a person who wishes to buy a car would be very involved in deciding what car to purchase. He or she will engage in an extensive information search, such as by visiting different car dealers, surfing the Internet and so on, to evaluate and compare the numerous types of model s available in the market and also to scout for the best deals. They may take weeks or months to make a decision. A car is an expensive asset and will usually be used for a long time. As a result, consumers undergo complex buying decision behaviour to ensure that they will not regret their investment in future. 2.2 Dissonance-reducing buying behaviour Dissonance-reducing buying behaviour encompasses high involvement in purchase decisions but little dissimilarity between brands (Adcock, 1993: 57). Purchases are usually expensive, infrequent and risky (Kotler, et al., 2001: 211). The buying decision is often made from only a small range of products. Considering the products brand name is not the main priority in the purchase decision, consumers will make their choice by evaluating and comparing the products based on their price, quality, performance and the consumers individual preferences ( Kennedy and Kiel, 2000: 84). For example, when purchasing a lawn mower, consumers may face a high involvement decision because a lawn mower is rather costly. However, the lawn mower brand names will not be of much concern to consumers. Buyers will still look around and compare different lawn mowers based on their extrinsic features, and purchases are normally made within a shorter period of time as opposed to complex buying behaviour (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). After making a purchase, the consumer may encounter postpurchase dissonance, also known as after-sales discomfort, resulting from discrepencies between the consumers decision and the consumers prior evaluation (Lawson, et al.,1997: 447). For instance, the buyer may discover undesirable traits or hear negative comments about the lawn mower and thus regret his or her purchase. To minimise such dissonance, marketers have introduced certain features to satisfy customers, such as warranties and after-sales services (Lawson, et al.,1997: 637). 2.3 Variety-seeking buying behaviour Variety-seeking buying behaviour can be defined as consumer buying behaviour in situations concerning low consumer involvement but with significant perceived differences in brands (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). These purchases are made simply because the of the consumers desire for novelty (Lawson, et al., 1997: 525). In other words, consumer may deviate from their normal brand purchase because they feel like trying something different for a change. Consumers who practice variety-seeking buying behaviour buy for the sake of diversifying and not as a result of dissatisfaction with the product (Adcock, 1993: 57). To further illustrate the point, a consumer who regularly buys Kellogs Corn Flakes, whom one day opts to purchase Nestles Honey Stars for a change, is engaging in variety-seeking buying behaviour. The consumer may be just bored of Kellogs Corn Flakes for awhile after consuming them every morning and would like to try out a different cereal, not because he or she is discontented with Kellogs Corn Flakes. Marketers have developed strategies to reduce this consumer behaviour, which will be discussed in the later sections of this report. 2.4 Habitual buying behaviour Consumers perform habitual buying behaviour when buying frequently purchased products that are relatively of low cost and that involves very little risk and decision effort (Kennedy and Kiel, 2000: 84). There is low consumer involvement and few differences between brands in this buying behaviour (Rowley, 1997: 89). These products are purchased almost automatically out of habit rather than brand loyalty by consumers( http://www.bbci.freeserve.co.uk/SAGEPROJECT/UnderstandingConsumerBehaviour.asp). This normally applies to grocery products. For instance, people do not generally spend much time or mental effort selecting a packet of sugar or a bar of soap. They do not really pay attention to the brand names of these products. Unlike complex buying behaviour, consumers who purchase the same product regularly, do not go through all the steps in the decision making process (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). They need not undertake an information search or evaluate and compare the different produc ts in the market. Instead, they receive information through repetitive advertisements on the television or newspapers and this forms brand familiarity. Consumers are not inclined to a product, rather, they select the particular brand out of familiarity (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). They would just recognise their need and immediately make a purchase decision. They may not even bother to make a postpurchase evaluation (Rowley, 1997: 89). 