Brand Loyalty in purchase of Sports Apparels

Brand Loyalty in purchase of Sports Apparels Purpose The following paper tries to determine whether brand loyalty is a mediator between brand name, product loyalty, price, store environment, promotion, service quality and the intention of a customer to purchase sports apparels. The study presented uses Brand Loyalty to investigate the relationship between brand name, product loyalty, price, store environment, promotion and service quality and consumers intention to purchase. Design/Methodology/Approach A questionnaire was distributed to students of B-schools India in the age group of 18 30 years of age asking about their preferences when purchasing sports apparels. The results of the questionnaire were analyzed using the four step method for mediation analysis Findings Brand Loyalty partially mediates brand name, product loyalty, price, store environment, promotion, service quality and the consumers intention to purchase. Research limitations/Implications The biggest limitation was that the study was confined to the age group of 18-30 years of age. Also it doesnt explore the factors which constitute the independent variables. Future study needs to widen the scope of study by including consumers in the age group of 30 plus. Also it needs to incorporate the factors which influence consumer to recommend the product to others. Practical Implications The managerial implications of the research are immense. It guides mangers to choose the most important factors while opening up a new store as the study establishes that service quality is the most important factor which influences the consumers decision to buy sports apparels Originality/Value This paper is one of the first studies which examines how brand name, product loyalty, price, store environment, promotion and service quality translate into intention to purchase. Paper Type Research Paper Introduction Indians nowadays have developed a fetish for sportswear. This impact can be seen across all age groups; Be it youngsters in the nascent stages of skill-development in the area of interest in the sports domain, athletic adolescents, young men and women with their addiction to gymnasiums or mid-aged and old people who try and look trendy when they go for their daily walks or perform light exercises. This has resulted in a huge demand for sports apparels and it can be seen in the huge variety of sport apparels developed by major brands like Nike, Adidas, Puma etc. A positive trend was observed in Italy in purchase of sportswear in summer/spring. (Dusi, 1999). Though there are very few retailers of sportswear in the market but the competition is very fierce among them. A paper by Wernerfelt in 1991 shows that customers are willing to buy more if the brand name is considered to be superior. (Wenerfelt, 1991) Managers realize that brand retention is a very important factor that decides consumer behavior. They also consider customer retention as a very important factor that actually decides performance of a particular brand (Sasser, 1990). Hence knowledge of brand loyalty is a must for managers. Factors of Brand Loyalty: The independent variables Brand Name ( (Aaker, 1996); (B.D., 2000); (R.W., 1978): Brand name plays a pivotal role in customer retention of advertisements in comparison to a product which is not endorsed by any brand, A brand name may influence a persons buying behavior since hard core followers of a brand purchase all products of a particular brand irrespective of the intrinsic factors. Such dedication to a particular brand is decided by both emotional and physical attributes of the brand name. The complete importance of a brand comes into picture when a choice is to be made between 2 similar products. In such cases the product with a better brand name would be preferred. Product Quality (G.S., 2005), (D.A., 1988), (C., 2000) Consumer may return to a brand repeatedly if it scores high on product quality. The factors which decide the quality can be fitting, size measurement, color, function and performance of merchandise. Fitting is of paramount importance in apparels since they actually define the comfort level of an individual using them. Material once again is important since it defines the durability of the product. Some customers also relate to a particular color. Also how long it takes for the color to fade also determines its quality. Functional attributes like breathable, water-resistance, easy to wash are other parameters which decide the quality of the product. The performance of the merchandise also effect customer psyche since a merchandise having huge sales would make the customer think that the quality of the product must be good to generate such sales. Price ( (B.D., 2000): (Rayner, 1999); (Krishnamurthi, 1991)): Price is another important factor in consumer behavior. If a customer is a hard-core loyalist then he would be willing to pay a premium for the brand in consideration and would be relatively less sensitive to prices. A customer has a perceived value of a product in his mind and a favored brand name enhances this value by leaps and bounds. Hence here the customer is willing to pay more than the expected price if the brand name is preferred. A loyal customer is less price sensitive. Store environment A stores environment, its location and the number of outlets it has also influence the consumers shopping pattern ( (Evans, 1996); (Milliman, 1982); (Grewal, 2002)). If a consumer is satisfied with the variety of products available in a store and the services provided to him then e becomes loyal. Also characteristics of other shoppers, the behavior of salespersons, the displays, the store design, and the advertisements displayed, signs, colors etc. are other factors that affect consumers. Also if the store is attractive from the inside, the shopper would be encouraged to spend more time inside the store and may purchase more which ultimately would affect his loyalty to the brand which owns the store. Perceived store image also has a direct impact on the intention to purchase. Promotion ( (Czernawski, 1999); (Evans, 1996); (Komal)): Promotion forms one of the most important components of the 4 Ps of marketing. It includes advertising, sales promotion and personal selling. Advertising includes print media, electronic media and billboards. The paper by Evans shows that how advertising shapes a key role in determining whether a person becomes loyal to a brand or not. A lot of times advertisements are the first point of contact between a person and the product and hence the image and perception of the product is formed in the mind of the customer through this mode only. Thus good advertisements in any form are a way to attract brand switchers and generate loyalty among them. A research paper by Komal Nagar lays emphasis on the fact that consumer promotions have a positive impact on brand switchers but not on brand loyalists. Service Quality ( (Yonggui)Service quality is a form of personal selling only since it includes direct