Cross Cultural Challenges to Communication Essay

Hello everyone, At first we should ask us, why is this topic so important? Many consultants, authors and writers of textbooks discuss the need to understand other cultures because we live in a ‘global village’. In 1870 Jules Verne wrote ‘Around the world in eighty days’; astronauts can now make the trip in under 80 minutes, while the Internet user does it in a mere eight seconds. The media has given us a taste for the countries, and the cost of modern air travel is within the budget of many people, so we are traveling more regularly than ever before. Another reason why intercultural communication is important, is that Australians are living in one of the most multicultural societies in the world. But not only here, overall in the world are places which are marked of multicultural influence, two of the most affected areas are universities and hospitals. The right behavior in front of different people can bring you business relationships as well as friendships. However, with the process of globalization, especially the increasing of global trade, it is unavoidable that different cultures will meet, conflict, and blend together. People from different culture find it is hard to communicate not only due to language barrier but also affected by culture styles. For instance, in independent cultures, such as in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, an independent figure of self is dominant. This independent figure is characterized by a sense of self relatively distinct from others and the environment. In interdependent cultures, usually identified as Asian as well as many Latin American, African, and Southern European cultures, an interdependent figure of self is dominant. In some degree, the effect brought by cultural difference override the language gap. This culture style difference contributes to one of the biggest challenges for cross-culture communication. Effective communication with people of different cultures is especially challenging. Cultures provide people with ways of thinking—ways of seeing, hearing, and interpreting the world. The same words can mean different things to people from different cultures, even when they speak the â€Å"same† language. If the languages are different, and translation has to be used to communicate, the  potential for misunderstandings increases. People from different countries and places in the world are acting in some situations very different. One reason for this is the different history and world view of their countries, this includes values, beliefs and religion. Another is the socialization, including education, enculturation and personal growth. Language and non-verbal communication are a lso important factors. In the language there are some subtleties, which can bring up big problems. Language may be used for many reasons, but there is general consensus that language has at least two main functions: an information and a relationship function. Different cultures give different weightings to the importance of one function over the other. For example, Japanese culture places great importance on the use of language to convey aspects of feeling and relationship, while Western culture emphasizes its use to convey information. There is a tradition in parts of Asia of communication without language, strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism. In Japanese, Korean and Chinese it is believed that nothing important can be communicated solely through verbal language. This is in stark contrast to Western traditions of language usage, where the effective use of language is seen as highly beneficial and is often the basis on which students pass exam, managers are promoted and politicians are elected. In intercultural meetings, the silence of the Asian person is often misinterpreted as a negotiation trick or a device to gain extra bargaining power, whereas it may simply be an indication of contemplation and reflection. Another problem point are the different religions. For example, you are leader of a company or a department and you want to invite everyone to a little celebrations. Maybe a barbeque or a soccer game. What are important factors you have to look at? If you have Muslims co workers, you should think about that they don’t eat pork meat or usually don’t drink alcohol. Of course there can also be a vegetarian. Or think about strict Christians, they are not allowed to celebrate, work or making sports on Sunday. Very interesting is a comparision of intercultural behaviours in Australia and other cultures. Australians try to make friends very quickly and regards their business acquaintances as possible friends. Other cultures may not  make friends easily. They may view all business acquaintances with a degree of social distance. Also the use of time is different. Australians prefer to be on time and quickly get down to business in a meeting. Other cultures may view time flexible. They may start meetings slowly, with social discourse. Wherever in the world you are for work or for holiday, there are some rules of behavior which seems not that important in your point of view. But other people will feel offended or discriminated. It is all about where and how you are grown up, which school you have visited, which traditions you learned or which attitude you have. So try to learn more about other cultures, watch their behavior, think about what you should do and what not. It can bring you a big advantage in business and many friends in private as well as less problems in public. Thank you for listening, I hope you will remember some parts of my presentation when you are the next time in a foreign country. The information I used for this presentation are out of the book â€Å"Communication as Professionals† by Raymond Archee, Myra Gurney & Terry Mohan.

Shopping Behaviour: Bangladesh

2006 EABR & ETLC Siena, Italy Determinants Of Grocery Store Loyalty Of Consumers In Bangladesh Plato Ranjan Datta, London College of Management Studies, United Kingdom Bonya Rani Chakraborty, London College of Management Studies, United Kingdom Abstract Due to the belief that customer retention is a much cost-effective strategy than attracting new customers, the customer loyalty subject has become of increased interest to most businesses over the last few years. Loyal customers always bring more profit for the organisation as they are more likely to recommend their friends and family, ready to pay premium prices and have increased repurchase intention. This study sets out to examine the degree of consumer’s loyalty in Bangladesh among consumers who shop from various superstores. The main objective is to empirically investigate the strength of loyalty of Bangladeshi food consumers on the basis of their shopping behaviour and store-level service provision, and thus provide evidence which demonstrates a model of consumer loyalty based on these factors. In order to understand consumer loyalty in Bangladesh Oliver’s four stage of loyalty model were adopted. A total sample of 150 food shopping consumers from three leading stores in Bangladesh were selected randomly and interviewed in March by trained interviewers. The survey results indicate that Bangladeshi food consumers are conscious of the cost and benefit (Cognitive loyalty), are conscious with satisfaction (Affective loyalty), satisfied consumers are likely to recommend their primary super store to their family and friends (Co-native Loyalty) and also they have frequencies of visit (Action Loyalty). The findings of research can be used to offer a sound basis for retailers to improve their operations in all the areas, so increasing their profits and to provide the first such survey in this particular (and extremely important) field in the Bangladeshi context and thus offer a foundation and direction for future research. INTRODUCTION The retail industry is dynamic, huge and change is a constant phenomenon. Over the last few decades in both Europe and North America one as seen the emergence of supermarkets as the dominant retail form. This is due to the fact that consumers’ behaviour has changed and shifted towards convenience, high quality produce, provision for customer care, flexible payment methods and sophisticated channels of distribution. To cope with consumer demands retailers are constantly shaping their business strategies and striving to offer the right products and services. Determinants of store choice, customer loyalty and patronage behaviour have been widely studied across the globe. Therefore, a sheer volume of literature exists regarding food retailing. However, there is still vast scope for research in this field as the environment of retailing is in a constant phase of change and the emergence of new store formats in USA and Europe have led to dramatic changes in consumer behaviour. This is particularly true and has significant effect on middleclass consumers in Bangladesh with the newly introduced ‘so-called’ supermarkets which are providing a completely new experience for those consumers offering sophisticated customer service, a wide and assorted variety of goods, pleasant ambience, spacious layout, quality imported and branded products and provision for other western life style facilities. Although there is some research on retailing in other Asian counterparts, there has been very little research in Bangladesh. The retailing industry in Bangladesh is very fragmented and underdeveloped. The so called European 1 2006 EABR & ETLC Siena, Italy style new superstore format has emerged in this sector only in the last few years so this sector of retailing is in an early phase. Therefore, it is of paramount importance for retailers in Bangladesh to know the attributes that appeal to their customers in order to satisfy them. Thus, this study sets out to examine the degree of consumer’s loyalty in Bangladesh among consumers. RETAILING IN BANGLADESH Bangladesh is predominantly a