Community changes Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Community changes - Scholarship Essay Example was doing a random selection on people who will be given authorization to make changes in our community, I immediately saw this as an opportunity to make a difference. If I were to propose three things that I would promote to achieve a positive change in my community, it would be: First, to provide for the needs of the community, such as feeding the hungry, giving poor families a comfortable place to live in, impart to them the knowledge and skills for livelihood, educate the uneducated, and to give the elderly proper care and attention. I propose these projects that would satisfy every level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: physiological, safety, social, esteem, & self-actualization, because I believe that when all is gratified, it is when a person would be most productive and motivated, the key to a prosperous society (Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, n.d.). Second, I would want to set a monthly awareness talks and seminars for the community to participate in. Topics of the talks or seminars would involve how to be a socially responsible neighbor & how to be environmental-friendly in one’s community, and at the same time involve activities that will allow households in a certain neighborhood to get to know each other and learn from each other. This is because I believe that a neighborhood’s health affects individual lives (Neighbourhood Effects | Seminars, n.d.). With this said, to be able to enrich the quality of life in a certain community, it is best to instill positive values within them so as to promote cooperation, integrity, friendliness and good will. We all know that a lot of conflicts we now face in society are caused by indifference, selfishness and abuse towards other people. Thus, if I would be able to develop positive values in a small group of society such as the neighborhood, it would definitely help achiev e a peaceful society in the future. Third, I would want to promote a healthy and active lifestyle which would not only benefit the specific

Different types of Asthma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Different types of Asthma - Essay Example Asthma in children can be hard to diagnose. There are other conditions that can have similar symptoms and sometimes these conditions can be combined with asthma. Some common conditions with the same symptoms are rhinitis, sinusitis, acid reflux, vocal cord dysfunction, and respiratory tract infections, such as bronchiolitis and RSV.Doctors use the same tests to diagnose asthma in children ages 5 and up as they do with adults. The test is called a spirometry, it measures how quickly and how much air your child can exhale. The doctor will also try to find out if the asthma is caused by the child’s allergies. An allergy skin test will be given to check for allergy-causing substances, such as animal dander, mold or dust mites, and observed for signs of an allergic reaction.The doctor will make an asthma action plan and depending on the type and severity of asthma in the child the doctor might prescribe a medication. The purpose of treating asthma is to prevent symptoms and to trea t an asthma attack that is in progress. The goal after treatment is that the child will have little to no symptoms, fewer flare-ups, no limitations on daily activities, and few side effects from the medications.  Long-term medications will be used to treat the inflammation that causes the symptoms of asthma. The doctor would prescribe an inhaled corticosteroid, such as Qvar. Leukotriene modifiers such a Singulair will help to prevent the asthma symptoms for up to 24 hours. Sometimes a medication will be needed that is combined inhaler.

Final report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Final report - Essay Example One of the environmental trends that affect the product’s demand is the legal environment. As an innovative product, we expect to reserve rights over the product through patent rights. This prevents other people or entities from producing and trading in a similar product. Patent right however run for a specified period then protection of rights over innovation becomes void. During the protection period, the venture anticipates an increasing demand as the product gains popularity into the market because of limited level of competition. The legal environment will ensure minimal competition but tight competition is expected after expiry of patent rights as other parties are likely to develop and sell similar products and demand will be expected to reduce. Trend in the legal environment that changes by legislations may also have adverse impacts on the venture should legislation be enforced to term illegalize the product on safety and health grounds. This is because of its scope th at allows electric charges into people’s bodies, a factor that may become controversial a legislation that bans the product will terminate its demand (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel 128, 155). Economic trend also affect the product because of the trend’s impact on people’s ability to purchase. ... Demographic factors such as level of education social class and age are other trends that affect the product’s demand. Level of education plays an important role in informing people of the safety in using the devise and together with social class empowers people towards demand. The wider scope of the product’s market that targets the global market extends these trends from local to national and global levels (Luck 56). Consumers’ taste and preference against the product may influence the market and limit our potential to sell the product. Customer research: To analyze demographics, psychographics, and purchasing behavior of the target market A primary research was necessary to understand the target market. The research implemented a qualitative research design through phenomenology. Qualitative research was selected because of its scope and type of data that corresponded to the type of research that aimed at understanding psychological and behavioral aspects of t he target market. Phenomenology, a research design that relies on participants’ experience to develop an understanding of their perspective was used because of its suitability for the scope of research and its ability to capture reality. Survey questionnaire was applied on a randomly selected sample of 12 participants (McNabb 147, 148, 301, 302, 308, ). The following is the applied survey questionnaire. The participants were offered the product to use for a week and the questionnaire administered to each of them. Survey Questionnaire How effective are the normal alarms in waking you up? Have you tried our product before? How effective is our product in waking people up compared to traditional alarms?

Leadership journal 2- change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership journal 2- change - Essay Example Likewise, the response to evaluating the change in the work setting would necessitate including a change theory and detailing how the use of the theory did or would have helped the implementation of the change. The Change Transition in the Work Setting One is currently working as a registered nurse with a Nursing and Rehabilitation Health Care Facility. The change that currently occurred in this work setting is transitioning from manual or paper-based documentation to computer-based documentation system. Due to the fast paced-technological developments that ensued in the current century, the impetus for change to transcend from paper-based documentation to computer-based documentation through the electronic medical record (EMR) was deemed inevitable. Previous Paper-Based Documentation System The system that had been used to document crucial information, assessment, and interventions provided to patients were traditionally recorded through charting. This means that a patient’s chart is used to record all pertinent information since the patient’s entry in the health care setting for confinement. Several health care practitioners and professionals use the patients’ charts to document their observation, recommended intervention, and diverse health-related information to record the patients’ progress throughout the confined period. Several variables or factors paved the way for the paper based documentation system to exhibit inefficiencies in the health care setting. For one, the volume of patients that have significantly increased through time could not appropriately contain all the information through a patient’s chart. In addition, the number of diagnostic or laboratory tests, and recommended interventions by different health care professionals make recording tedious and complex. As such, there were evident disadvantages found to be related to paper-based documentation; including it being considered a â€Å"poor repository of p atient information†¦ also the tasks associated with such record keeping consume up to 38 percent of the physician's time associated with an outpatient visit† (Tang, LaRosa, & Gorden, 1999, par. 5). Likewise, it is prone to wear and tear; have greater tendencies for encountering difficulties in updating and keeping in file through time; missing information or record; as well as ineligble handwriting could significantly affect and influence the quality and accuracy of patient care that would be provided on a timely manner. Proposed Electronic or Computer-Based Documentation The change that is currently being implemented in using a computer-based patient record (CPR) or documentation system. According to previous studies, the objective or goal of the CPR is â€Å"supporting patient care and improving the quality of care as well as enhancing the productivity of the health care personnel while reducing the costs of health care delivery† (Rodriguez, Borges, Rodriguez, An garita, & Munoz, n.d., p. 1). The CPR therefore addresses all the weaknesses of the paper-based documentation system, particularly limiting or preventing errors in transcribing ineligible handwriting; preventing records being lost; and doing away with filing the patients’ records in repositories which could be destroyed or ineffectively maintained. The Manner by Which the Change was Received Several health car