contact between a salesperson and the customer. A lot of time impulse buying is motivated by salespersons only. If the salespersons are friendly enough then such kind of stores is generally preferred others. If a bonding develops between the salesperson and the customer then it gradually spreads over to customer and the brand/store. Also personalization in the form of personal attention the customers gets at a store significantly influences loyalty. In banks and other financial institutions service quality is the most important factor that determines reputation. Research Background and Hypothesis Price and Brand Loyalty Wakefield and Inman (2003) define price sensitivity as the extent to which individuals perceive and respond to changes or differences in prices for products or services. Further, Jin and Suh, (2005) define Price consciousness or price sensitivity as the degree to which the consumer focuses exclusively on paying low prices. Customers are generally seen to be price sensitive, and sales promotions have a significant effect on their choice behavior (Gazquez-Abad, 2009) characterizing the deal-proneness of consumers by analysis of price sensitivity and brand loyalty: an analysis in the retail environment. Brand loyalty towards clothes in a leading market, sometimes called Generation Y is also significantly influenced by price consciousness It was one of the three variables recognized as having a positive influence on brand loyalty. According to Cadogan and Foster (2000), price is probably the most important consideration for the average consumer. But Consumers with high brand loyalty are willing to pay a premium price for their favored brand, so, their purchase intention is not easily affected by price. Other studies also suggest that Brand loyal customers tend to be less sensitive to price. Further, research suggests that price shows a positive relationship with brand loyalty Price has also increasingly become a major point in consumers judgments of offer value as well as their overall assessment of the retailer In addition, customers have a strong belief in the price and value of their favorite brands and they compare and evaluate prices with alternative brands (Evans, 1996); Consumers satisfaction can also be built by comparing price with perceived costs and values. If the perceived values of the product are greater than cost, it is observed that consumers will purchase that product. Ho: There is no significant and positive relationship between price and brand loyalty on consumer sportswear. Ha: There is a significant and positive relationship between price and brand loyalty on consumer sportswear. Product Quality and Brand Loyalty Quality is relatively tough to define. If Japanese philosophy is to be kept in mind, then quality is zero defects. According to another definition, quality is conformance to requirements (Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry 1985). Here a difference needs to be made between perceived and objective quality. Perceived quality has been defined as the consumers judgment about a products overall excellence or superiority. Perceived product quality is a global assessment characterized by a high abstraction level and refers to a specific consumption setting Objective quality refers to the actual technical excellence of the product that can be verified and measured (Monroe and Krishman, 1985). Romano and Vinelli (2001) state that quality must be guaranteed in apparel sector for customers to remain brand loyal. Consumers today are becoming more and more quality conscious. Quality Consciousness is defined as the tendency of consumers to intentionally search and get the highest possible quality products in their purchases (Sporles and Kendall 1986). Brand loyalty towards clothes among a leading market called Generation Y is significantly influenced by quality consciousness. (Ertekin.) Functional attributes in sportswear include quick-dry, breathable, waterproof, odor-resistant, lightweight, and antimicrobial and finally, durability which is the use life of garments. For instance, some consumers wear their sportswear for heavy work and some for leisure and sports, as they need a lot of movement, while durability is an important consideration in purchasing sportswear (D.A., 1988) Perfectionist or quality consciousness is defined as an awareness of and desire for high quality products, and the need to make the best or perfect choice versus buying the first product or brand available. (Sproles, 1986) This indicates that quality characteristics are also related to performance. Also notable is the fact that consumers may repeat purchase a single brand, or switch between different brands depending on the product quality offered. Ho: There is no significant and positive relationship between product quality and brand loyalty on consumer sportswear. Ha: There is a significant and positive relationship between product quality and brand loyalty on consumer sportswear. Store environment Brand Loyalty Retail store perceptions such as store image and familiarity are extensively studied for apparel brands. (Forney, Park and Brandon 2005) Brand reputations and evaluations are built up over time evoke sales as consumers tend to be brand loyal and brand driven under the influence of store attributes such as staff, layout, location atmosphere. Fulberg (2003) adds that using merely music in a store to create attitudinal loyalty for the brands can be possible. Further Omar (1999) emphasized that the store environment was the single most important factor in retail marketing success and store longevity. If consumers find the store to be highly accessible during their shopping trip and are satisfied with the stores assortment and services, these consumers may become loyal afterwards (Evans et al., 1996). The stimuli in the store, such as the characteristic of other shoppers and salespeople, store layout, noises, smells, temperature, shelf space and displays, sign, colors, and merchandise, affect consumers and serve as elements of apparel attributes. (Abraham, 1995) Also background music played in the stores affects attitudes and behavior. The slow-beat musical selection leads to higher sales volume as consumers spend more time and money in a conducive environment. Research also suggests a positive and significant relationship between store environment and sportswear brand loyalty. Ho: There is no significant and positive relationship between store environment and brand loyalty on consumer sportswear. Ha: There is a significant and positive relationship between store environment and brand loyalty on consumer sportswear Brand name Brand Loyalty Famous brand names can disseminate product benefits and lead to higher recall of advertised benefits than non-famous brand names. (Evans, 1996) In case there are a lot of brand names in the market, many of which are unfamiliar, consumers may prefer and trust the major brand names. Also brand personality provides links to the brands emotional and self-expressive benefits for