traditional, poor society, where about 90% of the population is Muslim; other groups represented are Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, and other minorities. Per-capita income is about US$ 380 (Gain Report, 2004). The population has grown from 42 million in 1941 to133 million in 2002 (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2003) making it the 9th most populous country in the world (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Dec. 2002). Retailing industry in Bangladesh is fragmented and undeveloped. Even compared to its South Asian counterparts, Bangladesh is behind in terms of development, structure and organisation. However, the last several years has witnessed dramatic changes, especially in food retailing industry. This is due to the effects of globalisation, economic and trade liberalisation, changing patterns of consumers’ shopping behaviour, substantial increase of middle class consumers and the government’s liberal attitude towards foreign imported food products and growth of organised superstores. Bangladeshi food retail sector is dominated by traditional shops, and this traditional food distribution system is through so called `wet markets` which sell fruits, vegetables, meat and fish together with small food stores which sell dry foods. The traditional retailing has been established for some centuries. But its expansion is keeping pace with rapid growth of economy, intense competition, population growth and changing consumption patterns. All these changes led to dramatic changes in the structure of the food retailing sector. Thus modern superstores, supermarkets, convenient stores, one stop stores and multi-store complexes developed to service the growing middle class with their demand for more sophisticated food stores and greater varieties of products, many of which were imported, especially in major cities. Thus organised retail sectors are facing competition from traditional unorganised huge retail outlets. This is due to their distinctive characteristics which are not quality related but rather price related. Most of the traditional shops are unorganised, do not have proper employee structure (normally â€Å"mom and popâ€Å" shops run by family members), have negligible real estate, no external or underpaid labour costs and no or little taxes to pay. Consumer’s familiarities run from generation to generation and thus they have a strong relationship with most of the customers who are normally local. Therefore customers may have the opportunity to buy any products on credit and pay every month or every week. Thus prices are always less, although quality is not guaranteed and no or few imported products are available. This is again due to the socio-economic group of the middle and lower class which is more sensitive to price rather than quality. On the other hand the organised retail sector is incurring higher costs due to various cost pressures. A substantial proportion of their products are imported and good quality, they employ high calibre employees with consequently high labour costs, have bigger premises and so offer more comfort and value for the customer. However, this growth and expansion was not structurally organised due to lack of attention from government and public. The retail industry in Bangladesh was never before perceived positively as a sector until recently. Therefore there is no or very limited market data available on this sector, but various secondary sources indicate that the turnover of the food retail sector in Bangladesh could be US $ 12-14 billion and the number of retail grocery shops could be around 1 million (Gain Report, 2004). According to the same report, Retail is one of the biggest sources of employment (12%) and it contributed 13% to Bangladesh’s GDP in 2001 / 2002. The organised retail sector (i. e. arge supermarkets) is new in Bangladesh and started to appear less than 5 years ago. Within this short time period it has attracted investors, developed positive perceptions among the public and created government attention. Now it is growing dramatically. The share in terms of volume and value in the organised retail sector of Bangladesh is 49. 60% and 18. 5% in 2003 (post market survey, 2003). To date there are 2 2006 EABR & ETLC Siena, Italy about 30 stores of this kind operating in the country, the majority of which are located in Dhaka and this sector makes up 1% of the total retail sector in Bangladesh. Ownership of all major superstores is private and limited, owned by local retailers except one which is a joint venture and another in Australian ownership. However, the concept of international retailing is at a very early stage in Bangladesh. According to Alexander (1997) â€Å"international retailing is commonly assumed to concern retail operations, owned by a single company in more than one countryâ€Å". There is no evidence of the physical presence of international large retailers in Bangladesh except one or two of medium size. Traditional shops like small roadside shops accounted for 75% of the retail sector and these shops are visible throughout the country (Gain Report, 2004). They are very small and no foreign or imported products are available except in some shops located in urban or suburban areas where consumers can buy relatively high quality products from neighbouring countries (i. e. India and Burma). These products are imported through mainly unauthorised channels. As these types of small shops are mainly family owned and run, they do not incur huge costs and also are not high quality. Shop sizes are normally 30-100 sq. feet. They open for long hours and consumers can bargain with the sellers in order to lower the price. Other types are typified as Municipal Corporation Mini-Market and mainly found in semi-urban or urban areas and these are under Municipal Corporation ownership. Shops are generally arranged by product or service categories such as fish market, meat market, vegetable market, groceries etc. This category represents 20% of the retail market (Gain Report, 2004). Most of the shops sell imported and quality products although their appeal is limited to only the middle-class or high class consumer market due to the cost factor. Products are acquired by wholesalers and importers. The third category of shops is convenience or departmental stores. These stores are relatively large and offer good quality domestic and imported products. Normally visible in urban areas they represent 5% of the retail sector (Gain report, 2004). Due to their quality and brand name these stores are always expensive and a large proportion of the population cannot afford their products. They are therefore strictly limited to upper-middle or upper class Bangladeshis and foreigners residing in major cities, especially Dhaka. Their products are acquired from importers and distributors with adequate storage facilities and sometimes topped-up by local suppliers. Finally, over the last few years another sophisticated retail format has appeared in the retail sector in Bangladesh; these are organised, developed and more structured which are supermarkets or the organised retail sector which at the moment represent less than 1% (Gain report, 2004). This sector is very young and is in its early stage of development, mainly visible in major cities (i. e. Dhaka, Chittogong). These are large retailers and sell very high quality products, mainly imported goods. Less than 5% of total food consumption comes from this outlet. There are at the moment around 30 superstores and most of them have only 1 outlet except AGORA and PQS with 2 outlets. GROCERY STORE LOYALTY: A LITERATURE REVIEW In today’s competitive environment to compete with competitors and sustain in business all organisations are investing resources to create loyal customers by offering superior products, superior services to increase customers repurchase intentions, their commitment towards the organisations and satisfy customers needs and wants. A satisfied customer has positive post-purchase behaviour which leads to him/her positive attitude and commitment towards the organisation. A committed customer is always remaining with the company for longer term. An unsatisfied, non-committed customer defect from the company. This is more paramount case in retailing scenario where organisations are making paper thin profit. As Huddleston et al (2003) pointed out that â€Å"to survive in today’s competitive markets food retailers must create and maintain a loyal customer base. Omar (1999) has emphasised that store loyalty is the single most important factor in retail marketing success and store longevity. A review of literature by Jacoby & Chestnut (1978) indicates that much of the initial research emphasizes the behavioural aspect of loyalty, after a period when the majority of researchers measured loyalty as a pattern of repeat purchasing (Oliver, 1997). However, Cunningham (1956) in early stage of behavioural aspect of loyalty stated that store loyalty concept derived from brand loyalty with respect to tangible 3 006 EABR & ETLC Siena, Italy goods. Current loyalty literature indicates that there are two dimension of store loyalty: Attitudinal and behavioural dimension. Behavioural dimension is measured by proportion of purchase of a specific brand, while attitudinal loyalty dimension is measured by psychological commitment to the target object (Caruana, 2002). There are various advantages for retailers to have loyal customers. As stated by Huddleston et al (2003) customers loyalty can yield favourable operating cost advantage for retailers. Further they have stressed that obtaining new customer costs five to six times as much as retaining current customers. Loyal customer can increase their purchase spending, low costs for retailers for obtaining new customers, price premiums and customer longevity. Dick and Basu (1994) proposed that brand plays a special role in generating repeat purchase. Food