Sanlu Group Essay Example for Free

Sanlu Group Essay The entire world was recently disturbed by the extensive scandal involving imported and contaminated milk coming from China. One company, the Sanlu Group, is believed to be at the center of this milk scare, and it is even speculated that the company had knowledge of the scandal before it was reported (Indiatimes, 2008). Sampling of imported milk from the top three Chinese milk companies are already being conducted worldwide, and it is estimated that ten percent of such milk samples are tainted with melamine, a toxic chemical. Several countries already had varying numbers of children affected or dead, resulting from the contamination of the products (Reuters Foundation, 2008). The said toxic chemical is said to be rich in nitrogen, and it makes the protein level appear higher for milk that has been watered down. Some of the observed harmful effects of melamine on humans, particularly children, are kidney stones and worse, death (Reuters Foundation, 2008). This scandal not only has deleterious effects for the business of China. Worse, it has caused death and severe health consequences to children in various countries across the world. The disorder resulting from the deaths and other injuries has now spread such that most, if not all, countries are conducting tests to determine whether their milk has melamine content. Furthermore, there has been a loss of confidence and a growing doubt in the minds of people on the food products coming from China, and this definitely causes riot in the health community, including the experts and the end consumers. References Indiatimes. (2008). Tainted-milk scam: China apologizes to Taiwan. Retrieved September 25, 2008, from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Tainted-milk_scam_China_apologizes_to_Taiwan/rssarticleshow/3523852.cms Reuters Foundation. (2008). FACTBOX:Chinas milk scam highlights risks, raises questions. Retrieved September 25, 2008, from http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK72695.htm

Testing Organizational Communication Satisfaction

Testing Organizational Communication Satisfaction ABSTRACT Communication Satisfaction plays a very critical role in achieving employee engagement in organizations. It becomes even more significant and relevant in the context of the recent global crisis wherein organizations focus on employee engagement was high and was aimed towards employee retention and motivation. While several researchers have studied the relationship between communication and employee involvement, very few studies have established a relationship between Communication Satisfaction and Employee Engagement. Using the second-generation analytical technique Structural Equation Modeling, the present study examines the relationship between various components of Organization Communication Satisfaction (Organization Integration, Supervisory Communication, Personal Feedback, Communication Climate and Media Quality) and various components of Employee Engagement (Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction and Withdrawal Cognition). A modified version of the Downs Hazens Communica tion Satisfaction Questionnaire was administered on 235 personnel in the Information Technology/Information Technology Enabled Services industry in India. The scale was tested for reliability and validity using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The results indicate that Organization Communication Satisfaction has a positive impact on Employee Engagement. The study findings have strategic implications for organizations with regard to laying a greater emphasis on increasing communication satisfaction through various human resource interventions, both at macro and micro levels in the organization. Introduction Employee engagement has been drawing a lot of importance in various organizations in recent times. A global workforce study conducted by Towers Perrin in 2007-2008 revealed that only 21% of the employees were engaged. A more disturbing finding of the study was that 38% of the employees were partly to fully disengaged. The study also concluded that companies with the higher levels of employee engagement are able to retain their valued employees as also achieve better financial results. Similarly, Gallup has also conducted a study on employee engagement and found that 29% of employees are actively engaged in their jobs, 54% are not engaged, and 17% are actively disengaged. Many researchers have studied employee engagement and have found that employee engagement predicts employee outcomes, organizational success and financial performance (Bates, 2004; Harter et al., 2002,). Similarly, Hewitt Associates (LLC, 2005, p.1) have also established a strong relationship between employee engagem ent and profitability through higher productivity, sales, customer satisfaction and employee retention. Unfortunately though, a lot of literature available is only those from Consulting firms and there is very little theoretical or empirical research available on employee engagement. Today, as a result of continuous organizational restructuring (mergers, acquisitions, downturn imperatives), it is commonly observed that organizations are resorting to right sizing strategies. It certainly becomes the most critical priority of CEOs around the world to ensure that the employees who survive the layoffs are fully engaged. Research indicates that there is a decline in engagement levels and that there is deepening disengagement among employees today (Saks, 2006; Richman, 2006; Bates, 2004). It has also been reported that the majority of workers today, roughly half of all Americans in the workforce are not fully engaged or they are dis engaged leading to what has been referred to as an â€Å"engagement gap† that is costing US business $300 billion a year in lost productivity (Saks, 2006, Bates 2004, Johnson, 2004 Kowalski, 2003). Further, with the world becoming a global market place, where every thing is becoming a commodity, people and management of peoples talen t are becoming very critical components of an organizations ability to service its customer. Managing dis-engaged employees or non-engaged employees in a customer facing role is therefore that much more critical to the success and profitability of the business. Lockwood explains, â€Å"As organizations move forward into a boundaryless environment, the ability to attract, engage, develop and retain talent will hence, become increasingly important† In addition to the various literatures available from consultants, there have been a few researches conducted on the antecedents and consequences of employee engagement and also â€Å"What is employee engagement†. A very exhaustive analysis of employee engagement has bee done by Macey and Schneider (2008). In the study employee engagement has been explained as 3 facests viz., Psychological state engagement (Satisfaction, involvement, commitment, empowerment), Trait engagement (personality, conscientiousness) and Behavioural engagement (Organizational Citizenship Behaviour, Personal initiative, role expansion). Another research indicates that employee engagement constitutes two aspects viz., job engagement and organization engagement (Saks, 2006). Saks (2006 further found that employee engagement was significantly positively related to job satisfaction, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviour and negatively related to intention to quit. Organizational Communication plays a very critical part in ensuring employee engagement. It has been established that clear, consise and honest communication is an important tool for employee engagement (Lockwood). It is further established that lack of communication or poorly communicated information can lead to distrust, dissatisfaction, skepticism and unwanted employee turnover. Studies demonstrate that there is a significant influence of Interpersonal trust on individual, group and organizational achievements (Earley, 1986; Robinson, 1996), Job Satisfaction (Driscoll, 