differentiation. This is important for brands which have only minor physical differences and are consumed in a social setting where the brand can create a visible image about the consumer itself. This is an especially valid point for sports apparels industry. Brand name is the creation of an image or the development of a brand identity and is an expensive and time consuming process. Consumers generally tend to perceive the products from an overall perspective, associating with the brand name all the attributes and satisfaction experienced by the purchase and use of the product. Ho: There is no significant and positive relationship between brand name and brand loyalty on consumer sportswear. Ha: There is a significant and positive relationship between brand name and brand loyalty on consumer sportswear. Promotion Brand Loyalty Promotion is a marketing mix component which is a kind of communication with consumers. Promotion includes the use of advertising, sales promotions, personal selling and publicity. Research suggests that if one brand is sufficiently stronger than the other and if advertising is cost effective, then the stronger brand loyalty requires less advertising than weaker brand loyalty, but a larger loyal segment requires more advertising than a smaller loyal segment. Moreover, stronger brand loyalty requires more trade promotion spending under these conditions. (Aggarwal, 1996) According to Rowley (1998), promotion is an important element of a firms marketing strategy. Promotion is used to communicate with customers with respect to product offerings, and it is also a way to encourage purchase or sales of a product or service. Sales promotion tools are used by most organizations in support of advertising and public relations activities, and they are targeted toward consumers as final users. Advertising is known to be a non-personal presentation of information in mass media about a product, brand, company or store. It greatly affects consumers images, beliefs and attitudes towards products and brands, and in turn, influences their brand loyalty (Evans et al., 1996). Ho: There is no significant and positive relationship between promotion and brand loyalty on consumer sportswear. Ha: There is a significant and positive relationship between promotion and brand loyalty on consumer sportswear. Service quality Brand Loyalty Service quality is commonly defined as the service which should correspond to the customers expectations and satisfy their needs and requirements (Gronroos, 1990). Service quality is a kind of personal selling, and involves direct interactions between the salespeople and potential buyers. Consumers shop at specific stores because they like the services being rendered and are assured of certain service privileges. The impact of salespeople-consumer relationships more often than not result in long term orientation of consumers towards the store or brand. Trust in salespeople appears to relate to overall perceptions of the stores service quality, and results in the consumer being totally satisfied with the stores in the end. Additionally, personalization (i.e. reliability, responsiveness, personalization and tangibles) significantly influence consumers experience and evaluation of service, and in turn, affects the brand loyalty of consumers (Mittal, B. and Lassar, W.M., 1996). Gronroos (1990) notes that the quality of a service as perceived by customers has three dimensions attached to it: functional (or process) dimension, technical (or outcome) dimension, and image. Ho: There is no significant and positive relationship between service quality and brand loyalty on consumer sportswear. H1: There is a significant and positive relationship between service quality and brand loyalty on consumer sportswear. Brand Loyalty as a mediator and Intention to purchase Brand loyalty is defined largely as a consumers strong commitment towards a particular brand to the extent where the consumer will be motivated to obtain that brand exclusively on every purchase transaction and is constantly looking out for any marketing activities related to the brand (Baldinger, 1996). Loyalty is one factor that many studies have shown to have a strong influence on purchase decision (Alvarez et al., 2000). Research suggests that brand loyalty is the main variable which influences the purchase decision process of both national and store brands. Loyalty does not only influence the decision of store choice, but also the brand choice and the quantity of products purchased. Studying purchase intentions is very important in the retail segment, including sports apparels. Several studies have reported a positive correlation between purchase intentions and purchase behavior. (David, 1996) Impulse purchase is also very important for a segment such as sportswear. (Armstrong, 2006)revealed that approximately 30% of the total purchase of university athletic teams licensed merchandise was impulsively purchased by the universitys students. Ho: There is no significant and positive relationship between brand loyalty and intention to purchase on consumer sportswear. H1: There is no significant and positive relationship between brand loyalty and intention to purchase on consumer sportswear. The model illustrating the constructs is given below: Methods Measures The constructs were measured with the help of Likert scales. They responses ranged from 1(strongly disagree) to 5(strongly agree), except in the case of intention to purchase scale which ranged from 1(strongly disagree) to 7(strongly agree). Sample The sample was collected using an online questionnaire. A total of 146 people responded to the questionnaire. No personal information of the respondents was collected, apart from their age, as the study focuses on the age group of 18-30. Intention to purchase: Intention to purchase was measured with a three-item scale found in a paper by Baker, Michael J. and Gilbert A. Churchill, Jr. (1977). A sample item is If you needed a sport apparel would you prefer this brand if you saw it in a store longer? Brand name: Brand name was measured with a four-item scale found in a paper by Cadogan, J. W. and Foster, B. D. (2000). A sample item is the prestigious brand name and image attract me to purchase this brand Product Quality: Product quality was measured with a five-item scale found in a paper by Sproles, G.B. and Kendall, E. L. (1986). A sample item is the materials used by the brand of the sportswear are comfortable Price: Price was measured with a two-item scale found in a paper by Cadogan, J. W. and Foster, B. D. (2000). A sample item is the increased price would not hinder my purchase decision Promotion: Promotion was measured with a three-item scale found in a paper by Wong Foong Yee and Yahyah Sidek (2008) A sample item is advertisements of the brands attract me to purchase more frequently. Service quality: Service quality was measured with a four-item scale found in a paper by Mittal, B. and Lassar, W.M. (1996). A sample item is the salespersons of the stores are well trained