3.0 The importance of understanding consumer buying behaviours 3.1 Develop a more effective and efficient marketing strategy Consumer buying behaviour is an integral part of marketing. Attaining a deeper comprehension of the different types of consumer buying behaviour would be a boon for marketers as it would assist them in developing a more sophisticated marketing strategy, thus allowing the organisation to compete more efficiently and effectively than its competitors (Mitchell, 2002: 74). By analysing the type of buying behaviour that relates to the organisations products, marketers are able perform effective segmentation, which may lead to a more efficient targeting of resources (Rowley, 1997: 89). For example, for products that are susceptible to complex buying behaviours such as automobiles and computers, marketers tend to concentrate on promoting them on the basis of the features and the benefits a consumer may gain from the products (Adcock, 1993: 56).. Most car catalogues will show pictures of the engine and highlight the details of the technical features of the vehicle. For products that are more prone to dissonance-reducing and habitual buying behaviours, marketers will advertise substantially to ensure that their products will be considered by as many people as possible (Adcock, 1993: 57) and also to familiarise consumers with their products (East, 1997: 19). Providing another example, marketers will try to encourage habitual buying behaviour for products that are more inclined to variety-seeking buying behaviours among consumers by extensive advertising and dominating shelf space. In contrast, marketers may also try to encourage variety-seeking buying behaviour by offering promotions and free samples (Kotler, et al., 2001: 212). They do so to induce new customers to purchase their products. To summarise the point, a clear understanding of the types of buying behaviours can help marketers to construct relevant marketing strategi es to market the particular product so as to increase the products sales. 3.2 Form a healthy relationship between buyers and sellers As mentioned earlier, one of the core functions of marketing is to connect buyers and sellers as efficiently and effectively as possible (Mitchell, 2002: 71). The marketing concept stresses that organisations should create a marketing mix that will satisfy their customers better than their competitors. To do so, marketers must examine the major influences that determine what, where, when and how consumers make purchasing decisions (http://www.bbci.freeserve.co.uk/SAGEPROJECT/UnderstandingConsumerBehaviour.asp). According to Wilson (1998: 785), marketers who understand the types of buying behaviour that are related to their product will be able to come up with marketing techniques that will provide customer satisfaction and at the same time, establish brand loyalty among its customers. Marketers should always remind themselves that satisfied consumers would have a very positive impact on the organisations success. Therefore, it is essential for marketers to understand and evaluate the different types of consumer buying behaviour. 4.0 Conclusion The four types of buying behaviour mentioned earlier basically summarises how and why consumers make their purchase decisions. However, one has to keep in mind that the purchase of a particular product does not always derive the same type of decision making behaviour (East, 1997: 19). For example, an affluent businessman who enjoys collecting cars may not undergo complex buying behaviour as opposed to an average earning salesman who is buying a car for transportation purposes. In conclusion, understanding consumer buying behaviour can assist marketers in constructing a more efficient and effective marketing strategy allowing them to form a tighter relationship with their customers. Hence, it is vital for marketers to understand the four different types of buying behaviour that relates to their product. References Adcock, D., Bradfield, R., Halborg, A., and Ross, C. (1993), Marketing Principles and Practice, Pitman Publishing, London. Chao, P. and Gupta, P.B. (1995), ‘Information search and efficiency of consumer choices of new cars International Marketing Review, Vol. 12, No. 6, pp 47-59. East, R. (1997), Consumer Behaviour: Advances and Applications in Marketing, Prentice Hall, London. Kotler, P., Brown, L., Adam, S., and Armstrong, G. (2001), Marketing, (5th Edn), Prentice Hall, Sydney. Lawson, R., Tidwell, P., Rainbird, P., Loudon, D., and Bitta, A.D. (1997), Consumer Behaviour in Australia and New Zealand, McGraw-Hill, Sydney. Kennedy, M and Kiel (2000). ‘Marketing: A Strategic Approach. Nelson Thompson Learning, Melbourne. Mitchell, A.S. (2002), ‘Do you really want to understand your customer? Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Vol. 2, Issue 1, pp 71-79. Rowley, J. (1997), ‘Focusing on customers Library Review, Vol 46, No. 2, pp 81-89. Samara, N., Understanding Consumer Behaviour, (http://www.bbci.freeserve.co.uk/SAGEPROJECT/UnderstandingConsumerBehaviour.asp) Accessed (30 August 2003) Wilson, D.F. (1998), ‘Why divide consumer and organisation buyer behaviour? European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 34, No. 7, pp 780-796.