1978; Muchinsky, 1977), Job Involvement (Saks, 2006) and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour (Konovsky Pugh, 1994; McAllister, 1995). Studies have also underlined the central role of communication in developing and maintaining Trust (Gail, Zolin, Hartman, 2009; Becerra Gupta, 2003; Muchinsky, 1977). With particular reerence to recession, downsizing has become a harsh reality over the past 2 decades. These downsizing strategies come with other negative consequences of â€Å"attrition of employees who are not impacted by downsizing†. The problem is more profound when the attriting employees are top performers or employees with skills critical to future growth plans of the organization. Various studies have proved that downsizing negatively affects attitudes of employees surviving the downsizing by reducing organizational commitment, morale, job satisfaction and also increasing intention to quit and job stress (Arnold and Feldman, 1982; Greenhalge, 1982; Kozlowski et. al, 1993). It is therefore, very important for organizations to find ways to retain the attriting employees afer downsizing. Managerial communication and Organizational support can be looked at as possible avenues to reduce the negative effects of downsizing. Communication becomes very critical because employees believe that their organization holds them in low regard and ignores their interest (Anderson, 1996; Mclean Parks and Kidder, 1994). They also suspect that management communication is not credible for tat information is being withheld (Noer 1993, ONeill and Lenn, 1995). Employees need to understand how they fit into the overall plans of the organization in terms of their roles and contribution to the growth plans of the organizations. Various surveys in this regard indicate that employees want more communication with their managers (Argenti, 1998). There are various studies that have established a positive relationship between communication satisfaction and job satisfaction (Petit, Gori s and Vaught, 1997; Pincus 1996) and organization commitment (Varona, 1996). A communication ROI study by Watson Wyatt (2007-2008) revealed that â€Å"firms that communicate effectively are 4 times as likely to report high levels of employee engagement as firms that communicate less effectively. This study therefore, attempts to establish the impact of Organizational communication on mediating role of Trust in the relationship between Organizational Communication Satisfaction on Employee Engagement in the Information Technology / Information Technology Enabled Services (IT/ITES) industry in India. We have selected the IT/ITES) industry because of the significance of the impact during the recent recessionary period. Literature Review and Research Hypothesis Organizational Communication Organisation communication constitutes many dimensions spanning from formal and informal means of internal communication and external communications. A review of literature in this area reveals that Organizational communication can be classified into four different levels (SHRM Magazine) (i) Overall Organizational communication (ii) Inter-organizational communication (iii) Group-level communication (iv) Interpersonal communication Further, review of the research in this area underlines the importance of organizational communication towards building commitment, satisfaction and retention of employees in an organization. A number of studies (Burhans 1971, Downs 1971, Jain 1970) studied the relevance and importance of satisfaction with organizational communication. Such examinations of the communication-satisfaction relationship have produced, a construct called communication satisfaction, which is becoming a common reference in organizational literature (Downs and Hazen, 1977). Downs and Hazen, introduced the Communications Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ) and conducted a factor analytic study of communication satisfaction. This study established eight stable definitions of communication satisfaction, which has also been enumerated as follows in another study by Clampitt Downs, 1993: Communication Climate reflects communication on both the organizational and personal level. On one hand, it includes items such as the extent to which communication in the organization motivates and stimulates workers to meet organizational goals and the extent to which it makes them identify with the organization. On the other, it includes estimates of whether or not peoples attitudes toward communicating are healthy in the organization. Supervisory Communication includes both upward and downward aspects of communicating with superiors. Three of the principal items include the extent to which a superior is open to ideas, the extent to which the supervisor listens and pays attention, and the extent to which guidance is offered in solving job-related problems. Organizational Integration revolves around the degree to which individuals receive information about the immediate work environment. Items include the degree of satisfaction with information about departmental plans, the requirements of their jobs, and some personnel news. Media Quality deals with the extent to which meetings are well organized, written directives are short and clear, and the degree to which the amount of communication is about right. Co-worker Communication concerns the extent to which horizontal and informal communication is accurate and free flowing. This factor also includes satisfaction with the activeness of the grapevine. Corporate Information deals with broadest kind of information about the organization as a whole. It includes items on notification about changes, information about the organizations financial standing, and information about the overall policies and goals of the organization. Personal Feedback is concerned with the workers need to know how they are being judged and how their performance is being appraised. Subordinate Communication focuses on upward and downward communication with subordinates. Only workers in a supervisory capacity respond to these items, which include subordinate responsiveness to downward communication and the extent to which subordinates initiate upward communication. Crino White (1981) investigated Communication Satisfaction with 137 supervisors from textile mills. Similarly, Pincus (1986) used the CSQ in a study of nurses and their supervisors to investigate the relationship between communication and job satisfaction and job performance. These findings had resulted in the CSQ being the most widely used scale when measuring communication satisfaction. The notable aspect though is, that the studies by Downs Hazens (1977) and Crino White (1981) exploratory factor analysis rather than confirmator factor analysis for assessing the validity of the CSQ. Theerefore, the convergent and discriminant validity of the CSQ was under question. Further, until the introduction of CSQ, Communication was considered as an unidimensional construct. The underlying belief was that employees are either satisfied or dis-satisfied with communication. However, with the introduction of the CSQ changed it communication satisfaction to be viewed as a multi-dimensional construct wherein, employees could be satisfied or dis-sastisfied with one or more aspects of communication and be dis-satisfied. Gary and Laidlaw (2004) assessed the CSQ using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Their study used a series of congeneric measurement models to study the validity and reliability of the CSQ. Based on the study, Gary Laidlaw concluded, â€Å"the results substantiate CSQ as a valid instrument for measuring communication satisfaction and supports the multi-dimensional aspects of the communication satisfacation construct. This study therefore, proposes to establish the convergent and discriminant validity and reliability of the CSQ for the purpose of IT/ITES sector in India. The study also proposes to establish the relationships between the individual dimensions of Organizational Communication Satisfaction using First order and Second order Confirmatory Factor Analysis. H1 : Dimensions of Organisation Communication Satisfaction are inter-related H2 : Organisational Communication Satisfaction is explained by Organisational Integration, Supervisory communication, Personal Feedback, Corporate Information, Communication Climate and Media Quality. Employee Engagement Employee engagement has been drawing a lot of importance in various organizations in recent times. There have been few research works on employee engagement (Robinson et al, 200) and most of understanding comes from Consulting firms and Independent Research agencies. There have been various definitions of employee engagement. Employee engagement is the level of commitment and involvement an employee has towards their organization and its values (Vazirani, 2007). Engagement is the willingness and ability to contribute to company success, the extent to which employees put discretionary effort into their work, in the form of extra time, brainpower and energy (Towers Perrin, 2007). Often used as a synonym for motivation or motivation and retention; engagement is really more