and knowledgeable Store environment: Store environment was measured with a four-item scale found in a paper by Dhruv Grewal, R. Krishnan, Julie Baker, Norm Borin. A sample item is the brand has good store locations and easy to access Brand loyalty: Brand loyalty was measured with a four-item scale found in a paper by Odin, Yorick, Nathalie N. Odin, and Pierre Valette-Florence (2001). A sample item is the brand name is the first thing I look for when I purchase sports apparels Step 1: It summarizes the results of a regression analysis using intention to purchase as the criterion variable and the six independent variables as predictor. It is clear that the independent variables are significantly related to intention to purchase of sports apparels. The values achieved are R2 = 0.374, F = 13.846, p Service quality and Store environment were most significantly related to intention to purchase. Step 2: It summarizes the results of a regression analysis using brand loyalty as the criterion variable and the six independent variables as predictor. Results signify that independent variables are also significantly related to brand loyalty. The values out of regression are R2 = 0.358, F = 12.913 and p Service quality again was most significantly related to brand loyalty. Step 3: It summarizes the results of a regression analysis using intention to purchase as the criterion variable and brand loyalty and six independent variables as predictor. From the results obtained we can see that all the independent variables and brand loyalty are significantly related to intention to purchase. The values out of regression are R2 = 0.391, F = 12.650 and p Brand loyalty and store environment were more significantly related to intention to purchase than other variables. The values of beta for all the independent variables in step 1 were greater than their values in step 3. This signifies that the relationship, although still significant, is reduced in magnitude. Hence there is a partial mediation effect. Service quality was most significantly related to intention to purchase out of all the six independent variables. Price and promotion, on the other hand, were least significantly related. Discussion and Implications The current study explored the intention to purchase vis a vis Brand Loyalty. Brand name, Product quality, Price, Service Quality, Store environment and promotion as independent variables. The mediator here was Brand Loyalty. The study was unique in the sense that it explored the intention to purchase while considering the factors of brand loyalty. This study provides an effective tool to apparel makers while opening up a new store in the sense that it enables them to exploit the major factors to leverage upon the buyers intention to purchase by focusing more on the factors which affect the Brand Loyalty the most. Among the factors of Brand Loyalty service quality emerged as the single biggest factor which partially mediated by Brand Loyalty influences the customers intention to purchase. The results entail that sales person consumer relation will more often than not result in long term association of the consumer with the brand. Also it is clear from the results obtained that users dont consider promotion as a factor while deciding upon the apparel to purchase as it has the lowest correlation with the consumers intention to purchase. Also price considered as an important factor in previous researches emerged as another factor which is insignificant compared to other variables except for store environment. This can be explained on the basis that the consumers already have an image of the brands. This is enforced by factors like service quality, product quality etc. and the price factor is not given any weightage. There is also a second reason for this. This is that all the brands we included i n the consideration set of the people filling up the survey are priced similar. This is a very important result in the sense that it guides the apparel stores to provide better service. Another important result which emerged was the insignificance of promotion. Promotion here comprises both advertisements plus the discounts given in the form of clearance sales, sweep stakes, coupons etc. This doesnt contribute to consumers long term brand loyalty. Although it can lead to sudden interest in consumers mind regarding the particular brand offering the discount but it certainly doesnt translate into long term brand loyalty. Brand name is another factor which emerges as a strong variable which important influences the consumers intention to purchase. Consumers tend to perceive the products from an overall perspective, associating with the brand name all the attributes and satisfaction experienced by the purchase and use of the product. But it is clear from the research that it cannot be attributed as the single biggest factor which influences the consumers brand loyalty or intention to purchase. Limitations The biggest limitation of the study which stems from the design of the research is the focus on the age group 18 to 30 years of age. We controlled this variable consciously to study the behavior in this age group. But the age group 30+ is a very big chunk of consumers who buy sports apparels. Taking into account their preference is bound to change certain findings in the study presented above. Another important limitation of the study is that the study doesnt explore the factors which make up the independent variables i.e. factors like promotion entail a multitude of factors like advertisements, personal selling, discounts, clearance sales and sweepstakes. All these factors in promotion and many more in factors like store environment, service quality could not be explored. This stemmed from the fact that if we had decided to explore all these factors then the questionnaire would have been very long. Another thing where the study lacks is that it doesnt explore how to retain customers . Although brand loyalty is very important factor in retention of consumers but this is not the only factor. Scope for Future Research There is a lot of scope for improvements and enhancing the results obtained in the research presented. The biggest perhaps is to include the consumers in the age group above 30 years and above. This is because that they form a big chunk as consumers in the sports apparels. The inclusion of consumers in this age group will provide a holistic study of their preferences. Another way forward is to incorporate in the study the factors which influence the consumers to recommend the product to other. Word to word mouth is very important factor especially in the peer group in the age group of 18 30 years of age. Also as stated in the limitations study we could not include the factors which make up the independent variables e.g. exploring which factors influence the most in service quality so that the store owner can concentrate on those factors more in order to provide customer an enriching experience so that long term relationship between consumers and the brand.