A Life of Her Own

The first thing that is noticeable in the way Emilie Carles wrote â€Å"A Life of Her Own†, her autobiography, is the almost straightforward narration that she used in depicting what her life as a little girl living in a rural mountain valley of Alpine, France.As a married woman, a mother, a schoolteacher and later an activist, had been during the pre-World War and the postwar development phase that took place in France and the world’s history. Straightforward, in the sense that no time was given to dwelling in sentimentalities.Every word written and every image that were portrayed were significant and true in her eyes as a child and as an adult. The purpose of this paper is to show the difference of Emilie Carles from other women because what she wanted to impose in her book is not as easy as making a fictional biography of a woman in the twentieth-century.Emilie Carles narrated how the people in her village, including her family, confront life’s challenges in a day-to-day basis. She depicted a life that is led by poverty, hard grueling work and an almost passive acceptance of the fate and destiny of the people. In her village, she highlighted the importance of the bull or cows and its ability to produce calves, milk and other products to enable a family of four (or more) carry on with their lives.Her opening statement in her book showed the seeming â€Å"unconcerned† attitude of her father to her, even when she fell down the 2-storey house where they live. The bull that he had to buy is far more important than the situation of his daughter. French peasants in Carles’ village would usually cry due to a cow’s death than family members. As she have stated, â€Å"the torment of poverty outweigh the ruling of the heart†.[1]Through her stories, she helped the readers envisioned a pre-war life in France that is full patriarchal in nature; and almost all marriages are arranged, like her parents’. She wrote that women’s lives are usually broken due to its inability to choose whom to marry. Marriages, during her early childhood, are business contracts between two families that are usually decided by the male members. It is usually considered as marriage of convenience, a business contract where land and products will be combined to enable the peasants to live a little more easily.Her mother tried to fight this culture by running to a benefactor, her revered godmother, to ask for her blessing and advice in not marrying Joseph Carles and instead, marry the one she loves. She was thwarted by her godmother and was informed that to follow the course of her fate is the best advice she could to her. Otherwise, she will become an outcast in their Alpine village. Though her mother did not love Joseph Carles, she gave herself into taking care of her family, becoming the â€Å"sap† to her father’s â€Å"tree†; the â€Å"branch† to his â€Å"tree† and life and s trength of the family.Her mother was unable to defy the system in the village but she was strong-willed and spoke her own mind when she thinks it is needed. She is generous and knows how to please people such that after her death, people will come to Emilie to tell her that her mother is a remarkable woman. Perhaps, this characteristic of her mother is one of those that Emilie inherited, giving her the willpower and the strength of mind and soul to pursue her career as a schoolteacher and as a mother, as well as being an activist later in life.Due to the inability of his father to take care of the four siblings left behind by his wife, the youngest, a four-month old, had to be alternately nursed by mothers in the village. Emilie herself was sent to her uncle’s place to be taken cared of, as promised by their relative. She will become a schoolteacher later on with the help of her uncle, although life with her uncle had been full of tribulations as her aunt somehow maltreated h er by always finding little faults in her.[1] Carles, Emilie and Destanque, Robert. A Life of Her Own: The Transformation of a Countrywoman in 20th-Century France. 1992. Reed Business Information, Inc.