Business News defined customer loyalty more concisely as `creating the strongest possible relationship between the retailer and customer, so that people feel they will miss something if they go to another store. However, Sivadas and Baker-Prwewitt defined loyalty as â€Å"to get customers to recommend a store to othersâ€Å". Odekerken-Schroder et el (2001) defined store loyalty as â€Å" the conscious buying behaviour of a consumer expressed over time with respect to one store out of a set of stores and which is driven by commitment to this store. Huddleston et el (2003) have conducted a study in mid-western US city with six focus group in order to define store loyalty by respondents and also they have investigated respondents likes and dislikes of a preferred food store. Respondent’s likes and dislikes relate to identify factors associated with repeat and loyal purchase behaviour. The conceptual framework of this study was based on Dick and Basu (1994) which conceptualises loyalty as the relationship between relative attitude towards a brand and patronage behaviour. The study identified preferred convenience attributes such as store location, familiarity with store layout, one-stop shopping and being able to get in and out in a hurry. Product related attributes are: product variety, good store brand, fresh produce and meats, making bulk item available and carrying general merchandise. The study also identified environmental attributes such as cleanliness, aisle width, layout and friendly clientele. Noise from announcements and music, small or narrow aisles, too hot or too cold temperatures, bad odours from bottle returns, big size of store, too busy and crowded and layout changes been selected by respondents as negative attributes. Huddleston et al (2003) pointed out that store commitment as a necessary condition for a store loyalty. Without commitment customers are spuriously loyal. Another study conducted by Koo (2003) among Korea Discount retail patrons to examine the interrelationships among store Images, Satisfaction and Store loyalty. How store images can influence consumers satisfaction and how consumers satisfaction can influence store loyalty. The conceptual model developed by Koo (2003) indicates that various discount retail characteristics have positive influences on attitude towards a discount retail store which leads to store satisfaction and this leads to store loyalty. Also it stresses that Discount retail store (DRS) attributes have a positive impact on store satisfaction. Thus create store loyalty. He developed six hypothesis based on his conceptual model. The research identified four store images such as Store atmosphere, employee service, merchandising and after sales service have significant impact on attitude, while location, convenient facilities and value have no impact on attitude. The research findings support Bloemer & Ruyter (1998), but it is contradictory to You et al (1998) who in their study showed that only location has a significant effect on attitude. Findings also partially support that store images (i. e. tore atmosphere and value) have a positive impact on store satisfaction, while location, convenient, after sales service and merchandising have not significant impact on store satisfaction. This support Bloemer & Ruyeter (1998), Kumar & Karande (2000), Thang & Tan (2003). Study further have identified Location, after sales service and merchandising have significant impact on store loyalty which contradict Bloemer & Ruyeter (1998) wh o identified that there is no direct relationship between store image and store loyalty, but an indirect impact on store loyalty through satisfaction. Koo 92003) concluded that the overall attitude towards discount retail has the greatest impact on store loyalty, followed by location, after sales service and merchandising. In Korean discount retail store environment his study indicates that store image and location are important factors in attracting patrons to the store. Furthermore, it indicates that satisfaction has an insignificant positive effect on store loyalty. 4 2006 EABR & ETLC Siena, Italy Jacoby and Chestnut (1978) defined store loyalty as â€Å"the biased (I. e. non random) behavioural response (I. . revisit) expressed overtime, by some decision making unit with respect to one store out of a set of store, which is a function of psychological (decision making and evaluation) processes resulting in brand commitment. However critical part of store loyalty is seen by Bloemer et al (1998) is store commitment which is a necessary condition for store loyalty to occur. They further stresses that a loyal customer is committed and that commitment arises from sharing explicit and extensive decision making as well as evaluative processes. Limited and non explicit decision making and evaluation process can leads to consumers not become committed to the store. Therefore they are not loyal. Based on store commitment they have defined a degree of store loyalty as true store loyalty and spurious store loyalty. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION TO CUSTOMER LOYALTY Customer satisfaction can be defined in many ways, one of which is â€Å" a person’s feeling of pleasure or disappointment from comparing a product’s perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her expectations (Kotler, 2000). Bloemer et al (1998) also support this definition which states that satisfaction is occur through a matching pf expectation and perceived performance. Bloemer et al (1998) have identified two different types of satisfaction: manifest and latent satisfaction. Manifest satisfaction is the result of an evaluation which is well elaborated on where as latent satisfaction is the result of an implicit evaluation which is not elaborated on (Bloemer et al, 1998). Customer satisfaction positively influences customer retention, and increasing repeat sales (Anderson, Claes & Lehman, 1958). Moreover, `satisfaction level is a function of the difference between perceived performance and expectations` (Kotler, 1994). If the performance falls short of expectations the customer is dissatisfied. If the performance is exceeds expectations, the customer is highly satisfied. `High satisfaction may create an emotional affinity with the brand, not just a rational preference and this creates high brand loyalty (Kotler, 1994). Even if the customer is not highly satisfied, still from behavioural aspect of brand loyalty, the customer can be brand loyal. This can occur if no other alternative is available or may be alternatives are of a higher price which the consumers can not afford or if the customer’s purchase power is limited. Bloemer et al (1998) were conducted an empirical study in major Swiss city in the German-speaking part of Switzerland to establish relationship between Image, satisfaction and loyalty by developing three hypothesis. Hypothesis 1 examine whether positive relationship between manifest satisfaction and store loyalty is stronger than the positive relationship between latent satisfaction and store loyalty. Hypothesis 2: store image has a direct positive effect on store loyalty and hypothesis 3 examines the indirect positive effect of store image on store loyalty through store satisfaction. Their findings indicated that the relationship between store satisfaction and store loyalty depend on the type of satisfaction and tested all three hypotheses positively. However, the study conducted by Huddleston et al (2003) indicates that satisfaction does not imply commitment to a store either; many respondents stated that they could be persuaded to shop elsewhere. However, Heskett (2002) suggests that customer satisfaction is the lowest level from the five levelhierarchies of customer behaviours. Others customer behaviours are: mere loyalty (repeat purchase), commitment (willingness to refer others to a product or service), apostle-like behaviour (willingness to convince others to use a product or service) and ownership. Nevertheless, Sivdas and Baker-Prewitt (2000) pointed out that satisfaction influences relative attitude, repurchase and recommendation but has no direct effect on store loyalty. According to Sivdas and Baker-Prewitt (2000), service quality directly affects both relative attitude and satisfaction and that satisfaction affects relative attitude. Both relative attitude and satisfaction influence the likelihood of recommending but only satisfaction plays a part in influencing repurchase. Study further indicates that there is no direct relationship between relative attitude and repurchase and both relative attitude and satisfaction have no direct impact on royalty. Thus, it appears that relative attitude and satisfaction which is influenced by service quality can influence customer recommendation which leads to both customers repurchase and loyalty. Sivadas and baker-Prewitt (2000) study support Oliver’s model of loyalty in a store loyalty context. 