Microbiology Study Guide Unit 2

Define metabolism: The sum of all biological chemical reactions inside a cell or organism Differences in catabolism and anabolism: Catabolism is an enzyme-regulated chemical reaction that releases energy. Complex organic compounds such as glucose, amino acids, glycerol and fatty acids are broken down into simpler ones. The energy of catabolic reactions is used to drive the anabolic reactions. Anabolism is also enzyme regulated but requires energy for taking the simpler broken down components from the catabolism phase and building them into complex molecules such as starch, proteins and lipids What is the role of ATP?ATP is the driving force for catabolic and anabolic reactions. ATP stores energy that is produced from the catabolic reactions which is later released to drive the anabolic reaction and other cellular work. ATP is stored energy in cells (phosphate groups held together by high energy reacting bonds) ATP is required for synthesis and some of the energy is given off as heat What are enzymes and their components? Enzymes are biological catalysts (substances that speed up a chemical reaction without themselves being permanently altered) Components:Apoenzyme is the protein portion of an enzyme. Inactive by themselves, must be activated by cofactors Cofactor- non protein portion (IE: ions of iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium) ****If the cofactor is an organic molecule, it is called a coenzyme Holoenzyme- The apoenzyme+cofactor forms the holoenzyme. It is the active enzyme. If you remove the cofactor, the apoenzyme will not function. **Cofactors may assist the enzyme by accepting atoms removed from the substrate or by donating atoms required by the substrate. Substrate=the specific substance that an enzyme will act on) **The crucial function of enzymes is to speed up biochemical reactions at temperatures that are compatible with the normal functioning of the cell. What are metabolic pathways? The sequence of enzyme catalyzed chemical reactions within a cell . What is the Kreb’s cycle? A pathway that converts two-carbon compounds to CO2, transferring electrons to NAD+ and other carriers; also called tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle or citric acid cycle A series of biochemical reactions in which a large amount of potential chemical energy stored in acetyl CoA is released step by step.In the cycle, a series of oxidations and reductions transfer that potential energy in the form of electrons to electron carrier coenzymes (mostly NAD+). The pyruvic acid derivatives are oxidized and the coenzymes are produced. Kreb’s cycle is for lipid catabolism. Glycerol is converted into dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP) and catabolized via glycolysis and the Kreb’s cycle. Fatty acids undergo beta-oxidation, in which carbon fragments are spit off two at a time to form acetyl CoA which is catabolized by Kreb’s cycle.What is glycolysis? **Glycolysis creates to ATP molecules The main pathway for oxidation of glucose to pyruvic acid: Glycolysis is usually the first stage in carbohydrate catabolism. This occurs from the oxidation of glucose to pyruvic acid. Most microorganisms use this pathway and it occurs in most living cells. The term â€Å"glycolysis† means the splitting of sugar. The sugars are oxidized, release energy and then their atoms are rearranged to form 2 molecules of pyruvic acid. **Glycolysis does not require oxygen!Explanation of cellular respiration: Cellular respiration takes place after the glucose is broken down in pyruvic acid which is then channeled into the next step of either fermentation or cellular respiration. Cellular respiration is defined as the ATP-generating process in which most molecules are oxidized and the final electron acceptor is (almost always) an inorganic molecule. **operates via an electron transport chain * Aerobic respiration the final electron acceptor is O2 Anaerobic respiration the final electron acceptor is an inorganic molecule other than O2 What is an el ectron transport chain and why is it important? It is a system in which electrons pass through a series of different electron carriers to molecules or oxygen or other oxidized inorganic and organic molecules. The process occurs in the plasma membrane of the prokaryotes and in the mitochondrial membrane of eukaryotes. What is microbial growth? It is the growth in numbers of populations or an increase in the number of cellsWhat are three physical requirements of microbial growth? PH, temperature and moisture Define psychotrophs: Are cold loving microbes, will usually be found growing in the refrigerator such as listeria (20-25oC) How does PH affect growth? Certain bacteria thrive in a specific PH environment. Acidophiles like a PH of 5. 4 or below whereas Neutrophiles (most human pathogens) prefer a more neutral environment (5. 5-7. 5 PH) Define halophiles: Extreme halophiles (obligate halophiles) are microbes that require a high salt concentration that is required for growth.Facculta tive halophiles (most common) are microbes that do not require high salt concentrations for growth but can tolerate high salt solutions. How does osmotic pressure effect microbial growth? Microorganisms obtain most of all their nutrients in solutions surrounding water; therefore water is required for growth. They are composed of 80-90% water. High osmotic pressures have the effect of removing vital water from a cell. If a microbe is in a solution in which the concentration of solutes is higher than in the cell, the microbe is in a hypertonic environment which will create pressure on the cell.It will crush the cell causing the cells water to push out through the plasma membrane into the high solute concentration. What are some chemical requirements for microbes? Carbon- one of the most important for microbes next to water because it is the structural backbone Nitrogen- it is required for protein synthesis (requires some sulfur), also needed for DNA or RNA synthesis (needs some phosph orous) Vitamins and minerals- needed for essential function of enzymes, usually as co-factors. What are some organic growth factors?Essential organic compounds an organism is unable to synthesize are known as organic growth factors. They must be directly obtained by the environment. One group of organic growth factors is vitamins for human. What is a media? A media is a nutrient prepared for the growth of microorganisms. In the lab we use nutrient broths and nutrient agars. What are canophiles? Canophiles (aerobic bacteria) are microbes that grow better at high CO2 concentrations. Low oxygen high CO2 conditions resemble those found in the intestinal tract, digestive tract and other body tissues where pathogens grow.Why is a selective media desireable? Because a selective media will suppress the growth of unwanted bacteria while encouraging the growth of the desired microbes. How do prokaryotes reproduce? Reproduce by binary fission (most common) while others may go through a â€Å" budding† process 2 Categories used to control microbes (physical and chemical) Physical: Heat (dry heat such as flame or in hot ovens) heat will denature the protein causing the proteins shape to change making it no longer usable by the organism.Or (moist heat) such as with an autoclave which will force steam inside of the organism very quickly and cause it to break down Chemical: surfactants such as soaps which will work as a binding agen to the microorganism causing it to break off and be rinsed off or phenols which will disrupt the cell membrane or denature the protein therefore disrupting protein synthesis What are physical methods to control microbes? * Heat (dry and moist heat) * Cold * Radiation * Membrane filtration * Drying * Osmotic pressure What are the most common and effective ways of