fundamental. Engagement is an employees decision to apply his discretionary effort to the goals of the enterprise, to accept those goals as his own and wholeheartedly commit himself to achieving them. (Fineman Carter 2007) Though employee engagement as a concept has been drawing a lot of importance, it is still a term widely referred among consulting firms and independent research agencies. There have been very few empirical research initiatives in the academic world to establish the definition of the construct â€Å"employee engagement†. Mickey and Schneider (2008) have done a detailed study on â€Å"the meaning of employee engagement† and have established a series of propositions covering 3 facets : a) Psychological stage engagement b) Behavioural engagement c) Trait engagement. This research though will focus on the psychological state engagement facet since this has received maximum attention and is central to the engagement issue. Further, the scope of the research is focussed towards examining the impact of Organizational Communication Satisfaction on Employee Engagement. Past researches on similar subjects have all focussed on studying the relationship between Organizational Communication Satisfaction on individual aspects of State Engagement viz., Satisfaction, Commitment and Involvement. Mickey and Schneider (2008), while explaining the psychological state engagement have studied 4 different aspects viz., Job satisfaction, Organizational commitment, Psychological empowerment and Job involvement. They have further referred to various related research in each of the above aspects and thereby analyse each of the aboe aspects as a facet or antecedent or consequence of employee engagement. Their study and analysis is as follows : Engagement as Job Satisfaction In defining Job Satisfaction as a facet of employee engagement, the views of Erickson (2005) are noteworthy; â€Å"Engagement is above or beyond simple satisfaction with the employment arrangement or basic loyalty to the employer. Engagement in contrast is about passion and commitment, the willingness to invest oneself and expand ones discretionary effort to help the employer succeed† Therefore, it is beyond basic loyalty and is about the emotional aspect of Job satisfaction that triggers emotions and feelings of energy, enthusiasm and thereby constitutes a very important aspect of Engagement. Engagement as Organization Commitment In defining Organizational commitment as an important facet of employee engagement, the views from various contributions are noteworthy (Wellins and Concelman, 2005; OReilly Chatman, 1986; Mowday, Porter Steers, 1982; Meyer and Allens, 1997; Meyer, Becker Vanderberghe, 2004). These significant contributions lead to definitions; employees exert extra energy in support of the organization, feel proud as a key contrinbutor to the organization and its success and enjoy a personal identity with the organization. This leads to organization commitment being defined as a key facet of engagement (Mickey Schneider, 2008). While analysing organization commitment, there is also an analysis around organization / job withdrawal thereby suggesting that commitment as a state of engagement also relates to how long an employee stays as a result of commitment (The Corporate Executive Board, 2006) Engagement as Job Involvement The next aspect analysed by Mickey and Schneider (2008) is Job Involvement. Job Involvement has been defined â€Å"as the degree to which an employee psychologically relates to his or her job and the work performed therein and specifically equated job involvement and job commitment (Cooper-Hakim and Visweswaran, 2005). Brown (1996), Mathieu and Zajacs (1990) have also come up the conclusion that job involvement is an antecedent to organizational commitment. Brown further concluded that organizational withdrawal decisions are less related to job involvement than to organizational commitment. Erickson (2005) described job involvement as a key antecedent of the state of engagement. Based on the analysis and significant well researched contributions, we identify Job Satisfaction, Organizational commitment and withdrawal as key facets of employee engagement. Further, Saks (2006) has conducted a good study on the antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. The research conceptualized engagement as being reflective of the extent to which an individual is psychologically present in a particular organizational role (Kahn, 1990; Rothbard, 2001). It was further conceptualized that there are two dominant roles attributable to most organizational members viz., their work role and their role as a member of the organization. These two roles led to the two components of employee engagement: Job and Organization engagement. Saks (2006) further found that that Job and Organization engagement were significantly positively related to Job satisfaction, organizational commitment and Organizational Citizenship Behavior, and negatively related to intention to quit. In summary, employee engagement is about ones emotional commitment towards the organization, being psychologically involved and willingness ability to walk that extra mile in achieving the Organizational goals and objectives. Based on the above review, it is understood that employee engagement mainly constitutes three aspects viz., Organizational commitment, job satisfaction and intention to stay. This study aims at establishing a relationship between the facets / components of Employee Engagement using 2nd order Confirmatory Factor Analysis. This study further proposes to establish the convergent and discriminant validity and reliability of the various facets of employee engagement using First and Second order Confirmatory Factor Analysis H3 : Dimensions of Employee Engagement are interrelated H4 : Employee engagement is explained by Organisational Commitment, Job Satisfaction and Withdrawl Cognition Organization Communication Satisfaction and Employee Engagement The next dimension studied was the relationship between Organizational Communication and Employee Engagement in organizations. Employees see managers as trustworthy when their communication is accurate and forthcoming. In addition, adequate explanations and timely feedback on decisions lead to higher levels of trust (Folger Konovsky, 1989; Konovsky Cropanzano, 1991; Sapienza Korsgaard, 1996). Evidently, managers who take the time to explain their decisions thoroughly are likely to be perceived as trustworthy. Finally, open communication, in which managers exchange thoughts and ideas freely with employees, enhances perceptions of trust (Butler, 1991; Farris, Senner, Butterfield, 1973; Gabarro, 1978; Hart, Capps, Cangemi, Caillouet, 1986). Lockwood states that â€Å"lack of communication or poorly communicated information can lead to distrust, dissatisfaction, skepticism, cynicism and unwanted turnover. This is even more relevant in times of crisis as observed by Meyers in 1986 ; â€Å"When a crisis occurs, employees are affected on a personal level, in ways and to an extent unlike in any other audience. Their immediate reaction is often to be stunned and lose a sense of common purpose and cohesiveness Gripped by fear, employees may stray from their sense of reality and turn inward, focusing exclusively on their personal needs and ignoring the organizations needs†. Pincus Acharya, 1998 observed that â€Å"Employees who are uncertain about their jobs, health, or safety may deny, misinterpret, selectively perceive, or tune out information from management about the crisis situation because they may be blinded by their own sense of a personal crisis.† These studies lead us the understanding that â€Å"clear, consice, timely and honest communication is a very important management tool towards building employee engagement in Organizations (Lockwood). As discussed earlier, there have been many consultants and independent research organizations, which have established communication as a very critical component in enabling employee engagement in organizations. Further, there have been individual studies relating organizational communication and the individual facets and antecedents of employee engagement. This study proposes to study the relationship of Organization Communication Satisfaction on Employee Engagement using second-generation analysis tecnique, Structural Equation Modelling. H5 : Organisation Communication Satisfaction has a positive impact on Employee Engagement.. Research Methodology Questionnaire Design The Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire (Downs and Hazens, 1977) was selected for the Organization Communication construct of the study. We have used on seven factors of the CSQ beause the eighth factor, subordinate communication since this study was not aimed at personnel in their role as employees and not supervisors. For the Employee Engagement construct, each of the individual facets was measured on borrowed scales. Job Satisfaction was measured on 5 items taken from the scale developed by Price and Muellar (1986). Organization Commitment was measured on 6 items taken from the scale developed by Meyer, Allen and Smith (1997) while Withdrawal Cognition