5 2006 EABR & ETLC STORE IMAGE AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY Siena, Italy Existing literature indicates that store images have critical impact on store loyalty (Bloemer & Ruyter, 1998). Theoretical foundations of store images are found in theories of brand images (Koo, 2003). Store image or store attributes have significant influence on satisfaction. Store image is defined as the complex of a consumer’s perceptions of a store on different (salient) attributes (Bloemer and Ruyter, 1998), or a given consumer’s or target market’s perception of all of the attributes associated with a retail outlet to create and maintain a level of storeservice provision or quality for the store loyalty (Keaveny and Hunt, 1992; Lascu and Giese, 1995). The competition and increasing customer expectations have created a climate where â€Å"quality is concerned to be a major strategic variable for improving customer satisfaction (Smith, 1990). Lucas, Bush and Gresham (1994) said that decision to visit a particular store can be influenced by many factors, understanding such factors and building them into store operations can increase the profitability of gaining customer loyalty. They had identified the nine basic motives for the store selection includes: general store characteristics, physical characteristics of the store, convenience, merchandise, prices, store personnel, in-store effects, customer service and advertising. They had also identified the five motives for patronising ervices which include: quality of service provided, appointments, reasonable fees, waiting areas, attitude of service provider. Early studies of store images are closely related to the multiattribute model. Lindquist (1974) defines store images as a â€Å"structure of some sort that is tying together the dimensions that are at workâ€Å" and conceptualises store images as nine key attribute categories: merchandise, service, clientele, physical facilities, transaction satisfaction, promotion, store ambience, institutional factors and post transaction satisfaction. By combining retail marketing mix elements Ghosh (1990) identified eight elements of store image. These are location, merchandise, store atmosphere, customer service, price, advertising, personal selling and sales incentives programs. Customers may have different perception for different stores and different store may apply different attributes to attract different types of customers in different times and in different locations. Store images may differ between smaller and larger stores. A study conducted by Mitchell and Kiral (1998) found that there are differences between primary store loyal customers perception of their store and secondary store loyal customer perception of that store. This view is support to Hansen and Deutscher (1978) proposition that store attributes vary by store types. Mitchell and Kiral (1998) in their study they have asked 30 shoppers to identify which store attributes they use in Manchester at two grocery stores (e. g. Tesco and Kwick-save). They have identified three factors associated with customer perception and these are: Quality, Time and convenience, value. Tesco customer perceived quality, convenience and value factors in that order of importance while kwick-save customer perceived quality, value and convenience when considering Tesco. Theoretical base for modelling the grocery store loyalty After behavioural perspective on loyalty majority researchers measured loyalty as a pattern of repeat purchasing. The most relevant of the models for measurement the grocery store loyalty is Oliver’s four-stage loyalty model (Oliver, 1997). Oliver’s four-stag loyalty model produced in 1997 in a simplified form and suggests that customer loyalty progresses in four phases, with each phase representing a greater degree of loyalty. Four stages are: cognitive loyalty, affective loyalty, conative loyalty and action loyalty. Figure: The Oliver’s four stages of loyalty model COGNITIVE Cost and benefits AFFECTIVE CONATIVE ACTION *Frequency of shopping Relative attitude *Recommendation *satisfaction *Repurchase intentions Cognitive Loyalty: At this stage consumers are more concerned about quality and prices of the products and services and this is why they patronise the store rather than other stores. However, at this stage loyalty may not be that strong because consumers can defect from that store and move to another store if they perceive it as a better 6 2006 EABR & ETLC Siena, Ita ly option. So, service quality evaluation can be taken as a good indicator of their cognitive loyalty. To understand Bangladeshi consumers’ cognitive loyalty three questions were selected to measure this category of loyalty. Affective Loyalty: At this stage consumers’ loyalty is based on relative attitude towards the store and satisfaction gained. The relative attitude is the result of their previous loyalty based on cognitive loyalty. Therefore relative attitude and satisfaction were used as independent variables to measures consumers’ affective loyalty towards the store. There are 26 question in nine categories selected to measure affective loyalty. Categories are: convenience of store location, convenience of service provisions, congestion, cleanliness and store atmosphere, variety of ranges, shopping difficulties, travel difficulties, unfamiliarity and degree of customer service from sales personnel. Co-native Loyalty: Having a relative attitude towards the store and being satisfied with the store a consumer will hold a commitment to buy there, so repurchase intentions will be increased and consumers are willing to recommend to others. Two questions were selected to measure a consumer’s co-native loyalty towards the store. Action loyalty: This is the final stage of a consumer’s loyalty. With this loyalty a consumer will be retained with the store thus leading to frequency of shopping there. Therefore, one simple question was asked to consumer to measure this loyalty. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The research was based on selecting three (3) leading grocery retailers from Bangladesh. Stores were selected based on market share and length of operation. In order to understand consumer loyalty in Bangladesh Oliver’s four stage of loyalty model (Cognitive loyalty: consumers consciousness with cost and benefits; Affective loyalty: Consumer conscious with satisfaction; Co-native loyalty: consumers recommendation to other people and repurchase behaviour and Action loyalty: consumers’ frequencies of store visits) were adopted. Data were colleted using a random sample of consumers. The data and information were collected from selected grocery stores in Bangladesh. Consumers who have significant knowledge of the topic were identified and selected at random for questioning. Interviews were conducted face to face on exit from three selected superstores to capture the attitude and experience of consumers who had just purchased grocery items. The choice of face to face interview was in order to get high response rate and reduce the response bias. A low response rate is a common problem with self-completion questionnaires and can be subject to response bias, especially in that people with reading and writing difficulties are less likely to respond (Robson, 2002). Furthermore, the refusal rate for face to face interviews is very lower than the non-response rate for postal questionnaires. A sample of 50 consumers in each store (3*50) making a total of 150 food shopping consumers from the three (3) selected stores in Bangladesh were selected. However, 10 subjects were not included due to incomplete answers. It is logical that the larger the size of the sample, the greater is the precision or reliability when research is replicated (Saunders et al, 1997). But constraints on time, manpower and costs influenced decisions on sample size in this study. The sample size was found to be representative for the store population. A study conducted by Bloemer and Ruyter (1998) in a major Swiss city in the German-speaking part of Switzerland used only 153. The current market leaders in grocery retailing in Bangladesh include-Agora, Nandan, and Value Plus were selected as samples for investigation. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Data were collected in early March 2005 by trained interviewers throughout the week. In order to reduce possible shopping patterns biases all interviewers used stratifying interviews across the time of the day (morning, early afternoon, and late afternoon) (Odekerken-Schroder et al, 2001) and weekend (Thursday and Friday). As a Muslim populated country Friday is the official holiday and Thursday normally half-day off. But special consideration were placed on weekend and evening when most of the people are going for shopping and this time always busy. All interviews were last for maximum of 12 minutes. 7 2006 EABR & ETLC Siena, Italy After collecting data from the field data were coded and analysed by using SPSS version 11 software programmes. Quantitative analysis was used to understand the degree of store loyalty. RESULTS The main findings were: Cognitive Loyalty Cognitive loyalty factors are associated with cost and benefits and three statements were asked to consumers concerning cost and benefits. The mean average of consumers was 3. 94 and SD was 0. 929. These refer to the grocery consumers in Bangladesh conscious with cost and benefit when they were shopping (on a scale rating from one to five). In this category, the first question was ‘If a store provides a better price, I am going to buy from the store’, the mean averages and SD of the consumers replies was 3. 77 and 0. 876. The second question was `If any store provides better quality, I am going to buy from that store`. The mean average and SD was 3. 92 and . 953. The third question to understand the degree of consciousness towards cost and benefits was `I am always concerned about price and quality`, the mean and SD for this was: 4. 13 and 0. 958. Table: Cognitive loyalty Cognitive loyalty factors If a store provides a better price, I am going to buy If any store provides better quality, I am going to buy I am always concerned about price and quality Total Mean 3. 77 3. 92 4. 13 3. 94 Std. Deviation . 876 . 953 . 958 0. 929 Affective loyalty The mean average was 3. 98 and SD was 0. 