controlling microbes?An autoclave machine that utilizes heat, steam and pressure to kill microbes and their endospores in about 15 minutes (prions are not killed) Is it more effectiv e to control or kill microbes? It is more effective to control the microbes because we can study live bacteria, but not if they are dead Why would we want to control microbial growth? Controlling microbes can prevent infections and food spoilage Compare and contrast chromosomes in prokaryotes and eukaryotes: Prokaryotes have 1 chromosome (only one allele)Eukaryotes have 2 chromosomes (2 alleles) DNA is not always the genetic material. What are the exceptions? How could mutations give rise to new alleles of a gene? How does translation differ from transcription? Transcription in the synthesis of a complementary strand of RNA from a DNA template Translation is the protein synthesis that involves decoding of nucleic acid and converting the information into the language of the proteins What are the differences between the leading and lagging strand?Leading strand gets replicated sequentially and gets filled first. The lagging is the strand that gets replicated sporadically based off of what is left. What are three types of RNA and what do they do? Messenger RNA (mRNA): carries genetic information from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. Transfer RNA (tRNA): transfers the necessary sequence by carrying the code. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA): helps in synthesis of proteins. Explain mutations: A mutation is the change in the base sequence of DNA. Some mutations are bad such as when the gene for an enzyme mutates.The enzyme encoded by the gene may become inactive or less active because its amino acid sequence has changed. But a mutation can also be beneficial such as when an altered enzyme encoded by the mutant gene suddenly has new or enhanced activity that will benefit the cell. List and discuss common mutagens: Define genetic engineering: Manufacturing and manipulating genetic material in vitro also called recombinant DNA (rDNA ) What is recombinant DNA? A DNA molecule produced by combining DNA from two different sources. Exchange of genes between two DNA molecules) **Contribute s to a populations genetic diversity (source of variation in evolution) What are three processes involved in making recombinant DNA? Transformation in Bacteria Conjugation in bacteria Transduction in bacteria What is a restriction enzyme? An enzyme that cuts double stranded DNA at specific sites between nucleotides Pg. 249 What is conjugation? The transfer of genetic material from one to another involving cell to cell contact What is a plasmid? A small circular DNA molecule that replicates independently of the chromosome

BSHS 345 Week 4 Annotated Bibliography - 1433 Words

Annotated Bibliography BSHS/345 Annotated Bibliography Juleen K. Buser, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development 37.2 (April 2009): 94-104 This article is a great article that relates to African Americans seeking mental health treatment at lower rates than whites. The article states that this disparity can be attributed to attitudes toward services, alternate coping, and differences in care. This article also illuminates biases in counseling. Snowden, Lonnie R, Barriers to Effective Mental Health Services for African Americans, Vol. 3, Issue 4, 181-187 (Dec. 2001). Social Services and Welfare, Psychology This article states that many African Americans do not seek proper mental health care. It states that the†¦show more content†¦Technologies can be selected and so they can best meet the needs of the students who are differently abled. Donahue, P. (2005, July-September). Current perspective and future directions for social work practice and research. Families in Society, 86.3, 359-366. This article describes the aging gay and lesbian community. Past research of this community focused more on the gay White man, well-educated, active in the gay community and high socioeconomic backgrounds. This study examines current roles of social work regarding research with older gay men and lesbians and presents recommendations for both practice and research in the years ahead. Not only is this community of sexism, they are also victims of ageism. Future work must strive to be more representative of older lesbians, geographic diversity, and classes because these variables play an important role in shaping the gay aging experience. Bell-Tolliver, L., Burgess, R., Brock, L. J. (2009). African American therapists working with African American families: An exploration of the strengths perspective in treatment. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 35(3), 293-307. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220979644?accountid=35812 When working with African Americans and Native Americans human service workers must consider important factors. When doing a study

Essay on “Components of Logistics Management”

Essay on â€Å"Components of Logistics Management† Table of Contents Customer Order Processing 4 ICT system 4 Benefits and challenges of the system 4 Location Analysis 5 ICT system 5 Benefits and challenges of the system 5 Inventory Control 6 ICT system 6 Benefits and challenges of the system 7 Material Handling 7 ICT system 8 Benefits and challenges of the system 8 Packaging 8 ICT system 9 Benefits and challenges of the system 9 Transportation 10 ICT system 10 Benefits and challenges of the system 11 Warehousing 11 ICT system 12 Benefits and challenges of the system 12 Customer Service 12 ICT system 13 Benefits and challenges of the system 13 Bibliography 14 Customer Order Processing Customer order processing is the most significant component of logistics and operations management. This is because the component aids in attracting customers and comprehending their desires, as well as crosschecking on the availability of what they need. The process involves filling of an order form, which outlines product specification, delivery schedule and location, and quality checklist of the product. As such, this component deserves extensive consideration of the cost to be incurred, specification lists, and the ability of the company to provide the required product by the customer. In addition, the component aids in comprehending different needs of customer and ensuring that the company has the necessary resources of satisfying such needs. Ineffective customer order processing results in a reduction of the sale output of the company and overall failure of the logistics and operation management. Therefore, this component should be effective and run efficiently. ICT system The most significant ICT system for this component is the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). EDI provides a platform for business organizations and individuals to exchange business documents through the use of computers (Covalent Works 2012). This technology acts as a replacement of the common mailing and faxing of paper documents. EDI documents are in the form of record formats in computers, which are accepted as standards for the company. Benefits and challenges of the system One of the benefits of EDI system is that it enables effective exchange of information via the computer, which is a less expensive means of handling business documents. Further, the technology demands less labor time, business transactions occur fast, and minor errors occur since computer systems are used in the processing of documents. Inventory levels reduce, freight costs reduce, and warehouse space is used effectively. Unfortunately, EDI has a drawback in that business organizations, which have to adopt the technology, have to ensure that they have adequate resources, which will ensure effective running and operation of the EDI system. This indicates that business organizations