was measured on 3-item scale developed by De Conninck and Bachmann (2005). Since we are using borrowed scales for each of the constructs, it is important to first establish the validity and reliability of the scale. In other words, the items must reflect what they are intended to measure (face validity) and represent a proper sample of the domain of each construct (content valididty), and pass other tests of validity (discriminant, convergent and predictive validity) in order for a measure to have construct validity (Hardesty and Bearden, 2003). As a first step, we carried out a face validity of the constructs of the study. Based on the approaches discussed by Hardesty and Bearden, we identified a panel of 7 judges to assess the face validity. The judges were exposed to the definition of each construct, overall scope and objective of the study and the individual items under each construct (Total number of items was 49). Each judge was requested to rate the importance and relevance of the item to the constructs conceptual definition on a scale of 1-10 (1-Lea st important to 10-Most Important). (eg. How would items like â€Å"I find real enjoyment in my job† or â€Å"I am seldom bored with my job†). Additional remarks were also sought from the judges on whether multiple items under a construct mean the same and also which among the items was a better representative of the constructs conceptual definition. These results were summarized by Judge for each item and the items which were given a weightage of â€Å"less than 8† were considered for reduction. During the content validity stage, the judges unanimously felt that co-worker communication, as a dimension was not too relevant from an engagement perspective since a lot of it was not largely under the control of the organization. However, one item in the co-worker communication was felt necessary to be included viz., â€Å"Extent to which communication practices are adaptable to emergencies† and hence, the same was retained and included in the dimension  "Communication climate†. Similarly, the item viz., â€Å"Information about changes in our organization† and â€Å"Information about company goals and policies† were the only 2 items left under the dimenstion â€Å"Corporate Information†. Since it is required to have atleast 3 items under each dimension / factor for Structured Equation Modelling, these 2 items were grouped under the dimension â€Å"Organizational Integration†. Therefore, in the final questionnaire (total number of items 29), Organizational Communication Satisfaction was reduced to 5 factors viz., Organizational Integration, Supervisory Communication, Personal Feedback, Communication Climate and Media Quality. The factors under Employee Engagement were all retained viz., Organization commitment, Job satisfaction and Withdrawl cognition. In addition to the 2 sections representing the main constructs of the study, the questionnaire also covered a brief write up covering the purpose of the study as well as explicit statements of assurance to the respondents about the confidentiality of their responses and that the responses would be used for academic purposes only. Data Collection and Sampling : For this study, primary data was collected through structured undisguised questionnaires adminstered to the respondents. Questionnaires were administered through personal contacts / meetings and through mail as per the convenience of the respondent at home or in office. The respondents were requested to spare few minutes to provide categorical responses to items in the questionnaire The respondents for the study were selected from the personnel of organizations in Information Technology (IT) / Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) industry in India. A total of 275 questionnaires were administered to the respondents. 264 questionnaires were found to be complete in all respects, giving a response rate of 96.%. A further 29 invalid questionnaires were eliminated (those questionnaires where too many items were left unanswered or the same response was given to all the questions) and thereby 235 valid questionnaires were taken for further analysis. Measurements The study hypothesis covers 2 Constructs Organization Communication Satisfaction (OCS) and Employee Engagement (EE). OCS is measured for 5 key dimensions / Factors viz., Organization Integration, Supervisory Communication, Personal Feedback, Communication Climate and Media Quality while EE is measured on 3 key dimensions / factors viz., Organization commitment, Job satisfaction and Withdrawal Cognition. The 8 categorical dimensions were measured on the following items / variables: Factor / Dimenstion Items / Variables of measurement Organization Communication Satisfaction (OCS) Organization Integration Information about the requirements of my job Information about my progress in my job Information about company policies and goals Information about changes in our organization Supervisory Communication Extent to which my supervisor listens and pays attention to me Extent to which my supervisor offers guidance for solving job related problems Extent to which my supervisor trusts me Extent to which my supervisor is open to ideas Personal Feedback Information about how I am being assessed Information about how my efforts are recognized and rewarded Extent to which superiors know and understand the problems faced by subordinates Communication Climate Extent to which the organizations communication motivates and stimulates an enthusiasm for meeting its goals Extent to which the organizations communication makes me identify with it or feel a vital part of it Extent to which communication practices are adaptable to emergencies Extent to which I receive in time the information need to do my job Media Quality Extent to which written directives and reports are clear and concise Extent to which the attitudes toward communication in the organization are basically healthy Extent to which the amount of communication in the organization is about right Employee Engagement Organization Commitment I really feel as if this organizations problems are my own I do not feel like part of the family at my organization (R) I do not feel emotionally attached to this organization (R) This organization has a great deal of personal meaning for me I do not feel strong sense of belonging to my organization (R) Job Satisfaction I find real enjoyment in my job Most days I am enthusiastic about my job I feel fairly well satisfied with my job Withdrawal Cognition I would be very happy to spend the rest of my career in this Company Within the next six months, I would rate the likelihood of leaving my present job as high All the variables are categorical in nature and were measured on a categorical scale (5 point Likert). Data Analysis We have applied Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) as the tool of analysis for maximum likelihood estimation for examining the proposed hypotheses. As suggested by many researchers (e.g. Anderson Gerbing, 1998), we have chosen the Two-step analysis method wherein in the first step, we conduct the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) based on the correlation coefficient matrix of each measurement item (i.e. dimenstions / factors of OCS and dimensions / factors of EE). In the second step, after confirming the fitness of the cons

The Concept Of Ethical Consumption Marketing Essay

The Concept Of Ethical Consumption Marketing Essay To present the concept of Ethical Consumption it needs to be acknowledging what is ethics and consumption. Ethic is a set of norms, principles or values that guide peoples behaviour (Sherwin 1993), and what is ethical or unethical is based on individual perception of right and wrong in other side consumption can be define as the process of buying or using goods that materialises when the consumer processes the product or service information, as a logical thinker (Holbrook et al. 1982: 132). Ethical consumption takes place when individuals purchasing goods are considering values of caring for other people, concerns for fairness and/or for the environment. The phenomenon of Ethical Consumption started to rise in the last fifteen to twenty years. This concept is directly related to the conscious and deliberate choice to make certain consumption options due to personal and moral beliefs (Carrigan et al., 2004:401). The ethical consumer strives to enhance their wellbeing through purchasing behaviour that avoids harming or exploiting humans, animals and the environment (Harrison et al. 2005: 4), and these represents the positive choices; additionally in this ample concept it can be included actions as recycling behaviour and philanthropy  [1]  . Consumption can be perceived as an instrument to achieve satisfaction on the material level; this consumer pattern is also moulded by groups and societal values: consideration for others and also for our eco system, leading to the concept of Ethical consumption, that can be identify as a tool to social change. Citizens and consumers are social actors that are recognizing more sustainable forms of consumption by optimising environmental, social and economic consequences