892 . These results indicate that consumers in Bangladesh conscious with satisfaction when they did shopping. In this category total 25 statements were asked to consumers with nine specific factors. These factors were: convenience of store location, convenience of service provisions, congestion, cleanness and store atmosphere, variety of ranges, shopping difficulty, travel difficulty, unfamiliarity and customer service by sales personnel. These factors were chosen to understand consumer’s relative attitudes the store and satisfaction 8 2006 EABR & ETLC Table: Affective loyalty Affective loyalty factors Parking facilities Convenient location Inside the store temperature Good place for shopping with children Credit card payment Opening and closing times Visually appealing interior Good customer service Duration of checking out time Convenient to move around Atmosphere of the store is good Cleanliness of the store Pleasantness of the place Variety of items Variety of branded items Quality & variety of imported products Overcrowded in the store Long waiting time at the checkout Transportation is inconvenient Much time & effort for parking a car I am familiar with store layout Familiar with the store since I used to shop here Has presentable sales personnel Has sales personnel who show a sincere interest Has sales personnel who are willing to help Total Mean 3. 89 4. 06 4. 21 3. 86 3. 66 3. 86 4. 02 4. 46 3. 46 3. 89 4. 46 4. 60 4. 59 4. 51 4. 49 4. 37 3. 12 3. 8 3. 21 3. 29 3. 32 3. 49 4. 37 4. 37 4. 37 3. 98 Std. Deviation . 874 1. 09 8 . 747 . 878 . 845 . 878 . 809 . 723 . 932 . 972 . 661 . 644 . 710 . 735 . 791 . 924 1. 042 . 916 . 956 . 834 . 984 1. 083 . 733 . 743 . 752 0. 892 Siena, Italy Co-native loyalty Two questions were selected to measure consumers’ co-native loyalty towards the store. At this stage consumers must have a positive attitude and commitment towards the store and thus create repurchase intention. Based on customer’s satisfaction they tend to recommend their friends and relatives. Findings indicate that satisfied consumers are likely to recommend their friends and repurchase. The first question was `how likely would you be to recommend`, where the mean average and SD were: 4. 35 and 0. 709. The second question was `how likely would you be to purchase at this store`, giving a mean average and SD of: 4. 17 and . 831 respectively. Table: Co-native loyalty Co native Loyalty factors How likely would you be to recommend How likely would you be to purchase at this store Total Mean 4. 35 4. 17 4. 26 Std. Deviation . 709 . 831 . 776 Action loyalty This is the final criteria of Oliver’s loyalty model which indicates that having fulfilled all previous stages at this stage consumers tend to retain their connection with the store so leading to continued frequencies of shopping. Only one simple question was asked to measure consumers retention and that was `how often do you purchase at this store`. The mean average and SD were 3. 47 and 1. 305 9 2006 EABR & ETLC Table: Action loyalty Action Loyalty factor How often do you purchase at this store Total Mean 3. 47 Std. Deviation 1. 305 Siena, Italy DISCUSSIONS The survey results indicate that Bangladeshi food consumers are conscious of the cost and benefit (Cognitive loyalty), are conscious with satisfaction (Affective loyalty), satisfied consumers are likely to recommend their primary super store to their family and friends (Co-native Loyalty) and also they have frequencies of visit (Action Loyalty). Table: Level of food consumer loyalty in Bangladesh Stages of loyalty Cognitive Affective Co-native Action Store loyalty Conscious with cost and benefits Conscious with satisfaction Likely to recommend to their family and friends Have frequencies of visit Consumers respond differently in every country (Child, Heywood and Kliger, 2002), as international retailing has become an important feature of global distribution systems. This has been brought about through changing socio economic patterns, favourable political and cultural environments and a shift from manufacturing to service based economies (Quinn and Alexander, 2002). Although in Bangladesh the retailing environment is totally different from its counterparts the results indicate that Oliver’s four stages of consumer store loyalty model is still applicable. Consumers’ loyalty can be measured through cognitive, affective, co-native and action behavioural patterns. From the findings it is clear that consumers are very conscious with cost and benefits (cognitive loyalty). This is the basis to create a favourable attitude towards the store and through the process of providing store and service attributes consumers will be satisfied, thus indicating that consumers are conscious with satisfaction (affective loyalty). A satisfied consumer will tend to recommend to their friends and family the product and service they tend to buy from (Co-native loyalty) and at the same time their repurchase intention tends to increase (Action loyalty). CONCLUSIONS Store loyalty is a very important phenomenon for retailers to understand the underlying principles and antecedents in order to retain and acquire more customers. Loyal customers spend more money and at the same time recommend the store to their family and friends, thus bringing more customers and profit for the retailers. It is of paramount important for managers to identify the specific characteristics which can influence consumers to shop from their store. As characteristics of retailing environments are changing, along with consumer’s behaviour, patterns of choice and mode of shopping, retailers must respond quickly to those changes in order to sustain and achieve competitive advantage. The study looked at the degree of store loyalty by applying Oliver’s four stages of store loyalty model. The implications for management and retailers are that they must look closely at the kind of price and quality they are offering, as customers are more conscious with cost and benefits. Although this cognitive stage of consumers’ loyalty will not create a strong association with their commitment or favourable attitude, it does have positive impact on their next stage of loyalty behaviour which is the affective stage. To create a favourable attitude amongst consumers’ towards the store retailers must use specific service or product attributes. The research indicates that convenient location, good customer service, atmosphere of the store, 10 2006 EABR & ETLC Siena, Italy cleanliness, quality and variety of imported products and good sales personnel are the major attributes to satisfy customers. Thus, to create consumers relative attitude and satisfaction which leads to co-native loyalty of consumers, where consumers tend to recommend to their family and friend and increase repurchase intention. If these three previous stages can be implemented appropriately, consumer’s frequency of shopping will increase. Organised retailing in Bangladesh is in the introductory phase of development. Competition is virtually non-existent. However, growing health awareness is making consumers more quality conscious and imported food items are considered good quality, also a growing number of middle class consumers, due to their high income capacity can afford to purchase good quality imported products. Therefore, our results thus provide strategic justification for major retailers for continued investment in store image and targeting specific consumer groups with the right demographic variables. REFERENCES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Alexander N (1997), International Retailing, London: Blackwell Anderson, E. W. , Fornell, C. , and Lehmann, D. R (1994), â€Å"Customer satisfaction, market Share and profitability: Findings from Sweedenâ€Å", Journal of Marketing, Vol. 58, July, pp. 53-66. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2002 Bangladesh Bureau of statistics, 2003 Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (2003). Post market survey Bangladesh Retail food sector report (2004), USDA, Foreign Agriculture Service, Gain Report, Report number BG4001 Bloemer, J. nd Ruyter, K (1998), â€Å"On the Relationship between Store Image, Store Satisfaction and Store Loyaltyâ€Å", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 32, No. 5/6, pp. 499-513 Caruana, A. (2002), â€Å"Service Loyalty: The Effects of Service Quality and the Mediating Role of Customer Satisfactionâ€Å", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 36-37, No. 7, pp. 811-828 Child, P. N. , Heywood, S. , and Kliger, M. 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Brand Loyalty: Measurement and Management, New York: John Wiley and Sons. Jarnow, J. , and Guerreiro, M (1991). Inside the Fashion Business. New York: Macmillan. Keaveny, S. M and Hunt, K. A (1992), â€Å"Conceptualisation and operationalisation of Retail Store Imageâ€Å", Journal of the Academy of Marketing Sciences, spring, pp. 165-176 Kotler, P. (1997), Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control, Englewood Cliffs, NJ. Koo, Dong-Mo (2003), â€Å"Inter-relationships among Store Images, Store satisfaction and Store Loyalty among Korea Discount Retail Patronsâ€Å", Asia pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, Vol. 15, No. 4 Kumar, V. , and Karante, K. (2000), â€Å"the Effects of Retail Store Environment on Retailer Performanceâ€Å", Journal of Business Research, Vol. 49, pp. 167-181 Lascu, D. N. and Giese, T. (1995), â€Å"Exploring Country Bias in Retailing Environmentâ€Å", Journal of Global Marketing, Vol. 9, PP. 41-58 Lindquist, D. 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(2002), â€Å"International Retail Franchising: a conceptual frameworkâ€Å", International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, Vol. 30, No. 5, pp. 264-276 29. Robson Collin (2002). Real World Research (2nd Eds). Blackwell Publishe r, London 30. Saunders, M. , Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A (1997) Research Methods for Business Students. Pitman Publishing, London. 31. Sivadas, E. , and Baker-Prewitt, J. L (2000), â€Å"An Examination of the relationship between service quality, customer satisfaction and store loyaltyâ€Å", International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, Vol. 28, No. 2, pp. 73-92 32. Smith, A. M. (1990), â€Å"Quality Aspects of Service Marketingâ€Å", Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 8, No. 6 33. Tahng, D. C. , and Tan, B. L. B. (2003), â€Å"Linking Consumer Perception to Preference of Retail Stores: An Empirical Assessment of the Multi-Attributes of Store Imageâ€Å", Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Vol. 10-4, pp. 193-200 12