may have to hire or outsource these resources, which increases the capital base for the organization. Location Analysis Location analysis is a component of logistics and operations management, which aids in establishing the suitability of a location to running the supply of organization products. This component is essential since it aids in determining the taxation and government regulation measures, which may hinder the business from attaining its desired success as it runs its business activities within a given locality. Further, the component presents an opportunity of determination of the available resources, which will facilitate effective movement of goods to and fro the organization. This includes the consideration of proximity to suppliers and customers. This is essential in order to determine the cost of the supply chain, as well as ensuring that the supply chain incurs minimal costs. In addition, this component is critical since it aids in determining the shelf life of various products and ensuring that the operation costs of the organization is minimal. This contributes towards increasing the revenues, which an organization earns from running its business activities. ICT system The technology, which suits this component, is the statistical computerized methods and artificial neural networks (ANN). Multiple linear regressions and generalized regressions and ANN are effective methods of determining the shelf life of products (Goyal 2012). Benefits and challenges of the system The benefit of this technology is that it aids the logistics and operations management to predict shelf life of its products in an effective manner. This creates room for this component to ensure timely delivery, so that the organization does not incur any loss as result of decline in shelf life of a product. This is because shelf life of a product is highly associated with the quality of a product. Unfortunately, the technology has inherent challenges, which include the demand for experts who are able to develop the prediction models and programs of product shelf life. This is essential since poor development of the models and programs may result in poor prediction of shelf life, which has a consequence of contributing towards attainment of a loss in an organization. Inventory Control Inventory control is a valuable component of the logistics and operations management. This is because this component focuses on ensuring that the correct product or material is obtained and delivered to the customer with respect to customer specifications. The component further focuses on analysis of the inventory process, so that quality and quantity and timing elements for the materials are obtained in an effective manner. As such, this component is significant in ensuring that the lead-time for the logistics and operations management is attained. This includes control of the inventory during the planning stage and considering both the significance of the raw materials and their costs. Therefore, organizations have to ensure that they have an effective and efficient inventory control system, which has the ability of ensuring that quality and quantity of materials is maintained throughout in an effective manner. ICT system The suitable ICT system for this component is the Distribution Requirement Planning (DRP) and replenishment order control. This technology creates a room for the logistics and operations management to ensure that movement of goods from one store to another is effective (Manuj, and Mentzer 2008). Moreover, DRP facilitates in adding efficiency to distribution of goods among warehouses. Benefits and challenges of the system The benefits of this technology are that it contributes towards lowering the average of stocks, in this component. Further, the technology creates a room for automatic replenishment of the stock irrespective of the fluctuations trends in demand of products. In addition, the technology is suitable for types of inventories, which may be existing in a particular organization. However, the technology has a limitation in that several items or products may attain re-order level at a single time; a situation, which may lead to overloading of the re-ordering system. Moreover, a set sequence does not exist since items are available for re-ordering in a random manner. Finally, some instances may emerge in which variable demand may exist, which may limit the ability of the re-ordering process to attain the desired success due to errors of EOQ calculations. Material Handling Material handling is an essential component of the logistics and operations management. This is because poor handling of materials may result in damages and breakages and consequently, losses on the materials. This indicates that this component has to take into consideration of various factors, which include the number of handlings for each product, material breakage, and cost of handling such materials among others. However, these are dependent on the type of material to be handled, available resources for handling materials, and material traceability, identification, and location. Logistics and operations management cannot attain success if its material handling component is not effective and efficient. This is because as materials moves in and out of the organization, they have to be handled in an effective manner in order to ensure that quality of the materials remains intact and no losses are experienced. ICT system Considering the significance of this component in an organization, the most suitable technology would be the advanced storage and retrieval system (ASRS). According to Wise Geek (2012), ASRS is a system, which relies heavily on robotics and computers for its operations. Benefits and challenges of the system ASRS accrues several benefits to an organization, which include the improvement of the inventory tracking and management, reduction of time loss, cost saving, and effective use of the storage space in the organization. This aids in improving the performance of the logistics and operations management of an organization. Furthermore, ASRS contributes towards reduction in the number of personnel who are involved in handling of the various activities in an organization. This saves the organization labor cost and improves the overall performance of the organization. However, like other technological systems, ASRS has inherent limitations, which include the demand for continues maintenance and inspection. This calls for addition cost to an organization since it will have to hire mechanics and experts who are competent to ensure that the system is functioning effectively. On the same note, installation of the system is costly with the cost ranging from the acquisition of the software and h ardware. Packaging Packaging is critical component of the logistics and operations management. This is because this component involves determination how the product will be handled, the safety level or protection of the product, and satisfaction of customer specifications on products. This indicates that logistics and operations management has to allocate adequate resources on the packaging component in order to ensure that all the requirements of the packaging process are met in an effective manner. On the same note, there is a need of focusing on reduction of the packaging cost in order to ensure that the organization does not incur additional costs in running of its business activities. This may be done in recycling of the packaging materials for various products. Packaging is highly influenced by the type of material, as well as the storage means of the material. This is because fragile products would call for different packaging procedures and methods in comparison to non-fragile products. Further, the state of a material (solid, liquid, or gas) also