in order to reduce ecological damage and demand labour rights to be respected. All consumers are forced to consider the increasing consequences of their habits, and existence (Harrison et al., 2005:3). We are now living in the world of disposability, of instant convenience where everything is disposable, however society is waking up and starting to reject these ways. There is a reform to the basic, to old values (Arnold 2009:4). Ethical consumption can be seen as an integration process, between producers and consumers, ethically minded consumers feel accountable towards the environment and the society, and they strive to express their values through their shopping habits. Ethical branding strategies are designed to support ethical business and ethical claims, these strategies are accomplished through all phases of a brand products lifecycle  [2]  ; leading to consumers perceptions and attitudes towards ethical purchasing (Tustin et al., 2008:24). Brands that are perceived as good citizenship  [3]   hold a good reputation on the consumer eyes, accentuating the responsibility of companies and consumers, producing/ purchasing products and services that pursue to minimise the social and environmental damage. It is quite clear exactly what is feeding this concept to grow, and Rob Harrison (2005) proposed seven factors inciting the growth of ethical behaviour: the globalisation of markets leading to the debilitation of national governments; this action drives to a rise of transnational corporations and brands; the growth of campaigning pressure groups which occurs as a result of the previous processes; the social and environmental consequence of technology; a shift in market power towards consumers; the effectiveness of market campaigning and also the enlargement of corporate social responsibility  [4]  (Harrison et al., 2005:3). However the main sources of the rapid progress of ethical awareness in the consumer shopping behaviour are the communication channels driven by the easy access of information, from websites as Ethical consumer guide and Keep it ethical; increasingly ethical awareness of issues related to products and brands leaded by the most effective channel the internet. 1.2 Study focus Although Ethical consumption seems like an ideal conception of consuming habits, there are issues stopping this idea to fully succeed. One of the strongest issue is price sensitivity, consumers are willing to pay extra pennies for ethical products, not small fortunes; another point is personal experience considering that some consumers cannot identify ethical products from non-ethical; ethical obligations as another issue where people feel difficult to consume certain products only based on the ethical claims; one critical point is the lack of information, where consumers feel that they are not fully informed in order to make the right purchasing choices; quality perception as other concept, sometimes people perceived that ethical products do not hold quality or flavour for example, as mainstream  [5]  products; cynicism considering that a high number of companies exploit for example the concept of environmental friendly, without any care for the environment which is named as gre en wash, leading to the lack of confidence to ethical products and finally the sense of guilt to support these exploited groups (Bray et al., 2010:5). Although other authors like Show et al., (2004) and Carrigan et al. (2001) defend, that ethical consumers are confused by: the lack of information, or too much information, restrict product choices and their availability, they also add that the lack of commitment plays an important role, additionally these authors go further believing that ethical consumers trust that their purchase choice does not make a significant difference amongst the others. Different authors point different issues as critical for this concept to flourished has it should. However all authors agree that communication, consumers education and the lack of trust is a significant concept for the shortcoming of ethical consumption. 1.3 Dissertation structure What is proposed in this study is to analyse in depth one successful ethical corporation Unicorn Manchester Cooperative Groceries, to understand how they show, educate and encourage consumers to follow their brand message through their ethical products; additionally how Unicorn procedures leads customers to trust them, finally it will be investigated their internal communication strategy. At this investigation it will be analysed trust, brand loyalty, brand message and internal branding, furthermore it will be acknowledge what their customers feel about their communication strategies and if they fully understand the meaning behind their purchases, what the company stands for and if the strategies used, drive customers to trust and became loyal to this business . To access this knowledge and to understand the communication strategy it will be made an interview to one of the cooperative members, which is accountable for the marketing and communication, education and advertisement of th is business, with the purpose to gain an insight of strategies adopted by this company. As a following step is needed to be acknowledge if customers are actually receptive to all these techniques adopted by the company by doing a small survey that only mention the communication strategies placed on the shop floor; to hundred and thirty customers. 1.4 Aims and objectives The outcome of this case study is to acknowledge and understands the ethical communication strategies adopted by this specific company and understand their effectiveness. Understand the Ethical Communication strategies used by Unicorn Cooperative Appreciate the channels used in order to build trust guiding to brand loyalty Acknowledge if customers fully understand the meaning behind their purchases Recognize the importance of Internal branding in ethical businesses How is possible to transfer this knowledge to other cases, business, institutions and so on. Research question: How does Unicorn- Cooperative develop consumer trust into their ethical brand? Hypotheses: 1. Trust is a key concept for the development of Brand loyalty 2. When brand message is communicated effectively, consumer tend to develop trust 3. Internal Branding high levelled the trust Literature review 2. Literature Review 2.1 Ethical Consumption Nowadays consumption can be perceived as a way to achieve social equality and a better environment. Ethical Consumption can include the purchasing behaviour that respects workers treatment, fair trade food, non-genetically modified food, environmental concerns, human rights, racial or gender prejudice, (Szimigin et al. 2006: 608). An increasing number of consumers are conducting changes in social conditions and business practices and they are progressively committed on these changes, this factor is what distinguish political consumer from ordinary consumer (Sandicki et al. 2008: 3). People are encountering more sustainable forms of consumption, and acknowledging individual and collective level of benefits, in order to meet the needs of current and future generations (Lunchs et al. 2011:2), affecting business and retailers to respond to this growing demand. At the same time individuals acquire a relation with ethical consumption that tend to be driven by a larger context, enforcing some kind of reflection which can be influenced by social groups (Barr et al. 2011: 715). Ethical consumption embraces two major groups positive buying is what was mention previously and in the opposite spectrum is the negative buying which can include boycotts and avoidance of certain brands on a permanent basis, considering their association with some political issue that the consumer opposes (Sandicki et al. 2008: 2). Furthermore these movements in great majority accomplish their objective, by changing business conventions to a more eco and social friendly practices. Consumption as an increasingly important purpose in contemporary society, these movements materialise ideologies of consumption  [6]  (Kozinets et al. 2004:692). Consequently, businesses are trying to blend ethical consumerism into their practices, as a result of pressure from consumers, considering that their perception is also linked to their consumerism (Tustin et al. 2008:25). Characteristics that run through all these consumption manifestations: Organisation, consumers envisage to organise a coherent set of activities informed by the actions of different organisations, including consumer bodies A desire for change, consumption as a tool of its own transformation Rights, consumers have rights that have to be fought Collectively, by working in groups, individuals hold a strengthen power for change Values, consumption as an exchange of moral messages, consuming can be good or bad Implications, consuming has effects, on other people and society or on the environment. (Harrison et al., 2004:40) Thankfully to the growing number and easily accessible information enhanced by the media interest of political issues (Harrison et al. 2004:69), consumers are more aware of ways to minimise environmental damage and change social issues. Some