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Her name was leaked by an official of President George Bush’s administration to the media. The leakage was considered a criminal offense. Under the Intelligence Identities Protection Act, a person who learns the identity of a covert agent like Plame from classified information can get ten years in jail for intentionally disclosing the agent’s identity. (McCollam, 2005, Out of Africa,  ¶3). Many reporters were subpoenaed including Miller. Refusing to testify she was found in contempt. She invoked her First Amendment right but was denied. She was only released when the source voluntary waived his right to confidentiality and came out. It was learned that Scooter Libby, the chief of staff of Vice President Dick Cheney, was the source of the leakage. There are so many other similar cases that hound American press freedom like James Taricani who served six months of house arrest in Rhode Island. 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The Role of the Press. Since the beginning of the press in 1690 in Boston, Massachusetts, it has grown dramatically through time. In a democratic form of government the press is indeed necessary as Thomas Jefferson once said â€Å"The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.† To serve as check and balance, the constitution created three branches of government, the executive, legislative, and judiciary. However, these branches have now been infected with all sorts of corruptions and abuse of power. Thus the fourth estate was born, the press, to make sure democracy operates as it was envisioned by the founding fathers. In its early stage, the American press was used for propaganda by those who owned it. It was a lapdog that reported only what the publisher wants and solicits advertisements. What made it an instrument of democracy were the many voices that shaped opinion and caused freedom to fly across the country and the whole world. It has become the guardian of U.S. democracy. Today, it takes the role as the watchdog of government investigating anomalies making sure that officials do not violate the rights of the citizenry and become more transparent instead of operating in secrecy. Without the press, we would not have discovered the cheating activities of President Richard Nixon in the Watergate scandal or President Bush’s misleading tactics to justify the invasion of Iraq. Besides of informing, the press also educates, reforms, entertains, and incites. Far from its origins, the press today carries no ideology and not connected with any political party or government agency. At the turn of century, advocacy moved from news stories to editorial pages, where it has since stayed. News reporters of the twentieth-century claim to be politically detached and objective, unlike journalists of the previous era. To modern journalists, objective means an allegiance to the nonpartisan pursuit of factual accuracy. (Soley, 1992, p. 16). Despite criticisms, the press maintains its objectivity as the number guideline in reporting. The Project for Excellence in Journalism identified major trends in the press’ reporting style. The Journalism of Verification is the traditional style wherein reporters must substantiate their facts to come up with an accurate story. Then there is the Journalism of Affirmation where a reporter delivers the news with a point of view. In making its works more professional and transparent, the press empowers the public in judging the stories whether to believe it or not. From watchdog now comes the guide dog concept called civic journalism that focused on the role of the press in building communities. This brand of journalism challenges people to take part in resolving community problems. It aims to educate citizens about issues and current events so they can make civic decisions, engage in civic dialogue and action, and, generally, exercise their responsibilities in a democracy. (Schaffer, 2001,  ¶25). It reinforces the watchdog role but it does not tell how the public should think or act. This journalism delivers news that help communities cope up with difficult issues concerning their everyday life. The model serves as an alternative style that hopes to address the shortcomings of the press. The Code of Ethics. Journalists are guided by the code of ethics to ensure professional integrity and credibility in enlightening the citizenry. Different news organizations have their own ethics and standards but maintain common elements such as objectivity, accuracy, and confidentiality of sources. In its 50-page report in 1947, A Free and Responsible Press, the Hutchins Commission laid out the goals of journalistic performance. The report was written by eminent scholars and authors under Robert M. Hutchins, president of the Chicago University and has served as the basis of journalistic practices today. The Hutchins Commission identified five responsibilities, the fulfillment of which could serve as a measure of press performance. The press should (1) provide â€Å"a truthful, comprehensive, and intelligent account of the days events in a context which gives them meaning, †a commitment evidenced in part by â€Å"objective reporting†; (2) be â€Å"a forum for the exchange of comment and criticism,† meaning in part that papers should be â€Å"common carriers† of public discussion, at least in the limited sense of carrying views contrary to their own; (3) project â€Å"a representative picture of the constituent groups in the society†; (4) â€Å"present and clarify the goals and values of the society†; and (5) provide â€Å"full access to the days intelligence, †thereby serving the publics right to be informed. (Baker, 2001, p. 154). The Society of Professional Journalists urged its members to always seek the truth by being honest, fair, and report the information rightly. A reporter must be accountable to the public about his news stories. He must act independently by being free from other interests other than serving the public’s right to know. He should minimize harm in treating sources. In pursuit of gathering data, the reporter must show compassion by being sensitive to sources that are negatively affected by the coverage. The journalist must recognize that in news gathering he or she can cause harm or discomfort to the source. Arrogance must not be displayed while collecting data and must be cautious in identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes. Sources must be treated fairly and professionally without inquiring pointlessly about their personal life nor threaten them if they do not cooperate. Reporters should always introduce themselves truthfully while interviewing their sources and not carry false identity just to get the information. Importantly, when the source wants to remain unknown, the journalist must respect that trust of confidentiality. The San Francisco Chronicles code offers one of the clearest treatments on the always-thorny matter of dealing with sources that want confidentiality. It reads in part: A reporter who pledges confidentiality to a source must not violate that pledge. If the reporter is asked by an editor for the identity of a source, the reporter should advise the source of the editors request. If the source wishes to withhold his or her identity from the editor, then the reporter and editor must decide whether or not to use the information even though the sources identity remains known only to the reporter. (Steele Black, 2001, Sources and Reporters). The Need for Shield Law. Notwithstanding the important function of the press in defending democracy, there are no sufficient laws in protecting its existence. All sectors of society especially the government depend on the press for timely information in order to make policies. In its 2005 annual report for press freedom rankings, the United States placed 44th falling 20 places from the previous years all because of the Miller case and the legal tactics that attack the privacy of journalistic sources. This is ironic since the country is the champion of democracy the world over. News organizations are now uniting forces to seek legislative action. However, several proposed bills have already been sent to congress but unfortunately no actions have been taken yet. Since Branzburg some 100 federal statutes have been introduced but failed to pass. The Free Flow of Information Act of 2005 is presently pending in the senate and congress. This act is in response to the jailing of Judith Miller. The legislation would prevent government officials from compelling a reporter to reveal a source unless it was determined by clear and convincing evidence that disclosure of the identity of the person is necessary to prevent imminent and actual harm to national security. (Durity, 2000,  ¶34). A federal shield law is important to safeguard the reporter in the performance of his/her duty. The move is for the federal government to recognize state’s interest in protecting the secrecy of sources and that no party may force a journalist to reveal his/her source or notes by suing the reporter in federal court. This poses dilemma for reporters whether to violate a court order and face jail or break the promise of source confidentiality and face public distrust. Subpoenas are burdensome to journalists because it consumes so much time and disrupts their work. A law could provide reporters for motion to quash subpoenas except when there is prevailing evidence that such information is really necessary and when there is no other way to obtain the information. The trend of compelling reporters to identify their sources has sent fears that the American free press is under attack and being used by the government in investigating its own deficiency particularly the leakage of classified documents. When the government fails to resolves its own problems, it may be tempted to enlist reporters in criminal acts