influences the packaging, which has to be adopted. In addition, some products may demand repackaging. As such, logistics and operations management has to focus on ensuring that the packaging method or means, which is adopted for the various materials and products, is effective and efficient in order to meet the desire of the customers and enable effective material handling and protection. ICT system The proposed ICT system for this component is the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). This technology uses receivers and transmitters in form of RFID tags (Bonsor 2006). These tags aid in communication information from transmitter to receiver ends. Benefits and challenges of the system This technology has benefits in that it easier to install and the security level of the product is very high. Further, the technology reduces the running cost of an organization since the reader does not need to have sight lines since communication is via radio waves. Unfortunately, the technology has a limitation in that is complex to read information in areas or cases where the RFID tags are in metal surfaces and liquid products. This is because metal surfaces and liquid products tend to reflect radio waves. As such, it is difficult to read the tags. Another limitation is that the installation cost for this technology is high, which may contribute towards increasing the capital cost for the organization. Finally, poor read rate may lead to attain of negative results from the use of this technology, which may impact the success and performance of the logistics and operations management of an organization. Transportation Transportation is one of the essential components of logistics and operations management, which enhances effective movement of goods and materials from one location to another. This component adds to time delivery of materials and components from suppliers and to customers. Transportation has to be effective and efficient in order to ensure that loss of products and materials does not occur through breakages or spillages. However, the adopted means of transport has to be cost effective and ensure time delivery of materials and products. This includes the provision of ambience environment for the materials and improvement on the speed of transportation. During the selection of the transportation means, there is a need to consider the urgency of the products to be transported, cost of transportation, and cost of the product. These are the essential considerations in the transportation of goods and products from one location to another location. Actually, without a transportation component the logistics and operations management cannot achieve its objectives in running the affairs of an organization. ICT system The most suitable ICT system for this component is cross docking. This technology involves the coordination of the movement of goods in warehouse; that is, movement in both supply and delivery instances. The system enables direct movement of goods without storage of the goods, which aids in improving cost saving and reduction of inventories (Janvier-James 2012). Computerized record of received goods aids in determining the goods to be supplied directly without storage. Benefits and challenges of the system Cross docking technology uses computerized systems, which determine the supply and link such supplies to delivery demands. This aids in direct movement of supply to delivery without the need for storage. Consequently, material handling inventory cost is reduced significantly. Further, product obsolescence and damages are reduced since focus is shifted from supply chain to that of the demand chain. Unfortunately, cross docking has a limitation in that it demands application of strong IT resources and use of real-time information sharing equipment, which includes bar codes on cartons. These may be limiting to an organization due to lack of accessibility to the same and addition of acquisition costs for the technology. Warehousing Warehousing is an integral component of the logistics and operations management. This is because this component determines the ability of an organization to store its materials for immediate use, as well as future use. As such, the warehousing facility, which is adopted by an organization, has to ensure higher safety of the products. This includes maintaining the quality of products. This is because failure of the warehouse to protect products makes it complex for the logistics and operations management to achieve the desired goals and objectives. Warehousing demands consideration of various factors, which include the location of the warehouse, packaging and repackaging facilities, space for loading and offloading, material handling facilities and an effective inventory level. These contribute towards improving the performance of the warehouse and ensuring that material storage occurs in an effective manner. On the same note, material storage requirements differ to some extent (Dolgui, Proth 2010). Therefore, there is a need for integration of various material requirements in the design process of the warehouse. This will ensure that the warehouse has the capacity to store all materials safely and enhance products shelf life. ICT system For warehousing component, third party logistics is the suitable ICT system. This technology involves outsourcing of distribution and logistics service firm to service provider of logistics services, so that the service firm focuses more on new product development and manufacturing, as well as marketing (Chan et al. 2006). Benefits and challenges of the system Benefits of this technology is that the organization is able to lower its costs, expand on its market segments, have an increased flexibility, the management of its inventory is improved, and resource constraints do not hamper the organization from attaining its desired goals and objectives. However, the technology has a limitation in that it needs establishment of an effective infrastructure, which will enable efficient and reliable collaboration among the two firms engaged. Customer Service Finally, logistics and operations management has to have an effective and efficient customer service. Customer service is integral in creating the relationship of organization customers and management team. This component has to ensure that it provides quality services to clients, so that satisfaction level of customers improves and customers develop an urge of organization products. This contributes in improving the overall performance of the organization. As such, service centre for the logistics and operation management has to located in a place, which is accessible to all customers such the customers can access quality service and the cost of providing such services to customers is minimal. ICT system The most suitable technology for this component is the Customer Relationship Management (CRM). CRM is a software, which adopted by managers and individuals involved in the sales process, so that it becomes easier for them to manage the sales process (Toni et al. 1994). Benefits and challenges of the system CRM is a software, which enhances attainment of efficiency and quality in provision of customer services. This contributes towards improving the satisfaction level of customers and increasing the sales output of an organization. This includes provision of better customer services and simplified targeting and marketing of the organization products. Moreover, the profitability level of an organization increases as the costs decrease (Storey et al. 2006). Unfortunately, CRM has a limitation in that it provides considerable challenges to users in terms of development, implementation, and support of the running process. This may lead to attainment of a big loss to an organization. This indicates that†¦