authors defend that there are more hidden reasons to purchase ethically, other dimension that evocates the individuality of each of us, they see ethical consumption as a integrative process, where the consumer tries to achieve: distinction, by distinguishing themselves in a proactively way through their actions; hedonism action that produces pleasure, the consumer feel good about himself purchasing ethically; love which demonstrates compassion to others and personal values and aesthetic appreciation, considering that ethical products tend to be classified as premium  [7]  brands, meaning more expensive which some individuals identify with them for their classification (Szimigin et al. 2006:610), and these are some of the extra aspects that the marketer needs to acknowledge when suggesting these products. However the most persuasive reason for people to consume more ethically is the power of social change, by forcing brands and companies to adopt more ethical strategies for t heir business practices. This seems the ideal consumption concept, however as many concepts in business has their faults to fully succeed, as mention previously the: personal experience; ethical obligation; lack of information; quality perception, cynicism and sense of guilt. The deprivation of effective information is a major barrier for this concept to accomplish their objectives. If consumers are not informed or even educated of these practices and strategies in some respects ethical consumption is failing in delivering a proficient communication. There is a high number of literature and case studies where consumers for example are willing to purchase eco-friendly brands, however they witness a very difficult task to identify these products, proving that these consumers are not very aware of ethical communication strategies (Picket- Baker et al. 2008: 290). Adequate communication prevail a disregard link between some companies to the mass consumer. This matter deviates the idea of ethical consumption; sin ce all consumers are possible ethical consumers (Harrison et al. 2005: 69). 2.2 Marketing Communications/ Communication Strategies Communication strategies is a core concept for this investigation, as it will be study the ethical communication strategies of one particular company and acknowledge how these support the business reaching trust amongst the customer. However to reach that picture it needs to comprehend in general the notion of marketing communication. All organisations to survive needs to exchange information to their stakeholders, Marketing Communications is the design, implementation and control to reach organisational objectives, through the consumer market point of view, marketing strategies is a method that will increase consumers positive thoughts and attitudes towards a brand or product, (Peter et al. 2010:25) basically is a management process through which an organisation engages with its various audience (Fill 2005:7), only strategically distributed can help organisations to lead a competitive position (Holm 2003: 23), by understanding the audiences, organisations explore actual messages that would be appropriate for their stakeholders. Following the previous sentence, marketing communication is a concept that bridges information between customers and potential customers to the business foundations, remind the stakeholders about the business essence, also reassure the distinctive aspects for other competitors additionally provide information about products and brands values, persuade the target audience to change attitude (Dahlen 2010:43). The Marketing Communication mix embraces every type of messages such in advertising, public relations, promotions and personal selling simultaneously direct response advertising, personal communication, public relations exhibitions and online exhibitions. All these different methods can work independently or ideally blended to accomplished communication goals. Promotional Objectives Target Audience Context Analyses Direct Marketing Sales Promotion Research and Evaluation Personal Selling Resources Positioning Public Relations Figure 1_ the system of Marketing Communications (Fill 2005:28) This concept promotes and maintain a dialogue with their audiences to create a Brand Equity, brand associations, brand dominance and brand prospects (Dahlen 2010:14), this it will influence conception of value in comparison with the benefits and costs, being the ideal situation to raise the benefits and decrease the costs (Holm 2006:23). Marketing communication can be perceived as: management and control of all communication strategies; also ensures brand personality, positioning and messages that should be distributed consistently throughout all components of communication and additional strategic analyses, implementation and control of the choices of marketing strategy (Smith et al. 1999:4). Communication is the act of sending a message to others in a way that these can interpret and decode the message, communications is essential to build trust on others(Anderson 2005: 169).Communication strategies can be defined as a constant pursuit to verbalize and decode the messages, in situation where these messages have not been decipher (Toronoe 1981: 287). A favourable communication is based around a committed, articulated brand idea as a foundation to sustain and build relations with customers (Dahlen 2010:2). The main target of Marketing Communication is to influence the judgment of value through communication, this process materialises when individuals share meaning, by developing a dialogue, where participants are capable to decipher the meaning of the messages and simultaneously being able to respond, and this exchange is possible through knowledge and understanding of the communication process. In overall process for organisations to be successful in their communications strategies, it is fundamental for them to understand their customers, the way they absorbs information, how they develop attitudes and how they react to marketing communications stimuli . However it necessary to identify, select and develop which communication tool it will be used to apply the most suitable brand communication to reach their target audience (Schultz et al. 1999: 309). The cognitive position perceives the consumer as the problem solver, using the various process to reasoning, forming ideas and gaining knowledge in their own individual way of decoding information (Fill 2005: 117). The previous judgment makes essential for organisations to build a strong Brand Narrative, based on a story that frames cultural codes, cultural expectations and stereotypes, essentially needs to create a story that reflects our times (Dahlen 2010: 13). The brand narrative is intrinsically consistent dialogue, which connects people, events and experiences which can lead to Brand Equity  [8]  . Brand attitude is an imperative characteristic of brand equity, which is intended to influence consumers to purchase the brand, through consumers attitude is possible to measure the brand success (Peter et al. 2010:232). Brand and customer equity Relationships Advocacy Advocacy Marketing communications Marketing communication mix Traditional and non-traditional media Channel partners Positioning Branding Image and Brand management Outcomes Marketing Communications Media Scape Narrative Brand Ongoing Figure 2_ Brand Narrative components (Dahlen 2010:6) Until certain extend brand equity, brand narrative develop a marketing stimuli directed to their target choice, guiding them in the way they behave, think and how they feel (Peter et al. 2010:25) and individuals express themselves, or aspire to be through brands, somehow consumers employ marketing communications to chase personal meaning through their consumption (Dahlen 2010:07). Meaning that by elaborating a brand narrative business is essential to have a deep knowledge about their target market. Customers are seem as problem solvers, through communication strategy perspective, their capability to message decode is affected by their level of elaboration and advertising is the conducive way of channel information to consumers, who then has the opportunity to appreciate the message according to their experiences (Fill 2005:197). 2.2.1Brand message- Communication Effectiveness Brand message is essential for this study, taking in consideration that it needs to be apprehended the communication effectiveness of Unicorn strategy, not measuring but understanding the effectiveness of their brand message, how this business is being so successful in communicating their values, when others in ethical trade are failing, essentially understand how Unicorn engage customers through their brand. Communication is an important means for organisations to reach their customers and potential customers (Bendixen 1993: 19), and this can be achieved through advertisement. Many advertisement models were tailored with foundation on Lavidge and Steiner hierarchy of effects model, this model defends that the customer purchasing process starts from awareness, to knowledge, then liking, moving to preference than conviction and finally purchase. The next model has foundation on Lavidge and Steiner effects structure, where Bendixen applied some changes: Forces of Communication Impact Specificness Credibility Relevance Conviction Comprehension Action Unawareness Awareness Forgetfulness Incompreheension Hotility Aphaty Barriers of Communication Figure 3 _ Brand loyalty the 5 stages of Communication (Bendixen 1993: 21) All components of the promotion mix hold diverse magnitudes to communicate. The effectiveness of each communication channel can be chased from the state of unawareness to all the other stages until purchase (Fill 2002: 18). 