as an easy way out. With an existing law, prosecutors and criminals defendants may seek other means or conduct investigations in acquiring information rather than depend on journalists by attacking their sources. Failing to define who qualifies as a journalist has delayed the passage of shield laws. Perhaps with an established ruling, this problem will be addressed giving courts standards and criteria to give judges guidance who qualifies for protection. This law is needed to standardize legal approaches to the privilege of reporters and to assure them that confidentiality to sources is respected. In effect, sources will feel safe and not disappear but will remain for future news stories. In a decision that strongly endorsed the principles on which the reporters privilege is based, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit observed, If reporters were routinely required to divulge the identities of their sources, the free flow of newsworthy information would be restrained and the publics understanding of important issues and events would be hampered in ways inconsistent with a healthy republic. (Ganett, 2006,  ¶7). Responding to the Miller incident, James Goodale, New York Times’ former vice chairman and general counsel, has encouraged the press to fight on and to guard the freedoms of First Amendment in order to come up with better laws. Nobody can dispute that the press has strong influence in every American citizen. It has molded American opinion and shaped government policies through time. Noted journalists have been recognized for their dedication in the profession. Reporters serve as link between government and its citizens and that of other nations. Because of the press, the world has become a global village promoting culture, language, and perhaps peace. Journalists deserve better. They deserve more than just subpoenas. They have earned their right for a privilege in serving and protecting the democracy of this country. References Bates, S. (2000). The Reporter’s Privilege: Then and Now. Research Paper R-23. The Joan Shorenstein Press Politics. Public Policy. Harvard University. John F. Kennedy School of Government. Schmid, Karl H. (2002). Journalists privilege in criminal proceedings: an analysis of United States Courts of Appeals decisions from 1973 to 1999. American Criminal Law Review. Date: 22-SEP-02. Retrieved October 30, 2006, from http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0199-2470495_ITM McCollam, D. (2005). Attack at The Source Why the Plame case is so scary. Columbia’s Journalism Review. America’s Premier Media Monitor. Columbia Universitys Graduate School of Journalism. Issue 2: March/April 2005. Retrieved October 30, 2006, from http://www.cjr.org/issues/2005/2/mccollam-plame.asp?printerfriendly=yes Willis, J. (1990). Journalism: State of the Art. Praeger Publsihers. New York. ISBN: 0275932443 Soley, L. C. (1992). The News Shapers: The Sources Who Explain the News. Praeger Publishers. New York. ISBN: 0275940330 Schaffer, J. (2001). The Role of the Media in Building Community. Pew Center for Civic Journalism. Global Issues. An Electronic Journal of the U.S. Department of State. Volume 6, Number 1, April 2001. Baker, C. E. (2001). Media, Markets, and Democracy. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge, England. ISBN: 0521009774 Steele, R Black, J. (2001). Media Ethics Codes and Beyond. Global Issues. An Electronic Journal of the U.S. Department of State. Volume 6, Number 1, April 2001. Durity, L. (2000). Shielding Journalist – â€Å"Bloggers†: The Need To Protect Newsgathering Despite The Distribution Medium. Public Policy Studies. Duke University. Retrieved October 30, 206, from http://www.law.duke.edu/dev/journals/dltr/articles/2006DLTR0011.html Ganett Company, Inc. (2006). From Barbara Wartelle Wall: Legal Watch. 2000 Media Law Developments – Sources and Public Records. News Watch. Retrieved October 30, 2006, from http://www.gannett.com/go/newswatch/2000/december/nw1228-4.htm

Marriage in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Essay Example for Free

Marriage in Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice Essay The intricate nexus of marriage, money and love in Jane Austens society is unfolded through the development of plots and characters of her novel Pride and Prejudice. In the nineteenth centurys rural England, marriage was a womans chief aim, both financially and socially. Financially because of womens dependent position marriage was the only honourable position, infinitely preferable to the dependence of precarious shabby-genteel spinsterhood. Money was, therefore, a very significant aspect of Austens society, especially when marriage was concerned. A single man of large fortune was naturally considered as a nice thing for the unmarried girls. Partners were chosen for what might now seem unemotional reasons: fortune and connections, similar to, but preferably better than ones own. By representing a series of marriages, Austen in this novel unearths and elucidates different aspects of the role of marriage, money and love in her society. Austen was a realist and painted her time as they were. In this novel, love and money-based Darcy-Elizabeth marriage is the most successful one whereas the marriage of Elizabeths parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, is one of the faulty ones. Mr. Bennet married his wife being captivated and tempted by her youth, beauty and physical appearance. He forgot that the first appeal of a pretty face does not last long unless serenity of mind and sweetness of temper provide more enduring powers of attraction. Moreover, Mrs. Bennet inherited no property. So, form every point of view, this marriage is a failure. Mr. Bennet, therefore, always has to endure her weak understanding, vulgarity to such and extreme degree that he has nothing to revel in except confining himself to his library all the day, and thus eluding the necessary rituals of family and society. Charlottes loveless matrimony for financial security with the pompous Collins is another interesting marriage. Being twenty-seven and plain looking and realizing that it is her last chance, she accepts the grotesque Mr. Collins, to whom the role of romance and love in life is beyond the reach. He only wants a wife, because in the eyes of the society it is time for him to settle and be married. Charlotte knows that apart from some kind of security and happiness, marriage gives a woman a position. She has few hopes of happiness in marriage beyond the material comfort it can give and so she marries Collins who is inferior in intelligence, only for the home and position he offers, as she believes Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance. The marriage and money theme operates in a baffling way when Elizabeth herself comes to marry. When she sees Pemberly, her prejudice against Darcy begins to be subdued and later by accepting him she makes the most glorious match of and of Austens heroines. The fact that Darcy has then thousand pounds a year is not to be ignored; it emphasizes the perfect adjustment between personal and social ambition achieved by Elizabeth. [Actually Jane Austen understood better than any other of her contemporary English novelists the degree to which social and personal behaviors and even emotion depend on the economic framework of the society.] Moreover, in her marriage with Darcy, affection and understanding, financial security and social engagement are juxtaposed. But to achieve all these material things she has never turned herself into a husband-hunting butterfly despite her mothers inducement. Although she is aware of the fact that in her society a senile spinster, without any fortune, is faced with the prospect of a bleak future full of deprivation and humiliation, still she is the bold heroine who at first showed courage to refuse two marriage proposals. To Austen, sexuality was far less vital to relationships than its counterpart, affection. Therefore, Lydias ex-based marriage with the seductive but penniless Wickham later turns out to be an unsuccessful ones. Wickhams plausible appearance even overwhelmed Elizabeth once. His former interest in Miss King and her â‚ ¤ 10,000 dowry alludes to the role of money in marriage. He only takes Lydia to London only for physical enjoyment. As a consequence, their marriage ends in his going to enjoy himself in London and Lydias patent failure in managing her household financially despite Darcy and Elizabeths continuous help. The Bingley-Jane marriage is another example of good marriage, like the Darcy- Elizabeth marriage, where mutual understanding, romance and financial  stability are combined. Their affection-based marriage works as both are perfectly amiable, modest and gentle. The established marriage of the Gardiners is too shadowy to have a dramatic role. We are only dimly aware of it as a satisfactory relationship between two apparently similar type of persons. In Pride and Prejudice we experience different marriages in the light of one another. Austen presents all the material for an al-round understanding and view: Jane and Elizabeth, combing love and marriage, Charlotte marries for safety, Lydia repenting at leisure. The married couples are equally varied, from well-matched like the Gardiners to ill-suited like the Bennets. The novel says in effect that the real object of love and marriage is not only financial security or physical passion or romance, but also the self-development that true relationships bring about. A marriage can only become an institution when it provides for the fulfillment of both men and womens aspirations, sanctified by love and validated by prudence that both Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Collins can live on, the former drinking deep draughts of lifes fullness, the later continuing to sip its littleness. The richness of Pride and Prejudice lies in that exploration of life and marriage by Jane Austen.