Definition and Examples of Compound Words in English

In morphology, a compound word is made up of two or more words that express a single idea and function as a single word. The most common types of compound words in English are compound nouns (e.g., cheeseburger), compound adjectives (red-hot temper), and compound verbs (waterproof the deck). The rules for spelling compound words are not consistent. Some compound words are written as a single word (eyeglasses), some as two (or more) hyphenated words (brother-in-law), and some as two (or more) separate words (soccer stadium). Examples and Observations As the car pulled into the parking lot, Kenny Dennard whipped a snowball right at the windshield.(John Feinstein, Forevers Team. Villard, 1989)On Sunday afternoons in the summer, my grandfather and I enjoyed eating hot dogs at the ballpark.While we were waiting for our food, I played with my chopsticks. They make excellent drumsticks. I also told Dad all about this big baseball game we were going to play after school the next day.(Dan Greenburg, Zack Files 13: The Misfortune Cookie. Turtleback, 1998)He hid in a cave until the ship had left, only to find that his shipmates had taken pity on him, and left him a barrel of biscuits and a fire, which he kept alight for months. A year later a southbound ship stopped by.(Simon Winchester, Outposts. Penguin, 2003)A diary can take almost any form: written responses to a periodic e-mail reminder, a handwritten notebook, a narrated video, or photos with written commentary.(Kim Goodwin, Designing for the Digital Age. Wiley, 2009)In Aboriginal Au stralia all home building was do-it-yourself.(Tony Dingle, Necessity the Mother of Invention, or Do-It-Yourself. A History of European Housing in Australia, ed. by Patrick Troy. Cambridge University Press, 2000)I became a shop steward immediately and a trustee in 1936. . . . I became the locals secretary-treasurer in 1946.(Mary Callahan, quoted in Rocking the Boat: Union Womens Voices, 1915-1975. Rutgers University Press, 1996)On a hot day, nothing beats walking into a nice, cool, air-conditioned home. Unfortunately, running your air conditioner is expensive and eats up energy.(Eric Corey Freed, Green Building Remodeling For Dummies. Wiley, 2008)Heads of Compound WordsOne part of a compound word is usually clearly its head, in a general way able to represent the meaning of the whole compound. The heads of the various types of compound word are [in capital letters] in this list: bellBOY, spin-DRY, red HOT, inTO, and/OR. It can be seen that in English, the head of a compound word is always the last element, on the right-hand end. (This is not true of compound words in all languages, however.)(James R. Hurford, Grammar: A Students Guide. Cambridge University Press, 1994)Dividing Compound WordsIf you divide a compound word at the end of a line, place the hyphen between the elements of the compound (snow-mobile, not snowmo-bile).(Laurie Kirszner and Stephen Mandell, The Concise Wadsworth Handbook, 2nd ed. Wadsworth, 2008)Metaphorical CompoundsMetaphors furnished with common household objects are figures of speech that we literally live with every day. Some of these comparisons are new, such as a couch potato, a phrase that compares lumpish watchers of television to lumpy potatoes: the longer couch potatoes sit, the deeper they put down their roots.(Richard Lederer, The Play of Words. Simon Schuster, 1990)Complex CompoundsIt is possible to form a compound from two words one of which is itself a compound. For example, we can combine the compound law degree with the word requirement to get the complex compound law degree requirement. This compound can in turn be combined with changes to get law degree requirement changes, and so on. . . . [T]he process is essentially unlimited.(Bruce Hayes. Introductory Phonology. Wiley, 2009)

Outline of Treatment with Beta Thalassemia - 2085 Words

I.Introduction A. Personal Story about mother and brother B. Information about beta thalassemia 1. Common in people of African, Mediterranean, Asian and Middle Eastern descent 2.Thalassemia is the most common genetic disorder worldwide with beta thalassemia has the most common of the group due to the more than 250 mutations in hemoglobin beta have been linked to causing Beta thalassemia (according to the DNA Learning Center) II.What is Beta Thalassemia? A. Beta thalassemia is a genetic disorder that disturbs the normal production of hemoglobin due to abnormalities in the genes that affect the one or both beta chains on chromosome #11 1.The two Beta globin chains aid the oxygen carrying ability of oxygen in red blood cells B. Three Types: 1. Beta Thalassemia major or Cooley’s anemia a) Both of the #11 chromosomes are abnormal b) Does not appear in a child from three months to a year 2.Beta Thalassemia intermedia a) Milder clinical symptoms compared to Cooley’s anemia 3.Beta Thalassemia minor a)Silent carrier with few or no symptoms b)At most patients have mild anemia though it can resemble a mild iron deficiency anemia C.Diagnosis 1. Blood test a)Complete blood count (1)A complete blood test which measures the hemoglobin in and the quantity, size, number, and maturity of red blood cells b)A reticulocyte count (1) Indicates whether bone marrow is producing adequate red blood cells c)a prenatal blood test to determine if unborn baby has it and how severe it is likely to be