2.2.2 Brand message and trust The effect of the brand message also has an impact on trust and relationship commitment (Sharma 1999: 152), some studies suggest the critical role of effective communication plays an impact on the perceptions of quality, trust and relationship commitment, it involves the formal and informal channels between customers and the organisations, is meant to give real expectations and educate customers (Sharma 1999: 163). The effectiveness of cause related marketing may have an imperative influence in customer choice (Pracejus et al. 2004: 639). Communication effectiveness/ Brand message Functional quality Technical quality Trust Relationship commitment Figure 4_ Conceptual model of determinants of relationship commitment (Sharma 1999: 156) Effectiveness is an important derivative of communication strategy taking in consideration that for these to have a positive outcome into the target audience, it needs to achieve what was meant to achieve, the audience must decode in the way that the marketer thought that they would decode and if the audience can acknowledge the full meaning and understand the overall brand message, this process was successful, also has impact in which different communication channels to adopt and how it will affect particular consumer responses (Grace et al. 2005: 114), this might be through advertising or any other avenue. If customers acknowledge the brand message and this is something that they aspire or goes according to their values, consumer will tend develop trust with the brand through their messages. Consumer brand knowledge could relate all descriptive and evaluative brand information. In this spectrum, different levels of knowledge as attributes, benefits, thoughts, feelings, that are linked between them (Ghodeswar 2008: 4) would form a reaction to the brand message, and this reaction should be as expected by the brand in this way they accomplish their communication goals. Understanding brand message has an effect to future purchases, through brand relationship that also involve brand satisfaction, brand trust and brand attachment (Esch et al. 2006: 103), brand message need to be clear and adopt the most appropriate channels in order to achieve their target audience. By using their communication strategies effectively will lead to consumer relationship, trust that eventually will turn into brand loyalty. 2.3 Brand Trust Trust develops when one actor has positive assurance with a trading partner (Zboja 2006: 382), as a process that meets their customer expectations and probably overcome these ones. Brand trust is built over the acceptance that brand value can be design and improved in order to overcome consumer satisfaction concerning the product attributes. Brand qualities might also add value to an existing relationship between customers and brands, being trust one of the most critical elements of this relation. Trust is a feeling based on security and in this context trust has foundation in brand reliability and brand intentions; brand reliability is the capacity of brand to correspond to customers needs, in this dimension is necessary to accomplished what the customer is expecting from the brand; and brand intention has emotional roots, which accredits that customers are in an vulnerability situation when making purchasing decisions (Delgado- Ballester 2001: 1242). Consumer trust and satisfaction about a specific brand and the retailer will drive to repurchasing behaviour; trust is a significant element that bridges satisfaction, individual connection towards a brand as shown on figure five. Trust in the Brand Trust in the Retailer Reseller Repurchase Intentions Satisfaction with the Brand Satisfaction with the retailer Figure 5_ Conceptual model of the relationship between consumer perceptions of brands and retailers ( Zboja et al. 2006: 382) Relationship formation is balanced by customer, product and brand attitude. A brand with very distinctive attributes that adjust to customers values and behaviour tend to develop relationship based on the products categories (Hess et al. 2005:316). Trust is involved in brand credibility, and this creates brand loyalty as an element of brand equity and a key concept in customer relationship, and this might be the strongest connection in the marketing tools (Reast 2005:5). Credibility- based Credibility based trust correlates (Conative)Brand trust Performance- satisfaction based Trust Correlates (Cognitive) Truthful Fair minded Sincere Shows concern Similar values Gives confidence Competence Expert Status Reputation Personal Experience Usage History Fulfil expectations Quality consistency People experience Quality level Dependability Figure 6_ Two component model of brand trust correlates (Reast 2005: 5) The left column represents what a brand should provide and the right column is what customers will perceive if content. Credibility demonstrates the honesty and values of the brand where it can be delivered through advertising, packaging to personal interaction (Reast 2005: 9). Brand trust is establish through personal experience with the specific brand, consequently this experience it will guide consumers evaluation of any direct and indirect contact, being the consumption experience the most important as a foundation of trust. Brand trust offers some kind of security, considering that the brand will meet consumption expectations that will have an influence on commitment. (Delgado- Ballister 2001: 1254). Brand properties are vital to ultimate if customer decides to trust it or not. Consumers tend to judge a brand before forming a relationship with it, Lau believes that individuals develop brand trust according to reputation, predictability and proficiency (Lau et al 2009: 344);furthermore trust can be perceived as an ingredient that contrast relationships from transactions. Trust and satisfaction are crucial elements in building personal relationships that eventually will lead to brand loyalty; which has been conceptualised as a repetitive purchasing behaviour of a brand (Lau et al. 2001: 351). 2.3.1 Trust and Brand Loyalty Within the marketing discipline concepts as trust and brand loyalty are linked together, considering that is through trust that brands achieve loyalty from their customers. The consideration of trust in brand is supported by: the relationship between brand and consumer, that implies that the brand hold some characteristics that goes further than a simple product or service; in other spectrum brand trust is also associated to brand value, which is much more than consumer satisfaction, other characteristics can add value to the existing relationship between a brand and a consumer, being trust the most significant property of this relation. (Delgado- Ballester 2001: 1241). Trust in a brand is positively associated to brand loyalty which brings many benefits to the organisation. The brand properties are crucial to determine if the consumer will trust or not this business if the reaction is positive and the customers is repurchasing over again it will be achieved brand loyalty. Brand Predictability Additional Information Job Specifications are in Word format, to download a viewer for Windows click Here or for Mac users click Here all other documents are in PDF format you can get Acrobat Here Recruitment Policy: Click Here Candidate Guidelines: Click Here Job Share Scheme: Click Here About MMU: Click Here Disabled Candidate Support: Click Here Job Details   Job Reference: G2/2245 Job Title: Marketing Assistant Location: All Saints Closing Date: 16 October 2012 Salary Range:  £ 18340.00 to  £ 19972.00 Benefits Holiday Entitlement: 25 Pension:   Yes Job Details Division: Marketing, Communications Development Department: Marketing Communications Office Work Pattern: Temporary Application Form: Click here for Application Form Job Description: The University only accepts applications on a valid application form which can be downloaded by clicking here. You can then upload your completed application in the My Documents section once you have logged in. Please note that a curriculum vitae (CV) will not be accepted for this vacancy. Manchester Metropolitan University MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT MARKETING ASSISTANT (Full-time / Fixed 2 year contract/) Grade 4:  £18,340-  £19,972 per annum We are seeking a Marketing Assistant who is looking for an exciting, challenging role and has excellent marketing and administrative skills. This hands-on post will be part of a new marketing team in the Faculty of Business and Law. This new faculty brings together the Business School a