Relationship between philosophy and science

Relationship between philosophy and science The essence of philosophy lies in know thyself as Greek philosopher Socrates defined his motto of life. Indeed, this search for self identity arose when human race first experienced consciousness in the course of evolution. So, it may be argued that philosophy (which comes from the Greek word, phileÃÆ'Â ®n, which means to love) is as old as the very beginning of human civilization.If we analyze the works of great ancient philosophers, for example, Aristotle and Plato, then it will reveal that their scientific attempt was also significant. In fact, they were the predecessors of modern science. Until the medieval ages, the separation between philosophy and science (which comes from a Latin word for knowledge) was not distinctive. However, due to stubbornness of the church controlled society in Europe the severe conflict between science and theology was set off, especially during 17th century, when the era of historical unfriendliness between philosophy, and science began. During this time, due to fast development of science, the independence of science from philosophy became clear. Unlike theology both philosophy and science follow logical methods to gather knowledge. However, the methods they use are a lot different. Philosophy naturally highlights on a biased mould in gaining knowledge as it states the importance of an individual in the universe as well as in the society. On the other hand, science concentrates on the realistic world and tries to find out relationships among measurements of various facts in the real world. Science and philosophy are very different things. Science tells us the facts of the universe, where philosophy helps us interpret them. I think that there is certainly a mutual effect between the two, philosophy may help determine what science investigates, and science may support or prove false philosophy with factual exposure, but in many ways they do not have common characteristics. A philosophy explanation is based on reasoning and argu ments from values, whereas a scientific explanation is based on reasoning from observed facts. I find that philosophy is the reasonable, and sometimes unreasonable, search of the truth. They question what is true, how does one test that something is true, what are good ways to search for truth and how should the truth be structured? The biggest question tends to be, what is? These are all philosophical questions. Science is the study to find how things work, but must assume a certain philosophical basis. First, it must assume that what we observe is real and not imagined. Second, it must assume that what we are observing is objective and repeatable. Finally, science states that all the knowledge it gathers is testable. If I declare that something is true, then I must be able to observe something that can tell me whether or not it is true. The truly interesting fact about science is that nothing can ever be considered really true, just not falsified. Scientific theories are always ca utious, and they are always either improved upon or abandoned in favour of new ones. So then I find myself thinking, how come we are willing to live with uncertainty and constant revision in science, but demand some sort of definitive truth from philosophy? Now why is it that so many people take sides on a dispute that doesnt make much sense, rather than be pleased about what the mind can achieve through the joint efforts of two of its most familiar intellectual traditions? I think the answer here is that scientists have been made conceited in recent times by their acquired status and improved financial resources, so that they dont think they need to bother with activities that dont bring in large amounts of money in funding every year. Philosophy, on the other hand, ismuch harder to define. Generally speaking, it can be thought of as an activity that uses reason to explore issues that include the nature of reality (metaphysics), (The first philosophy (Metaphysics) is universal and is exclusively concerned with primary substance. And here we will have the science to study that which is just as that which is, both in its essence and in the properties which, just as a thing that is, it has. (Aristotle, 340BC)) the structure of reasonable thinking (logic), the limits of our understanding (epistemology), the meaning implied by our thoughts (philosophy of language), the nature of the moral good (ethics), the nature of beauty (aesthetics), and the internal workings of other disciplines (philosophy of science, philosophy of history, etc.). Philosophy does this by methods of study and questioning that include rational arguments. Now, it seems to me that: a) philosophy and science are two distinct activities, b) they work by different methods (observation-based hypothesis testing vs. reason-based logical analysis), and c) they inform each other in a co-dependent manner. Science depends on philosophical theories that are outside the range of experimental validation, bu t philosophical investigations should be informed by the best science available in a range of situations, from metaphysics to ethics and philosophy of mind. So when some critic for instance defends that science can start an attack on all religious beliefs, they are surrendering too much to science and too little to philosophy. Yes, science can experimentally test specific religious claims, but the best objections against the thought are philosophical in nature. The issue is can philosophy advance by itself, without the support of science? Can science work without philosophy? The answer is even though philosophy and science are now two unique areas, to achieve significant knowledge, mix together the outcomes of both domains is a must. In fact, philosophy and science have always learned from each other. Scientists filter what they observe as best they can. They hypothesize, waiting for someone to make a more sophisticated estimate. Scientists consider doubt as a condition they must li ve with. They can live with mistaken belief. For example, a scientist might see only grey squirrels all his life and conclude that all squirrels are grey. His theory is then destroyed when he sees a red squirrel. There is a difference between science as a method and the philosophy of science. Although the scientific method has origins in philosophy, people are free to use the scientific method which rejects the philosophy of science. The science of biology can be educated in a classroom without teaching the philosophy of science. Science as a method tackles experimental questions, and an individual can work at science without believing in the supernatural. The philosophy of science holds that people should limit their beliefs to that which is experimental, in other words rule out the supernatural. The philosophy of science is sceptical about matters away from the untested. The function of philosophy draws imaginary pictures of whatever we observe or feel. Philosophy should be concer ned as much with generating questions as to the finding of answers. Philosophy is biased by nature, but to be biased does not mean to be inferior. Science certainly has its qualities. It is logical and highly organized and it pays attention to the evidential truth. It has producedtechnological surprises and speeded up the materialistic progress of human civilization. It is also basically whatever can be proved independently. And whatever can be proved without bias, as at first it was known to humans in a prejudiced style. Though science has a major relevance in the world, philosophy is much broader than science. I feel that science is what questions have been objectively answered. Whereas philosophy is what could be the more and more questions and what could be all the possible answers to those more and more questions. Philosophy takes priority over science because it is philosophy which has to raise questions and then to propose answers. Science takes only the answers, out of all t he proposed answers, which can be experimentally proved by using the accessible experimental procedures. It is often said that philosophers create knowledge by simply thinking, whereas scientists create knowledge by observing. Galileos experiments about speed of falling objects having different weights as well as about the projectile motion were actually his purposeful attempts to just check the legitimacy of the previously well-known Greek philosophical views regarding these matters. In my opinion, the formation of knowledge is not the role of the scientist. To create new knowledge is actually the role of the philosopher. The role of the scientist is just to extract the objective truths out of already existing ideas. Through experimentation the scientist would bring alterations in many already existing vague philosophical ideas by setting up the exact quantitative relationships between already existing variables. There is a positive role of a scientist. He has to put into operation his advanced theories by discovering and applying new technologies. Science, without philosophical process, turns into no reasonable findings. But, philosophy, without the logical methods of science, results in nonsense. One compliments the other and both are essential to the systematic growth of knowledge. In conclusion, I believe that if a study does not pass the tests of reason, and experimentation, where practical, we have accomplished nothing. Science and philosophy both posses their own qualities and faults in unique ways. Their relationship is competitive at times but neither one would stand at the level of development they have achieved today, without the other.